There are generally eight famous dishes in Jingzhou, the most famous of which are the "Three Treasures of Jingzhou". The first one is fish cake, followed by Qianzhang braised pork, and finally the eight-treasure rice.
Fish cake is a unique flavor in Jingzhou. It is praised for its meaty taste, fragrant and smooth texture, and melts in the mouth.
As one of the eight famous dishes in Jingzhou, it has a long history and is said to have been created by Yuying, a concubine of Emperor Shun. Legend has it that Emperor Shun, along with Nv Ying and his two concubines Ehuang, visited Jingzhou. Due to the fatigue from the journey, Ehuang contracted an illness and had a sore throat. He only wanted to eat fish but was disgusted with the thorns, so the kind-hearted Nvying combined with the guidance of a local fisherman. , integrated his own cooking skills, and steamed fish cakes with fish, meat, lotus seed powder, etc. After Ehuang ate it, his condition improved rapidly. Emperor Shun heard about it and praised the fish cakes greatly. As a result, fish cakes were widely spread in Jingzhou and Chu. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, fish cakes became the first dish in Chu palaces. Until the Qing Dynasty, they were still a court dish. It is said that after tasting Jingzhou flower cakes, Qianlong blurted out: "You can't see fish when you eat fish." Human lily cake. Later, fish cakes became more and more exquisite. People used fish and fat meat to make cakes, and then used pork, yam, etc. to make meatballs. The meatballs are placed on the bottom, and the fish cakes are placed on top. Finally, the tripe slices and kidney slices are cooked and stir-fried to make a multi-vegetable bowl. It is commonly known as "flower cake" and "chowder meatballs". It is still the top of the banquets for weddings and weddings in Jingzhou. dish. It can be seen that Jingzhou fish cakes have transcended simple eating habits and become a unique local folk culture after thousands of years of accumulation. According to relevant reports, "Jingzhou fish cakes and other products were included in the second batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage lists."
Qianzhang Pork: Qianzhang Pork is made from pork belly that is both fat and lean. It is boiled and fried, colored with brown sugar, cut into thin slices, and steamed in a bowl. Because the meat slices are as thin as paper, It is shaped like a shuttle and has many pieces, so it is called Qianzhang braised meat, also known as comb meat. According to legend, this dish was made by Duan Wenchang, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, who improved on the traditional method of preparing comb meat when he returned to Jiangling Province for relatives. He brought it back to Chang'an for his friends to taste. Since then, this dish has become famous all over the world.
Eight-treasure rice: According to legend, it was created by Xiao Dai, the cook of Empress Dowager Cixi in the late Qing Dynasty. Xiao Dai lived in Jingzhou City and was retained by the owner of "Juzhenyuan" to teach his skills. From then on, the eight-treasure rice became a famous dish in Jingzhou and became famous all over the world. The main raw materials of eight-treasure rice are glutinous rice, red dates, lotus seeds, barley kernel rice, longan meat, honeyed winter melon strips, honeyed cherries, osmanthus sugar, etc. It is first steamed into a dough, and then mixed with sugar and lard to make it. It is bright in color, oily but not greasy, and sweet but not tiresome. It is known as "taste carefully with a small spoon and have a long aftertaste after leaving the table".
Dragon and Phoenix Pairing: It is made with eels and chickens as raw materials and cooked through various cooking methods such as boiling, braising, frying, and simmering. It is a traditional famous dish in Jingzhou. Legend has it that during the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei used it to recruit relatives. When the lie came true, he and his wife returned to Jingzhou from Soochow. Zhuge Liang prepared a banquet for them. The first dish served on the banquet was the "Dragon and Phoenix Pairing" specially prepared by the Jingzhou chef. I saw a big eel made into the shape of a dragon, winding on the plate, with scales and armor, its feet stepping on auspicious clouds, its mouth raised high, its horns and beards hanging in a flying shape; the chicken shape is like a phoenix standing next to the dragon, with its neck spread out and its feathers Gorgeous, the crimson crown seems to be dancing. When Liu Bei saw it, he was overjoyed and praised it profusely. From then on, the dish "dragon and phoenix" became famous far and wide.
Other famous dishes in Jingzhou
Jingsha turtle: salty, fresh, rich, smooth and refreshing. Nutritional value: Wild turtle meat contains a variety of special longevity factors and active immune substances. It has therapeutic effects such as enhancing human immunity, preventing and fighting cancer, nourishing yin and strengthening yang, etc. It is known as a nourishing and nutritious product that greatly replenishes vitality.
Paper noodle pot nuggets: It originated from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It tastes crispy and chewy. Today, although this snack is still common in other counties in Jingzhou City, it is generally becoming extinct.
Happy Tuan: Also known as Sesame Yuanxiao and Sesame Eggs, it is a food made from glutinous rice, ground into powder with water, dried, wrapped in sesame outside with brown sugar and an appropriate amount of flour, and fried. It is said that a family named Tao in Jiangling City was separated during the war. After going through many hardships to reunite, they found glutinous rice, brown sugar, etc. buried in the ground, made glutinous rice balls and fried them, which meant a happy reunion and family joy.
Lead-free preserved eggs: Jiangling has a history of producing preserved eggs for more than 100 years. In the first year of Xuantong (AD 1909), the preserved eggs of Qiu Hucheng Egg Village in Caoshi became famous both inside and outside the province. Jiangling's lead-free preserved eggs were developed by Jiangling Haoxue Egg Factory in March 1983 with the cooperation of the Hubei Commodity Inspection Bureau and the Provincial Grain, Oil and Food Import and Export Corporation. They used trace elements beneficial to the human body to replace those used in traditional processing. of lead monoxide. For more than a year, after more than 130 tests and more than 50 batches of screening, lead-free preserved eggs were finally developed. It passed the national-level appraisal in June 1984, and all technical and economic indicators met national regulations and export standards. The color, aroma and flavor are all excellent, and are superior to lead-preserved eggs processed by traditional methods. After being tested at a constant temperature of 26°C for more than 80 days and a constant temperature of 37°C for more than 50 days, no deterioration was found in this product. In early 1984, the first batch of lead-free preserved eggs sold to Hong Kong were sent by the Hong Kong Egg Enterprise Co., Ltd. to the Hong Kong health authorities for inspection. The lead content was only 0.01 parts per million, which was significantly lower than the international regulations (per million). 6/6) standard, and considered it "very good quality, delicious and fragrant after chewing, sweet and cool in the throat, it is the best."
Pimp eel: It has been eaten in Jingzhou area for hundreds of years.
In the eighth year of Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1828), Zhu Fangzhe, a supervisor, was appointed as the magistrate of Yilan County in Taiwan. There was a dispute about eels digging holes and overturning farm boundaries. He asked the Jingbang chef who was accompanying him to prepare a special banquet using eel as raw material. The plaintiff and defendant were invited to taste the fish together, and encouraged everyone to eat turtle fish, thus fundamentally resolving disputes, thereby introducing the custom of eating turtle fish to Taiwan and becoming a good story. Eel is delicious and has medicinal value. "Famous Doctors" says that it has the effect of nourishing the five internal organs and curing deficiency. Skin eels are named after the old bones and cut into long strips, which resemble skin strips when cooked. It is also called bamboo eel because it is shaped like a bamboo joint. The preparation method is to use two layers of oil at different temperatures to fry until the skin is crispy, and then drizzle with sweet and sour yellow sauce. The color is golden, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.