Sun taste, Guanmiao Noodles

台南關廟鄉的「關廟麵」以獨樹一幟的彈性與咬勁而遠近馳名，這裡的麵條並非由機器烘乾，而是經過長時間的曝曬自然風乾而成，所以能夠久煮不爛、口感香Ｑ帶勁。走進關廟鄉，除了能夠採買好吃的麵條外，還可以一探關廟麵的製麵過程與傳統手工曬麵的情形……

“Guanmiao noodles” in Tainan Guanmiao Town has been known to be elastic and tasty. These noodles are not dried by the machine. They are dried by the fresh air and are tasty. While you enter Guanmiao Town, you can purchase the best noodles in town, and also discover the process of making these noodles….

在南台灣特有的強烈豔陽照拂與山風吹拂下，曬出來的麵不僅可以長久保存，麵條也會變得香Ｑ可口且耐煮不爛。天氣晴朗時，行走在關廟鄉到處可以看到曬麵的熱鬧情景。

Because of the sunny weather and mountain breath in southern Taiwan, the noodles dried and produced in this environment can be kept very long. Noodles will not become mushy even in long boiling and still taste fresh. Wandering in Guanmiao Town in a clear day, you could see the noodles being dried everywhere.

除了掛在曬架上的長麵條外，還有一種是捲起來放在圓筐裡的，這是為了方便風乾及收納而發明的方式。

Besides hanging the long noodles on the rack to dry, the noodles can also be dried by rolling in the round basket which makes them easily organized.

走進製麵廠，滿眼盡是層層堆疊的圓筐與辛勤工作的阿姨們。

You can see lots of women working hard and stacks of baskets as soon as you enter the noodle factory.

各家製麵廠獨門配方不同，但調配好的麵團經過壓麵機製成扁平狀後，都是利用機器來切割成麵條。

Each noodle factory has its own special process in making noodles. However, the dough after pressing will be sliced by the machines.

扁平的麵團沒一會兒就變成細長的麵條。

The pressed dough will soon become the long slim noodles.

切下來的麵條，整齊等量的被放在輸送帶上。

All these slim noodles are put neatly on the conveyor belt.

動作俐落的阿姨們，迅速的將麵條捲成一小捲，再整齊排列在圓筐上。

Workers quickly roll the noodles to small coils, and organized them neatly on the basket.

這一小捲一小捲，當地人是叫「柳」。「柳」是關廟麵的計量單位，一柳代表一份。 一柳一柳的麵捲，形成相當美麗的圖案。

Local people named the small coil “Liu”. “Liu” is the unit of measure for the Guanmiao noodles. One “Liu” is a coil. Many “Lius” become a beautiful design on the basket.

整個輸送帶全景。

Here is the view of the whole conveyor belt.

接下來，就是進行曬麵的大工程了。

Next, noodle drying will start.

一般需要在陽光下曝曬三天左右才會完全乾燥。除了攤在陽光下外，還需要不定時將麵條翻面使其日曬均勻。

Noodles need to be completely dried in the sun for 3 days. They also need to be placed upside down to have dried in both sides evenly.

除此之外，還得時時注意天氣變化。下雨了要趕緊收入倉庫，麵條若淋到雨就必須扔棄。不止陰雨天要注意，就連豔陽高照時也要小心，因為太陽若過強會把麵曬壞。因為需要仰賴老天爺的臉色過日子，關廟麵的產量多寡，就不是人力可以控制的。

Be aware of the weather changes. When it rains, the noodles need to be put away, or they need to be tossed if they get wet. Noodles cannot be over dried as well. Weather would decide the quantities of the noodles make, it is something workers can’t control.

我到訪的時候，天色不妙，沒一回就開始下起大雨，工作人員手忙腳亂的趕緊把曬麵架推進來。

While I was visiting, it started to rain so that the noodles were put away by the workers.

日曬風乾的關廟麵不含任何防腐劑，口感紮實有彈性，可以安心的大塊朵頤哦！

The sun-dried Guanmiao noodles do not contain preservatives. It tastes solid and flexiable. Please enjoy them!

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