In fact, most people lack understanding of Anhui. The Yangtze River and Huaihe River divide Anhui into three parts: to the north of Huaihe River, there are Huaibei people who speak Zhongyuan dialect; To the south of the Yangtze River are Huizhou people and Anqing people who speak Wu dialect; Between Jianghuai, people speak Jianghuai Mandarin-language can best represent the style of food, which shows that not all Anhui people can eat in a bowl.
Therefore, the Anhui restaurants I introduced here in Beijing are not all Anhui dishes in the strict sense, but only represent the different regional characteristics of Anhui.
Let's talk about the mountainous area in southern Anhui, which is the birthplace of "authentic Anhui cuisine". The most famous landmark in Anhui is Huangshan Mountain, with a high mountain and a long road, which is also the most complete place where Huizhou culture is preserved. At the beginning, in order to promote Huangshan Mountain in all directions, the scenic spot opened a restaurant in Beijing, called the hometown of Huizhou merchants, and moved to Huizhou decoration and local chefs as it was. The representative work is pickled fresh mandarin fish, a famous dish in ancient Huizhou, which is often called stinky mandarin fish, which fully embodies? "Slightly corrupt, salty and lustful" Huizhou cuisine gene.
Hunan cuisine now also has stinky mandarin fish, which is not fermented and is directly soaked in brine. Anhui cuisine is different. In the eyes of traditional chefs, it is a sign of ruining Anhui cuisine to "soak stinky tofu" directly. Mandarin fish need constant temperature and humidity when curing, which is suitable for the dense water vapor in Huizhou mountains. The chef of Huizhou merchants' hometown, in the cool and dry Beijing, has also succeeded in repeated experiments. The pickled fresh mandarin fish here is garlic cloves, ruddy and fragrant. ?
Fermented rotten salmon.
Hairy tofu is another signboard of Huizhou merchants' hometown. It is not only the taste, but also the details and shapes of fermentation. The longest fimbriae on the surface of tofu here can reach nearly one centimeter. On-site frying is not only a taste enjoyment, but also a visual and olfactory enjoyment. By the way, many Huicai restaurants in Beijing use the above two dishes as signs, and this one is the most traditional and classic.
The hometown of Huizhou merchants has opened many branches in Beijing now, and I like Houhai one best. It's best to be on the third floor, in a small private room, in a table for four, and in a small balcony, while embracing the morning bells and drums in Beijing, you can sit and watch Shichahai's drunken fans. ?
"hometown of Huizhou merchants" signature hairy tofu?
Besides, the diet between central Anhui and Jianghuai is lighter than that in southern Anhui. Hefei is the capital of Anhui, and the Tongqing Building downstairs of Hefei Beijing Office. Although the font size comes from Wuhu, it is more to satisfy the tastes of Hefei people who come to Beijing for business (besides, Hefei and Wuhu are not much different originally). The main dish is Feixi old hen soup. The name of this dish comes from the joke of Hefei accent, "Feidong to Feixi (si), buy an old hen (zi)". Feixi old hen soup has never appeared alone, so it must be accompanied by Anqing fried rice. In this way, Hefei's famous dishes hook up with the customs of Anqing people along the Yangtze River, and both sides are happy. ?
Old chicken soup from "Tongqinglou"
Steamed wild white silk is another famous dish in Tongqing Building. White snakehead fish, one of the three white dishes in Chaohu Lake, is excellent in simple steaming. It is covered with chicken oil boiled for several hours before cooking, which is the difference between this dish and steamed fish in other regions in seasoning. There is also a snack I like in Tongqinglou, which is a small steamed fresh meat soup bag, which is not inferior to Huaiyang restaurant. ?
Steamed wild white silk?
The west of Anhui is also a mountainous area, and my grandmother's home is deep in Dabie Mountain. When I was a child, I received preserved fish and bacon from my grandfather every Spring Festival, and the taste is unforgettable. One day, I ate their preserved Ciba in Yunluxuan, outside the Drum Tower. When I asked, it really came from Lu 'an, Dabieshan cuisine, Artemisia selengensis, Oenanthe javanica, purslane, and all kinds of fresh wild vegetables, which made people feel excited. The flavor of Dabie Mountain has some hubei cuisine's shadow, such as pearl balls and Ciba, which makes the staple food as delicious as dishes. It should be said that it is a legacy left by the material shortage era. It's a pity that this restaurant in Lu 'an changed its face last year, and it was called "Huizhou Town". Did it change to southern Anhui flavor? I haven't been there since anyway.
The part of the Yangtze River that flows through Anhui is called Wanjiang in ancient times, and Anqing, Tongling, Wuhu and Maanshan along the coast are all relatively rich dock cities in Anhui, and the dishes are rare in the river. Here is a Beijing Ma 'anshan restaurant, Mengdu Restaurant in Wan Feng Road Food Street.
The sizzling salmon in "Dream City Restaurant"
Ma 'anshan is the youngest city in Anhui Province, and it has profound cultural heritage. For example, the place where the overlord of the West Chu committed suicide is here, and Li Bai died of drinking here. The owner of the restaurant is from the county under Ma 'anshan, where Liu Yuxi wrote My Humble Room. This young man is particularly fond of thinking, and their dishes have been compromised and reconciled according to the tastes of modern people, which can be said to be the representative of the new Huizhou cuisine in Beijing.
For example, the stinkfish here need to go through two physical desalination processes, which is more acceptable to Beijingers than the classic stinkfish. The improved iron plate mandarin fish is not so salty, and it is easier to eat when chopped into large pieces, and the cooking time does not need to last so long. In other words, it is more nutritious. Another impressive dish in Mengdu Restaurant is the fragrance of knife board. Slice the cured meat, and use camphor wood as the substrate, so that the meat can naturally absorb the smell of wood and make excellent meals. In Anhui restaurants in Beijing, Huizhou cuisine is mostly used as a signboard. Snacks from other places in Anhui will be dotted sporadically, such as Huainan Tofu, Huaiyuan Whole Chicken, Mengcheng Sesame Cake, Wu Shan Gong Goose, Guoyang Gongcai and Fuliji Roast Chicken. I have eaten Dayonghui, Southern Anhui Water Town, Shangyu Huizhou Cuisine, Wuyi Restaurant, Huifu, Huating Lake, Hanlin Banquet, Tongcheng Restaurant and so on. But no decent restaurant dares to focus on Huaibei cuisine, which is related to the eating habits in northern Anhui. ?
Mengcheng sesame seed cake Red-Cooked Chicken, Fuliji Style
Along the Huaihe River and north of the Huaihe River, the taste is actually in the Central Plains, and the staple food has changed from rice to pasta. The dishes are also a little bit independent of Shandong cuisine, Henan cuisine and Huaiyang cuisine. The characteristics are not as obvious as those in southern Anhui, and it is even more difficult to form a system. Therefore, we can only open professional small shops like Huainan beef soup and Taihe flat noodles. There is really no way for beef soup to be tall. It should be eaten with wok gas and is only suitable for small shops. There are about 70-80 Huainan beef soup restaurants in Beijing, and the cooking level basically depends on the chef's mood. Most importantly, neither raw materials nor consumers can compare with Huainan, which is 1000 kilometers away. ?
Huainan beef soup
So, once in a while, I want to eat the childhood taste of my hometown, so I can only make my parents work hard, or find a nearby Xuzhou-style restaurant to satisfy their cravings. However, there are exceptions. The Hongxuan Chinese Restaurant of Crowne Plaza Zhongguancun hides secrets outside the luxurious menu. You just need to ask "Is Master Wang Fushun on duty today?" If the answer is yes, you can have authentic Huaibei flavor, such as salted beans and eggs, fried cocks, garlic and eggs, boiled buns with water, Nang soup and Hu spicy soup ... The ingredients are simple and the taste is mellow. ?
Garlic, rice and eggs in Hongxuan Chinese Restaurant
As for the taste of these dishes, the space is limited, and I don't need to say much, but these tastes are really delicious to me.
Friends who like food, welcome to join my dinner! ?