The Grand Canyon of Enshi, the Valley of the Heart of the Earth, the City of Tusi ...... There are many delightful sights here, and also many mouth-watering delicacies, such as Hejia, Fengtou Ginger, Tujia Bacon, Oil Fragrance, Gexian Rice, Kang Small Potatoes, Dried Beans of Bo Yang, Oil Tea Soup.... ...etc. It's all very exciting to think about.
But here to introduce you to the food is not a certain dish, but a very local characteristics of the Tujia hanging pot feast, the Tujia is living in the west of Hubei, Yudong, Xiangxi, Qianxi Wuling Mountain area of the ethnic minorities live in the foot of the building, the middle of the largest room for the hall, the hall in addition to being used as a hospitality and for the family to get together or to discuss things, but also both the fireplace and the dining room function, families like to use the hall as a fireplace and the dining room, the house is not only a place for the family to gather and discuss things. Families like to cook and eat around the fire pit in the hall, so there is a long history of fire pit culture, and this hanging pot feast in the understanding of Yu Fan, is an extension of the Tujia fire pit culture.
Originally, the main function of the fire pit was used as a fire when it was cold, to drive away the cold and damp, but the Tujia people put the fire pit a multi-purpose, but also use the fire pit to cook, the middle of the hanging a tripod pot, the fire below, the top of the smoke can also be utilized to burn, smoked and cured preserved meat, pig's trotters and other waxy goods, and the hanging pot feast is the hanging pot is used in the table on top of the table.
Eat hanging pot feast, there is a grand sense of ceremony, only to see two men dressed in Tujia clothing will be lifting the hanging pot on the dining table, and this hanging pot is also different from the hanging pot of the farmhouse, apparently optimized on the outside, the caliber of about one foot five or so, with the ordinary iron pot is different, in the two pots of ears with a twisted twist-like wire linked up, rainbow-shaped. The roof hangs down a hook, hanging pot but hanging above the hook, the structure of this hanging pot is a bit like the Chongqing hot pot of the son of the mother pot, inside the soup, outside the dish.
Said hanging pot feast, in fact, is not only a hanging pot, but the main hanging pot, surrounded by a number of other dishes, local friends said, near the winter solstice, the countryside began to kill the New Year's Eve pig, so we just caught up with the planing of the soup, the surrounding gave us a lot of pig's blood, pork liver, slippery pork, crispy pork, etc. Eat planing of the soup can only be eaten when the dish.
The dishes in the hanging pot are very rich, there are fish and meat, and there are also baked potatoes, fried flower armor, preserved pig's trotters, preserved pork ribs, etc., etc. When the dishes in the inside are almost eaten, then the prepared local products Tofu, bean sausage, mushrooms, mushrooms, greens and so on are put into the hot pot to eat, and the atmosphere gives me a feeling of similar to the hot pot in Chongqing.
On the dining table, in addition to the food in the pot, there are Zhang Guan He Jiao, local food such as Tujia bacon, kang small potatoes, dried beans in Bai Yang, and the staple food is the golden-colored potatoes and rice, which smells fragrant, and at the end of the meal, each person also has a bowl of authentic Tujia oil tea. Doesn't look good, but it is one of the best tea culture in China, has a long history, according to the Qing Dynasty's "Laifeng County Records" records: "the natives to fry soybeans, grains, rice flowers, green coke and other things, take the water and oil, boil tea leaves and soup, pay tribute to the guests, the name is: 'Oil Tea'! ".
Tourism, not just to see the scenery, taste culture, experience the local characteristics of the food is also an important part of the essential, then to Enshi, must try this unique color of the hanging pots feast, otherwise, it is not really understanding of Enshi's catering culture, do you think?