1. The best fried clam in the world is a traditional famous dish in Nantong, also called Fried Moon Axe. Meretrix meretrix, also known as Meretrix meretrix, is a marine shellfish. Because clam meat is rich in amino acids and succinic acid, it tastes very delicious, and it is known as "the freshest in the world", which has been regarded as a delicacy by emperors and literati in past dynasties. (Liang) Yuan Dite's composition praised "the taste of clam is high". "Xiyangza" contains "Emperor Sui loves clams, and his food must taste clams, with tens of millions." Song Renzong regards clams as a delicacy. Ouyang Xiu's poem about eating clams for the first time said that chickens, dolphins, fish and shrimps were all inferior to clams, and he hated himself for eating clams too late. 2. Nantong is rich in clam from ancient times to modern times, and it has been used as a tribute since Sui Dynasty. Nantong chefs are good at making clams, and fried clams are one of them. The soup of the finished dishes is full, tender and delicious. The individual looks like a silver axe, and the whole looks like jade. It is a delicacy with good color, shape and taste. Together with "the first soup in the world" and "the first dish in the world", it is called "the third point in the world" and is the standard dish for the skill assessment of chefs in Huaiyang.

The first thing in the world is the nickname of seashore shellfish clam. Meretrix meretrix is produced in the coastal beaches of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea in China, but the black beach in the south of the Yellow Sea has the best quality because it is rich in microorganisms and is the best nutrition for seashore shellfish. Rudong County, Nantong City has a tidal flat of 100 kilometers, which is rich in high-quality clam. As early as the 1970s, Meretrix meretrix in Rudong County was exported to Japan, Europe and other places. According to legend, when Emperor Qianlong went down to the south of the Yangtze River, local officials waited on Meretrix meretrix, and after tasting it, they were overjoyed, saying that it was extremely fresh and tender, ranking first in the world.

In zoology, Meretrix meretrix belongs to bivalve, Claudiobranchia and Clavidae. Also known as clam, Chang 'e, flower clam, yellow clam, sea clam, clam and so on. Its two shells are very thick, with a slightly triangular rear edge and a round belly edge. The shell surface bulges with smooth enamel, and the patterns are rich and beautiful, so it is called Meretrix meretrix (see photo). The meat of mussels is as white as jade, and their feet are as flat as tongues, much like the "moon axe" in ancient weapons, so mussels are also called "moon axe" in the menu.

Meretrix meretrix lives a few centimeters to a dozen centimeters below the shallow layer of the beach, forming small holes (commonly known as spray holes) on the beach. Clam-picking fishermen kept stepping on the spray holes on the beach, and the clam gradually floated up from the beach. Then the fishermen put the palladium together with small palladium and took it home directly. Modern people call the action of stepping on clams "disco at sea". There are many ways to eat clam shells, such as stir-frying, simmering soup, barbecue and raw wok. Its recipes include "the best in the world" (fried clams), iron plate clams, money clams cakes, toast moon axes, wishful clams rolls, hibiscus mussels, roasted clams and so on. Among them, "the best in the world" and "Money Clam Cake" are listed in the top ten hot dishes and top ten snacks of Jiangsu famous dishes respectively.

Meretrix meretrix is not only delicious and nutritious, but also contains a lot of iron, calcium, iodine and other elements needed by protein and human body, which has therapeutic value for many diseases. Meretrix meretrix is not only a delicacy, but also a medicinal material. Has the effects of clearing away heat and resolving phlegm, promoting diuresis and resolving hard mass, and inhibiting cancer. Modern international medical circles believe that the extract of Meretrix meretrix can inhibit the growth of tumors. Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica says that it can cure "sores, furuncles, toxic swelling, digestion and hangover". Modern research also shows that Meretrix meretrix has the functions of clearing away heat, promoting diuresis, resolving phlegm and resolving hard mass, has obvious inhibitory effect on liver cancer, and has good curative effect on asthma, chronic tracheitis, goiter, lymphadenopathy, otitis media, stomachache and vulvar ulcer. It also has the functions of stimulating appetite and promoting lactation.