“Eight bowls of flowing water, roasted pork made of iron.” In traditional folk, the “eight bowls” are spread all over the country, and the “eight bowls” of old Beijing are unique. After hundreds of years of practice, the menu of the "eight bowls" among old Beijing folk is basically fixed, namely, a large bowl of three-yellow chicken, a large bowl of yellow croaker, a large bowl of pork elbow, a large bowl of meatballs, a large bowl of rice noodles with meat, a large bowl of pork belly, a large bowl of loose meat and Big bowl of ribs.

But these are just the eight low-end bowls. The "Eight Manchu Bowls" were popular in the Qing Dynasty. They came from outside the country, namely fried small tofu with pickled vegetables, braised shrimp with tofu and eggs, braised pork knuckles, roasted frog, and chicken dumplings. Mushroom powder, New Year pig stew, Yufu Chun fish and Ama Zun meat, it is easy to make and easy to store. After marching and winning a battle, it is often used to worship ancestors and shared with soldiers. Due to the extensive production, along with Dingding Central Plains, the "eight thick bowls" appeared, namely fried green shrimps, braised shredded chicken, whole stewed egg custard and crab roe, sea cucumber meatballs, ingot meat, clear soup chicken, braised chicken and home-style roasted carp. Later, the "eight big bowls" appeared, namely braised fish fillet, braised shrimp, family portrait, sweet-scented osmanthus fish bone, braised smooth fish, Sichuan shredded pork, Sichuan large meatballs and loose meat.

Most of the "eight bowls" in thickness are upgraded versions made by restaurants, with exquisite materials and fine workmanship. However, taking traditional weddings as an example, there are often hundreds of guests, so only larger restaurants can provide them. not enough. The folk "eight bowls" are mostly done by the cook himself, with the party preparing the ingredients. The cook brings his own tools and waiters, and sets up the stove and sets the table in the open air. The craftsmanship of setting up the stove is very particular, otherwise it will consume coal and slow the fire, and it is easy to earn a few hard work. The money is not enough to buy fuel.

The "Eight Big Bowls" are convenient, practical, lively and widely popular. In old Beijing, there were also the so-called "Eight Halal Bowls", which were introduced from Dachang, namely braised yak mutton, braised yak meat, steamed yak meat Hairtail fish, tenderloin in hot and sour soup, braised cabbage with beef balls, braised tofu with smoked bamboo shoots, Yipin eight-treasure rice, etc. It also has a simplified version, namely stewed beef, stewed offal, carrots, long yam, kelp, vinegar braised cabbage, vermicelli, meatballs, fried Tofu etc.

The "eight bowls" are not necessarily eight bowls, but eight bowls of main dishes, excluding cold dishes and staple food. Sometimes stir-fried vegetables are added in the name of side dishes. Most of the first batch of people to sit down are distinguished guests. It is common to add dishes. It's just that "eight" means "everything is stable", so people still maintain this title. In the era of scarcity of resources, the "Eight Big Bowls" brought people closer to each other and diluted the boredom of daily life. As life improved, the "Eight Big Bowls" in old Beijing gradually became distant and were once lost. Although there are now some businesses I restored it, but it wasn't as lively, and it was all meat dishes, so people really couldn't eat it today.