# Latiao

Latiao (simplified Chinese: 辣条; traditional Chinese: 辣條; lit. 'Spicy stick/spicy strip') is a popular Chinese snack. Latiao consists of strips made with wheat flour (especially wheat gluten), flavored with chili pepper. It is chewy, spicy, and tangy.
Latiao is commercially produced by extrusion from a mixture of gluten-rich dough. Beyond chili pepper, salt, sugar, and other spices are commonly used. Commercial preparations may contain flavor enhancers, pigments, and preservatives. Specific additives used in latiao have been the subject of scrutiny in China.
People can also make homemade latiao by using wheat gluten, which can bought at the supermarket. Soak wheat gluten briefly, steam it, then coat with a spiced chili oil made by frying aromatic spices and mixing with chili powder, cumin, and Sichuan peppercorns. Let the seasoned gluten rest for an hour to absorb the flavors before serving.

## History

Latiao (Spicy strip), originated in Pingjiang County, Hunan. It was at first called mianjin (simplified Chinese: 面筋; traditional Chinese: 麵筋, literally "wheat gluten"). Later, Pingjiang people called it mala (Chinese: 麻辣) after the numbing-spicy flavor. Latiao is made from flour that is cooked and seasoned, and is hot fried and spicy. Pingjiang has a history of making dried sauce, spicy sauce and spicy bean curd, which are important parts of the Pingjiang industry.
In 1998, a major flood disaster occurred in Hunan, which led to a serious loss of agricultural products. Soybean, the main raw material for sauce industry, experienced a large decline in production. This directly caused a devastating blow to the dried sauce industry. In order to support the family, farmers urgently needed a new approach. Qiu Pingjiang, Li Mengneng, and Zhong Qingyuan used wheat flour instead of soy flour. Using single-screw extrusion machinery, adding chili, pepper, cumin, sugar, salt, vegetable oil and other condiments, they invented Latiao.
In 1990 Latiao debuted and quickly became popular across China. At the beginning, it was sold in small shops, before expanding to supermarkets.
In February 2016, the British TV broadcaster BBC aired a three-part documentary on Chinese New Year celebrations in which the two presenters were seen roaming a typical Chinese snack street, Latiao in hand. Min Quanlu, production manager of Wei Long Foods, a major latiao maker, told Xinhua that the company packaged the snack by hand until 2011, when demand exploded. "We make 600 million yuan's worth of latiao each year and employ about 2,000 workers," Min said. "About 20 percent of our products are sold in the domestic market, and the rest goes overseas."

### 2018–2019 crackdown

Latiao has been subject to a number of food safety crackdowns.
In May 2018, the food safety authority of Shanxi Province found that Wei Long does not meet the local safety standards. Specifically, Wei Long latiao uses sorbic acid and dehydroacetic acid while the local standard does not allow their use in "flavoured flour products". In September 2018, Hubei's Food and Drug Administration followed suit and suspended sales of Wei Long.
In March 2019, China Central Television's 315 Gala (an annual consumer's rights TV program on World Consumer Rights Day) exposed the conditions of several other Latiao factories in Henan and Hunan. The Gala alleges that questionable food additives and sanitary practices are used.
* At Xiachedan Latiao factory at Gaochang Village in Kaifeng, Henan, videotape shows dust mixed with grease oozing from machines. More than 10 types of additives were seen lying on the ground..
* At Oufei Latiao factory in Tantougao Village, the machines were again found to be greasy.
* At Aiqingwangzi factory at Wangu Village in Yueyang, Hunan, a worker could be seen taking gluten slices from the ground and then putting them into machines.
* At Weiquan Food Co in Futan Village, Latiao was set on dirty rags, while workers did not wear masks or gloves. They packaged latiao with their hands.
In September 2019, Wei Long clarified that its products are in complete compliance with the food additive rules in Henan and Hunan, which handles flour-based snacks (such as latiao) differently. The Health Commission of Henan Province had declared in August 2019 that it plans to abolish these local rules by October 2019, pending the development of new national standards.
As all the scrutiny on latiao's food additive content proceeds, China has not yet adopted a uniform set of health and food safety standards throughout the country. The draft National Standard on Food Additives was released by the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China on May 14, 2019, but has not yet taken effect as of September 2019.
In December 2019, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a notice on the classification of latiao and its allowed food additive content. All latiao is to be classified as "instant food (flavored flour product)" by January 31, 2020. The new National Standard on Food Additives GB 2760 is to be followed, effective immediately.

## In popular culture

Social networks reveal catchwords about Latiao, such as “taste one Latiao and calm down”, “I have a Latiao who would like to be my friend”, “bought a hundred packs of Latiao, I am just richer and wayward”.