1. Croquettes

The book "Taste of Beijing" mentioned that one of the Spring Festival meals in old Beijing was "closely related to steamed buns", which was croquettes. There must be meatballs at the New Year's Eve dinner because meatballs symbolize family reunion. In the past, during the Spring Festival, every family always had to pay New Year greetings or receive New Year greetings. There was no fixed meal time and there was not much time for cooking. Prepare the meatballs in advance and eat them right away.

“Why are the vegetarian meatballs sold in supermarkets not delicious now?” Mr. Zhao Heng asked himself and answered, “Because he is reluctant to put coriander.” Mr. Zhao said that delicious vegetarian meatballs must be put in a large amount. Add coriander, carrots, five-spice powder, and vermicelli to the noodles, and fry them immediately. Vegetarian meatballs are a typical "poor man's dish" but they taste great. Mr. Zhao said that at that time, people's living standards were relatively low, so they spared no effort to cook both vegetarian and meat dishes and coarse and fine dishes. But this delicacy of poverty is hard to find now.

2. Mutton

In ancient times, "sheep" was associated with "auspiciousness", so eating mutton was a very auspicious symbol. People all over the world have the habit of eating mutton, but only the mutton culture in Beijing, China, can be said to be broad, profound and inclusive. The famous all-sheep banquet has a total of 108 dishes, covering every part of the sheep. There are many ways to do it, including stewing, braising, rinsing, popping, roasting, roasting, etc. are the most common. Each method has its own flavor and characteristics, as well as varying nutritional content.

Stewing mutton can ensure that the nutrients are not lost to the greatest extent and has the best nourishing effect. When stewing the soup, first simmer some mutton leg bones and backbones over high heat for half an hour to form a milky white soup. Remove the soup bones, then put the washed mutton into the pot, add onions and ginger and simmer over low heat. If stewed in a casserole, the flavor will be better.

3. Braised fried tofu

Braised fried tofu is a famous halal snack in old Beijing. The tofu is tender and smooth, and the soup is delicious and is loved by the people. Since "tofu" was introduced to Beijing, there have been more and more ways to eat it, and it has been improved by combining the tastes of the north and the south. After hundreds of years of evolution, it has formed Beijing's own characteristics. Especially in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, after the opening of "Liubiju" in Beijing, the condiments became more abundant, and the snack "braised fried tofu" appeared, which has been passed down to this day after continuous improvement.

4. Carp

Old Beijing has the custom of eating fish on New Year’s Eve. The fish must be carp. It was originally offered as a sacrifice to the gods, but later it was associated with the auspicious saying of "good luck and good fortune". Fish is both a delicacy and an offering.

5. Fried Crunch Box

Fried Crunch Box is a snack in Beijing. Although some families make it themselves, especially during the Chinese New Year, it is mainly sold in snack bars. Buy and eat here. Crunch box is made by mixing mung bean noodles with white flour, salt and five-spice powder (or pepper). You can make it at home. You can also add eggs when mixing the noodles. Some crunch boxes add some shredded carrots, coriander and the like, and some add nothing at all, roll them into rolls, cut them into sections and fry them. Crispy and delicious, burnt but not greasy.

There are two types of creak boxes, big and small. The larger one is more common and was often used for breakfast and eaten with sesame cakes. The small creaking boxes are more sophisticated and can be used to accompany wine, and Tong County makes them best. Some people say that the creaking box was produced earlier than the city of Beijing.

6. New Year Cake

New Year Cake - Eating New Year Cake during the Spring Festival means "the good will win over the new year, and it is used to pray for good luck." It means that everything goes well every year. The title "cake" already existed in Yang Xiong's "Dialect" in the Han Dynasty, and it became popular in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Jia Sixie's "Essential Art of Qi Min" records the production method. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, rice cakes had developed into a snack available all year round on the market, with different flavors from the north to the south. In old Beijing, rice cakes are supplied in large quantities by Muslim snack bars during the Spring Festival. They are offerings used by the Manchus to worship gods. The Manchu name is Feishiheiafeng.