I used to read Mr. Tang's books, and I admired his old Beijing cuisine. Later, I came into contact with China's food culture, and found that most of the first memories of these delicacies in the book actually came from Shandong cuisine which is now blooming everywhere. Speaking of Shandong cuisine, I think everyone is familiar with it, such as sea cucumber with scallion, diced chicken with soy sauce, fried prawns ... and of course, Jiuzhuan large intestine that can't be mentioned. Many people think that the ingredients such as internal organs are too sloppy at first glance, and they are all things that can't be served on the table. Not really. There is a saying in old Beijing that "there are Zhuang dishes and restaurants", and that is. Qi Rushan said in "China Delicious Talk" that it is all intestines, fat intestines are coarse products, and nine-turn large intestines are fine products. Not to mention the difference between the two, there is a big gap.

The reason why Jiuzhuan large intestine is a fine dish is mainly because of its exquisite practice. First, wash the intestines and cook them thoroughly, then stir-fry the fat intestines, add cooking wine, soy sauce, pepper, sugar, salt, vinegar and other condiments, and clear the soup. When the juice is almost put, it is necessary to turn over the spoon, in order to make the soup taste and shape. Therefore, from the perspective of color, art, lines, etc., Jiuzhuan large intestine has pushed cooking to the extreme, with unique arrangement, oily color, salty, sweet, sour and spicy taste, rich flavor and strong layering, which is a very typical banquet dish.

A few years ago, I had the privilege of talking to the master of Fengzeyuan in Beijing about the ingredients of this dish. I just know that in Shandong cuisine, there are actually many dishes made from internal organs besides dishes like Jiuzhuan large intestine. Fengze Garden is a famous restaurant in Beijing. Of course, all the dishes that can be served are first-class good things. For example, of the more than 50 main dishes in their family, 10 is pork, and half is made of internal organs. Therefore, food and heroes come from Mo Wen.

In addition to Shandong, Shandong cuisine has further developed in other areas. For example, in Beijing, there are so-called terrestrial dishes, such as crab race, which is one of the classic dishes. Crab has always been synonymous with food, but its high price and freshness are often trapped by the season, which doomed it to be an unpopular delicacy. Fortunately, the solution is always more difficult than it is. People who love to eat fry fish and eggs together to make dishes that taste like crabs, and the crab race was born. But how can you taste the crabs in two? Just fry the fish in a pot with egg paste, and then stir-fry the juice and pour it on the fish. Because fish itself has a delicate taste, sprinkle ginger vinegar when eating, and the dish will have a strong crab flavor and a tender and smooth taste. Although it is not a crab, it is better than a crab.

This dish can be seen in all major Shandong restaurants in Beijing, so many people regard it as a member of Shandong cuisine. But it actually originated in Yixing, Jiangsu. In the past, there were many clubs in Xuannan area of old Beijing, and many officials and scholars in Beijing lived here, so this group of southerners who were good at cooking and eating taught their hometown food to restaurants here. As mentioned earlier, Guangheju, a famous capital in the late Qing Dynasty, is one of them. Ren, a native of Yixing, Jiangsu Province, often came to Guangheju for dinner when he was an official in Beijing. Later, he simply spread the crab species from his hometown to Guangheju, so the crab species was also called Ren Cai. In addition, dish fish and ginger tofu are also popular celebrity dishes. Because Guangheju is a Shandong cuisine restaurant, the chef improved this dish, which is more in line with the taste of northerners, so over time, stuffed crabs were classified as Shandong cuisine.