After my impromptu article "Shandong Cuisine in My Eyes" was published in Qilu One Point, due to its unique perspective and relatively objective and rational stance, it attracted the attention of the catering circle and surrounding colleagues and friends, and enthusiastically encouraged it. There are many readers and friendly discussions, which greatly moved me and inspired me to work harder in catering, a people's livelihood undertaking. Because of my work, I traveled to various cities in Shandong and tasted famous regional snacks from various places. Compared with the dignified, elegant and luxurious Shandong cuisine, Shandong snacks are more spiritual and down-to-earth. Here, I would like to continue the previous topic and talk about Shandong’s snacks and snack economy.

1. Shandong is a place where there is no place for chickens. Qilu is a land of thousands of miles of fertile soil with abundant products. The resource endowment of mountains, rivers, lakes and seas and the cultural atmosphere nourished by the Confucian spirit have created unique regional delicacies in each city, among which chicken is the most distinctive and most popular. famous. There is a saying in Shandong that "no dinner is complete without chicken". It is said that Shandong people have more than 100 ways to eat chicken. Almost every part of Shandong has a chicken dish full of local characteristics, such as the familiar Dezhou Braised Chicken, Laiwu Fried Chicken, Linyi fried chicken, Zaozhuang spicy chicken, Yang Mingyu braised chicken, etc. In terms of national popularity, it has to be Texas Braised Chicken. Dezhou Braised Chicken was created in the Qing Dynasty, passed down to the Republic of China, and flourished with the completion of the Jinpu Railway. It has the characteristics of five-spice boneless, tender meat, pure flavor, light and elegant, fresh and nutritious, and has the reputation of "China's No. 1 Chicken". Linyi fried chicken originated from Yimeng Mountain. It uses local free-range chickens and uses a unique fried chicken recipe to integrate color, aroma, taste and nourishment. The sauce is red and transparent, fresh and slightly spicy, and has a rich and pure aroma. Zaozhuang Spicy Chicken, which has emerged in recent years, uses the unique local "Yiwofeng" thin-skinned peppers and the "Sandaohuang" local young roosters that are about half a year old, and is cooked with Qixianfu sauce or locally brewed soy sauce. It has a bright color. It is delicious, moderately spicy, and the meat is tender and delicious. Others include Linyi shredded chicken glutinous rice soup, Taishan pine mushroom stewed chicken, etc., so much so that some netizens joked that "not a single chicken can leave Shandong alive."

2. Shandong, where one sheep feeds a hundred people. Shandong people have a special liking for sheep. There are many kinds of regional snacks using sheep as ingredients. The famous ones include Shanxian sheep soup, Laiwu sheep soup, Dezhou sheep intestines, Jinan barbecue, Zibo barbecue and so on. There are many sheep soup restaurants in various regions of Shandong. There is a saying in southwestern Shandong: "If you don't drink sheep soup for three days, you will feel panicked." The most representative Shanxian sheep soup is the time-honored restaurant "Sanyichun" sheep soup restaurant. It uses green goats, a specialty of southwestern Shandong, and boils them with Shanxian groundwater. It is paired with an exclusive secret recipe. It has a "white color like milk, a blend of water and fat, With its style of "fresh but not spicy, fragrant but not greasy", it is known as "the first soup in China". Dezhou sheep intestines is a unique snack. The sheep intestines are stuffed with sheep blood, starch, and spices, and then cooked in the seasoned soup. It tastes spicy, tender, fresh, and not greasy. I once went to an old shop called "Guanxiangyuan". It was located in a back alley and didn't look amazing, but it was packed with customers every day and never tired of it. Jinan Barbecue, known as the "Chinese Skewers Capital" among the people, stands out for its small skewers, full flavor and numerous varieties. "Drinking beer and grilling skewers" has become the favorite of Jinan people, and thus "Lao Jin" was born. ", "Xinliwang", "Zhenxiang" and other well-known brands, recently "Taishan Wanglaosan" has entered the Jinan barbecue market, triggering a reshuffle of the Jinan barbecue market.

3. Dazzling Shandong pasta. Shandong people have a special obsession with pasta. That obsession is rooted in their hearts and penetrates deep into their souls. That obsession is to eat three meals a day, not less, and never get tired of it. Shandong people love to eat all kinds of pasta and also love to make all kinds of pasta. Shandong people make different kinds of pasta and eat it with various flavors. The well-known ones include Jiaodong flower cakes, Jiaodong dumplings, mackerel dumplings, Weifang roasted meat, Penglai noodles, etc. Jiaodong flower cakes are a kind of folk pasta made by the clever women of Jiaodong based on regional characteristics and living habits. It is a steamed The "artwork" that comes out is the intangible cultural heritage at your fingertips. Penglai noodles are commonly known as "throwing noodles" locally. When the dough is thrown and stretched, it is stretched and folded eight times. The noodles that fall out are as thin as silver needles and full of strength. The noodles are as thin as silver threads, plus the fresh soup made from Jiyu, and the stew made from scallops, oysters, etc. One bite of noodles, one bite of soup, one bite of stew, and your mouth is filled with the taste of the sea. Weifang Noodles are made from special Hele noodles. The noodles are thick and generous. Chicken, duck, tofu, red and white radish, and diced meat are stewed together and then used as toppings. A large bowl of noodles is served with delicious marinade, which means harmony and happiness. There is also Taierzhuang Huanghua Beef Noodles, which has recently become an Internet celebrity snack. The main raw materials are daylily, yellow beef, yellow beef bones and noodles. The soup, meat, vegetables and ingredients are completely integrated. The soup is oily but not greasy, and has a thick and fragrant taste. Tangbi is a nutritious and healthy delicacy that combines the flavors of northern and southern ingredients.

4. Thoughts on developing Shandong snack economy. Since the beginning of this year, the topic of snack economy has continued to heat up. Shaxian snacks and Liuzhou snail noodles have once again become hot topics in public opinion. While people are paying attention to snacks, they have also begun to pay attention to the snack industry and snack economy. "Stones from other mountains can attack jade." Although there are many varieties of regional snacks in our province, except for a few brands such as Dezhou Braised Chicken and Zhoucun Shaobing, which are well-known throughout the country, most snacks are still unknown to outsiders. Even one of the "three major national cuisines" Braised Chicken, due to insufficient publicity, many people don’t even know that it is an authentic Shandong Shandong cuisine.

In terms of snack economy, currently only Dezhou Braised Chicken and Zaozhuang Spicy Chicken have begun to take shape in the industry, but there is still a considerable gap between them and Shaxian Snacks and Liuzhou Snail Noodles. Learning from the successful experience of the industrial development of Shaxian snacks and Liuzhou snail noodles, and developing Shandong's specialty snack economy based on reality and local conditions is a key task that we should focus on currently. I personally believe that we should take the road of branding, food-oriented and youth-oriented development. One is branding. Efforts will be made to build well-known catering and snack brands across the country, and with the help of new media, self-media, etc., we will create Internet celebrity snacks and Internet celebrity stores, tell the story of Shandong snacks, and spread Shandong snack culture. The second is foodization. Strengthen snack food research and development innovation, develop pre-packaged and vacuum-packed snack foods, minimize the dependence of snacks on regional ingredients, and promote industrialization and large-scale development. The third is rejuvenation. “Seize the appetite of young people and seize the future of the industry.” We should be good at capturing the taste preferences and development trends of young people, seek innovation and changes on the basis of improving traditional snacks, and create popular snacks that young people like.

(Author: Zhang Qiang, Department of Commerce of Shandong Province)