Xinfeng Steamed Bun Introduction
Cai Chongming (born in 1951) was originally an employee at the Chiayi Salt Field under Taiwan Salt Corporation. His wife is a seamstress who made clothes for the villagers to supplement the family income. Starting in the 1970s, the rise of ready-made garment factories significantly impacted the tailoring business, leading to a dramatic decrease in income. To provide his wife with a side business while taking care of their children and to increase the household income, Cai Chongming went to the Wushulin Salt Field in Kaohsiung to learn the methods of making buns and steamed buns from his brother and sister-in-law. His brother and sister-in-law were employees at the Wushulin Salt Field welfare center and learned from an elderly man from the mainland who made buns and steamed buns to increase their income. After mastering the techniques of making buns and steamed buns, Cai Chongming returned to Xinwen and started selling them. Initially, he struggled with the techniques and sought advice from an elderly man known as "Haikongzi" at the Budai Salt Field office, constantly improving and developing the recipes that led to the current esteemed reputation. His son, Cai Cheng'en (born in 1979), came back to help and learn in 2010, officially taking over the business after getting married in 2014. The preparation of buns and steamed buns starts the day before. In the afternoon of the previous day, the dough is kneaded and allowed to ferment. At 12:30 AM, he wakes up to knead the dough again, shapes it, places it into a fermentation box for a second fermentation, and then steams it in the steamer. The first batch is ready by 3 AM.
