There is no Hanzhong person who doesn’t like to eat hot noodles. Picture/Visual China
Authentic Scenery · Eleventh Album
Qinling Mountains-Huaihe River
It is the geographical boundary between the north and south of China
This Because of its special location
the food tastes are compatible with both the north and the south
Going over the Qinling Mountains, you will find the grandeur of the northwest and the various flavors of Bashu Qingwan
National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday
Let us follow this line together
"Taking it all" from north to south
Third stop< /p>
Shaanxi·Hanzhong
Shaanxi cuisine is always "represented" by Xi'an cuisine in the eyes of outsiders. It seems that the old Shaanxi people all have noodles with trousers on them and spicy soups with soup. , The steamed bun must be filled with meat.
Of course, there is also the steamed bun that everyone in Xi'an "must eat everywhere". Photography/Li Jiani Pictures/Tu Chong·Creativity
In fact, Shaanxi has a huge span from north to south, and the flavors of each place are also completely different——
People in northern Shaanxi like to eat mutton, and the neighboring Gansu, Ning, Meng, and Shanxi provinces are all “sheep-eating provinces.” Guanzhong prefers pasta. Sitting on the 800-mile Qinchuan River, it is definitely a “sheep-eating province.” "Master of Noodles"; however, as soon as we passed the Qinling Mountains, the staple food changed from noodles to rice, and the food style suddenly became gentler. The most representative city is: Hanzhong.
Hanzhong topographic map. Cartography/F50BB
Hanzhong is located at the junction of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, with Qinling Mountains standing to the north and Daba Mountain leaning to the south. It grew up surrounded by mountains a long and narrow basin; the Han River originates from Ningqiang County in the southwest and runs across the entire territory of Hanzhong from west to east. The abundant water sources give this land a southern style.
In the rice fields of Bashan Town, Ningqiang County, Hanzhong people eat rice more often than noodles. Photography/Zhang Yihong
And the food flavor of Hanzhong is just like its geographical location, "neither south nor north", integrating the best of the three provinces - Hanzhong hot noodles made of rice, Sichuan flavor Ningqiang spicy chicken, the glutinous rice noodles loved by northwest people, the Lueyang pot tea left by the Qiang people...each of them transcends regions and brings a new experience on the tip of the tongue.
The First Bowl of Hot Noodles
The master of "Nanmi and North Noodles"
Hanzhong Hot Noodles and "Northwest Liangpi" are completely different things.
First of all, Hanzhong dough is made of rice milk. The so-called "Qinling Mountains are a line, eating rice in the south and noodles in the north", in Hanzhong's dough, "noodles" refers to the technique - it refers to grinding the ingredients into powder, but the actual material used is rice. Northern cooking methods, southern ingredients, and a bowl of Hanzhong hot noodles are the culmination of "Southern Rice and Northern Noodles".
Hanzhong hot noodles, a unique spicy Shaanxi flavor. Photography/Hanzhong Ge Photography Studio Pictures/Tu Chong·Creativity
Different from northern Shaanxi and Guanzhong, the climate of Hanzhong, located in the Hanshui Valley, is more humid and has been relatively stable historically. It is rich, so rice can be grown on this land on a large scale. The Hanzhong people in southern Shaanxi are not as enthusiastic about eating noodles and steamed buns as other old Shaanxi, but prefer rice as their staple food.
Compared with the "stubbornness" of Liangpi, Hanzhong Dough made of rice is gentler and full of southern style. It is soft and glutinous in the mouth and requires no effort to chew. The mild dough melts naturally between the lips and teeth, exuding a charming rice aroma. Every bite is full of satisfaction.
The soft dough is topped with various vegetables, such as soybean sprouts, cucumber shreds, etc. Photography/Hanzhong Ge Photography Studio Pictures/Tu Chong·Creativity
Foreigners often call Hanzhong hot noodles "hot rice noodles" to distinguish them; in addition to the dough made of rice, some areas in Hanzhong There are also cold skins made of flour, which are locally called "mianmianpi", while those made of sweet potato flour are called "fenpi" (soy flour noodle). The people of Ningqiang in the west use fern root powder to make dumpling wrappers and then wrap them with fillings to create a unique "gen noodle angle".
Ning Qiang’s “root angle”. Photography/Bai Yuchao
Hanzhong people’s breakfast often starts with a bowl of hot dough, and the best partner is undoubtedly a bowl of vegetable tofu. Vegetable tofu is not a simple combination of "vegetables + tofu", but tofu made with slurry water instead of brine. The taste is slightly sour and fragrant, which complements the hotness of the dough.
Another breakfast is the unique Hanzhong pot stickers. Different from the pot stickers that most people have in mind, Hanzhong pot stickers have no fillings and look more like fried dough sticks. Before frying, use bitter bean flour, peanuts, sesame seeds, Sichuan pepper powder and rapeseed oil to make ingredients, brush the seasoning on the dough, and then fry until golden and crispy, and the aroma is overflowing.
Hanzhong pot stickers, vegetable tofu with slurry and soup, Hanzhong people’s classic breakfast. Picture/Documentary "Breakfast in China"
When a steaming bowl of Hanzhong noodles that is as wide as your fingers is served, underneath is a "base mat" of cucumber shreds, soybean sprouts, potato shreds, celery, spinach, etc. Top it with "spicy oil" that is different from each other in the ten counties and one region, and is cooked uniquely by each household. It is then paired with a bowl of fragrant vegetable tofu and a piece of crispy pot sticker.
Such a hot and soft dough is the "gentle place" on the tongue of Hanzhong people.
The second bowl of slurry water
Northwest-style gourmet genes
Slurry water is the gourmet blood flowing in the bodies of Northwest people.
Glutinous water skin is both a staple food and a snack. Photography/onekeys, picture/Huitu.com
The rich sourness and mellow aroma of vegetable tofu come from the specially prepared syrup, and the mainstream way of eating syrup is also In a bowl of sour and attractive slurry water. You can see paste water in the Taihang Mountains in the east, the ancient city of Dunhuang in the west, southern Shaanxi and northern Sichuan, and Ningxia in the north, and the methods are similar:
Find a dark vat of slurry water, blanch vegetables in boiling water and chop them into pieces, then add cooked noodle soup or rice soup. For example, southerners need to add "old brine" for pickles, and "slurry water" is also needed. "Sour primer" (usually old pulp water) is used to stimulate the flavor. Cover and seal, and after a few days, you can get the syrup and the vegetables soaked in it.
Slurry water surface. Photography/onekeys, picture/Huitu.com
Most of the slurry water in Hanzhong is made of "La La Cai" (Potherb mustard), and some are pickled with rapeseed, radish leaves, etc., and then Soak a few green pepper leaves for seasoning. When frying the slurry, add ginger rice and dried chili segments, then stir-fry with lard until fragrant. Finally, put a few fried tofu strips until light yellow, and sprinkle with a handful of spicy oil that is popular in Shaanxi.
Although machine noodles can also be used to make slurry noodles, hand-rolled noodles taste better. The picture shows the common hand-rolled noodles in the northwest, including wide noodles and thin noodles. Photography/Zhu Rui
The noodles are ordinary hand-rolled noodles. The soul of the slurry surface is all in the soup, and the sour taste is overflowing when you take a sip. The acidity of the syrup is not as overpowering as that of Shanxi old vinegar. Instead, it is a "thick acidity, a mild acidity", combined with the numbness of green peppercorns and the spiciness of chili peppers. It reaches the forehead at the same time. It is full of stamina and makes people get drunk instantly.
A bowl of Hanzhong slurry water combines the flavors of Gansu, Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces.
In addition to Lueyang in Hanzhong, canned tea is also quite popular in Longnan, Tianshui, Lanzhou and Dingxi parts of Gansu. Photography/seriousness
Another Hanzhong delicacy that is closely connected with Gansu people is Lueyang’s canned tea. Lueyang is located in the west of Hanzhong and is adjacent to Longnan, Gansu. The West Han River flows into the Jialing River here and flows into the Sichuan Basin. In this ancient land, the eating habits left by the ancient Qiang people have traveled through thousands of years and formed the Lueyang people's unique "morning tea" custom - cans of tea.
The production process of Lueyang canned tea. Picture/Network
Rather than saying it is tea, Lueyang people’s cans of tea are more like cans of thick soup—in addition to tea leaves, oil, salt, flour, and chopped walnuts are also poured into the tea cans. Then season it with the scent of agastache growing in the mountains and cook it into a pot of thick soup. After the soup is made, the aroma of medicinal tea is overflowing, and when paired with a few flower rolls or steamed buns, it forms a "whole day" that Longnan people (and in fact Dingxi, Lanzhou and other Gansu cities) and Lueyang people have in common. Source of vitality”.
Shaanxi Hanzhong, Sichuan flavor?
Although they are in Shaanxi, Hanzhong people tend to identify more with Sichuan.
Located between the Guanzhong Basin and the Sichuan Basin, the two "land of abundance", Hanzhong not only has no shortage of water, but also has abundant rainfall and crisscrossed rivers. It can grow rapeseed everywhere like in the south of the Yangtze River. The flowers are in full bloom, and the tea "Hanzhong Xianhao" is abundant like the Sichuan Basin, giving it a southern scenery.
Hanzhong has always been known as "Little Jiangnan", and in terms of flavor, it is more like "Little Chengdu". Photography/Mo changed to
And the flavor of Hanzhong is as spicy and spicy as the land of Bashu. Almost every household in Hanzhong has a can of spicy food. The spicy food sprinkled on the hot dough is similar to Shaanxi's spicy food. It is even more spicier, and the further south you go, the spicier it becomes. There are many kinds of spicy food that are different in every household. The spices are more like Sichuan style spiciness.
Spicy chicken made from Bashan native chicken. Photography/Bai Yuchao
Hanzhong Ningqiang’s spicy chicken is based on the spicy chicken in Sichuan cuisine and is said to have been made by a Chengdu chef. After arriving in Hanzhong, they switched to using local chicken, seasoned with a large amount of spicy oil, grass fruits, star anise, pepper and other spices. The taste is numb and spicy, making diners mistakenly think they have entered the land of Bashu while they are in Hanzhong.
From Zhenba bacon, you can also see the roots of the south. The climate in the Guanzhong Plain is relatively dry, so people eat less cured meat. The southern part of Hanzhong, connected to the mountains of Shu, has a humid climate and rugged mountain roads. The locals pickle and smoke-dry Hanjiang black pigs, forming golden, fat but not greasy bacon. Stewed with dried bamboo shoots, it has a great flavor.
Zhenba bacon and fried bamboo shoots with bacon. Picture/Network
"The Book of the Sui Dynasty: Geography" once said: "The people of Hanzhong are simple and unliterary, and they are not very interested in profit. They are addicted to food and drink, and they are busy in the fields and fishing. Although they have a small house and a firewood door, they have no food. It must include meat. ”
Hanzhong people are very particular about their diet and have a gentle and comfortable temperament. They are good at enjoying life like Shu people. A bowl of "hot noodles" in the morning, a bowl of "water noodles" at noon, and a leisurely whole day in the old city, which is neither south nor north and has spring-like weather all year round, is exactly the style of Hanzhong.
"Is Hanzhong delicious?" "It's very delicious!" Picture/"Wulin Gaiden"
- END -
Text丨September
Cover image | Visual China
*Special thanks
Mr. Chen, an enthusiastic citizen of Hanzhong
Photographer Bai Yuchao
Hanzhongge Photography Studio