Because of its historical evolution, Gu Xiang comes from Xi 'an, all over the city blocks. In these Gu Xiang, there are many delicious snacks that have been lingering for thousands of years, which complement the places of interest. Diet is a kind of wisdom and a kind of culture. The ancient book said that Zhang Hans "saw the autumn wind and thought about the bass" and finally resigned. This shows that the temptation of food to people is profound. Seeing beautiful scenery and tasting delicious food are also the essence of travel.
When it comes to snacks, we can't help but mention West Street, which is a Hui community. It has been the most prosperous business district in the ancient city since ancient times. In the Tang Dynasty, this street was close to the Forbidden City and was called the Fourth Cross Street. There is Chengtianmen in the south, also known as Chengtianjie, and Shangshu Province in the north, which governs officials. Further west is the Fantai yamen in charge of the national treasury, which is the modern central bank. Near the west gate, there is a horse farm in Huaxiang, where excellent horses and horses are raised. In the Ming Dynasty, Hong Wunian built a city wall and formed a square city.
West Street starts from the Bell and Drum Tower and extends westward. There is Defachang Dumpling House opposite the bell tower, which is delicious. In the famous Tongshengxiang Paomo Pavilion on the main street, I returned to Xi 'an after I was discharged from the army in the early 1980s, and my family took me to this old shop to eat mutton and paomo. I don't understand the story of soup, menu and water siege. I don't know how to break buns either. I pay great attention to eating mutton buns. Whether I always eat at home depends on whether the size of the broken buns is even. At that time, the steamed bun master would add a lot of old soup according to your method of breaking steamed buns, and the taste of steamed buns was very different. Because I don't go there often, there is a lot of meat in the steamed bread, but the taste is far from delicious. Look at someone's bowl. A thin piece of meat covers the mouth of steamed bread. The rotten meat soup is rich and delicious, sticky and refreshing, and then mixed with Chili sauce and coriander, spicy and refreshing. Drinking a small bowl of broth after soaking mutton in steamed bread will make you feel more fragrant and have a long aftertaste. When you eat it, you can eat a special dish of sugar and garlic and drink a bottle of ice peak soda, which will make you feel fresh and better. Among Xi's snacks, there are more than a dozen famous snacks, including beef and mutton paomo, mutton paomo in water basin, big meat paomo in water basin, Hulutou paomo, sheep blood paomo, stir-fried paomo, Sanxian paomo, tofu paomo, Mashi paomo and so on.
Walking west with the bell tower as the axis is the Drum Tower, which echoes the bell tower from a distance and is also the landmark building of Xi 'an. The morning bell and dusk drum of the eight scenic spots in Chang 'an come from this. Drum Tower has a long history. It was built in Ming and Hong Dynasties. There is a big plaque of "Civil and Military Holy Land" upstairs. There is a Hui food street running through the north and south, one vertical and two horizontal, with barbecues, fried rice, casserole, soup packets, steamed pork with rice flour, crispy meat with sesame sauce, bean jelly with sour soup dumplings, as well as sesame cakes, honey dumplings, Osmanthus Jelly, eight-treasure porridge and peas. At night, the lights are bright, people are crowded and bustling. That's called excitement. Especially on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, we must join in the fun.
To the south of the Drum Tower Cross is Zhuba City. In the past, it was a street selling all kinds of bamboo wares, with everything for daily use. There is an old bookstore there, which I frequented in my early years. At that time, due to financial constraints, I just read more and bought less. Now I really regret it. If I had bought some rare books of ancient books, I would collect them now. Every Sunday, I go for a walk, usually in the morning. There is an old Fan Ji Chinese hamburger with a long history. I want a Chinese hamburger and a bowl of vermicelli soup, which is warm and full. Then go to the antique bookstore to read. At noon, go to the restaurant where red meat is boiled, or go to the old-fashioned Hulutou Paomo restaurant at the entrance of the South Yard to eat a bowl of Hulutou Paomo.
Hulutou paomo is a unique snack in Xi. Similar to mutton buns, they are all steamed, but the main raw material is not beef and mutton, but pig intestines. After removing fishy smell from pork belly and intestines, add seasoning to make soup, and then cook steamed buns with soup. Its soup is rich in flavor, delicious, mellow, fresh and tender, fat but not greasy, suitable for all ages. Hulutou has a long history, dating back to the Tang Dynasty. According to legend, in the first year of Longshuo in Tang Gaozong, Hu opened a "miscellaneous mutton shop" in Zhuque Street, specializing in haggis. One day, Saint Sun Simiao passed by and ate a bowl of "fried white sausage" in the shop. He felt that his intestines were fishy and greasy. When he asked the shopkeeper about the improper preparation, he immediately gave the shopkeeper a prescription of Bazhen soup (eight seasonings) and asked him to brew it as usual. Sure enough, the intestines are fat but not fishy, the soup is oily but not greasy, and the taste is very delicious. Since then, customers have been full. In order to thank Yao Sheng for his advice, the shopkeeper hung a medicine gourd as a souvenir at the door of the store and named the food he sold "Hulutou". The origin of the name "Hulutou" is another way of saying that it refers to the section where the pig's large intestine is connected with the pig's belly. It is full of oil and looks like a gourd, hence its name.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, many "pork and mutton" shops dealing in pig intestines appeared on the streets of Xi 'an. 1923, He, the small shopkeeper of the original pork shop, also started to deal in mixed mutton. In order to gain a competitive advantage, he made great efforts to improve the "gourd head" in the Tang Dynasty, and mixed pork belly, white meat, chicken and bone soup. At the head of the large intestine. The cooked intestines are tender and delicious, and the seasoning is mainly spicy, fat but not greasy. He opened a small shop specializing in Hulutou steamed bread in Guangji Street, Xi. At that time, a Shanxi-born gourmet took the meaning of "When spring comes, when it rains" in Du Fu's poem "Delighting in Rain on a Spring Night", and named this shop "When spring comes". Since then, "Spring has come" Hulutou steamed bun shop has become.
After eating Hulutou paomo, turn west to Guxiang along the gate of the South Yard. The Gu Xiang here extends in all directions, all the way to the west gate, and then turn back. In the afternoon, borrow books from the provincial library, which is the only secluded place in the city. The courtyard facing the street is full of flowers and plants, and the reading room is simple and elegant, very quiet. I remember that in the 1980s, provincial libraries needed all kinds of certificates to get library cards, so I was not qualified to borrow books. Fortunately, some students are library staff and helped to get library cards. I read in the library in the afternoon and borrowed two more books when I left. After leaving the library, I visited the Chenghuang Temple. At that time, the most lively place on West Street was the Chenghuang Temple. There are all kinds of daily necessities here. It is a small commodity city with all kinds of daily necessities and complete specifications. From here to the backstage, which is now Miaohou Street.
Turning to Qiaozikou, it was getting late, and I went to the famous "hemp seed" shredded chicken wonton shop to eat a bowl of wonton. Hemp seeds are located at the corner of Fang Hui Street. On the black plaque, it says "Wang Damazi Wonton". His shredded chicken wonton is rich in flavor, with thin skin and many fillings. The soup is made of chicken soup, and a cage of steamed buns is delicious. This is the most delicious wonton in my memory. In fact, sometimes food is not necessarily delicacies.
Go along the old alley of Qiaozikou to Xicang, which is the largest market for flowers, birds, fish and insects in Xi. On the day of the fair, the whole alley was crowded and very lively. On foot, I arrived at Lianhu Park, one of the few parks in the ancient city of Xi. There are lush forests in the park, surrounded by a small lotus lake. Every autumn, the lotus flowers in the pool are elegant and beautiful. This is a park with great architectural style. I like to sit on the stone bench by the lake, the evening breeze blows gently, the lotus fragrance is faint, and listening to the old people who get together to entertain themselves, singing an old Shaanxi tune, which is refreshing.
Today's Xi 'an, with the development of society, has become a modern metropolis, and it will never be seen again, but the inner appearance of Xi 'an Old Town has never changed. I remember a poet said, "There are two things in one's life that can never be forgotten. These are the faces of his mother and the faces of the city. " Because I grew up in the ancient city of Xi, I can't forget the imprint left here. There is an old look of the ancient city that I will always remember. Today's Xi still attracts the attention of the whole world with its rich historical sites.