I recommend a small and quiet ancient town in the south of the Yangtze River: Lili. Maybe you've never heard of this place name before.
The ancient towns are almost the same, with white walls and tiles and small bridges and flowing water. But Lili is the oldest town I have ever seen, with many local specialties.
As a foodie, I personally think it is worth a visit to Lili just for these delicious foods.
There are too many famous ancient towns in Jiangnan.
Suzhou Lili Ancient Town is located in Zhujiajiao, Shanghai, adjacent to Xitang, Zhejiang in the east, Nanxun and Wuzhen in Zhejiang in the west, and Tongli, Wuzhong, Zhouzhuang and Jinxi in Wujiang in the north.
And Li Li, like a hermit living here, is hiding in the boudoir.
Because I like it, I stayed in Lili ancient town for five days and four nights and searched all kinds of delicious food in the ancient town. There are many special snacks in the ancient town: sleeve sausage, oil pier, spicy chicken feet, tiger beans, begonia cake …
This article shares the most worthwhile shops in the ancient town.
When it comes to Lili cuisine, Lili spicy chicken feet definitely rank first.
Small shops selling spicy chicken feet are everywhere in the ancient town, and many people will pack them and take them away. A kilo of 30 yuan is not expensive. In fact, the taste of Lili spicy chicken feet in each store is different, and each has its own advantages.
Famous spicy chicken feet shops include Wang Ji spicy chicken feet and Sula spicy chicken feet. If you walk into any restaurant in Lili, you can also order a spicy chicken foot.
This is spicy chicken feet from Lichuan Private Restaurant, which I like better. Spicy chicken feet are not spicy, but also have a lot of sour and sweet taste.
What is unanimously praised by friends is the spicy chicken feet of Shangtangqiao Hotel in Guzhen. It is near a bridge. Very emotional.
It is difficult to rank which of Lili's spicy chicken feet is the best, because everyone's tastes and preferences are different. You won't know until you eat it yourself.
Intussusception is something that people who love to eat like, and people who don't like to eat can't eat a bite. This is the most famous intussusception shop in Lili ancient town: Laojie intussusception.
Casings are sold by the catty, 135 yuan/catty. However, most people in the ancient town eat a bowl of sausage noodles, while 28 yuan eats a bowl.
Intussusception in Lili old street is a real large intestine with small intestine. It has been a famous dish in Lili since the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and has a history of more than 300 years.
This is a couple's shop, and the proprietress is very simple and enthusiastic.
One large intestine is stuffed with eight small intestines, and the production process of intussusception is really heavy.
Clean the large intestine and small intestine, remove the fishy smell with onion, ginger and yellow wine, cover and cook for 2-3 hours, and it will become so white and tender.
This section of the intestine can clearly see the small intestine inside.
The sauce poured on the sleeve is secret. After a few bites, it was chewy and indescribable. Try it yourself.
This shop sells both crab cakes and plum cakes. The boss said that the materials are the same, but the utensils made are different, one is begonia-shaped and the other is plum-shaped.
Sanyuan Begonia Cake is filled with bean paste. The most important thing is to put a piece of lard in it, which has a unique flavor.
Sprinkle melon seeds and sesame seeds on the surface, seven in a pot, and the production time is about 5 minutes. It's the best to eat now
The last step is to burn the sugar, and the white sugar is heated and burned on the surface, so that it is fragrant.
When you come to Lili ancient town, you must eat one at Youdun. Five-yuan oil piers are all over the streets and alleys of Lili ancient town.
Ji Feng Oil Terminal is famous, but this Lujia Oil Terminal is a local time-honored brand. The plaque reads: Qianlong Emperor Oil Wharf is named a century-old shop.
The 50-year-old Lu, three generations of grandparents and grandchildren have lived by selling dock oil. This is him and his father. Every day, two men are busy in the shop, selling small oil piers by hard work.
Boss Lu said that you can sell 4,000-5,000 oil piers a day on holidays and 500-600 oil piers a day on weekdays.
Secretly calculated, a day to sell 600 oil pier, a 5 yuan, a day's turnover is 3000 yuan, a year is 100! A small shop is really impressive.
The store also sells green balls, small wonton, malt cakes and so on.
The oil of the fried pier is rapeseed oil, which has a unique fragrance. You dun's bean paste stuffing is all made by yourself, and there are osmanthus flowers in it.
It's really delicious, but the oil pier is really too big, and the stuffing inside is very full. Eat one and you'll be full.
In addition, there are many time-honored brands in Lili ancient town, such as Luji fleshy wonton.
Lili ancient town is very suitable for shopping and eating. Tired of shopping, find a teahouse or cafe and sit around all afternoon.
To my surprise, even during the National Day holiday, there are not many tourists here during the day, in twos and threes. Suitable for leisure and relaxation, suitable for tourists who like quiet.
The history of Lili can be traced back to 2500 years ago, when it was a village, from village to city, from city to town, and became a market town in the Southern Song Dynasty. Hongzhi became an important town in the south of the Yangtze River with a history of nearly 900 years.
I like Lili, except for the special food, because all the people who live here are local people and are not commercialized at all. Everyone nearby knows the people here and keeps saying hello all the way. The distance between people is very close.
This is really the most civilized and quiet ancient town in Jiangnan that I have ever seen. Have a chance to eat in Lili!