Huaiyang cuisine is a literati cuisine. Huaiyang cuisine is not only for eating, but also for tasting. On September 12th, when I accompanied my colleagues from Changzhou Evening News into the China Huaiyang Cuisine Culture Museum in Qinghe New District, I realized that this statement was true.

There are four reasons for the formation of Huaiyang cuisine

There are many interesting things in Huaiyang cuisine

The formation of Huaiyang cuisine in Huai 'an is due to four factors, namely, it is geographically located at the junction of the north and the south, and it is located in the throat area of water transportation in the south; Economically, the imperial court has the privilege of allocating a large number of silver to the river every year; There are rich salt merchants, river governors, water transport governors and a large number of bureaucrats in the consumer groups. On the driving force, two emperors, Kangxi and Qianlong, stayed in Huai' an on their way to the south of the Yangtze River six times each. On the basis of the four factors, the pattern of Huaiyang delicious food is finally formed.

speaking of the border between the north and the south, Li Yong, the governor of Beihai in the Tang Dynasty, called Huaiyin "the great defense of Huai and Chu, and the rivers and seas connected with Tianjin". Japan sent Tang envoys 15 times and returned to China 13 times through Huai. Arab merchants settled in Wharf Town, while Silla people lived in Silla Square with Shanyang and Lianshui. Zhang Xuhou, a writer and historian who was born in Huaiyin, recorded in the Records of Wang Jiaying that the car factory and mule and horse factory that run the inn in Wangying Town are full of thoroughfares, and the traffic is endless day and night. In the year of each value test, the south reaches the Minhai Sea outside the ridge, and all the places take exams. The bus goes north and turns south, all of which converge here. Qin Xuanzhi, a modern scholar, also recorded in Huai Cheng that there are more than ten mule-horse stores, including Jiang, Yang, Zhang, Jia and Jiang, with thousands of houses, all of which are carved with carved beams and high walls, with as many as ten steps. Jiang Sanyi Luoma Store has seven halls, arranged according to the Beidou constellation, and can receive thousands of guests at the same time. In this year of examination, every family is full, and residents are vying to change their rooms into temporary inns.

speaking of economy, Li yuerui, a foreign minister of the Ministry of industry during the Guangxu period of Qing dynasty, recorded in "a wild ride in the spring ice house" that the governor of the river allocated 56 million taels of money for river maintenance every year, but less than one tenth of it was used for river engineering, and nine tenths of it made extravagant cooking, which was even less luxurious than that of the royal family. Tan Qian, a historian, visited Huai twice during the reign of Shunzhi in Qing Dynasty, and lived there for more than a month. He wrote in "A Journey to the North": "Qingjiang Pujia River is twenty miles long, with many expatriates staying in Jia, with a huge room and a large scale."

speaking of salt merchants, Huaibei salt merchants have both Shanxi merchants and Huizhou merchants. In the Qing Dynasty, the tax revenue generated by Huai salt accounted for a quarter of the national fiscal revenue, and it is conceivable that salt merchants are rich. According to Li Yuangeng in the Daoguang period of Qing Dynasty, there are 65 public and private pavilions under the river, of which 32 and a half were built by salt merchants. At that time, there was a poem describing the life of salt merchants, saying, "Jade and gold are extremely delicious, and there is no feast in the spring and autumn." Cheng Jian, one of the chief merchants of salt merchants, has a villa named "Di Zhuang" on Xiao Lake in Chuzhou. Zhuangzi was designated as the palace of Emperor Qianlong when he went down to the south of the Yangtze River. Cheng Jian often made a group flower party in the village, and 24 red prostitutes gathered in the village for a song and dance feast. Thousands of people watched the lake, which was called the Fairy Club for a while.

according to the emperor's push, in the early March of the forty-fourth year of Kangxi (175), Kangxi made his fifth southern tour to Wusha River, and Cheng Weigao, a big salt merchant, set up seven colorful pavilions to present a banquet for tens of thousands of people. According to statistics, in the hundred years since Qianlong first went down to the south of the Yangtze River, the expenses for food, drink and entertainment in the Nanhe Governor's Office in Huaiyin consumed more than 3 million yuan and 2 silver from the national treasury, which was staggering.

There are many interesting stories in Huaiyang cuisine

These are the most interesting stories in Huaiyang cuisine:

3, people eat covered noodles together. According to Tai Ping Guang Ji, in the Northern Song Dynasty, longxing temple in Chuzhou used to be a big theater, with as many as 3, people watching it every day. By dinner time, everyone wants a bowl of noodles. When the noodles are picked up, some people with money will pour meat toppings, while others without money will pour vegetarian toppings. One person has a sea bowl, and 3, people are eating noodles while watching a play. How spectacular the crowd, the 3, people, are sucking noodles together!

Fried rice is called "Buddha for help". Stir-fried rice first emerged from the ranks of "top-ranked soldiers" during the Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty. Shen Kun, the top scholar in Hexia Town, Chuzhou, organized a team to protect his hometown and fight against Japan, and was affectionately called "the top scholar soldier" by the people. Soldiers are local villagers, and local people have the habit of eating porridge, but there is no guarantee that they have time to cook porridge during the war, so fried rice has emerged in the army. Stir-fried rice is very particular about the temperature. Only well-fried rice can not be cooked, and it can be turned into porridge when it enters the water. After the rise of fried rice, it quickly became the favorite of children, so fried rice candy, fried rice balls and fried rice sticks were all innovated, so that later, when guests came in, they made a bowl of fried rice sugar tea, which became the way to entertain guests. If relatives come, rich people will put a pair of eggs and turtles in fried rice and sugar tea. Of course, if the flood season comes, every family will prepare fried rice. When the flood season comes, people will hide in roofs and dikes, and fried rice will become a life-saving bodhisattva.

Sacrifice to the Heaven and Chef Stars on the spoon lake. Celestial Chef Star is the deity that chefs sacrifice. Celestial Chef Star is the home chef of Lao Zi. I used to go to Laozishan on the Huaihe River to cultivate alchemy, and I took a cook with me to cook for him. However, Lao Tzu's official position is low and he owes a lot of salary to the chef, but the chef has no complaints and still serves Lao Tzu faithfully. One day, Lao Tzu became immortal, so he appointed a chef and became a celestial chef. This story used to be a household name among the chefs in Huai 'an, so everyone built an old gentleman's hall on the west bank of Shaohu Lake in Chuzhou. Every year on July 19th in the summer calendar, chefs from the two regions gather in Laojun Hall to celebrate the birthday of Tianchu Star. This custom continued until the Spring Festival in 1939. That year, Japanese invaders bombed Huai 'an, and the Laojun Temple on Shaohu Lake was blown flat. As a result, Tianchu Star lost the worship of Huai 'an chefs.

Li Bai praised braised chicken with wine. According to legend, Li Bai passed by Huaiyin and was fascinated by the scenery of Huaishui, but he missed the market town with an inn. He had to come to a farmhouse. Knock on Chai Men, there is only one old mother at home. The old mother followed the principle that the visitor is the guest, and immediately caught a rhubarb chicken, killed it and stewed it. Then take out your own wine to entertain strangers. Li Bai was moved by Huaiyin's simple folk customs. Lenovo saved Han Xin's floating mother in those days and wrote a five-character poem: "The moth went to Huaiyin to stay, and she was delighted to be welcomed by the floating mother. Fighting wine to cook yellow chicken makes a meal feel sincere. To be a strong man of Chu, not a born of Lu Zhu. If there is virtue, it must be reported, and it is a shame to be ashamed. " As a result, Huaiyang cuisine has a famous product "braised yellow chicken with wine".

one chicken nine eats a clever wife. Coincidentally, there is another story about chicken dishes. In the Ming Dynasty, there was a poor scholar outside the east gate of Huaicheng, who just married a new wife. According to the local custom of the bride's coming to the door, the elder sister-in-law and younger sister-in-law came to see the bride one after another. Relatives will be entertained when they come, but the scholars are really poor and can't provide food for them. Fortunately, the new wife is a clever wife. I saw her wash her hands and go down to the kitchen and kill a chicken. After a while, the plate was put on, and she cooked, stewed, fried, fried, steamed, stir-fried, slipped, stewed and fried. She actually made nine dishes with one chicken. Since then, this clever wife's "one chicken and nine meals" has also become a famous dish of Huaiyang cuisine.

international hotels and Huaiyang cuisine. Shanghai International Hotel has been known as "the tallest building in the Far East" for half a century. This hotel, which is famous all over China and even in the world, was built by three financial giants born in Huai 'an. At the beginning of the 2th century, Tan Lisun, Zhu Yusheng, a salt bank, and Zhou Zuomin, a mainland bank born in Huai 'an, joined forces with Central South Bank to form a "four-bank savings association" to counter the "four-bank south" of Zhejiang chaebol. In 193, they jointly purchased a piece of land with a price of 452, silver, which is located on Park Road (now huanghe road) opposite the Happy Valley Hall in the center of Shanghai. After four years of construction, Shanghai International Hotel was built. In order to make a hit in Shanghai, they brought Huaiyin's old Huaiyang cuisine, such as Yuhuatai, Laobanzhai and Xinbanzhai, to Shanghai and Huaiyang cuisine to Shanghai International Hotel. Later, Huaiyang cuisine was brought to Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing and other cities where they visited, which played a great role in popularizing Huaiyang cuisine.

Poetry praises from famous buildings

Books have been seen in famous restaurants in the Tang Dynasty. At the south gate of Chuzhou city, there is a famous restaurant. That's the restaurant where the secretariat fetes the new Jinshi. Literati chanted it with poems, and lifted it for jumping the dragon gate, keeping it beautiful all the time. One of the most soul-stirring poems to write it belongs to Bian Weibao's masterpiece "The Banquet Flower Building and the Rhyme of Zhao Weinan" in the last years of the Apocalypse: "Outside the Spring Cross Building, the brook is swaying, and the guests are still blooming in the feast. Ten thousand miles of smoke float in the sea, and Sanzhou Dragon protects Huaitian. "

in the northern song dynasty, there was a family building. Xu Ji, a great dutiful son and a gifted scholar in the Northern Song Dynasty, began by saying, "There are guests in Shanyang who are like each other, dressed in Confucian clothes as wine", which vividly describes the Confucian atmosphere of the landlord.

In the Yuan Dynasty, the poet Sadula passed by Huai 'an, and a friend greeted him at the Wang restaurant in Bashan. He wrote four poems specially for Xiaolou, and said that "Wang Xiaolou in Bashan monopolized Huai 'an." His poem said, "The snow is full and the wine flag is pressed on the cold river, and there is no problem in Jiangnan." The boat carries plum blossoms and leads the spring breeze across the water. " Suddenly, the small building in Bashan became a famous building.

from the middle Qing dynasty to the Republic of China, there were more famous restaurants in Huaiyin.

Yuhuchun Hotel, located in Dongchang Street, Qinghe District, was founded in the late Qing Dynasty.

Shengli Hotel, located in East Street, was founded in 34 years of the Republic of China and used to be the guest house of Jiangsu-Anhui Border Government.

xinbanzhai hotel, located in huaihai south road, was founded in the second year of Xuantong (191). Chefs in this store include Zhang Wenxian and Sun Baoren, famous chefs in Huaiyin in in the 192s.

Zhenfengyuan Hotel, located in Huai 'an City, was opened in 1871, the 1th year of Tongzhi in Qing Dynasty, and operated various Huaiyang meals such as wonton, pot stickers and sugar porridge. Zhenfengyuan fried rice wonton is famous far and near.

Wenlou Hotel, built in the eighth year of Daoguang in Qing Dynasty (1828), is located under the ancient town river, facing Quxiang Building in the middle of Xiaohu across the water. Scholars often gather here, hence the name "Wenlou". Of course, there is also a restaurant called Wu Lou. Jianhu Caotang, Lvai Pavilion, Xiaocangzhou, Penglai Fairy Pavilion, Yule Building, Banquet Building and Qingxi Pavilion are also restaurants with very elegant names.

Chefs are the best in the world.

Of course, famous restaurants have famous chefs, and the famous chefs are the first to promote Zhang Kai in Xianfeng period of Qing Dynasty. He is the chef of the banquet hall under the river. He thought that "there is a devil in heaven and there are 18 dishes", so he created a long fish mat with 18 dishes. One hundred and eight dishes should be eaten in three days, with eight bowls, eight small bowls, sixteen plates and four snacks for each banquet. Have a feast every day for three consecutive days with different dishes; A long fish mat includes all cooking techniques such as roasting, stewing, frying, frying, frying, stir-frying, stir-frying, stewing, boiling, frying, stewing and steaming, which is dizzying and delicious. It is really a classic of Chinese cuisine.

The most famous chefs in the 192s were Zhang Wenxian and Sun Baoren. They were ordered to attend the preparations for the first banquet of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Founding ceremony's state banquet used Huaiyang cuisine, a dish from Premier Zhou Enlai's hometown. Zhang Wenxian and Sun Baoren were selected for this purpose and then went to Beijing. When they arrived in Beijing, they set up a 12-square-meter temporary kitchen in the Beijing Hotel and started cooking. The first course is Huai 'an soft-pocked long fish. So the soft-pocked long fish became the first dish in Huaiyang. In 1975, Liu Shaoqi, president, visited the Three Rivers Gate, and they also participated in the reception, which was well received by the national leaders. Now both of them have passed away.

In Huai 'an today, there are also talented chefs of Huaiyang cuisine. Generations of Huaiyang cuisine chefs take it as their responsibility to carry forward Huaiyang cuisine, and finally make Huaiyang cuisine a cuisine. Since the second half of the 19th century, Huaiyang cuisine has created more than 4 kinds of classic dishes, and there are more than 1,3 kinds of famous dishes with local flavor, with the whole eel mat as the leader and the whole sheep mat and the whole fish mat as the wings. The chefs of Huaiyang cuisine explain a truth with their unremitting efforts: the people, only the people, are the driving force to create history.

(compiled by Wei Hua according to the materials of China Huaiyang Cuisine Culture Museum)

Braised mandarin fish

Braised Ma 'anqiao

Braised eel with green onion

Roasted eel with one chicken and nine dishes in Long Hudou

Roasted Jade in Qingjiang

Huai 'an Long Fish Banquet

Wenlou baozi stuffed with juicy pork

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