Plum-preserve cakes in the vanguard
Xiaolin Village was completely buried in a landslide during Typhoon Morakot, and the surviving residents are now living in three communities: Sunlight Xiaolin, Wulipu, and Xiaolin Xiao’ai. Of these, because Sunlight Xiaolin has been reconstructed along the same pattern as the original Xiaolin Village, it has become a kind of “indicator” for rural community development in Taiwan. It is quite common to see buses carrying student and community groups up here to observe and learn.
The sunlight is very bright up here, infusing the tranquility with an ambience of vitality and energy. The community’s two-story duplexes have been built along a gentle slope, so drainage is excellent. There is a small yard covered with healthy green grass in front of every home, while beside the doors are tile mosaics of family crests of a bear, a boar, and other animals of Taiwan.
When we arrive, nursery-school children have just finished eating and are getting ready for nap time, but the production workshop not far away continues to operate without interruption.
The workshop, still located in a temporary structure, is divided into five work areas for baking, hand-making soap, processing farm products, making lunches, and handicraft guided tours. Because the time around Moon Festival (which fell on September 19 this year) is the peak season for sales of plum-preserve pastries, all of the manpower gets concentrated in the baking areas in order to keep up with incoming orders. With equipment limited, the 28 employees have no choice but to divide into three shifts and keep production going 24 hours a day, even then barely reaching their goal of producing 6000 boxes in two weeks. Customers who have not ordered in advance are just plumb out of luck.
Plum-preserve pastries are the signature product of Sunlight Xiaolin. Dough is rolled in plum jam made from qingmei, and takes on a light brown color. The filling, meanwhile, is made from a mixture of plum flesh and white bean paste. Biting into one of these unpretentious little cakes is a flavor revelation: don’t be surprised if you hear yourself oohing and ahhing out loud.
“The first time you eat one, you’ll literally shriek with delight,” proudly declares a woman working in the baking area. “This is a special flavor that we have developed over time with much trial and error.” The rich plum fragrance makes the taste extremely smooth, but also surprisingly refreshing, and it is not unusual to see people wolf down several pastries without even realizing what they are doing.
Production capacity here is limited, and everyone is looking forward to the day when the community’s proper factory opens and they can expand production volume.
Plum-preserve pastries (left) are Sunlight Xiaolin’s marquee product. Around traditional Chinese holidays, the bakery operates round the clock, but even then it cannot keep up with demand. Other products include plum jam and plum paste (right).