Some time ago, a friend came to Xi 'an to travel. Xiaoyu accompanied his friends to several places where tourists must punch in, and also went to Huimin Street. At that time, I was walking around Huimin Street with my friends. In addition to seeing a wide variety of "network celebrities" food, I also met street snacks that were common when I was a child but not common now, which reminded me of these.
This dish is even more magical. Nine times out of ten, foreign tourists don't know its name, and locals also pronounce it "wrong".
It is-Nan pancake.
"Bitter cake" is a traditional food that spreads in Guanzhong area of Shaanxi Province with a long history. Simply put, rice, red dates, red beans and other raw materials are steamed on the iron retort, which is soft and sweet and suitable for all ages.
The word "Zan" will be mispronounced by foreign tourists, but the funny thing is that the name of Shaanxi people is not the correct pronunciation. The correct pronunciation of "Zan" is "zèng", which is pronounced as "jìng" in Shaanxi dialect. So many people will mistake "pot cake" for "mirror cake", which is actually wrong. Because this word not only shows the long history of this kind of food, but also shows the characteristics of its production process.
"Zan" is a kind of steamer in ancient China, and it is often used with a kind of cooker called "Zan" (Li). There are many small holes in the bottom of retort. Food is put into the retort, water is poured into the retort, and then the food is cooked by the steam generated in the retort after being heated by fire. The principle is probably similar to that of the steamer we use now.
This kind of steamer appeared in the late primitive society and was widely used in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. In my impression, when I visited Baoji Bronze Museum, I also saw "Zan" and "Zan" made by bronzes.
The history of pot stickers named after the word Pan can be imagined.
In Huimin Street, the price of baked rice cakes is not cheap. At that time, I asked a random shop, palm-sized 10 yuan and big 20 yuan. On the main street of the North Yard Gate, there is a shop with a signboard of "Jingyang Ku Cake". It suddenly occurred to me that it was probably because the TV series about "Full Moon Blossoms That Year" starring Zhou Ying, the richest woman in Shaanxi, happened to have the plot of "Ku Cake" that Zhou Ying loved to watch. The TV series is on fire, and so is this food.
But for many people in Shaanxi, rice cakes are not sold in stores, but street snacks sold by carts, which are usually eaten for breakfast. Later, I finally found a glutinous rice cake seller in the morning market near my home and bought one, which is still familiar with the sweet taste.
After steaming, the baked rice cake looks black and sticky, coupled with street snacks and a large pot in a large aluminum basin, foreign tourists feel "dirty" at first sight. But in fact, it tastes good, soft and glutinous, sweet and delicious. Think about it, after all, it can be circulated for so long, and its taste has to be tested by the public!
If you travel to Xi and meet this delicious food, I recommend you to try it. But don't eat too much, because Jiangmi is full. After all, you have to save your stomach to taste other specialties of Xi!