As one of the representatives of Shaanxi pasta, noodles with minced meat have a traditional way of eating only noodles without soup, which mainly comes from the ancient custom of "leftover food". In fact, it is called "recycling leftovers" in vernacular Chinese.
In ancient times, when we ate noodles with minced meat, we kept the soup because we had to continue to pour it back into the pot for processing and cook noodles for the diners behind. Of course, it is only a custom now, but it is naturally impossible now.
Noodles with minced meat should be long and thin, even in thickness, fresh and delicious, with red oil floating on the surface, and the soup tastes sour and spicy, which is also very chewy.
Today's noodles with minced meat were mainly formed in the Qing Dynasty, when Shaanxi began to eat peppers. The earliest local records appeared in the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty. Before that, peppers were rarely used in China, and there was no red oil in the earlier noodles with minced meat.
When cooking noodles with minced meat, it requires a wide soup, that is, more water, and highlights the sour and spicy flavor.
In Guanzhong area, noodles with minced meat are the necessary food for people's weddings, funerals and festivals. They are the first choice for almost anything, even in the morning.
Although Qishan noodles with minced meat originated from Qishan and Fufeng, they are also very popular in big cities in Guanzhong, such as Xi 'an.
Fufeng's noodles with minced meat are called "a mouthful of incense", and their production is very exquisite. Noodles are held in beautiful small bowls, and only a little noodles are enough for each serving, but there are quite a few soups, which makes people want to eat more and more.
In Qishan and Fufeng, there must be noodles with shame when entertaining guests, which is also the standard to measure whether the local people are grand in hospitality, whether they can make noodles with shame and whether they are good at it, and also the standard to measure the local wives.
The custom of eating only noodles instead of soup
Besides delicious noodles with minced meat, there is also a famous traditional way to eat noodles without soup.
If you eat noodles instead of soup, will the noodle soup be poured out? Of course not. Noodle soup needs to be poured back into the pot to continue processing, which is the traditional custom of "stir-frying soup".
Most modern locals know that noodles with minced meat only eat noodles instead of soup, but most of them don't know how this custom came about.
On top of the traditional banquet, the distinguished guests and the old people are seated at the table, showing special respect. While they don't move chopsticks, others have to wait patiently. The leftover soup of the distinguished guests and the old people is called "Fubazi", which requires people to use it repeatedly.
In the Book of Rites, there are many records and descriptions about the custom of Yi Yu.
Offering sacrifices to the ancestors of heaven and earth is an integral part of the sacrificial ceremony in the Zhou Dynasty, which is intended to make people not forget the kindness of their ancestors. This etiquette has gradually faded away in thousands of years, but it has been preserved in Guanzhong area.
Perhaps it is precisely because the eating method of noodles with minced meat originated from Zhou Li, and its production is also very grand and exquisite. Whether it is the production of noodles or the production of noodles with minced meat, even noodle soup has many requirements, which is not so easy.
Of course, not all the customs of the ancients should be completely inherited.
In ancient times, eating noodles instead of soup was to let later generations enjoy the "blessing bazi" of their elders and guests. The intention may be good, but it is indeed a bit unsanitary.
In modern times, you can go to Shaanxi to eat noodles with minced meat without soup, and no one will stop you from drinking soup. Even if you don't drink soup, noodle soup will not be poured back into the soup pot as in ancient times.
People have known the importance of food civilization and food safety and hygiene, at the same time, they have retained all the advantages of noodles with minced meat.