The first banquet of the founding of the People's Republic of China was held in Beijing Hotel. The chefs invited at the banquet were nine masters of Huaiyang cuisine from Yuhuatai. huaiyang cuisine, together with Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine and Cantonese cuisine, is called the four major cuisines in China. When it comes to Huaiyang cuisine, many people may think of Huai 'an and Yangzhou cuisines, but in fact, Huai in Huaiyang cuisine refers to the Huaihe River basin represented by Huai 'an area.
The biggest feature of Huaiyang cuisine is its exquisite knife work and elegant shape. Raw materials are mainly aquatic products, and the selection of materials is strict; Salty and sweet, pay attention to the original flavor; Take the soup as the most important, and have both strong and alcohol. Huaiyang cuisine is very popular, so the national banquet dishes are usually based on Huaiyang cuisine. The following small series will introduce you to the eight representatives of Huaiyang cuisine: soft long fish, lion-headed crab meat, boiled dried silk, white-robed shrimp, Pingqiao tofu, Kaiyang Pu Cai, Wenshi tofu and braised silver carp head.
These dishes are very popular in Huaiyang and even the whole country, and two of them can be said to be masterpieces of state banquets: soft-pocked long fish and white-robed shrimp. Next, let's learn about Huaiyang cuisine. Huaiyang cuisine has a wide range of materials, because the climate in the area where Huaiyang cuisine rises is suitable, the four seasons are distinct, and the river network is vertical and horizontal, so it is rich in products. Huaiyang cuisine is strict in material selection, paying more attention to freshness, tenderness and seasonal freshness. River fresh accounts for a large proportion of raw materials. "Drunken crabs don't watch the lights, chicken doesn't watch the lights, swordfish doesn't watch the grave-sweeping day, and sturgeon doesn't watch the Dragon Boat Festival". A good Huaiyang restaurant will choose seafood and organic vegetables from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and be careful and particular about the selection of materials, because ingredients are the most important thing in Huaiyang cuisine.