On the winter solstice, Changzhou eats tofu with shallots, paella with bacon, hairy crabs in Changdang Lake, fish heads in Tianmu Lake casserole and mutton.

1. Tofu with scallion

An old saying in Changzhou says, "Eat tofu with scallion overnight on the winter solstice, and eat it all night without freezing, and eat it hot for one winter without freezing for one winter." "DuDu" is Changzhou dialect, which means cooking. Onion is what northerners call "green onion".

Allium fistulosum is a winter vegetable, which comes on the market just before the "Winter Solstice". Tofu is a common dish, which is cheap and affordable, delicious and warm. The fragrance of tofu, the freshness of shallots, a soft and delicious bite, and a bowl of warm-hearted shallots and tofu are really lucky in winter. It is said that "wealth" and "rot" are homophonic, so eating tofu with shallots is also the expectation of Changzhou people for a better life.

2. Bacon paella

Frosted diced bacon, which is short-footed, fat and thin, is served with glutinous, smooth and sweet new rice, and then simmered for a while and then simmered for about half an hour, and the fragrant bacon paella can be served. Slice another piece of lard and let it melt in the rice. Slightly sweet short feet, with chewy diced bacon and ingenious lard, this bowl of bacon vegetable rice alone is enough to satisfy you!

3. Hairy crabs in Changdang Lake

There is a proverb called "The west wind blows, the crab's feet itch, and the crab beginning of winter disappears without a trace", which means that there are fewer and fewer crabs after beginning of winter, but for those who pursue a full and rich taste, the golden age of eating crabs has just begun. At this time of the male crab, crab paste is delicate and mellow. Bite down, full of fragrance, very unforgettable.

4. The fish head of Tianmu Lake casserole

is taken from the head of silver carp naturally raised in the water of Tianmu Lake. After the fish head is fried in a pan, it is taken out, put into a casserole and injected into Tianmu Lake. Add onion, ginger, cooking wine, balsamic vinegar, coriander, pepper, etc., skim off the oil slick, simmer on the fire for more than 3 hours, and a casserole fish head with fresh fragrance and tender fish will be ready. Drinking a bowl of fish head soup from Tianmu Lake in winter is better than living a fairy.

5. Mutton

In winter, mutton is the absolute protagonist. In recent years, people in Changzhou have been eating sheep in winter, and knowing how to eat is the second. Just fancy, it has long been "squandering flowers and getting attractive". It's as small as a bowl of hot mutton soup in the streets and lanes, and as grand as roast whole sheep and feast of whole sheep, people who hear it are salivating. Changzhou Xixia Villa, as a famous mutton producing area in Changzhou, was awarded the "Hometown of Mutton Food Culture" by Jiangsu Catering Industry Association, which attracts tourists from the south to the north to find fragrance every year. Xixia Villa mutton is also a favorite of Changzhou people!

above content reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Hu Cong Du Tofu