Guangfu people have a "thirst for salted fish", while Hakkas grew up from roots in salt piles.
△ Hakka pickles
As most of the early Hakkas lived in mountainous areas, salty food is a very convenient choice for Hakkas who often wander. In addition, salty and greasy dishes that consume a lot of physical strength for a long time can supplement the needed salt and energy.
Eating salty has become the taste gene of Hakka people, which has been passed down from generation to generation. China on the tip of the tongue, the most important pen and ink of Hakka cuisine is brine chicken.
"Salt roasting", a special cooking skill, is a unique cooking skill of Hakkas, and it is also a wonderful workmanship of our ancestors.
At first, it was just for the convenience of storing food. The whole chicken was marinated and sealed in a salt pile, but it tasted delicious after steaming.
Wandering develops frugality. There are many plants and trees in the mountainous area, and firewood is often used for cooking. Therefore, the common practice of Hakka cuisine is stew. The dishes made are soft and salty, and "fat and salty" has become the signature of Hakka cuisine.
△ Hakka food highlights
Braised pork with plum vegetables is a good product in fat beauty.
Among them, plum dishes are the crowning touch, which were pickled and dried by Hakka ancestors in Meijiang River Basin in eastern Guangdong. Without pickles, braised pork lost its soul.
In addition, the special craft of "brewing" is also a great wisdom of Hakka people. Hakka people know that "everything can be brewed", and you can brew almost everything you can think of: tofu, bitter gourd, eggplant and pepper.
Legend has it that this comes from the custom style of eating jiaozi for stuffing in the North during the New Year.
After the Hakkas moved south, they found that Lingnan area was not suitable for growing wheat in China, and it was not difficult to make flour, so it evolved into a way of brewing all kinds of food, so as to give new food inspiration and entrust their ancestors with their thoughts.
Of course, with the climate and cultural differences in Hakka scattered areas, traditional Hakka dishes can be combined with local natural conditions and environment to evolve into a variety of Hakka dishes.
For example, Hakka tea, tea, mint, peanuts and so on. Be ground into tea puree and soaked in food.
This very old traditional food custom can be traced back to the Han Dynasty, and later passed down by the Hakka people in eastern Guangdong, but now it has become a minority of Hakka people.
△ Hakka tea is not for drinking, but for eating.
For example, when Hakkas moved to Hong Kong, the culture of potted vegetables became the most representative feature of Hakkas in Weichun, New Territories, and they would have a big feast to eat potted vegetables on holidays.
△ Making potted vegetables in Xinwei Village Office
In the past, Hakka ancestors put coarse and greasy cooked food in pots for convenience. Nowadays, pot dishes have become more and more luxurious, and abalone wings have replaced laver, pigskin, boiled chicken, roasted meat and so on. ...
△ Large pots of vegetables
Hakka cuisine in western Fujian pays attention to the original ingredients and eats more fresh food. For example, boiled chicken is more common than brine chicken.
Because of the high humidity in the mountainous area of southern Jiangxi, Hakka people are suitable for growing peppers, so Hakka food is spicy on the basis of heavy salt, and Hakka dishes with appropriate heavy taste are born.
△ Jiangxi Ningdu meatballs, Hakka dishes with Jiangxi flavor
Hakka people are vegetarian, coarse, wild and miscellaneous. Nowadays, with more people paying attention to light health, less oil and salt and light diet, traditional Hakka dishes are obviously not suitable for urbanites who pursue delicious food.
But in any case, Hakkas are all over the world, and it is difficult to change their tastes. That is the memory of Hakka's irreplaceable hometown taste and taste buds. How many overseas Chinese wander abroad for salty taste.