Youmian is a special snack in Heyang, Shaanxi.
The phrase "I didn't eat water chestnut noodles, I didn't watch movies, and I haven't been to Heyang County" circulating in Heyang County further illustrates the importance of water chestnut noodles in Heyang people's lives.
The origin of water chestnut noodles
It is said that it was created by Han Xin, the Hou of Huaiyin in the Western Han Dynasty, and it has a history of more than 2, years, which can be called "the oldest instant noodles in China". In the early years of the Han Dynasty, Wei Wangbao turned against the Han Dynasty, and Han Xin was ordered to send troops to counter the rebellion and prepare to cross the army in xia yang, Qiachuan. If cooking in a pot, enemy soldiers will judge the strength of their troops from the size of fireworks, which is a taboo for military strategists. In order to solve the problem of soldiers' eating, Han Xin let buckwheat, which is abundant in the local area, be branded into big cakes and distributed to soldiers. It was very quick and convenient to eat with boiling water, which played an important role in the victory of the war. "Tiao", that is, "Zhezu", is a knowing word, which means "turning around" in Guanzhong dialect. Because every procedure of noodle mixing, spreading cakes to the bottom, fishing noodles and even putting seasonings has the action of "noodle" in it, it is named.
It is said that the name of the noodle was obtained from the half-moon wooden noodle. However, there are also people who write "noodles" as "spinning noodles" in the street, which must be related to spinning the stalls around. After being baked, put them outside and cool them, then cut them into strips with the same width and thickness, and code them neatly, so that the quality can be guaranteed for three or five days, and you only need to roll them in a boiling water pot when eating. Compared with other meals, the three characteristics of water chestnut noodles are more conducive to marching and fighting, and Emperor Gaozu can sit firmly in the world, which is also a credit for water chestnut noodles.
Pronunciation of the word "Dike"
Speaking of it, the word "Dike" also has a story. The word "Dike" itself is a little-known word. In the Qing Dynasty, someone in Heyang compiled a book called "Tuyin Zazi", and out of kindness, he found a page with an archaic sound and read "xué". However, there are too few people who don't want to know this ancient sound. As a result, it is self-defeating. Everyone reads "yè" according to the original sound, but no one reads "Yé". When foreigners go to Heyang, they pronounce it word by word. In this way, they turn "Yé" into a "page", which is really a big misunderstanding.
the practice of noodle
Heyang noodle is a kind of pasta made by mixing 7% buckwheat flour and 3% wheat flour. Although it is convenient to eat, the production process is complicated and the requirements are strict. First-class buckwheat and first-class wheat must be selected and ground into first-class flour. The dough is called a disk surface, and it needs to be mixed with a pole or a wooden stick, so the young man will sweat when doing this job. Add water after the noodle dish is hard, and gradually stir it into a thin paste. Prepare two flat-bottomed saucepans, which are slightly higher in the middle and gradually lower around. Pour the batter into the wok, spread it around quickly with a scraper from the middle, and then spread it from the outer edge to the center, making it a round cake with a thickness of about copper yuan. Move the round cakes to another pan as soon as possible when they are dry, and bake them well, but don't brown them. This requires considerable experience and can master the temperature. The diameter of the bread is between one foot eight and two feet one. After branding, you need a piece of paper, which is called "closing", in order to avoid water consumption and keep it soft. Then spread them out one by one and cool them on the wooden rafters. Then cut into noodles less than one centimeter wide, put them neatly in a special wooden box, cover them with wet and dry cloth, and get ready to eat. This kind of noodle can be preserved for ten and a half days in winter and two or three days in summer.
Old man Tian Maolin is cooking water chestnut noodles
How to eat water chestnut noodles
The prepared water chestnut noodles are like instant noodles. When eating, soak it in boiling water for two minutes, take it out, put it in a bowl, add a little powder fish, mix with salt, vinegar, chopped green onion and pepper noodles, and then pour Chili oil and cooked lard. Fen fish pays attention to the production of mung bean powder, which is the best. Use wheat flour or corn flour. But usually sweet potato noodles are used to make pink fish. Heyang is rich in high-quality sweet potatoes, which are dry and sweet, and it is also good to make pink fish. People in Heyang like to put more Chili oil and lard in their noodles, which makes them soft, moist, spicy, fragrant and quite enjoyable. You can also drink a bowl of pink fish soup with it. It is dry and thin, which meets the requirements of health and nutrition. Moreover, buckwheat has the effect of clearing away heat and diuresis. The local people have also made some improvements on the basis of simple eating. They cut the cake into thin strips, cook it in a pot when eating, and take it out with seasoning to make it more delicious.
Tian Maolin, the "number one water chestnut noodle"
Water chestnut noodles can be eaten all over Heyang, but Tian Maolin water chestnut noodles in Fangzhen, 2 miles east of Heyang County, are regarded as authentic. Tian Maolin's noodles are well-known for their strict selection of materials, excellent production, serious operation and warm service. Visitors to Qiachuan Scenic Area pass by Fangzhen, and they will inevitably come into the store to taste a bowl of noodles, and some will bring some for their relatives and friends to taste. Tian Maolin's noodles have been brought to Beijing, the capital, and many parts of the country, and people praise him as the "No.1 in noodles".