Many years ago, I read Xu Xinyu's Travels in Shu, and found it very interesting. Xu Xinyu's father used to be a magistrate of Jiajiang County, and the editing department lobby is opposite Emei Mountain. At that time, Xu Xinyu was still young. He often ran around the lobby with a group of children, and occasionally he was shocked by the beautiful scenery in front of him: "I saw that the snow in Emei Mountain was deep and the official department was dazzling, and the golden roof on the top of the mountain was still shining." Times have changed. There were already many tall buildings on the original site of the yamen. It's not easy to see such a scene. However, my search for Jiajiang cuisine started here, which may make up for my regret and get a different experience.

Of course, we have to start with Mount Emei. Jiajiang County is located at the northern foot of Mount Emei, which is the transition zone from the southwest edge of Sichuan Basin to Mount Emei. The overall landform of the county is composed of hills, plain dams and valley platforms, with an altitude difference of several thousand meters. Fiona Fang has formed a unique regional ecological environment, and its diet is also affected by this, which naturally brings some regional characteristics.

Ma Xie barbecue

Shanzhen: Ma Xie barbecue

Hong Chou, an Amin, once commented on Jiajiang: "Jiajiang is also a good city. In the upstream of history, the characters are mountains and rivers, and the performance is unique. " The unique geographical conditions endow Jiajiang with rich products, which is also the material basis of a local diet. Jiajiang has the advantage of being surrounded by mountains and rivers, so its food is naturally indispensable for families in mountainous areas.

Jiajiang is the hometown of bamboo production. Yang Xiong once wrote in Shu Du Fu: "Jiajiang is on the side of the mountain, looking for a pawn. Only by taking root can we fill the wilderness. " It tells the story of the lush growth of bamboo forests on the hillside here two thousand years ago. In the past, bitter bamboo shoots were mainly produced in Emei Mountain and Jiajiang Mountain area. When producing bitter bamboo shoots in April and May, only places like Jiajiang can eat bitter bamboo shoots. In 1980s, Zhang Chunrong, an apprentice of Lan Guangjian, went to Jiajiang, and the locals made him eat bamboo shoots. He was surprised that he didn't know about it.

Although bitter bamboo shoots are seasonal, the production cycle of Jiajiang is relatively long. The bitter bamboo shoots in Yingjiang Township have just been eaten, and the bitter bamboo shoots in Huatou Mountain are the first batch. The time to eat bamboo shoots is more than March, which is rare elsewhere. The practice of bitter bamboo shoots in Jiajiang is quite common. Roasted chicken with bitter bamboo shoots, roasted meat with bitter bamboo shoots and jiaozi soup with sauerkraut are the most common, and they are fresh for a while. The bitter taste of bitter bamboo shoots is unique, which is best reflected in cold bitter bamboo shoots. In fact, it is to shred bitter bamboo shoots and add a little salt, but it is full of bitterness, refreshing and exquisite.

Soak bitter bamboo shoots

Snow beans produced in Jiajiang, especially in Huatou Mountain, are white and waxy with rich nutrition. Today, the old chefs in Jiajiang are still talking about stewed chicken with snow beans and pig's trotters before the 1990s. Snow beans are easy to stew, can be melted into thick soup, and taste excellent, so it is really a good tonic. However, snow beans are almost oily and fleshy in nature. They grow in the mountains and have a beautiful appearance, which is very different from bitter bamboo shoots.

Ma Xie Roasted Meat is the best embodiment of Jiajiangshan's characteristics. Ma Xie is a place name of Jiajiang, located in the mountainous area on the edge of Jiajiang, bordering Emei Mountain in the west and related to the ancient road Ma Xie. Probably in the past, pedestrians climbed mountains and mountains to this point, and it was at the sharp point that "resting horses and burning meat" came into being. "Ma Xie Barbecue" selects five flowers, scalds them in an oil pan, and then dices them. When cooking, fresh vegetables, such as green bamboo shoots and Chinese cabbage, should be on the market in season. Medium rare, fat but not greasy, fragrant and delicious. This is a very delicious dish, which can remind us of the taste buds of the post road era.

Macun fish head cooked in the pot

Freshwater: Macun fish head

Jiajiang is not only beside Emei Mountain, but also beside Qingyi River. There are many streams in the territory. It is a famous water pier, and there is no shortage of fresh and delicious rivers. Qin Jiucheng, a chef of Jiajiang in the Republic of China, had two famous dishes: mullet willow and red-roasted silver carp, which is a must, and this is related to the benefits of Jiajiang. The mullet fillet has a knack. It is based on fresh mullet fillet and is characterized by spicy but not impetuous, oily but not greasy. But now you can't eat mullet slices in restaurants, but fresh mullet slices are very common, which is a very popular local food. I went to a restaurant in Ganjiang Town that day and ate this dish. It was red and white, but I think white tastes better. This dish is very beautiful. Onions, ginger and garlic adorn it, and the meat is bright and white, which greatly increases my tongue.

Nowadays, in Jiajiang, the fish head of Macun is the most respected seafood. Macun is a small town more than ten kilometers away from Jiajiang County. The fish head comes from nearby Macun Reservoir, and a Macun River is connected with Qingyi River. I witnessed the whole process of cooking Macun fish head: Macun fish head is usually made of silver carp, and the fish head is washed for later use. Pour an appropriate amount of water into the pot, and pour the pickled cabbage fried in the morning into the water until it turns sour. It is said that fried sauerkraut is very important, but the ingredients and proportion are so secret. Then cook the fish, add seasoning, and put a lot of Toona sinensis buds, patchouli and shallots on the surface after taking out the pot. Toona sinensis buds, in particular, have special fragrance, such as plant monosodium glutamate. Toona sinensis buds of Macun fish head are used all year round, but the picking season of Toona sinensis buds is less than one month, so there is a knack for storage. You can eat Toona sinensis buds with unique fragrance all year round, which is indeed a major feature of Macun fish head.

Macun fish head soup is hot and sour and delicious, and the fish is fresh and tender, which makes people feast their eyes. Mr. Cai, who is over 70 years old, studied under Chengdu Rongyuan in his early years. He is a very famous chef in Jiajiang. He also analyzed three characteristics of Macun fish head for me: First, the fish comes from Macun Reservoir, with a wide lake and good water quality. The so-called "river boiled fish" is fresh; Second, sauerkraut is unique, it is homemade sauerkraut, and the brewing is quite clever; Third, cooking fish with pure lard, instead of clear oil or blended oil, tastes better. However, it is also a miracle that a remote village has a delicious mouth rushing to it because of a fish.

Potted macun fish head

Flat dam mat: nine bowls

Anyone who has been to Jiajiang will find that the whole county is actually on a flat dam. If you stand on a tall building and watch, this feeling will be more obvious. Jiajiang is bounded by Qingyi River, Hedong is a plain dam area, and Hexi is a hilly and mountainous area. This geographical condition is very unique. Wang Yuyang, a great scholar in the early Qing Dynasty, once wrote in Shu: "When you enter Jiajiang River, the ditches are dotted, and the smoky villages are warm and moist, like the scenery of Wuzhong."

"Like Wuzhong scenery", this Jiangnan temperament is also reflected in catering. That day, I chatted with Mr. Zhao Xiaorong, vice president of Jiajiang Catering Association, and talked about the dietary differences in the triangle of Emei, Jiajiang and Leshan. He decided that Emei was sour and liked to use vinegar. Jiajiang is sweet and loves to put sugar; Leshan is somewhere in between. These three places happen to be the core areas of Minjiang River and Emei Mountain, which are geographically similar, but even the hundreds of miles of mountains and rivers in Fiona Fang are quite different in language and diet.

Kusun Chinese sauerkraut jiaozi soup

Chengdu-Kunming line, Qingyi River and the prosperity of traditional paper industry all brought catering prosperity to Jiajiang. During the Republic of China, Jiajiang held "Zhan Wanghui" every August in the lunar calendar, which was a grand event of the local catering industry. There is also the Lei Zu Festival in the third month of the lunar calendar, where white case masters get together to show their cooking skills. At that time, the most famous chefs in Jiajiang were Jinshan, Qin Jiucheng, Guo Zhengqing and Jin Mingkai. The most famous restaurant is Xingshunju in Yamenkou, which is an authentic Nantang restaurant with a thriving business. Its location is next to the Great Hall where you can see Mount Emei in the past, and the food and beautiful scenery are actually gathered together, which makes people think. Mr. Li Fangyuan, a famous chef in Leshan, said that Jiajiang's catering industry used to be in a leading position in the whole Leshan area, and most of master chef came from Jiajiang. I think these are the details of Jiajiang catering.

Jiajiang cuisine is still dominated by traditional Sichuan cuisine, and the nine bowls can best reflect its characteristics. The nine bowls in Jiajiang are called Tian Xi, which is a typical dining feature of Pingba in the past. However, Jiajiang has its own characteristics, such as the cooking differences of crispy fish. Jiajiang knives and scissors generally use fine flowers instead of big flowers; Use dried bean powder instead of water bean powder on the wrapping material; Jiajiang calls watercress watercress, which is brewed locally in Jiajiang and pays attention to freshness, freshness and fragrance. Another example is ginger elbow. Jiajiang uses cold ginger juice instead of hot ginger juice. Ginger is scalded with hot oil without thickening, which has a strong local flavor.

Jiajiang cold chicken

Jiajiang's cold chicken is also very distinctive, and it is a hard dish in nine bowls. It uses boiled juice, which is made of chicken soup with various seasonings, without monosodium glutamate and chicken essence, and maintains the original flavor and fragrance. In other places, cold chicken often uses mixed juice, such as Leshan white chopped chicken. In fact, Jiajiang Cold Chicken is famous for its ceramic industry in Daxing in 1980s and 1990s. The number of raw teeth is increasing day by day. In those days, vendors selling cold chicken peddled along the street with baskets and slowly became famous.

Flavor seasoning: Tumen pickle

I heard that Jiajiang's bean curd is very famous, which is related to the bean curd of Dechang Garden, a time-honored Chinese brand. Jiajiang tofu began in Xianfeng period. Zou Sanhe, the earliest master, started a workshop in Jiajiang after studying in Dechang Garden. Later, the name gradually became louder and louder, and he became famous in Sichuan. Of course, Jiajiang tofu also has its own characteristics, not only the original flavor, five flavors, but also the spicy taste, which is eclectic and innovative in inheritance. This also proves that Jiajiang has always been a gathering place for delicious food, and Zou Sanhe has opened up a new pier. I don't think he expected that a hundred years later.

Ganjiang tofu

Jiajiang's kimchi is also very famous, especially "Tumen Kimchi". The earliest chef was Hu Zhiqiang from Tumen Town. In the past, he opened a restaurant in the town and made some pickles by the way. The guests thought it was delicious and wanted to take it away after eating, which triggered his idea of specializing in kimchi production. Nowadays, many pickles are processed by putting industrial salt and various seasonings in a big pit, stirring them with a forklift, then crushing them with a machine and bagging them. There is no altar at all, which is very different from traditional kimchi. But the real kimchi must be brewed by the ancient method. In Tumen town, after I saw the vegetables in the earthen altar, the vegetables fermented in the altar, and there was a bubbling sound everywhere. If you are in the country, frogs will come like the tide, which is very poetic. Tumen kimchi ushered in the peak season in May and June, and garlic and green onions began to step onto the altar, followed by cowpea and pepper. It is best to use Vitex negundo and Vitex negundo for peppers, with thin skin and thick meat. The sea pepper of Tumen mustard tuber is moderate in sour and spicy, tender and crisp, and delicious, which is really a must.

Tofu and kimchi are not only eaten at home, but also seasonings for cooking dishes, which are similar to douban. It is with such a high-quality food "embryo" that the food in a place will become colorful and enchanting.

Jiajiang pickle shop

There are many snacks: meat soaked bar.

When you look at the delicious food in a place, you can actually get a general idea by looking at its snacks. When you go to Jiajiang, you need a bowl of tofu. After eating, you can go around the town. This is the so-called "I'm glad you came". Yebal should have tasted it this morning. The "Zeng Ye Er Ba" on Yingchun Road has a good reputation, and the steamer is steamed together. The meat in this shop is very special. The torn leaves are as white as jade, slightly sweet, with a hint of fermented rice fragrance, which makes the morning of this day instantly fall into a trance.

Go to the "Ye Baozi" in Fruit Street. The fresh meat buns in this shop can't be ignored by Tianjin dogs, and the skin is thin and the onion is rich. The biggest feature of leaf steamed stuffed bun is that it only uses chives instead of ginger and garlic, so the steamed stuffed bun smells all over the street, and sometimes you will find that this is the fireworks that a small town should have.

Jiajiang "Zeng Ye Er Ba"

There are many delicious things in Jiajiang, and it seems that you can find delicious things in any small booth. For example, when I passed by Wuchang, I saw a small restaurant called "Wuchang Beef", which was full of steaming, roasting, stewing, mixing and frying. But I only ordered a dish I haven't eaten-crispy beef, which is spicy and tender and really delicious. At that time, I thought that if I didn't order three or five dishes and put on two or two small wines, I would never be sorry for other people's craftsmanship.

Jiajiangqi roast duck being marinated.

Jiajiang diet gives me the impression that there are delicious foods hidden in the alley. Inadvertently, Jiajiang delicacies such as roast duck, stewed chicken, Lei barbecue and Longjiang wonton come to our faces, which makes people feel gluttonous. Knowing that a city often begins with delicious food, walking on the streets of Jiajiang, I can feel a kind of tranquility, leisure and complacency. During the Tongzhi period, Chen Yuzan, the magistrate of Jiajiang County, sat in the lobby of the Department, facing Mount Emei. Perhaps what he wants is such a state: "I hope the people are safe and there is no emergency, so that I can sing a word casually on the road."

Extended reading

Archives around us | Taste of history ②: A pot of stew on the bridge beach makes the rivers and lakes famous.

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