Shandong is surrounded by mountains and seas, and its superior geographical position makes many seafood appear on the dining table of Shandong people. Among them, sea cucumber with scallion is a famous dish in Shandong cuisine, and it is also an "evergreen tree" on the New Year's Eve dinner of Shandong locals. This dish is made of scallions and high-quality sea cucumbers that Shandong people are proud of. After a long period of slow stew, the spicy taste of scallion and the fresh flavor of sea cucumber are perfectly combined, with attractive color, delicate taste and fresh flavor. These two ingredients not only retain the original flavor, but also enlarge their own characteristics, which is the finale of the New Year's Eve dinner.
As the saying goes, "no fish can make a feast", and fish is homophonic with "fish", meaning more than a year. As the most important meal of the year, fish-related dishes are indispensable for the New Year's Eve. "Carp that goes downstream without eating its fish" is a high praise for carp in the Book of Songs. The fat and tender Yellow River carp is an excellent ingredient for making New Year's Eve dinner in the eyes of Shandong people, and the sweet and sour Yellow River carp is one of the classic dishes of Shandong cuisine. Carp is covered with crispy fried coke, and then drenched with sweet and sour juice. Golden scales, red tails and golden yellow are very appetizing, which is very in line with the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival.
Crispy rice crust is a must-have dish for Zibo people's New Year's Eve. It is made of chicken, fish head, trotters, ribs, lotus root, Chinese cabbage, brisket, etc. After the layers are stacked, put them into the pot, pour in the prepared juice, simmer for an hour and then stew for about two hours. The ingredients are rich in nutrition and delicious. It can be called the northern version of "Buddha jumping over the wall". The practice seems simple, but I hope that every layer of ingredients is cooked and the bottom ingredients are not burnt. I really can't make this enviable crispy pot in a few years.
In Shandong, there is a saying that "chicken starts with fish and fish ends with fish". Chicken has the homonym of "auspicious", which means that eating chicken in the New Year is prosperous all year round. Chicken-related dishes should naturally be the first course of Shandong New Year's Eve. Among all kinds of chicken practices in Shandong, Dezhou braised chicken is the most famous. And Daokou Roast Chicken, Liaoning Goubangzi Smoked Chicken and Anhui Fuliji Roast Chicken are also called the four largest roast chicken in China. Texan braised chicken is a classic of Shandong cuisine. The meat is tender and pure, spiced and boneless, and the color is red and golden. It looks very attractive, and Shandong has the custom of taking roast chicken to visit relatives in the New Year, which is both affordable and face-saving.
Four Joy Meetballs, a traditional dish in China, also belongs to the classic Shandong cuisine. The four big balls, which are full of color, flavor and taste, symbolize four happy events in life: happiness, auspiciousness, longevity and happiness. The round shape of the balls symbolizes reunion and is a very auspicious dish. Often used for wedding banquets, New Year's Eve dinners, etc. , to express its good fortune. Sixi Meetballs not only has a good meaning, but also is plump, soft and not loose, and has a great taste and taste. It is a popular dish on the dinner table of Shandong people's New Year's Eve.
Jiuzhuan large intestine is ruddy, soft and tender, fat but not greasy. Sour, sweet, spicy and salty, with rich taste levels, but they don't complement each other. And it means a smooth and long New Year, which is very in line with the festive atmosphere of the New Year, but cooking is more difficult. Conditional Shandong people will order this classic dish in the restaurant.
Although prawns in coastal areas are very common ingredients and boiled prawns are mostly used for cooking, the braised prawns in Shandong cuisine are different. The prawns in Bohai Bay are full and delicious, and the dishes are bright and delicious. Prawn also has auspicious meaning in traditional culture, so Shandong people will also include braised prawns in the New Year's Eve menu.
Ordinary ingredients can also be transformed into exquisite dishes in the hands of Shandong people. Among them, fried double crisp is a classic Shandong dish. Chicken gizzards, pork bellies and other two main ingredients are used. After frying, it combines color, aroma, taste and shape, which means double happiness. It is an essential hard dish for Shandong people's New Year's Eve.
With the approach of the Spring Festival, people will go to markets and supermarkets to prepare new year's goods, and the joy of the New Year is everywhere. Shandong people like to eat pasta, and Chinese New Year is inseparable from pasta-related foods, among which the most delicious is Jiaodong pasta. "Pastry", also known as "steamed buns", has a long history and beautiful and diverse shapes, and is a beautiful landscape in Shandong during the Chinese New Year. Ordinary dough is made into Jiaodong cakes of various shapes and colors by a skillful woman, such as peach, flowers and birds, fish and insects, etc. During the Chinese New Year, it will be given to relatives and friends to enhance their feelings and express their good expectations for the new year.
In the north, no matter how rich the New Year's Eve is, jiaozi must be the last dish on the table. In the eyes of northerners, jiaozi is not only a kind of delicious food that can be eaten in the stomach, but also has the characteristics of all-encompassing and all-encompassing. It can put all delicious ingredients in bags, which has various meanings of happiness. In addition, the shape of jiaozi is similar to an ingot, which means "get rich, get rich". On the reunion dinner table, of course, jiaozi is indispensable.
As the saying goes, Shandong cuisine has been defined as "imperial cuisine" and "official cuisine" since ancient times, and it is the first of the "eight major cuisines". Shandong cuisine is very particular about the choice of ingredients and cooking skills. Few people can eat high-grade Shandong cuisine, but in fact, Shandong cuisine has reached the realm of "hiding in the city"