Chinese New Year dishes all have their own meanings. Everyone wants to have more than enough every year. Fish is one of the indispensable dishes on the New Year table. Therefore, in Guangdong, steamed fish served with shredded green onions and soy sauce is the star of the New Year's Eve dinner.

There are many varieties of fish used for New Year’s dinner in Guangdong, but carp is rarely used. Carp is not very popular in Guangdong. This is probably because there is a saying in Guangdong that carp is a hairy animal. The weather in Guangdong is often hot and humid. Some people with wounds and sores on their bodies have difficulty healing their wounds after eating carp, so Guangdong people rarely eat it. carp. But making carp stewed with ginger and green onion, and the carp leaping over the dragon gate, is very good, and some people are still willing to give it a try.

Carp is used as a dish and has been an indispensable raw material for various festive banquets among the people since ancient times. As early as three thousand years ago, the "Book of Songs" said, "If it eats fish, it must be the carp of the river." It is said that "Luo carp and bream are as valuable as cattle and sheep", and it is regarded as the top quality food.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Yellow River carps were used as valuable gifts. According to "Historical Records. The Family of Confucius", when Confucius got a son, Duke Zhao of Lu sent carps as a congratulatory gift. Therefore, Confucius named his son Kong Carp. In the history of Confucius Mansion in Shandong Province, there was a taboo against eating carp.

Carp are widely distributed in our country, and the carp from the Yellow River in Henan is the most valuable and is one of the famous products of Henan. The Yellow River carp, Songjiang perch, Xingkai Lake fish, and Songhua River salmon are known as the four famous fish in my country.

Carp from the Yellow River has golden and shiny scales, a long body, bright red tips on each fin, thick meat on the spine, few internal organs, and small bones. It is especially famous for its bright color, tender meat, and fragrant smell. To distinguish between Yellow River carp and non-Yellow River carp, you only need to see whether the inner membrane of the carp is white or black after being cut open. The white ones are real Yellow River carp, and the black ones are fake.

Carp costs about three kilograms and is the most expensive. In "Water Margin: Wu Xuexuo's Story of Three Ruan Chongchi", Wu Yong said that he "worked as a tutor in a rich man's house, and now he has to deal with dozens of golden carps, weighing 14 to 15 pounds." Wang Zengqi said: "Carp can be as big as 14 to 5 pounds and not tasty. Shi Naian, who wrote "Water Margin", is no expert on eating carp."

"Water Margin" also wrote about several ways to eat carp. Method: In the section of Chapter 38 "Timely Rain Will Meet the Divine Protector": "Zhang Shun chose the four-tailed big one, threaded the wicker through it, and first taught Li Kui to tidy up the pavilion. Then he asked the bartender to ask for two bottles of jade pots for spring coloring. The four of them were drinking wine, along with some seafood and fruits. Zhang Shun asked the bartender to make a spicy soup, steam one fish with wine, and teach the bartender how to cut the fish."

The cooking methods in Water Margin include spicy soup, wine steaming and cutting. "Kun" is the same as today's "降", Du Shi's note: "鲲, is the fish and meat of today." It mostly refers to fish. In the Song Dynasty, the popularity of cutting preserved meat was very popular. "Tokyo Menghua Lu" said: "Many fishermen must buy a sign from the pond before they are allowed to fish. When tourists get fish, they buy it at twice the price. Cutting preserved vegetables near the water is recommended. "Fangzun is a delicious delicacy."

Today, the traditional carp dishes in Kaifeng, Henan include two recipes: "Longxu Noodles with Carp" and "Sweet and Sour Carp".

"Dragon Beard Noodles with Carp" was originally a dish prepared only when the palace of the Song Dynasty held large-scale festive banquets or entertained foreign envoys. This dish consists of asparagus noodles and fish, with the fish and juice poured over the noodles. The finished product is golden in color, the silk noodles are fluffy, sour and crispy, and slightly salty. The noodles and fish are eaten together, and are suitable for all ages. It is wonderful.

There is a story about "Sweet and Sour Carp": When Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty returned to Beijing via Kaifeng to escape the Eight-Power Allied Forces, Kaifeng officials sent people to make this dish. The dishes are bright red in color, sweet yet sour, slightly salty, and very delicious. After Emperor Guangxu and Cixi ate it, Emperor Guangxu praised it as "a delicacy in ancient Bianzhou", while Cixi said that she "forgot to return after the meal". Before setting off, she wrote on a plaque "Where did the fish come from, the ancient Bianzhou in the Central Plains". Given to Kaifeng Mansion. It has been widely circulated since then.

I don't like to eat carp because the meat is thick and has an earthy smell. Although there is a way to remove the fishy tendons from the back of the fish, my interest is still waning.

But the Yellow River carp is willing to give it a try. However, in recent years, due to pollution of the main river and other reasons, the production has been greatly reduced, and pure wild Yellow River carp is very rare. Someone who works on the Yellow River said: "The fishing boats fishing in our dangerous section can't catch two carp weighing more than 1 kilogram in a month. They usually only catch miscellaneous fish weighing several taels."

It's a pity. .