#What are the “top ten must-try Hunan delicacies” in your mind#

Hunan cuisine is one of the “eight major cuisines in China” and has a long history. Rich in connotation and strong local characteristics, it is famous at home and abroad.

In the late Ming Dynasty, peppers were transplanted from South America to China. Hunan is located in the subtropical zone, humid and rainy, and the soil is suitable for the growth of peppers. Moreover, peppers have the effect of repelling cold and removing dampness, promoting saliva secretion and increasing appetite. Hunan People's taste for spicy food is becoming famous. "Spicy" has become the characteristic of Hunan cuisine. There are many kinds of spiciness in Hunan cuisine, including sour and spicy, spicy and spicy, oily and spicy, spicy, crispy and spicy, fresh and spicy, and bitter and spicy. The difference between Hunan cuisine and Sichuan cuisine is that there is no sweet and spicy taste in Hunan cuisine.

It is said that Hunan cuisine has now developed to more than 4,000 dishes and more than 300 famous dishes. The ingredients used also pay more attention to the "spiciness" of various local characteristics.

Based on my experience as a foodie, I have compiled the following top ten Hunan dishes. If you want to eat Hunan cuisine, you must taste these ten dishes, in no particular order:

Spicy Chicken in Yuloudong

Spicy Chicken was first created in Yuloudong Restaurant in Changsha and has a history of nearly a hundred years. This dish uses about 500 grams of chicken as the main ingredient, with large red pepper (or Chaotian pepper) and Sichuan peppercorns as auxiliary ingredients. It is stir-fried with camellia oil and served with Shaoxing wine, yellow vinegar, garlic, onion, ginger and more. Cook with seasonings. The chicken is golden in color, charred on the outside and tender on the inside, and tastes delicious. It is very popular and has spread almost all over the world. A diner wrote a poem praising: "The spicy chicken is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It is golden in color and tastes new. If you ask for a good restaurant, Xiaoxiang is better than Yuloudong."

Li Hesheng's Hair Venetian Leaves

Hair louver is made from beef louver as the main raw material, plus magnolia flake tips, soy sauce, tea oil, sesame oil, cornel powder, coriander, water bean powder and refined salt. It was originally a famous dish of Li Hesheng in the halal restaurant . Nowadays, some people have improved it and developed hair louver. The beef louver is cut as thin as hair and stir-fried with red pepper shreds. The texture is crisp but not spicy, and it is more visually beautiful.

Speaking of Li Hesheng, it was originally an old store in Changsha City with a history of nearly a hundred years. It was famous for selling cooked beef. It was closed for a long time. Now, with the support of the government, it has opened normally again. .

Tanzhou Crock Pot Soup

Changsha was named Tanzhou in ancient times. Tanzhou Crock Pot Soup is a local method of making soup. It does not use any medicinal materials. It is all chicken, duck, Ingredients such as cuttlefish and belly strips are combined with seasonal fruits and vegetables such as fresh chestnuts and tea tree mushrooms that are rare in the market. They are sealed in a brown earthen jar and then slowly smoked over a charcoal fire for more than ten hours. It is characterized by a rich and delicious aroma and original juice. Original flavor.

Yueyang Griddle Duck

Dongting Lake is suitable for raising ducks. The braised ducks are served in a hot pot with soy sauce, stock, chili and other seasonings. Simmered slowly over an open fire, it tastes fragrant, salty, fresh, spicy, and hot. It makes people sweat profusely and goes well with meals. It is a very representative Hunan dish.

Mao's Braised Pork

Chairman Mao was not a gourmet, but he had a large appetite and liked spicy food, so this dish was a spicy dish to go with rice. Maojia braised pork is made by soaking large pieces of pork belly in soy sauce and cooking wine, then frying it in a pan, then adding dark soy sauce, sugar, red pepper, and garlic to braise it. It tastes good, but not crispy enough. It is better than Dongpo in Hangzhou. The meat is slightly inferior. But this dish should be a classic in Shaoshan.

Pregnant crucian carp in Western Hunan

Pregnant crucian carp is a typical dish in Western Hunan. It uses a crucian carp of about eight liang weight, cut its belly open, removes the internal organs, and adds pork, shrimp, and mushrooms. , winter bamboo shoots, etc., cut into dices, add seasonings, stuff into the crucian carp belly, then steam over high heat, add coriander segments and chili shreds. When the dishes are brought to the table, they are fragrant, tender, delicious, and slightly spicy.

Taoyuan Oxtail Casserole

Taoyuan is the place recorded in Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Spring". It is located between western Hunan and the Dongting Lake area. Taoyuan Oxtail Casserole, the oxtail is stewed extremely soft and delicious, with a fresh taste , fragrant, spicy, perfect for meals.

Changsha Three Fresh Chowder

Three Fresh Chowder is a delicious traditional Hunan soup. The soup contains pork meatballs (fried first), squid slices, sea cucumber slices, bamboo shoot slices, etc. The color of the soup is slightly dark, and the soup is delicious, thick but not greasy. Since Hunan is not close to the sea, it does not produce seafood. The squid and sea cucumbers here are foamed with dry goods. After stewing, they are combined with the aroma of meat, giving them a unique flavor.

Changsha Stir-fried Bacon with Garlic Sprouts

Changsha people are good at making cured meats, so there are many cured meat dishes, the most famous one is Stir-fried Bacon with Garlic Sprouts. Stir-fry fresh garlic sprouts and bacon, add a lot of red pepper and garlic, and it smells delicious. Hunan bacon is fragrant and moderately salty, making it the best in China.

Dongting Pickled Pepper Yellow Duck Cry

Yellow Duck Cry is a small fish unique to Dongting Lake. It is bright gray-yellow in color, hence its name. No thorns, the meat is fresh and tender. This kind of fish is also called "Huanggu Teng" by Chongqing people. Made with pickled peppers, it tastes delicious.

Hunan cuisine has a diversified flavor, with three local flavors based on the Xiangjiang River Basin, Dongting Lake, and the mountainous areas of western Hunan, each with its own characteristics. The ten Hunan dishes I selected cannot cover the essence of Hunan cuisine.

I still hope that friends can add some Hunan dishes in the discussion area. Thanks!