We rely on mountains and rivers to eat, and the Tujia people are no exception.

Every summer, pumpkin flowers bloom in full bloom, and the Tujia people harvest the pumpkin flowers from the pumpkin vines to make the wild melon fish, which looks like a small fish, tastes sour and chewy. Pumpkin, Tujia people habitually call it Huanggua, and Huanggua fish gets its name from it.

When I was a child, many pumpkins were planted every year in the village in front of and behind their houses, beside vegetable fields and crop fields. At that time, pumpkins were almost the same as rice, corn and other food crops. In summer, pumpkin vines grow very long, some crawling on the ground, some climbing up tree trunks, and some climbing up exposed rocks on the edge of the ground. Their downy, dark green leaves are crowded together. In the early morning, the earth was wet, and dewdrops fell on the crops. The golden pumpkin flowers took advantage of the cool morning and faced the rising sun, blooming in a rush, swaying in the wind. Looking around, in front of the house and on the edge of the field, there are pumpkin flowers. Bees, wasps, and Trichogramma were all covered in golden pollen. Some flew straight away, and some flew from one flower to another; butterflies sniffed this flower and stopped at that flower to suck the nectar from the flower. The dew is delicious, and after a full meal, they dance as they please.

The blooming pumpkin flowers make grandma happy. Every morning, my grandmother gets up very early, carries a basket on her back, and is busy picking pumpkin flowers. I often follow her. The pumpkin flower stalks are long, holding the pumpkin flowers high, and sprouting dark green pumpkin leaves, attracting bees and butterflies, which is very eye-catching. I peeled off the pumpkin leaves, carefully stepped into the pumpkin bush, aimed at the bottom of the pumpkin flower stalk, reached out and pinched it, and with a "pop" sound, the flower stalk broke, and a golden flower with a long green stalk fell into my hand. . One flower, two flowers... Before long, I had a lot of flower stalks in my hand. Looking at the pumpkin flowers, I saw a large bunch of fresh golden flowers, exuding a delicate fragrance. I quickly put the pumpkin flowers into my grandmother's basket. Grandma and I were picking pumpkin flowers all over the fields and in front and behind the house. The sun had already risen. Grandma looked at the golden baskets on her back and couldn't help but beam with joy.

When I got home, I followed my grandmother’s method and broke off the pumpkin flowers from the long stems. The broken pumpkin flowers were trumpet-shaped and I tore them along the veins of the flowers to create a piece. The golden flower skin is spread out in the palm of your hand, about the size of a palm. Grandma spread the flower skins one by one in a bamboo sieve, folded them into a spiral, and then exposed them to the sun to let them wither and become tough.

After breakfast, grandma finished feeding the pigs and then packed up the melons and fish. Grandma mixed the wheat flour ground by the stone mill into a paste, brought over the pumpkin flowers that had been wilted by the sun, picked up a piece, spread it in the palm of her left hand, picked up a lump of batter with chopsticks, and spread it evenly on the flowers. Quickly roll it into a column shape, twist the flower end, and a golden melon fish is wrapped. Grandma placed the wrapped Huanggua Fish evenly on the circular steaming grate made of bamboo strips until it was full. Then she placed it in a large iron pot, covered it with a wooden lid, and steamed it over high heat.

The freshly cooked Huanggua Fish is steaming hot, fragrant with flowers and wheat, and golden in color. Grandma picked up the steamed melon fish one by one from the steamer, placed them evenly in the bamboo sieve, and then exposed them to the sun. After being exposed to the sun for several days, the fragrance of pumpkin flowers is still there, and the aroma of wheat is still there, but with the added flavor of the sun. The pumpkin flowers have been dried for several days, and the moisture has been taken away by the sun. The pumpkin flowers and wheat noodles are tightly attached, just like hard dried fish. At this time, grandma took out the unearthed jar, put the wild melon and fish into the jar one by one, and finally stuffed the washed corn husks, and then pressed the corn husks with bamboo strips or wooden sticks. The bamboo strips and wooden sticks were elastic, so Huangguayu was tightly sealed in the altar.

The wild melon fish in the altar is placed upside down in the stone pot, mixed with clean water, the wild melon fish in the altar is isolated from the outside air, and slowly brews into delicious food. The water in the stone pot is very easy to go rancid, so my grandmother needs to clean the stone pot and change the water every now and then, otherwise the wild melon fish in the altar will be infected with a rancid smell. Every time my grandmother changed the water, she would always sniff at the mouth of the altar: "It's not ready yet, it smells a little sour, but the smell of the sun is very strong!"

In one summer, my grandmother would crawl on the altar three or five times. The wild melon fish also adds a delicious dish to the family table.

The fried fish with green peppers is a must-have. This taste has always been lingering in my memory.

Grandma took out a large bowl of crawling wild melon fish, cut the big one with a knife, and cut the small one whole, put it into a pot covered with lard, and fried it slowly over a slow fire; after frying the wild melon fish, add garlic and put in Shredded green peppers, stir-fried for a while, the aroma of green pepper, sourness and garlic collide, and the aroma is overflowing. At this time, the house is filled with the sour and chili aroma, which makes people sneeze and makes people salivate. The family sat around the dining table, carrying rice and cornmeal rice, picking up wild melon fish, and shredded chili peppers. Everyone was so spicy that beads of sweat hung on their foreheads. They pursed their mouths and blew a few times. Take your breath, and then chew the wild melon fish slowly, it is tough, sour and fragrant. At that time, it was rare to find pork on the table, and everyone was greedy for pork. However, Huang Guayu gave the family the taste of sour pork, which was very satisfying. Therefore, when the family members are hungry for pork, grandma will stir-fry melon and fish to satisfy their craving.

One time I went to my grandma’s house, and my aunt also cooked melon fish. In addition to the shape of grandma's buns, the Huanggua Fish made by my aunt is also round, and the taste is similar. Because I was a guest at my grandma's house, when my aunt fried the melon fish, she also added a little fat bacon. In this way, Huang Guayu has a more meaty taste. Although it has been several decades, during these decades, I have traveled extensively, visited many places, and tasted many delicacies, but none of them taste as good as the fried melon fish with fat bacon!

After eating my aunt’s fried wild melon fish, I asked my aunt curiously: “Auntie, how do you make the round wild melon fish?”

“That is It’s wrapped in loofah flowers, not pumpkin flowers!” My aunt looked at me and explained to me with a smile.

"Luffa? What kind of melon is it? I haven't seen it before!" My family has never grown loofah, and I have never paid attention to whether anyone in the village grows loofah. This is the first time I heard about loofah from my aunt. So I became curious about loofah.

"My nephew has never seen a loofah!?" My aunt laughed loudly after hearing what I said, "I will take you to see the loofah and pick a few loofahs for the next meal. Fried loofah for you!" Grandma sitting aside couldn't help laughing after hearing what I said.

The few days I spent playing at my grandma’s house really made me linger, because I was craving for fried pork melon and fish, and I also tasted the fragrance of fried loofah for the first time. In those days, the food I ate was the best in my life.

When I got married, my mother-in-law made Huangguayu every year. When my wife goes to her parents' house, she always brings a small bag of Huanggua Fish when she comes back, probably because she knows that I am craving for Huanggua Fish. The wild melon fish made by my mother-in-law is made with glutinous rice bread. Compared with the wheat bread made by my grandmother and aunt, it not only looks better in color, but also has better chewiness and stickiness, and tastes better. exquisite.

A few weeks ago, I drove dozens of kilometers to visit my octogenarian father-in-law and mother-in-law alone. It has been many years since my wife died of illness. This year, I have been burdened with trivial matters, and due to the impact of the epidemic, I rarely visit the elderly and seldom call to inquire. My mother-in-law was naturally suspicious and thought I had forgotten them. I had to remain silent and not explain at all.

I entered my mother-in-law's house and chatted with my father-in-law and mother-in-law for a while. My mother-in-law suddenly asked me: "When you go back, I packed local eggs and wild melon fish for you. You take them back!"

Considering how old I am, how can I take anything with me! So, I hurriedly replied to my mother-in-law: "I don't want it. You can keep it and eat it later!"

As soon as I finished speaking, my mother-in-law seemed displeased: "Why are you so special? You don't want anything I gave you." ?..."

I quickly explained: "There are a lot of eggs in the refrigerator at home. A lot of them went bad in the past few days, so I just threw them away."

"If you like eating wild melon fish, then I'll give you a pack of wild melon fish!" My mother-in-law decided decisively.

My mother-in-law’s categorical words did not allow me to shirk: “Okay, just pack me some Huangguayu!”

After hearing my promise to take away Huangguayu, my mother-in-law immediately With a wide smile on his face, he stood up quickly, staggered to his feet, and went to pack the wild melon fish for me.

There is an old lady in the neighborhood who lived in the countryside when she was young and also liked wild melon fish. When I heard that I brought back Huangguayu from my mother-in-law’s house, I was filled with admiration and envy. I gave some to her so she could have a taste of what she remembered.

For the remaining Huanggua Fish, I used vegetable oil to make it crispy and fragrant, and then stir-fried green peppers. The house was filled with the usual aroma of sour, garlic and green pepper, which was also very pungent. When eating, I chewed the white rice and wild melon fish slowly.

As I chewed it, the taste of the wild melon fish remained the same in my memory. As I chewed it, an inexplicable taste suddenly came to my mind amidst the everlasting taste of Huangguayu.