salted eggs in sand lakes

Li Erzhong, an old revolutionary, writer and calligrapher, told an anecdote about Chairman Mao's visit to Hubei and tasting salted eggs in sand lakes in the article "The 23 rd Incident of Chairman Mao". Now an excerpt is as follows: "In the winter of 1954, his old man (referring to Chairman Mao) came and wanted to listen to our report ... We wanted to make up for the previous poor hospitality and set a big table for the old man. He spoke seriously:' You think the more the better, but it's a waste. The mountain is not high, and the fairy is the name; The water is not deep, and the dragon is the spirit; He doesn't like any delicacies, but he likes to eat salted eggs in sand lakes. "

What is the difference between Shahu salted eggs and ordinary salted eggs? It turns out that Shahu Lake is located in the swamp area, with criss-crossing gullies, lush aquatic plants and dense shrimps and snails. In the land of sand lake water network, there is also a strange grass that is not found elsewhere-wheat yellow horn grass. This kind of grass has thick stalks, wide leaves and thick and sweet seeds. Mature wheat straw horn seeds are the best feed for ducks. When ducks eat it, there is an extra drop of cinnabar-like oil in raw egg yolk. Therefore, it has the reputation of "salt eggs and a little pearls in the sand lake". Ducks are blessed to grow in such a natural environment. A delicious, both yellow and famous Chinese and foreign Shahu salted egg was produced here.

The phrase "a little pearl" did not come from the people, but from Gong Yan.

in the late Qing dynasty, there was a Li zhizao in shahu lake, who was an academician. Because of the lack of living in the Hanlin Academy. At that time, Eight-Nation Alliance entered Beijing, and Cixi fled to the west with the attendants. When she passed by the Imperial Academy, she saw the lights coming out of the window. She was very surprised, and ordered the attendants to find Li Qizao, who was "trapped in Beijing": "Everyone is fleeing, but you are here ...?" As soon as Li Zhizao saw this momentum, he knew that it was the holy face he had been dreaming of, and he kowtowed: "How dare I go out of Beijing before Lafayette!" As a result, he fled to Xijing with the officials and minions of the "escort" by Cixi. After returning to Beijing, Lafayette reused the loyal Li Yinzao, and Li Yinzao made a fortune. In order to please his master, Li Yimao took a basket of salted eggs from his hometown and presented them to Shengyan. Cixi ate the egg, picked up the red heart with ivory chopsticks, and dipped it into the water, and saw the oil flowers rippling, which was really beautiful; Then pick the entrance of the red heart, the fragrance is fragrant, and its taste is long and unforgettable. Cixi repeatedly praised: "Good egg! Good egg! " It's really a little pearl! ""Shahu salted egg and a little pearl "came from this and spread abroad.

Nine-bead preserved egg

It is said that Songhua preserved egg originated in Tianjin. Folk word of mouth says: About 2 years ago, a wealthy family in a village in Tianjin, his son made a coffin for his mother and put it in an empty house for later use. After a long time, the mother was still alive, so he ordered his family to sprinkle lime and plant ash into the coffin to prevent moisture, and left a big gap in the coffin cover for ventilation. Forget it when it's over. The following year, when her mother died, she moved the coffin to the grave and found more than 1 eggs in the plant ash. The dutiful son was so angry that he took it out and threw it dry. The shell broke and became a dark brown transparent crystal inside, which was very confusing. Some good people dared to taste it, and it was delicious. The onlookers also thought it was strange, so they rushed to taste it, and it was like this. Those who have insight will follow suit afterwards and put fresh eggs in lime and plant ash, and so on. As a result, the neighborhood followed suit and called it "color-changing egg". Over time, this original technology has spread to Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, and it has been improved many times. As a brand-new food, discolored eggs have been put into the market by businessmen in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Therefore, today's "preserved eggs in Songhua" began in Tianjin and became in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

When and by whom was the "color-changing egg" from Jiangsu and Zhejiang introduced to mian yang, and it was improved into a "preserved egg" with a good reputation at home and abroad? This person is known as the "Liu preserved egg" in Wuhan, Jiangcheng.

Around p>19l, Liu Qifa, a young boy from Hanyang, came from a poor family and had no livelihood. He went around looking for a job in the "Wantai Egg Factory" run by Zhejiang people who were doing business in Han, selling a few inferior preserved eggs for him to make a living. Liu was young and eager to learn, and he was quite calculating. He took advantage of his frequent visits to his preserved egg workshop and stole his secret production technology. After several times of practice, it has become a set of process system. From then on, the preserved egg production technology in Jiangsu and Zhejiang was mastered by Hubei people for the first time and carried forward. Liu Qifa was employed by a wealthy businessman with his exquisite and unique skills. The Japanese invaders invaded Wuhan, and Liu Qifa lost his job. However, the nickname "Liu preserved egg" is well known in the same industry in Jiangcheng.

In p>1944, "Liu Pidan" moved from place to place to Xiantao Town, mian yang. With the support of friends, he set up his own preserved egg workshop, which improved and eliminated the local backward southern egg production technology and laid the foundation for mian yang Songhua preserved eggs. Liu Ji died, and his son Liu Wenshan followed in his father's footsteps, and the technology was further improved, becoming the second generation authority of preserved egg making technology in mian yang. After liberation, Liu Wenshan served as the deputy director of the state-run mian yang Food (predecessor of Xiantao Egg Factory) egg factory.

After mian yang Songhua preserved egg was improved to "Jiuzhu preserved egg", its quality was by going up one flight of stairs. Shelled preserved eggs, the protein is dark brown or grass blue, crystal transparent, decorated with pine flowers, as beautiful as jade carving. The egg yolk is tight, and after being cut, it looks like chrysanthemum buds, and it looks like sugar wrapped in the heart. With mellow texture, long taste, cool and refreshing, Xian Yi was designated as an inspection-free food for export, which contributed to the four modernizations of the motherland.

Miancheng Lotus Root

Miancheng is rich in lotus root, which is known as Lotus Town. In the Ming Dynasty, when Lu Zi was an official in Fuzhou (now Miancheng), he once wrote a poem:

The lake is flat and the bridge is close to the ancient city, and the red lotus is a good mirror.

The pavilions are not polluted by mud, and the flowers and the heart of Lianxi are clear.

Miancheng lotus root is the most famous lotus pond in the east of the city. Because the lotus here is beautiful and smells fragrant, "Dongnuma Honglian" has become one of the eight beautiful scenic spots in Miancheng.

Miancheng lotus root is thick and fat, with crisp meat, delicate texture and delicious taste. It is eaten raw, sweet and savory, chilled, cooked, puffy and delicious. Lotus seeds are sweet and refreshing, and have the effects of clearing the heart and strengthening the spleen, invigorating qi and benefiting the middle warmer, so they are known as "white lotus ginseng". In ancient times, they have always been the first-class tribute to the emperor, and they were regarded as delicacies in the banquet.

It is said that Li Bai flew from Baidicheng to Jiangling, and after reciting the well-known poem Xiajiangling, he went to Fuzhou day and night to visit his friend Zhang Wei. Zhang Wei took Li Bai to the pavilion by the pond outside the east gate of the city and ordered a banquet for Li Bai. During the dinner, Li Bai enjoyed the sky and clouds in the pond, the surrounding flowers and trees, pavilions and pavilions, and was so intoxicated that he got drunk. In a trance, he took a Xiangyun to Guanghan Palace. With a burst of "poetry fairy arrives!" Cheers, Chang 'e dragged her skirt and danced with sleeves out of the inner room, followed by a fairy, holding a bowl of lotus soup, and slowly sent it to Li Bai. Li Bai suddenly felt a strange smell, and even when he was eating and drinking, he felt even sweeter, as cool as water, and refreshed.

He couldn't help praising:

Good lotus soup! Good lotus soup! I, Li Bai, have never tasted such a fairy product since I named myself' Qinglian layman'! If ...

Chang 'e saw Li Bai's heart and immediately ordered the fairy to bring a lotus seed to Li Bai. Li Baigang received it, and was suddenly pushed down by the fairy's palm. He couldn't help but let out a cry of' Oh' and woke up to know that it was a dream of Nan Ke. When I opened my eyes, I saw a pool full of lotus flowers in full bloom, bright as clouds and fragrant as orchids. Look at my hands again, there is no trace of lotus seeds! Li Bai was very surprised, so he told Zhang Wei about the scene in his dream. Zhang Wei was also very surprised when he heard this. He explained, "No wonder something flew out of the hands of the talented poet, like pearls and jade, like a Bai Hong, and went straight into the pool; When a foreign object falls, it suddenly emits thousands of rays of sunlight ...... "

It is impossible to prove whether the lotus root in Miancheng was transformed from a fairy seed in the Moon Palace. However, it is a unique lotus root, which is not comparable to the common lotus root, but there is no need to argue.

as the saying goes, "a good dish needs to be cooked well."

Miancheng people are also very good at cooking lotus roots. If you are interested in visiting Miancheng, the hospitable Miancheng people will show their specialty and carefully make all kinds of lotus root and lotus soup for you. And I will stretch out my fingers and give you directions one by one like a few treasures; This is "sea mussels with pearls", that is "phoenix scattered wings", that is "dry layer assorted" and that is "eight-treasure lotus soup" ... As for the craft foods made of lotus root as the main raw material: lotus pot, lotus honey, lotus cake, lotus root clip, lotus root powder, lotus root round, etc., there are countless more!

Especially in the autumn of September every year, when fresh lotus roots are on the market, people are scrambling to buy Miancheng lotus roots to grab new products-for a time, all the baskets are filled with white silk, yellow tips, spindles and gun barrels.

Miancheng lotus root is famous! Many tourists who come to Miancheng for sightseeing, as soon as they arrive in Miancheng, can't wait to step into the restaurant, order a bowl of lotus root soup and a few old pits, then sit down, savor while sipping, and some people can't help singing poems.

The Spring Festival is approaching, which is the busiest time in Miancheng. The streets and lanes are full of cars from Wuhan, Huangshi, Jingzhou and other places to purchase Miancheng Lotus. Cars and carts are piled like hills in Miancheng. Some simply drove all the way to the edge of Tiantoutang, and even bought all the lotus roots with mud before the lotus farmers washed them. And some people who come home from Beijing, Shanghai, Xi 'an and other places to visit relatives, after they have eaten enough Miancheng lotus roots, they will take a few as gifts for their relatives and friends when they leave. The real thing is:

Miancheng's lotus seed Miancheng's lotus root has to be eaten!

braised chicken with hairy mouth

Signs of "authentic braised chicken with hairy mouth" abound in the streets and lanes of Xiantao. Although not all of them are authentic braised chicken with hairy mouth, it is enough to see the position of braised chicken with hairy mouth in Xiantao food culture from the fact that merchants have played this brand one after another.

When it comes to braised chicken with hairy mouth, people will first think of the name Lu Baolin. In fact, Lu Baolin is not named Lu but Liu. Speaking of the origin of the surname "Lu", there is an interesting story.

Liu Baolin is the fourth generation descendant of the Liu family. When he was 1 years old, he inherited the mantle of his parents and started the business of braised chicken. He not only learned the technique of braised chicken, but also inherited his father's straightforward nature. During the Anti-Japanese War, a Japanese translator went straight to the Liu family and shouted for some braised chickens. Bao-Lin Liu was very unhappy at the fact that this dog was fighting for power. He promised to keep half of the ancestral brine, and the remaining half was mixed with some water. Then, he put rice wine in it. He thought, if you want to taste delicious food, I'll make it salty and sweet for you. How do you eat it? Liu Baolin just wanted to do some tricks to play with the Japanese. He never thought that the stewed chicken was bright in color, and the Japanese were full of praise after enjoying it. Even calling it "great good" was really a mistake. Since then, the formula of braised chicken with hairy mouth has added new content.

as the saying goes, business is booming all over the world. Liu Baolin's braised chicken was spread by the Japanese, attracting more diners who came to try it early. There is a constantly chauffeured man from afar, known as a gourmet, who visited famous foods all over the country. When he heard the introduction of "braised chicken with hairy mouth and fragrant Wan Li", everyone asked Liu Baolin's residence. He was so eager to eat Liu's braised chicken that he mistook Liu Baolin's name for Lu Baolin. People smiled and led him to find the Liu family. Liu Baolin has also been called halogen baolin by people in good faith since then. Now, many people with hairy mouths only know that there is a descendant of braised chicken with hairy mouths, Lu Baolin, but they don't know that he was originally Liu Baolin.

With the passage of time, braised chicken with hairy mouth became famous, so franchised stores sprang up like mushrooms after rain. Just at this time, Liu Baolin angrily suspended the processing of braised chicken. Because, at that time, there was a man who was cynical, not only did he not pay attention to the formula of braised chicken, but also used sick chicken and dead chicken in the selection of materials. He was afraid of ruining his ancestral reputation.

Liu Baolin's braised chicken uses local free-range traditional chicken breeds, which must be fresh cocks fed within two years. Slaughter on the same day, immediately pluck hair, and then marinate.

in the selection of utensils, he always insisted on simmering in a casserole. Someone advised him: aluminum pot can process nearly ten chickens at a time. You only marinate four in this casserole, so change the pot! But he never wavered. He said: "The same ingredients and formulas, different utensils, poor mastery of the heat, and very different tastes."

Liu Baolin has two daughters and four sons. Now, they all specialize in braised chicken in Xiantao. On his deathbed, he told his children that my legacy was the ancestral brine. Don't expect it to earn much money, just be able to support your family. Fame and fortune are like floating clouds, and money is like dung. Don't ruin the reputation of the Liu braised chicken for a few stinky money. Say that finish, he pulled out the ancestral braised chicken formula from the pillow and handed it to Yao's son trembling.

Now, when you come to Maozui, you will be attracted by the glittering and translucent color, tangy aroma and lying down, so you can order Er Liang white wine and have a delicious meal.

Three Steams in mian yang

People in mian yang can cook steamed vegetables, so "Three Steams in mian yang" is famous.

All the guests who have been to mian yang will be warmly invited by the host to taste the "Three Steams in mian yang". However, there are different opinions about which three steams are and their origins.

in fact, almost all dishes can be steamed in cages. However, the common saying of "Three Steams" refers to "Steamed Fish, Steamed Meat and Steamed Vegetables". At the same time, from the method of steaming, there are also powder steaming, steaming and steaming.

There is an ancient legend about the origin of "Three Steams in mian yang". At the end of Yuan Dynasty, Chen Youliang, the leader of the peasant army, went to mian yang to solve the shortage of food in the army. He used the advantages of many lakes in mian yang to fill his hunger with fish, shrimp, snails and mussels everywhere. However, fish, shrimp, snails and mussels have an unpleasant smell, which is unfavorable for eating more. You Liang's wife, Empress Zhang Fengdao, invented the steaming method of mixing fish, shrimp, snails and mussels with rice noodles, which solved the need of military food. Later, this method spread among the people and was carried forward by mian yang people, thus forming the "Three Steams in mian yang".

In fact, the most distinctive and delicious dish in "Three Steams in mian yang" is "Steamed snail with chrysanthemum". This is the most authentic and authentic steamed dish among the three steamed dishes. You can't know how it tastes until you go to mian yang to taste it yourself.