Original taste is the biggest feature of Gancai, which is the consensus of all Gancai chefs and researchers, and also the great charm of Gancai. Most of the raw materials used in Gancai are produced locally, and Jiangxi's rich products have laid the most solid foundation for the development of Gancai. Jiangxi has beautiful scenery and has always been a land of plenty. Fish and rice are the basis of vegetables. Jiangxi is not only rich in grain, but also has many varieties of rice, such as Wannian Gong, Lengshuijing, Yuanzhou black glutinous rice and Fengxin snow glutinous rice. . . Different kinds of rice will make different dishes. Without frozen rice, there would naturally be no frozen rice chicken in Suichuan. Without flour made of good rice, where can there be the smell of steamed meat and steamed fish? According to statistics, there are no fewer than 500 kinds of raw materials for Jiangxi cuisine, among which there are more than 70 kinds of fish in Poyang Lake alone, such as red carp in Xingguo, red purse carp in Wuyuan and glass red carp in Wan 'an. Black-bone chicken, black-bone chicken, Sanhuang chicken ... There are many kinds of chickens, and the dishes cooked by different chickens naturally taste very different. There are all kinds of games. There are many mountains in Jiangxi, and pheasants and ducks are everywhere. As for the specialty, it is even richer. Anfu's ham is comparable to Jinhua's, Nan 'an's salted duck has a long-standing reputation in Southeast Asia, Lushan has stone fish, stone ears and pheasants, and Pingxiang has bacon ... What a rare thing! The popularity of Gancai is due to its extensive and meticulous selection of materials. Moreover, Gancai pays attention to the application of materials and makes the best use of all kinds of raw materials.
With the development of modern cooking and the increasingly developed technology, the status of named condiments in cooking has been greatly improved. This was originally a good thing. This is all because of excessive use or over-reliance on condiments, and a direct consequence is that it affects the original flavor of raw materials of dishes. It tastes good, but it often drowns the taste of the raw material itself, which is actually the role of a usurper. In this respect, Gancai just shows its unique personality. It always insists on the original flavor of its raw materials and does not highlight the seasonings. A general rule of Gancai cooking is that seasoning should be light rather than heavy. This is a very important innovation in cooking science, and it is also the embodiment of sticking to its own path. According to the cooking theory of Gancai, the taste of raw materials is the most distinctive and often the most delicious and tasteful. A hundred different ingredients will have a hundred different flavors. What condiments in the world can match the original flavor? The more human beings move towards civilization and progress, the more they respect nature and simplicity. Authentic dishes face up to this consumption trend.
If we carefully study the characteristics of Gancai, we can find that authenticity is what Gancai pursues. Whether it's burning, stewing, stewing or frying, the eighteen skills boil down to one point, that is, do everything possible to cook the original flavor. Soup is the source of all kinds of fresh food, and the cooking of Gancai pays great attention to the production of soup, just to highlight its original flavor. For example, the dried vegetable doll soup, which is now popular all over the country, and the old fire soup, which was popular in Guangdong that year, are also ashamed. The difference is that Wabo soup pays more attention to the original flavor. Why are three cups of chicken highly regarded? A cup of oil, a cup of wine, a cup of soy sauce, chop the chicken into pieces, seal it in a pottery bowl, and then simmer it on low heat. This chicken soup is really original and fragrant. The soup of Gancai, if it is clear soup, is crystal clear and delicious; If it is milk soup, it is as white as milk and has a strong taste. These are the unique cooking methods of Gancai. Boiled bighead is also a famous Jiangxi dish. Not only Jiangxi people love to eat, but also foreigners love it. The reason is that the original flavor of fish has been fully displayed. Although it's just a fish head, it doesn't seem as delicious as a fish. In fact, the connotation of fish head is the richest. Once the original juice is stewed, its taste is naturally endless. There are also yongxin dog meat, lotus blood duck, braised bamboo shoots and other Jiangxi dishes. Perhaps the secret of their success is to keep the original flavor.
Of course, there are many characteristics of Gancai, such as crisp and tender, moderate salty and spicy, rich in oil but not greasy, mellow in taste and so on. Gancai masters from all over the world can list many characteristics and advantages of Gancai, but in the final analysis, all these characteristics and advantages are still original derivatives. The charm and value of Gancai lies in its original flavor. To learn Gancai, we must first distinguish its original flavor; To cook Gancai, we must first master its original flavor. We know that Jiangxi cuisine, say 1000 say 10000. If we leave the original taste, it is worthless. Nowadays, when all parts of the country are competing to build their own food brands, we should raise the brand flag of Gancai, which should read four big words: authentic! During the Anti-Japanese War, the Kuomintang provincial government moved to Taihe, and Huaiyang cuisine moved to Nanchang, Jiangxi with the anti-Japanese people, and then moved to Taibukou and Ningdu. Huang Xinheng, Bu Qiaxiang, Kong and some other Huaiyang chefs made a living in Nanchang, and their apprentices passed on their skills, which had a great influence on Gan cuisine. However, the formation of a local food flavor depends on the level of local chefs; The launch of a local food brand also benefited from the unremitting struggle and efforts of local chefs.
At No.353 Jinshengta Street, south of Nanchang, in an extremely humble hut, I visited the famous Nanchang Cuisine Association, an organization composed of Nanchang chefs themselves. The sign of the association is hung at the door, but when you enter the association, you still need to cross the sidewalk of a barber shop and climb two narrow stairs. There are four desks and chairs, a telephone, no sofa and no living room in the office of the Association. It is said that a wall-mounted air conditioner was added to welcome China Chef's Day. There is no establishment, no administrative appropriation, and the work from the president to the officer is unpaid. However, it is this culinary association that brings together tens of thousands of chefs in Nanchang and spares no effort to inherit and innovate the brand of Gancai. Nearly 100 group members hold annual meetings, technical exchanges, seminars, skill competitions and instrument exhibitions every year, and have compiled more than a dozen pamphlets on the research and menu arrangement of Gancai. They have been training chefs for decades and passed on the traditional skills of Gancai from generation to generation. In other words, the association has made great efforts to prepare for the 13 China Chef's Festival and done a lot of detailed and concrete work.
Wang, the president of the association, is a 70-year-old man who has been engaged in the catering industry almost all his life. He has been working here since the establishment of the 1985 Association in May. When talking about Jiangxi cuisine, he can't help showing pride on his face and a deep love in his eyes. He introduced me to the history, characteristics, development and innovation of Jiangxi cuisine, which was like a colorful picture scroll, which was amazing. His views are clear. In China cuisine, Gancai has its unique characteristics and should occupy a place. Tu Libo, executive vice president and chef, worked with Wang for the prosperity of Gancai. There are several staff members of the association who are busy with their work and enthusiastically discuss Jiangxi cuisine with me. I finally found the answer from this small room: Nanchang Cuisine Association held high the banner of revitalizing Jiangxi cuisine, and Nanchang chefs shouldered the burden of developing Jiangxi cuisine without hesitation!
The prosperity of Gancai today is inseparable from the association's insistence on training Gancai chefs for many years. Nowadays, in Nanchang, as well as many other cities, a large number of chefs who cook Gancai are trained and put on the stove here, including examination rooms, on-site teaching and on-site demonstrations. Chefs who are proficient in Jiangxi cuisine personally operate and explain. The students are divided into two groups. One group is going to cut vegetables, and the other group is cooking on the stove. There is no profound theory, but every class is true. A training class is generally about 40 people. After three months' study, students can use and master the selection, taste and basic skills of Gancai. This kind of training course has been held for more than 100, and the chefs of Gancai have learned skills from it, and the tradition of Gancai has been carried forward here.
The tireless old chefs have made a respectable contribution to the promotion of Gancai. Let's remember the names of the older generation of Gancai masters who took to the podium: Xiong Xingen, Bu Qiaxiang, Luo Xidi, Zhou Ming, Cai Hesheng, Yang Jinming, Wang Liangsheng, Tu Libo, Yu Kemao and Du Mingzhe. Another great contribution of chefs to the promotion of Gancai is to vigorously promote Gancai. They are well aware that if a local cuisine wants to become a national brand, it must boldly go out and go to the national market, and constantly expand its influence through market practice and foreign exchanges. In the open era and open society, cooking technology must be more widely opened to achieve innovation and development. With Nanchang Cuisine Association as the leader, Gancai chefs have sent their own delegations to participate in every session since the Fifth National Chef's Day, and have carefully launched Gancai booths every time. Some cities hold food festivals and other activities, and chefs of Jiangxi cuisine compete to show their skills after hearing the news. China Cuisine Association held a selection activity for famous restaurants in China, and Nanchang Cuisine Association actively organized Jiangxi restaurants to participate in the evaluation. There are 13 hotels and restaurants in Nanchang, such as unique restaurant, folk restaurant, Jiangxi hotel, Poyang Lake wine industry, Peace Hotel, Sunshine Hotel, Yuzhangcheng and Fanshigang. At the Tianjin Food Festival, Jiangxi cuisine caused a sensation, and a Jiangxi restaurant opened in the famous food street of Tianjin Heather. At the China West Lake Expo Food Festival in 2007, Gancai became the most awarded foreign food except the host. Nanchang's doll soup ran all the way from Guangzhou to Shenzhen. Today, nearly 20 Wabo soup shops are still crowded with customers attending the wedding. Folk restaurants have opened four branches in Shenzhen, which are also very popular every day. Lion Building is very popular in Beijing and Haikou. When Beijing Opera entered the hotel, it attracted countless fans and customers. A newly opened Poyang Lake hotel in Beijing is located at Jimen Bridge on the Third Ring Road. Although the location is not busy, the business of Gancai is still very prosperous because of its unique reputation. In Shanghai, Hangzhou and Wuhan. . . It is impossible to count how many cities in China have opened Jiangxi restaurants! I only know that Nanchang Cuisine Association is invited to recommend Gancai chefs all over the country, and the demand is in short supply. Luoyang, Henan Province also specially invited chefs from Nanchang to perform there for half a month, and the banquet hall of Luoyang Aviation Building was crowded with guests every day. The people's evaluation of Gancai: "Sichuan cuisine is too spicy, Jiangsu cuisine is too sweet, Shandong cuisine is too solid, and Gancai is better, taking into account the southeast and northwest."
Looking back on the development of Gancai in recent years, Wang Yusheng said with emotion: There are mainly a group of chefs who have devoted themselves to studying, an organization that can unite chefs, and of course the support of the government and the cooperation of public opinion. His words made the best footnote for the kitchen and were the soul of food. Today, Gancai is so brilliant in China cuisine, and it is a feast created by generations of Gancai chefs with exquisite dishes.