First of all, briefly introduce this hotel, which is located in Dan Tai Lake Hotel in Wuzhong District, Suzhou. It is a five-star hotel and has a good reputation in the local area. This canal banquet is a creative banquet created by their family and can't be eaten anywhere else. There is a saying that there have been many special banquets in various places in recent two years, but most of them are just a bunch of local dishes, and this canal banquet is the representative dish of eight cities where the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal flows through Jiangsu, with richer tastes and characteristics.
We should know that the Grand Canal in China is a "world heritage" and has given birth to a profound cultural heritage. Among them, the Grand Canal in Jiangsu is 690 kilometers long, which is the province with the longest waterway, the most cultural heritage, the best preservation and the highest utilization rate on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. And this table of dishes is one of the cultural elements. The eight cities where the Grand Canal flows through Jiangsu are Suzhou, Yangzhou, Changzhou, Wuxi, Huai 'an, Suqian, Xuzhou and Zhenjiang. It is worth mentioning that this Dan Tai Lake Hotel is located on the Suzhou River.
The dishes of the Canal Banquet include four appetizers, eight cold dishes, twelve hot dishes and three snacks. It's a bit cumbersome to introduce them one by one, so I'll just say a few dishes that I think are the most distinctive!
Because in Suzhou, let's take a look at five pieces in Suzhou first! I don't think you can guess what's in it just by looking at the name. It is made of whole muscle, whole duck, whole pigeon, whole hoof and fire for 8 hours, and it must be stewed in a big casserole! The ingredients of this dish are excellent. At first glance, it is prepared for the New Year, yes! In Suzhou, it is an ancient tradition to eat five pieces in the New Year, because these five ingredients also have the good color of "Fulu Xi Shou Cuisine". Only now that the living standard has improved, eating this dish is no longer just a New Year! The soup is milky white and delicious. Is it all collagen?
In addition, Suzhou famous dishes in the Canal Banquet, such as Chrysanthemum Warm Pot, Gold and Silver Ruyi, and colorful dumplings popular in Taihu Lake Basin, also have very good meanings, similar to five pieces.
Yangzhou, as one of the cradles of Huaiyang cuisine, may be recognized as the most delicious city in Jiangsu. I live in Changzhou, and I like to go to Yangzhou for morning tea whenever I have the chance. Among them, crab powder, lion's head and shredded tofu are famous dishes in Yangzhou. As a state banquet, Huaiyang cuisine is an exquisite dish, which is vividly reflected in the dish of tofu silk, because it requires the chef's skill. This soup is light and white, and it melts in the mouth. Before eating a big meal, one or two bowls can definitely appetize.
I don't think I need to say more about the reputation of crab powder lion head, which is extremely famous! Authentic crab powder lion head, big, round, tender and fresh, soft, fat but not greasy. More importantly, there must be no less crab powder inside, and fresh eyebrows are not negotiable. Come on, I'll open the crab powder lion head of Dan Tai Lake Hotel for everyone to see! Is eating too much crab powder appetizing?
Please allow me to selfishly recommend my Changzhou cuisine to you. There are two Changzhou dishes in this canal banquet, winter bamboo shoots with scallion oil and fish head in Tianmu Lake. They are all from liyang city hosted by Changzhou. Liyang produces bamboo and has Nanshan Bamboo Sea Scenic Area. Tianmu Lake is also a national 5A scenic spot with excellent ecological environment. It is this natural environment that provides excellent ingredients for these two dishes. The winter bamboo shoots with scallion oil at the Canal Banquet are cold dishes, which are not only delicious, but also delicious.
The overall style of Xuzhou is somewhat different from that of Jiangsu, and its geographical location is more meaningful. If you take the high-speed train from Nanjing, the provincial capital, to Xuzhou, you have to go through Anhui Province and then enter Jiangsu to get to Xuzhou. In terms of lifestyle and eating habits, it is more similar to the surrounding Anhui and Shandong. But Xuzhou, nicknamed "Pengcheng", is the hometown of Peng Zu. You know, Peng Zu is the originator of chefs. How can Xuzhou's food not be delicious? This fruity beef tendon looks rough and realistic, much like the style of Xuzhou people. How can you not feast your eyes?
Last staple food! Gan Long tribute cake is an important part of canal culture, so it was named after 1757, when Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty went down to the south of the Yangtze River. It is said that this kind of cake entered the imperial kitchen in the Tang Dynasty, and the folk history is uncertain and rigorous, but this kind of tribute cake is really delicious, especially when it is still steaming! Fragrant, crisp, crisp and transparent, the fragrance of sesame is irreplaceable when it is just out of the pot, and it will break when it touches the lips. When eating, handle it gently to prevent the stuffing from burning your mouth.
In short, now that people's living conditions are good, it is no longer difficult to eat the delicious food with dignitaries before the Chinese New Year. This canal banquet is the best proof. It is precisely because of the good living conditions that more people eat delicious food not only for the taste, but also for the cultural heritage. If you have been to the above cities, you must not miss the local food, but when you happen to come to Suzhou, you can also come to Dan Tai Lake Hotel to have a good meal, haha!