Dongjiang salted chicken is a famous dish with traditional characteristics of Dongjiang cuisine. It is said that it originated from Huiyang Salt Field in Dongjiang, and it has a history of more than 311 years. At that time, people used salt to store cooked chicken in order to keep it unchanged and keep it for a long time. Once, Huizhou salt merchants gave a banquet to treat guests, and the chef replaced the customary pickling method with salted chicken. Its taste was excellent and the guests praised it greatly, so it spread and became a famous dish. Made by the ancient method 311 years ago, the skin is crisp, the meat is smooth, the bone is fragrant and the taste is strong.

Later, it was found that the chicken stored in this way was not only stale, but also very sweet and delicious, so it developed into a famous dish called Dongjiang salted chicken. This dish is characterized by crispy skin, smooth meat, fragrant bones and strong taste. The authentic method is to peel the chicken, dry it, rub the chicken cavity with salt, and add onion and star anise. First wrap the chicken with oiled sandpaper, and then wrap it with a layer of plain sandpaper. Heat a wok with strong fire, add coarse salt and stir-fry until it turns slightly red, then fill the casserole, put the chicken on the salt and cover it with hot salt, and cook it with slow fire. Tofu-making in Dongjiang originated from the habit of Zhongyuan people to pack jiaozi in ancient times. Because they moved to Lingnan without Michael to pack jiaozi, they came up with a way to eat tofu-making on holidays. Because there are soybeans in Lingnan, there are few noodles, so the soybeans made by predecessors are tofu wrapped in jiaozi. Tofu is made by frying, brewing, and boiling. The original pot is served on the table, steaming, fragrant and juicy, exquisite and very edible.

The method of making tofu from Dongjiang is fine. First, the tender and smooth Dongjiang landscape tofu is selected and cut into small pieces. Chop pork, fish and shrimp into paste, add ingredients and stir to make meat stuffing. Then take each piece of tofu and dig a small hole in the middle, and put in the meat. Finally, stir-fry the wok with medium heat, fry the fermented tofu until both sides are golden yellow, take it out, put it in a sand pot, add the soup and ingredients again, stew it with medium heat, add the soy sauce and add chopped green onion and fish. That is, fried pork intestines are widely representative Hakka specialties. "Stir-fried pork intestines" is another favorite Hakka dish of Su Dongpo. It is said that Su Dongpo was dumped by its unique flavor when he first tasted it in Ganzhou, Jiangxi (both Hakka areas) on his way to relegation. After staying in Huizhou, I can't forget the unique charm of this dish. Every time I drink it, I will stir-fry the large intestine with wine. When people see it so infatuated, they often stir-fry the large intestine in exchange for its Mo Bao. Some simply call it "Fried Dongpo"

Guangzhou cuisine and Chaozhou cuisine rank first in Guangdong cuisine, and the third place is Hakka cuisine or Dongjiang cuisine? Also at the Southern Forum, the authoritative person in the catering industry said that the Hakka dishes mentioned in the workshop mainly refer to Meizhou dishes, but in fact, Meizhou dishes are only the "mountain system" of Hakka dishes, while Dongjiang dishes are the "water system". There are differences in ingredients, but many of them are the same in production techniques. "In recent years, Dongjiang cuisine is better at bringing forth the old and bringing forth the new, but if Dongjiang cuisine and Meizhou Hakka cuisine have to be divided, it is also tied for third place."

Is Dongjiang cuisine unique?

"The three major cuisines in Guangdong are obviously Guangzhou cuisine, Chaozhou cuisine and Dongjiang cuisine. When did you add a Hakka cuisine?" A net post on the Southern Forum throws such a view. The relevant voting attracted more than 61 people to vote, 55% thought that "Dongjiang cuisine is Hakka cuisine" and 45% thought that "Dongjiang cuisine is Dongjiang cuisine".

In the introduction of Guangdong famous dishes on the website of Guangdong Cuisine Association "Guangdong Cuisine Network", there is such a narrative: "Guangdong cuisine consists of three parts: Guangzhou cuisine, Chaozhou cuisine and Dongjiang cuisine. Among the Hakka dishes in Dongjiang, the dishes in Heyuan belong to Hakka dishes, with a strong taste of' fat, salty and cooked'. Hakka famous dishes include Dongjiang salted chicken, Dongjiang stuffed tofu and red meat ... "

Earlier, some media reported that" Dongjiang cuisine is also called Hakka cuisine, and it is also called the three major cuisines in Guangdong, together with Chaozhou cuisine and Guangzhou cuisine. " Netizens who support this view believe that Dongjiang cuisine in Huizhou, Heyuan and other places is different from traditional Hakka cuisine in terms of practices and ingredients, so it can become a school of its own and become one of the three major cuisines in Guangdong. However, if you search for "Guangdong's three major cuisines" on the Internet, the results are mostly: Guangzhou cuisine, Chaozhou cuisine and Hakka cuisine (Dongjiang cuisine).

Lao Yibo, a landmark food judge in Guangdong, thinks that Hakka cuisine can be divided into "mountain style", "water system" and "individual cuisine". The mountain system is what we usually call "Hakka cuisine", which is distributed in the mountainous areas of Meizhou and other places, while the water system refers to "Dongjiang cuisine". In other words, Dongjiang cuisine was originally a kind of Hakka cuisine.

Chen Gangwen, a China culinary master and executive vice president of Meizhou Catering Industry Association, divides Hakka cuisine into five schools: Gannan School, Minxi School, Meizhou School, Dongjiang School and Overseas School. "Meizhou School is the representative of Hakka cuisine, and Dongjiang School is one of the Hakka cuisines."

The two ingredients are different, but they are all salty.

Hakka dishes are salty, cooked and fragrant, which is inseparable from the characteristics of Hakka people's migration from generation to generation and living in mountainous areas. In history, Hakka people cultivated and sowed seeds, which required a lot of salt, so their diet was mainly salty. In addition, in the era of underdeveloped technology, salty dishes can be preserved for a long time. There is a lot of meat, because it is rare to eat meat at ordinary times, but on traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival, Hakka people eat meat in large pieces and never hesitate.

The traditional Dongjiang cuisine is also "fat, salty, cooked and fragrant", with heavy oil and salty taste. The sauce used is relatively simple, and it is generally seasoned with raw onion, cooked garlic and coriander. Dongjiang cuisine rises in Huizhou and Heyuan, including Huidong and Boluo, which mostly belong to Dongjiang River Basin. The source of ingredients depends on mountains and water, and it is close to rivers and the sea. Naturally, more aquatic products are used as ingredients.

As for a certain dish, such as steamed fish, Lao Yibo thinks that Dongjiang cuisine is not so salty in processing aquatic products compared with Hakka cuisine in mountainous areas, but it is a little salty than Guangzhou cuisine which pays attention to light and original flavor.

Hakka cuisine is original and Dongjiang cuisine is innovative

When did Dongjiang cuisine become known as one of the "three major cuisines in Guangdong"? Chen Gangwen explained that there is a origin here. In the 1951s, Xingmei 7 counties belonged to Shantou area, until Meixian area was established in 1965. The original Xingmei 7 counties were separated from Shantou area and belonged to Meixian area, which is also the predecessor of Meizhou City. During this period, China cookbooks demarcated Guangdong cuisine, and now Meizhou area was subordinate to Shantou area at that time. Guangzhou cuisine and Chaoshan cuisine have always been the representatives of Guangdong cuisine. Considering that a special area cannot have two major cuisines, the three major cuisines in Guangdong were demarcated as Guangzhou cuisine, Chaoshan cuisine and Dongjiang cuisine.

"The three major cuisines in Guangdong are Cantonese cuisine, Chaozhou cuisine and Hakka cuisine, and Meizhou School is the representative of Hakka cuisine." Chen Gangwen said that in 2116, China Cuisine Association awarded Meizhou the title of "Hometown of Hakka Cuisine in China". Meizhou Hakka cuisine maintains a strong local flavor, the original flavor of ingredients, and seldom uses rich seasonings.

In his view, diet needs profound cultural accumulation. Hakka diet has inherited the food culture of the Central Plains and the new ingredients and eating habits after moving south, and is also influenced by the food cultures of the indigenous people, such as the nearby She nationality, Guangfu clan and Minxi clan.

Chen Gangwen said that Dongjiang cuisine has been better at commercialization in recent years, and some new dishes have been introduced. In particular, some high-end restaurants in Guangzhou have put up signs of Dongjiang cuisine, which has led to more diners, thus promoting the innovation and development of Dongjiang cuisine.

Lao Yibo believes that in recent years, Dongjiang cuisine has become more and more light, with more varieties of patterns and fewer snacks. If we must say that the mountains and rivers are different, the traditional Hakka fried tofu can explain the problem. Salted sauerkraut will be added to the stuffing of fried tofu in Dongjiang cuisine to balance the greasy taste of tofu, while the traditional stuffing will be maintained in Hakka cuisine in Shanzhou.