There is no accurate statistics on how many dishes there are in Gancai. In the book "Jiangxi Famous Cookbook" published by Jiangxi Science and Technology Publishing House in 1986, 219 dishes were collected and introduced, which may actually be just a drop in the ocean. A book "411 cases of tofu dishes" compiled by a chef in Jingdezhen recorded more than 411 kinds. Among Gancai, there are several different flavors such as Nanchang, Poyang Lake and Gannan. Although they have the same characteristics of Gancai, there are more kinds and different cooking methods.

The original flavor is the most distinctive feature of Gancai, which is the knowledge of all Gancai chefs and researchers, and also the great charm of Gancai. Most of the raw materials used in Gancai are produced locally, and Jiangxi's rich products have laid the most solid foundation for the development of Gancai. Jiangxi, with its beautiful scenery, has always been a land of plenty. Fish and rice are the basis of vegetables. Jiangxi is not only rich in grain, but also has a wide variety of rice, such as Wannian Gong, Lengshuijing, Yuanzhou Heinuo and Fengxin Xuenuo. . . Different kinds of rice will make different dishes. Without frozen rice, there would naturally be no frozen rice chicken in Suichuan. Without the flour ground from good rice, where would there be the fragrance of steamed meat and steamed fish? According to statistics, there are no fewer than 511 kinds of raw materials for dishes in Jiangxi. There are more than 171 kinds of fish in Poyang Lake alone, red carp in Xingguo, red purse carp in Wuyuan and glass red carp in Wan 'an. Black-bone chicken, black chicken, three-yellow chicken ... There are many kinds of chickens, and the dishes cooked by different chickens naturally taste very different. There are also all kinds of game. There are many mountains in Jiangxi, and pheasants and ducks are everywhere. As for the specialty, it is even richer. Anfu's ham can be compared with Jinhua, Nan 'an's salted duck has a long-standing reputation in Southeast Asia, and there are stone fish, stone ears and pheasants in Lushan, and smoked meat in Pingxiang ... It's really a treasure of things! The popularity of Gancai is due to its extensive and meticulous selection of materials. Moreover, Gancai pays attention to the application of materials and makes the best use of all kinds of best raw materials.

with the development of modern cooking, the status of named condiments in cooking has been greatly improved because of the increasingly developed technology. This was originally a good thing. It was all because of excessive use or excessive dependence on condiments, and a direct consequence was that it affected the original flavor of the raw materials of the dishes. It tastes good, but it often overwhelms the taste of the raw materials themselves, which is actually a usurper's role. In this respect, Gancai just shows its own unique personality. It always insists on its own original flavor of raw materials and does not highlight seasonings very much. A general rule of Gancai cooking is: seasoning should be light but not heavy. This is a very important innovation in culinary science, and it is a reflection of sticking to its own path. According to the cooking theory of Gancai, the taste of raw materials is the most distinctive and often the most delicious and tasteful. A hundred different raw materials will have a hundred different flavors. What condiments in the world can compete with the original flavor? The more human beings move towards civilization and progress, the more they advocate nature and simplicity. Authentic dishes face up to this consumption trend.

if we carefully study the characteristics of Gancai, we can find that the original flavor is the authenticity that Gancai pursues. Whether it's burning, stewing, stewing or frying, the eighteen skills boil down to one point, that is, do everything possible to cook the original flavor. Soup is the source of all kinds of fresh food, and the cooking of Gancai pays great attention to the production of soup, just to highlight its original flavor. For example, Gancai Wabo soup, which is popular all over the country now, and Laohuo soup, which was popular in Guangdong, are also ashamed of themselves. The difference lies in that Wabo soup pays more attention to the original flavor. Why are three cups of chicken highly respected? A cup of oil, a cup of wine, a cup of soy sauce, chop the chicken into pieces, seal it in a earthenware bowl, and then simmer it with a small fire. The chicken soup is truly original and fragrant. The soup of Gancai, if it is clear soup, is crystal clear and delicious; If it is milk soup, it is as white as milk and has a strong taste. These are the unique cooking methods of Gancai. White-boiled bighead carp head is also a famous Gancai. Not only Jiangxi people love it, but also foreigners can't put it down. The reason is that the original flavor of the fish is fully displayed. Although it is just the fish head, it seems not as delicious as the fish body. In fact, the connotation of the fish head is the richest. Once the original juice is stewed, its taste is naturally inexhaustible. There are also yongxin dog meat, lotus blood duck, braised bamboo shoots and other Gancai dishes. The secret of their success is probably to keep the original flavor.

Of course, there are many characteristics of Gancai, such as crisp, crisp and tender, moderate salty and spicy, thick oil, mellow taste, and so on. Masters of Gancai from all over the world can list many characteristics and advantages of Gancai, but in the final analysis, all these characteristics and advantages are still original derivatives. The charm and value of Gancai lies in its original flavor. To learn Gancai, we must first distinguish its original flavor; To cook Gancai, we must first master its original flavor. We know Gancai, saying that it is a thousand and saying that it is ten thousand. If we leave the original flavor, it is worthless. Nowadays, when all parts of the country are competing to brand their own cuisines, we should raise the brand banner of Gancai, and four big words should be written on it: authentic! During the Anti-Japanese War, the Kuomintang provincial government moved to Taihe, and Huaiyang cuisine moved to Nanchang, Jiangxi with the anti-Japanese people, and then moved to Taibukou and Ningdu. A group of Huaiyang cooking masters such as Huang Xinheng, Bu Qiaxiang and Kong Shaohua made a living in Nanchang, and their apprentices passed on their skills, which had a great influence on Jiangxi cuisine. However, the formation of a local cuisine flavor depends on the level of local chefs; The launch of a local cuisine brand also benefits from the unremitting struggle and efforts of local chefs.

In an incredibly simple hut at No.353, Shengjin Tower Street, south of Nanchang, I visited the famous Nanchang Cuisine Association, an organization of Nanchang chefs themselves. The sign of the Association is hung at the door, but when you enter the Association, you still need to go through the pavement of a barber shop, and then climb two narrow stairs. There are four tables and chairs, a telephone, no sofa and no living room in the Association's office. It is said that a new wall-mounted air conditioner was added to welcome China Chef's Day. There is no preparation, no administrative appropriation, and the work from the president to the officer is not paid. However, it is this culinary association that brings together tens of thousands of chefs in Nanchang and spares no effort to inherit and innovate the brand of Gancai. Nearly 111 group members hold annual meetings, technical exchange meetings, seminars, skill competitions, and instrument exhibitions every year, and have compiled a dozen booklets on the research and menu arrangement of Gancai, training chefs for decades, and passing on the traditional skills of Gancai from generation to generation. That is, this association has made great efforts to prepare for the 3rd China Chef's Festival and done a lot of detailed and concrete work.

Wang Shengyu, the president of the association, is a 71-year-old man who has been engaged in catering for almost his whole life. He has been working here since the establishment of the association in May, 1985. When talking about Jiangxi cuisine, he couldn't help showing pride on his face, and there was a deep love in his eyes. He introduced to me the history, characteristics, development and innovation of Jiangxi cuisine, which was like unfolding a colorful and colorful picture scroll, which was amazing. His point of view is very clear. In China cuisine, Gancai has its unique characteristics and should occupy a place. Tu Libo, the executive vice president, the chef, together with Wang Shengyu, campaigned for the prosperity of Gancai. There are also several staff members of the association who are busy with their work and enthusiastically discuss Jiangxi cuisine with me. I finally found the answer from this hut: it was the Nanchang Cuisine Association that held high the banner of revitalizing Jiangxi cuisine, and it was the chefs in Nanchang who shouldered the burden of developing Jiangxi cuisine without hesitation!

The prosperity of Gancai today is inseparable from the association's insistence on training Gancai chefs for many years. Nowadays, in Nanchang, as well as in many other cities, a large part of the chefs who cook Gancai are trained here and go to the stove, including examination rooms, on-site teaching and on-site demonstration. The chefs who are proficient in Gancai operate and explain themselves. The students are divided into two groups, one is to prepare for chopping vegetables, and the other is to cook on the stove. There is no profound theory, but every class is real. A training class is generally about 41 people, and the students can use and master the selection of materials, taste and basic skills of Gancai after three months of study. This kind of training course has been held for more than 111 periods, and the chefs of Gan cuisine have learned their skills from it one after another, and the tradition of Gan cuisine has been carried forward here.

The contributions of the tireless old chefs to the promotion of Gancai are respectable. Let us remember the names of the older generation of Gancai masters who took to the podium: Xiong Xingen, Bu Qiaxiang, Luo Xidi, Zhou Ming, Cai Hesheng, Yang Mingjin, Wang Liangsheng, Tu Libo, Yu Kemao and Du Mingzhe, another great contribution made by chefs to the promotion of Gancai. They are well aware that if a local cuisine wants to make a brand in the whole country, it must boldly go out and go to the national market, and constantly expand its influence through market practice and foreign exchanges. In an open era and an open society, cooking technology must be opened wider to achieve innovation and development. With Nanchang Cuisine Association as the leader, the chefs of Gancai have sent their own delegations to participate in every session since the Fifth National Chef's Day, and every time, they have carefully launched the exhibition booth of Gancai. Some cities hold food festivals and other activities, and the chefs of Jiangxi cuisine compete to show their skills when they hear the news. China Cuisine Association held the selection of famous Chinese restaurants, and Nanchang Cuisine Association actively organized Jiangxi Restaurant to participate in the evaluation. There are 13 hotels and restaurants in Nanchang, such as Unique Restaurant, Folk Restaurant, Jiangxi Hotel, Poyang Lake Liquor, Peace Hotel, Sunshine Hotel, Yuzhangcheng and Fanzhigang, which are already on the list. At the food festival in Tianjin, Jiangxi cuisine caused a sensation, and a Jiangxi restaurant was opened in the famous food street in Nanshi, Tianjin. In 2117, China West Lake Expo Food Festival, Gancai became a foreign cuisine that won the most awards except the host. Nanchang's Wabo soup has been running all the way from Guangzhou to Shenzhen. Today, nearly 21 Wabo soup shops still have customers in weddings. Folk restaurants have opened four branches in Shenzhen, which are also popular every day. Lion Building was very popular in Beijing and Haikou, and Peking Opera attracted countless fans and customers when it entered the hotel. A newly opened Poyang Lake Hotel in Beijing is located at Jimen Bridge on the Third Ring Road. Although the location is not busy, the business of Gancai is still very prosperous because of its distinctive reputation. In Shanghai, in Hangzhou and in Wuhan. . . It is impossible to count how many cities across the country have opened Jiangxi restaurants! I only know that all parts of the country ask Nanchang Cuisine Association to recommend Gancai chefs, and the demand is in short supply. Luoyang, Henan Province also specially invited chefs from Nanchang to perform there for half a month, and the banquet hall of Luoyang Aviation Building was full of guests every day. The people's evaluation of Gancai: "Sichuan cuisine is too spicy, Jiangsu cuisine is too sweet, Shandong cuisine is too solid, and Gancai is better, taking into account the southeast and northwest."

Looking back on the development of Gancai in recent years, Wang Shengyu said with emotion: There are mainly a group of chefs who have devoted themselves to studying, an organization that can unite chefs, and of course, the support of the government and the cooperation of public opinion. His remarks made the best footnote for the kitchen is the soul of food. Today, Gancai can have such splendor in China cuisine, which is a feast built by generations of Gancai chefs with exquisite dishes.