沈丘县老城镇，豫东平原上一颗璀璨的明珠，悠久的历史，灿烂的文化，孕育出许多民间艺术之花，享誉全国的顾家馍就诞生在这片古老而又充满生机的土地上。 
      
    沈丘县“顾家馍”又称“贡馍”，是沈丘县著名的土特产品，距今已有四百多年的历史，沈丘县老城镇下湾村是其产生、流传、发展的惟一集散地。 
      
    沈丘县老城镇又名乳香台，地处泉河之滨，南与安徽临泉接壤，经济发达，商业繁华， 老城镇历史悠久，远古时代就有人在此劳动、生息、繁衍，境内的乳香台为新石器时代的遗址，是古沈丘县治所所在地。距今有五百多年的历史。 
      
    顾家馍具有馍体浑圆，外型工整，无裂口裂纹，不歪不扭，立而不斜，卧而不堆；外观洁白、光滑、逞亮，在阳光下如瓷般迎光闪亮；馍底部呈阴阳八挂图形，构建了顾家馍的独特标志；食之，馍味含香带甜；存放之，不酸、不霉、不裂、不散、不变质、不变味，年余馏之，味仍如初蒸等特点。 
     
    1、 基本上以手工操作，家庭作坊为主。而作坊的制作工具，还保持着原式性、传统性。揉面、制馍坯在木案上操作，蒸馍一律用大口铁锅，单竹秕，秫杆挺锅盖，燃料一律用木柴或庄稼秸秆等。而不用笼箱蒸，不用煤碳作燃料。如果用煤作燃料以笼箱蒸之，或用机械化制作，其产品就会出现变形，有裂口裂纹等瑕疵。 
      
    2、工艺流程：选小麦——淘洗小麦——磨面（只取60%的精粉）——制酵头——调面发酵——揉面——发酵——再揉再发酵——揉面制坯——上锅蒸制——晾——上色——描彩勾花纹等。 
      
    其品种花样繁多，有十二生肖类、花鸟类、动物昆虫类、人物类、山水类等。各系列并非孤立存在的，而是相互交融，互为衬托，互为依托，如凤凰戏牡丹、双龙戏珠等。而十二生肖，更是惟妙惟肖，个个玲珑剔透，招人喜爱，从不同角度，以大写意手法活灵活现地体现出生肖的各个个性，加以丰富的想像，淋漓尽致地把形、神、韵有机的融为一体。在彩绘着色上，施用分层着色法。以黄色衬底为主色，红色点睛，蓝、黑、青等色勾架描脉络花纹。同时，注重彩绘与勾线相结合，以色传神，以神着色，从而形成了色彩艳丽而不俗，美而不妖不媚的境地，充分显示出了喜庆、祥和的韵致。充分体现了人民群众对美好和谐生活的向往与追求，表现了民间艺人对美的非凡创造力和想象力。 
      
    “顾家馍”能存放年余，而不酸、不霉、不裂、不散、不变质，年余馏之，味仍如初蒸。“顾家馍”馍体浑圆，外型工整，无裂品裂纹，立而不斜，卧而不堆；外观洁白、光滑；在阳光下如瓷般迎光闪亮；馍底部呈阴阳八卦图形，构成了其独特的标志。“顾家馍”发面用活酵头，制馍坯用手工揉制，蒸馍用柴禾燃烧加热，用大口径铁锅、竹秕、秫杆梃顾家馍传说动人 
让时光追溯到清朝初年的后金时期，地处黄淮腹地的沈县（现沈丘县老县城老城镇）城南大门夏湾村，有一个人称顾二别子的人，真名叫顾维臣。在夏湾村开了一个做馍卖馍的小作坊，由于其聪明好学，天长日久，顾维臣凭研制出一种状似葫芦的小白馍，晾干后坚硬如石，存放一两年后不霉变不干裂，馏后食用仍似刚出锅的馍一样新鲜，人称“顾家馍”。一时间，顾家馍在当地声名鹊起，当地的官宦或商贾都以顾家馍馈赠亲友，有钱人家祝寿办喜事用顾家馍作为礼品赠送以示喜庆，老百姓更是把它作为娃娃的吉祥物，既可逗孩子玩耍，玩耍后洗净溜后可继续食用。 
      
    据夏湾人相传，当时清朝有一位皇帝得了重病，宫中的太医轮流为其把脉问诊，但谁也不能治愈皇帝的病。皇帝的病情日益加重，正当满朝文武一筹莫展之时，一名云南籍李姓御大夫猛然间想起沈县的乡医刘先生曾经用当地的状似葫芦的小白馍，治愈了儿子多年不愈的顽疾。于是，李御大夫极力推荐让乡野的刘先生为皇帝治疗。刘先生被召到京城后，为皇帝把脉开出药方后，便把随身携带的顾家馍也送上，并嘱咐皇帝身边的人说，在皇帝进膳时每顿饭可馏两个顾家馍食之。皇帝调理一段时间后终于龙体康复。遂传出手谕，要求沈县县衙每年都要往皇宫进献一些顾家馍，自那时起，顾家馍被选为御用贡品。 
      
    相传在晚清时期，当时袁世凯还没有登基当大总统，正为手上无尤物奉献给慈禧太后而终日闷闷不乐。袁世凯偶有一次回乡时，品尝到了亲友前来拜访而带来的顾家馍。袁世凯当即被顾家馍的色亮如釉，形真似宝葫，入口津甜香醇，回味绵绵不绝的独特风味而倾倒。他如获至宝。为了能取悦于慈禧太后，便带了许多顾家馍去孝敬慈禧太后，深得太后的赞赏，因此，顾家馍又有“贡馍”之美誉。锅盖等都保持着原生态性。


 

Gu Family’s Steamed Bread

　　   
    Old Shenqiu County is located in Yudong Plain. Shenqiu is also called Yuxiang plat, lying along Quan River, which has a long history and is a transportation junction. Gu Family’s Steamed Bread in Shenqiu is also called Tribute Steamed Bread, which is a local specialty and has a long history of over 400 years. Xiawan Village is the only place where it produces, spreads and develops.
      
    Gu Family’s steamed bread has the qualities of perfectly round and careful shape, no-cracks, not-twisting, steady; white, slide and bright which makes its shimming in the sun; an eight diagrams at the bottom which is a special figure standing for Gu Family’s bread; sweet when ate; without getting rotten and eats like new ones when kept for a long time.
      
    Mainly all the breads are handmade with traditional tools and making skills: Knead dough on wood table, steam them in a big iron pan with bamboo bars supporting the pot cover, choose firewood or straw as material. Only in this way can the steamed bread keep perfect shape. Besides, it has dainty and careful making process flow: choose quality wheat, wash them, mill them into flour, make ferment, mix, knead dough, ferment, knead and ferment once again, make original shape, steam in ban, dry in the sun, color, paint pictures. Follow these processes one by one then we can get all kinds of lifelike lovely steamed breads, including twelve Chinese zodiac signs, flowers, animals, plants, landscape, human figures and so on, which are all not only joyful and peaceful artistic conception but also express people’s hope for the harmonious society and life. These steamed breads contain human’s great talent of imagination and creativity.
      
    In the terms of its origin, in as early as then beginning of Qing Dynasty, Gu Weichen, who lived in Xiawan Village, Shenxian County, trial-produced a cucurbit-shaped steamed bread which was well received at that time for its cucurbit-liked shape and last-long quality. They are widely used to send others as gifts as well as toys for children. It’s said that in Qing Dynasty, there was an emperor who got heavy sick for many years without cure until he ate Gu Family’s steamed bread. From that time, Gu Family’s steamed breads were brought to the Imperial Palace every year and became a tribute.