When I first learned about Songjiang cuisine, I had been in Shanghai for nearly three years.

I still remember that it was a cold winter night, and the clouds that were still bright in the morning flashed a few times after noon, like a short circuit of a light bulb, and quickly darkened.

when I got out of the library, it was already in a dark room, and the fine rain line fell like a needle, which made my life cold. But I still have to go to Songjiang cuisine, a long-awaited "mysterious meal", in this weather.

When it comes to local cuisine, nine out of ten people will say, "Isn't it just thick oil and red sauce?" Let's leave aside whether it is biased or not, but the whole world knows about it to some extent, and then ask what dishes this local cuisine has. Most people can also answer "Braised eel with oil" and "pickled fresh".

May I ask, "Do you know Songjiang cuisine?" , even one out of ten people can't find out what they know.

Today, let's talk about Songjiang cuisine, which has faded into the people but once shone brightly in history.

Let's start with the history of Songjiang. After all, the style of Songjiang cuisine can not be separated from its rich history since ancient times.

Songjiang is located in the southwest of Shanghai, in the alluvial plain of the Yangtze River Delta, in the upper reaches of Huangpu River.

However, historically, Shanghai once belonged to Songjiang Prefecture, and Songjiang has a very long history. It first appeared in Shuijing in the late Western Han Dynasty.

When the historical carriage came to the Spring and Autumn Period, Songjiang was located in the east of Wu.

According to the literature, it is said in ancient times that Wang Shoumeng of Wu often came here to hunt, so he built a pavilion and named it "Huating" for the convenience of staying.

Later, under the impact of years of sediment, the area of Huating continued to expand. After the "unstable" period, the land in the lower reaches of Taihu Lake presents a natural moist and fertile state, and the dense river network is extremely suitable for farming and aquaculture.

So in the tenth year of Tianbao in the Tang Dynasty, the government officially designated this land surrounded by Jiaxing East, Kunshan South and Haiyan North as "Huating County". Songjiang, a "gem", also began to shine from "Huating County".

According to historical records, since then, the politics and military affairs of Hua Ting County have become more and more important, and its economic and cultural development is also flourishing.

For example, at that time, only one county in Huating County was going to offer a large amount of high-quality rice to the capital, which showed its wealth and farming level. Songjiang's fishery development is also extremely prosperous-even the locals "sell fish to fight" and "compare fishing to agricultural gardens".

This also made Songjiang a major commercial trading center at that time.

In the Yuan Dynasty, Songjiang's economy developed further and its population suddenly increased. In the 14th year of Yuan Dynasty (1277), the government upgraded Huating County to Huating House, and a year later, it was officially renamed as Songjiang House.

According to records, at the beginning of the establishment of Songjiang Mansion, a tall five-story building with a height of 15 meters was built at the gate of the mansion. Its shape was so magnificent that it was even called "the first floor in the cloud" by later generations.

From the end of Yuan Dynasty to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Songjiang transformed itself from a land of plenty of fish and rice into a national cotton textile center-known as "Songjun cotton cloth, clothes and quilts are the best in the world".

And the rapid development of Songjiang diet starts from here.

11 Songjiang diet "for the first time" shines brightly in history, starting from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

at that time, Songjiang prefecture was a well-known metropolis for trade in the southeast coast. In the city, there is a ten-mile long street with a wide range of restaurants, and the bustling market is even comparable to the lively scene of "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival". However, not only the citizens in the city are well-fed and rich, but also businessmen and celebrities from all directions gather here.

The affluence of economy makes people start to pursue high-quality food. So the chefs in Songjiang learned from others and developed the "catering industry" in full swing.

At this time, Songjiang's diet was mostly based on the essence of local folk food culture, which further integrated the food style of Wuyue culture.

wuyue's food style is mainly divided into two factions. First, in Jiangsu area, the dishes are mainly sweet and soft, which will trigger a soft breeze and drizzle when tasting, and reveal a soft spring like a small bridge; Secondly, in Shaoxing, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, the dishes are mainly salty and crisp, and when you taste them, you will eat a kind of poetic and picturesque like tender willows and green flowers.

generally speaking, wuyue has formed its own gentle, beautiful, mellow and natural style under the gentle water system, which is far from the boldness and boldness of the Yellow River valley, the iron horse and the lonely smoke in the desert, and the excitement and boldness of the Yangtze River valley.

On this basis, Songjiang cuisine has gradually formed a characteristic flavor with moderate sweetness, moderate saltiness and crispness, and light and palatable taste.

At the same time, people pay attention to the combination of stewing, steaming, stewing, frying and boiling in cooking, and pursue the "original" freshness and naturalness in the ingredients. Therefore, the dishes like to thicken, but they are not greasy, and the bones are crisp and tender without losing shape.

12 This diet style continued until the opening of Shanghai, and Songjiang catering ushered in its "second" turning point.

after the opening of Shanghai in 1883, Shanghai, as a commercial port connecting the whole country with the outside world, gathered 16 local cuisines, such as Jiangsu, Wuxi, Nanjing and Huizhou, in order to meet the taste needs of people from all corners of the country, which was historically called "Sixteen gangs don't make trouble in Shanghai".

At this time, although Songjiang was not included in Shanghai, it was also deeply impacted by foreign cultures. Gradually, the taste of Songjiang cuisine has become more diversified, and it has gradually changed from pursuing lightness to heavy seasoning, from liking fresh and tender white, fresh and salty and palatable to sweet and fresh flavor of "thick oil red sauce".

13 After Songjiang was transferred to Shanghai in 1951s, Songjiang cuisine changed dramatically again.

At this time, while Songjiang cuisine was preserved and innovated, it was also impacted by Shanghai cuisine. Especially after the reform and opening up, the development of Shanghai's "Shanghai-style fusion cuisine" has become a spectacular sight, with restaurants all over Shanghai.

Many chefs in Songjiang have also learned from Shanghai-style chefs, and even invited Shanghai-style chefs to come to Songjiang for guidance-so Shanghai-style cuisine has been injected into Songjiang cuisine, and they collided and merged to form today's "Songjiang cuisine".

Generally speaking, the addition of Shanghai cuisine makes Songjiang cuisine fresher and softer, with diverse flavors, a harmonious spicy, sour and sweet taste, and pays attention to the taste and layering of the entrance. At the same time, western-style spices were also introduced into the spices. For example, the famous "Li Pailin Juice" swept people in Shanghai at this time.

Having said that, what exactly is Songjiang cuisine?

11 representative of classic cuisine: four-gill perch

Four-gill perch is Songjiang perch, which is produced under Xiuye Bridge outside the west gate of Songjiang and only owned by Songjiang. As early as the Ming Dynasty, Songjiang perch was called "the four famous fish in China" together with Yellow River carp, Yangtze River shad and Taihu whitebait.

its meat is pure white and shiny like snowflakes, and its entrance is fat, tender and delicious, with no thorns and no fishy smell at all. The best way to cook it is to steam it without too much "decoration".

according to the later Han dynasty? The Biography of Zuo Ci records that Wei Emperor Cao Cao once gave a big banquet to the guests, and sighed during the banquet: "Today's grand gathering is a little prepared, but few, Songjiang bass ears."

12 representative of home cooking: Three-silk water shield soup

Just like Jiangnan cuisine, Songjiang cuisine also pays attention to "four distinct seasons, so we should eat it in time". In the early summer, the most delicious "seasonal dish" is the three-silk water shield soup.

This soup is green in color as a whole, with some white and red lines running through it. The raw materials are diverse and all serve "fresh"-water shield, shredded ham, shredded pork and shredded chicken are only the main materials, and some people will add shredded pork and shredded bamboo shoots according to their own preferences.

The soup tastes smooth and tender, but it tastes crisp when chewed. Obviously, it is the simplest way to cook, but people can't put down the dishes and chopsticks!

13 snack representative: Yexie soft cake

Yexie soft cake is one of the most famous Songjiang snacks. And its history can be traced back as far as the first year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1573), which is more than 411 years ago.

Generally, people sell Yexie soft cakes in three varieties: square cakes, vegetarian cakes and sweet-scented osmanthus white sugar cakes. People will mix high-quality white rice and glutinous rice produced in Songjiang according to the ratio of 95: 5, and soak them in water for seven days.

Then dry the soaked and fermented rice in the sun, put it in a stone mortar and grind it into powder. After sieving for many times, add ingredients such as bean paste and white sugar, and finally put it into a mold and steam it on the stove to form it.

The steamed soft cake is round outside and white inside. It looks very attractive! The taste is soft and glutinous, sweet and pleasant, accompanied by a touch of rice fragrance. In summer, it is refreshing and satisfying.

Songjiang cuisine once left a rich and colorful stroke in history, but now it is little known.

I don't want to lament its loss too much. After all, people's choices will be different in different times.

but I have to feel sorry for another thing, that is, the loss of many Songjiang dishes. We once saw its grandeur in the records of the ancients, but now they have come through generations, and after the turmoil of the times and the death of famous chefs, there are not many dishes left.

However, the regret that has happened is irreversible, but today we can still record and pass on the existing special dishes, which is also the best gift we can give this weather-beaten friend.

References:

1. Records of Jiaqing Songjiang

2. Songjiang, the root of Shanghai culture and the source of Chinese civilization. Wen Wei Po

3. Songjiang Encyclopedia

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