In the past, when I read Mr. Tang Lusun's books, I was very envious of those old Beijing foods he wrote. Later, when I was exposed to China's food culture, I found that most of the first memories of these delicious foods in the books actually came from Shandong cuisine, which is now blooming everywhere. Speaking of Shandong cuisine, I think everyone is familiar with it, such as sea cucumber with scallion, diced chicken with soy sauce, fried prawns ... Of course, there is the nine-turn large intestine that can't be mentioned. Many people think that the ingredients such as internal organs are too careless at first glance, and they are all things that can't be put on the table. In fact, it's not entirely true. There is a saying in old Beijing that "there are Zhuang dishes and restaurants have restaurants", that is. Qi Rushan talked about it in "China Delicious Talk", all of them are intestines, the fat sausage is a crude product, and the nine-turn large intestine is a fine dish. Not to mention the difference between the two, there is a big gap.

The reason why Jiuzhuan large intestine is a fine dish is mainly due to its exquisite practice. First, wash the intestines, cook them thoroughly, then stir-fry the fat intestines, add cooking wine, soy sauce, pepper, white sugar, salt, vinegar and other condiments, and clear soup. When the juice is almost put away, it is necessary to turn over the spoon, in order to make the soup taste and shape. Therefore, from the perspectives of color, art and line, Jiuzhuan large intestine has pushed cooking to the extreme, with unique arrangement, oily color, salty, sweet and sour, spicy taste, rich flavor and layering, which is a very typical banquet dish.

a few years ago, I had the honor to talk to the master of Fengzeyuan Garden in Beijing about the ingredients of this dish, only to know that in Shandong cuisine, besides dishes like Jiuzhuan large intestine, there are actually many dishes made from internal organs. Fengze Garden is a famous restaurant in Beijing. Of course, all the dishes that can be served are first-class good things. For example, of the more than 51 dishes featured in their home, there are 11 dishes made of pork, and half of them are made of internal organs. Thus, food and heroes come from Mo Wen.

Besides Shandong, Shandong cuisine has further developed in other areas. For example, in Beijing, there are so-called Jinglu dishes, such as crab racing, which is one of the classic dishes. Crab has always been synonymous with delicacies, but its high price and freshness are often trapped by the season, which doomed it to be a less popular delicacy. Fortunately, there are always more ways than difficulties. People who love food fry fish and eggs together to cook dishes that taste like crabs, and crab races are born. But how can you eat the taste of crabs in the two? That is, stir-fry the fish with egg paste in a pan, then stir-fry the juice and pour it on the fish. Because the fish itself has a delicate flavor, sprinkle ginger vinegar when eating, and the dish will have a strong crab flavor, and the taste is tender and smooth. Although it is not a crab, it is better than a crab.

This dish can be seen in all the major Shandong restaurants in Beijing, so many people regard it as a member of Shandong cuisine. But it actually originated in Yixing, Jiangsu Province. In the past, there were many clubs in Xuannan area of old Beijing, and many officials and scholars who were in Beijing lived here, so this group of southerners who were good at cooking and eating taught the food of their hometown to the restaurants here. As I said before, Guangheju, a famous capital in the late Qing Dynasty, was one of them. Ren Fengbao, a native of Yixing, Jiangsu Province, used to come to Guangheju for dinner when he was an official in Beijing. Later, he simply spread the crab race in his hometown to Guangheju, so the crab race is also called Ren Cai. In addition, Pan Fish and Jiang Tofu are also popular celebrity dishes. Because Guangheju is a Shandong cuisine restaurant, the chef improved this dish, which is more in line with the taste of northerners, so over time, stuffed crabs are classified as Shandong cuisine.