What is there to see in Suzhou? Everyone should be familiar with it. I have read it in textbooks since I was a child, so I won't make a fool of myself.
What I want to say now is that you should have fun and eat well, especially the local specialties. But remind everyone that while tasting food, we should also pay attention to the origin of food. I went to Suzhou during the Spring Festival and tasted rich Suzhou snacks and delicious cultural meals.
I learned from the internet that a cheap and good snack bar went to visit it specially during the New Year, and the result was very satisfactory. Because at noon, I saw some people in the store were very interested in the introduction of snacks. I also chatted with local diners in the store and said that the food in this store was authentic and cheap, so I had lunch and dinner there. In the evening, the shopkeeper heard that we were very interested in the story of Suzhou snacks. She was really flattered and wanted to go to the store to tell us stories. The following story was collected by her from the people, and she plans to publish it into a book and pass it on from generation to generation.
Our ancestors have planted rice and wheat on our land for more than 8000 years and 4000 years. Our ancestors made a living from this, which is one of the important factors of culture and civilization for thousands of years. What a rich legacy this is. Snacks are the treasure of this heritage, and she shines forever.
When you swallow a wonton, you swallow the "chaotic world" before Pangu's creation; Picking up a bowl of noodles is an eternal wish, and human survival will last forever. Pick up a green jiaozi and bring up the story of Dayu's water control more than 4 thousand years ago; Hold up a piece of cake, hold up Han Shizhong and Liang Hongyu's dry food to resist gold; Peel off a zongzi, and the outline of Wu Zixu's prosperous Wu will be opened; Creating a piece of rice cake is to contribute to the construction of Suzhou ancient city; Pindong wine, Pintai and Zhong Yong's Wu culture nectar; If you make a positive result, you will be glad that the cowherd and the weaver girl will meet at the magpie bridge. Please don't forget the hometown of Suzhou and beg for the wisdom of weaving. Getting Soviet-style moon cakes was the news of Zhang Shicheng Uprising at the end of Yuan Dynasty. Hate treacherous court official Qin Gui, let him fry in the oil pan like fritters, which is called frying; Hold out an altar of osmanthus wine, which was left in WU GANG's hometown before he went to the Moon Palace to cut osmanthus; Spoon a spoonful of taro, spoon is the lesson of Wang Mang usurping power; Try the eight-treasure porridge, which Kangxi drank during his trip to Suzhou. As white as jade, Dafang cake was originally the home of Pearl Tower. Black rice Laba porridge is a fasting place to commemorate Sakyamuni's drinking. Fairy cakes and Chongyang cakes are immortal products of Dojo. Have a taste of Suzhou snacks and read a roll of Wu culture.
The Origin of Eating "nine niang Cake" (nine niang Cake) in Cold Food Festival
Suzhou people eat steamed cakes, which is said to have started at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.
There was a Zhang Shicheng in Suzhou at that time (132 1 year-1367). Because of an accidental injury, he fled with his mother. At that time, it was the Cold Food Festival, and there was nowhere to beg. He hasn't eaten for days. His old mother fainted from hunger, and Zhang Shicheng burst into tears when she saw that she was starving to death. An old man saw that Zhang Shicheng was very filial, and both mother and son were pitiful. He made a cake for him from the little distiller's grains at home. Zhang Shicheng's mother was finally saved.
A few years later, Zhang Shicheng rebelled in the Soviet Union and became king, thinking of the rescuer at that time. In order not to forget this matter, Zhang Shicheng ordered the Cold Food Festival to eat wine and spoil the cake, and named it "Mother-saving Cake". Later, Zhang Shicheng was captured alive by Zhu Yuanzhang and committed suicide on the way to Yingtianfu. At that time, no one dared to call the cake "Mother-saving Cake", but Suzhou people still had a good impression on Zhang Shicheng and quietly renamed it "Mother-saving Cake" as "nine niang Cake". Up to now, Suzhou people still have the custom of eating "Jiuniang cake" in spring.
The origin of eating zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival
Wen Xiu, a poet at the end of the Tang Dynasty, wrote the poem "Dragon Boat Festival", which is rumored to be Qu Yuan (about 340 BC-278 BC), and said that Zongzi was eaten on the Dragon Boat Festival to commemorate Qu Yuan. However, it is true that the custom of Dragon Boat Festival originated in Wu Zixu. It is said that when Wu Zixu first ran from Chu to Wu, Wu was still a small country in the southeast. He helped the King of Wu to formulate a strategy for the prosperity of the State of Wu. He "tasted the water like heaven and earth" and built the famous ancient city of Suzhou in 5 14 BC, which laid the foundation for the prosperity of Wu. After Fu Cha ascended the throne, Wu Zixu assisted him to realize the great cause of dominating the southeast and the Central Plains. Such a hero, who died of loyalty and righteousness, was forced to commit suicide and threw his body into the river. Finally, as Wu Zixu expected, Wu was destroyed by the state of Yue, but the people of Wu missed him very much. Every May, Dragon Boat Festival, Xujiang and other places will hold water activities and dragon boat races to commemorate Wu Zixu. Today, 2500 years later, Suzhou people still feel the gospel of their ancestors, and never forget this hero of Suzhou.
The origin of eating salted duck eggs in long summer to call people (that is, to call people)
In the long summer, Suzhou people not only have the custom of tasting three delicacies and eating fermented grains, but also eat salted duck eggs and weigh people.
The legend of this custom is related to Liu Bei of Shu who married Sun Shangxiang, the sister of Sun Quan of Wu. In order to contain Liu Bei, Sun Quan tricked his sister back to Wu and never let her go back to Shu again. Liu Bei and Mrs. Sun met each other after a brief encounter, and Liu Bei sent messengers. Zhuge Liang instructed the messenger to go to Suzhou, let Mrs. Sun and her son weigh themselves, and then brought back letters to understand the quality of life of Mrs. Sun and her son in Soochow. The messenger didn't know until Wu Dong that Wu Dong never weighed people, but only weighed pigs and sheep when selling livestock. It is certainly inappropriate to regard Mrs. Sun as an animal. How can I make Mrs. Sun weigh herself happily without doubt? He saw that Wu Dongren was busy celebrating the New Year, and there were many salted duck eggs in the street. So on that long summer day, he put big scales everywhere in the streets and alleys of Suzhou City, and weighed a small net bag with colored silk thread, which also contained salted duck eggs. Rumor has it: "Children in the long summer weigh themselves with scales and eat nets with nets, indicating that they are not easy to die;" Adults say they are satisfied, and they are in suspense. If they eat in summer, they won't lose weight. "So adults and children can weigh themselves. The messenger accomplished the task well.
Since then, Suzhou people have had the custom of calling people to eat salted duck eggs in the summer, and hung colorful silk egg net bags on their children's chests.
The Origin of Tomb-Sweeping Day's Eating Green jiaozi
Dayu (22nd century BC) was in charge of water conservancy for thirteen years, and there was no one at home. He dredged the three rivers into the sea, and the water level in Taihu Lake dropped, which calmed the flood and created conditions for planting winter wheat, and won the love of Suzhou people. Today, there are many stories about Dayu's water control in Taihu Lake Basin.
According to legend, there was a young man in Suzhou who saw people from Tomb-Sweeping Day offer a beautiful sacrifice to Dayu. He thinks that this is not worthy of Dayu's frugality before his death. He thinks that Dayu must be uneasy under the grave. It is time for winter wheat to turn green in Tomb-Sweeping Day. He discussed with everyone how to make a green jiaozi with wheat leaf juice and glutinous rice flour, and enshrined it in front of Dayu's tombstone for water control, not forgetting Dayu's kindness in water control. Over time, imitating each other has become a custom. Suzhou people still use green glutinous rice balls as offerings when they go to the grave in Tomb-Sweeping Day.
If the green dumplings are made of wild oat leaf juice and glutinous rice flour, it will be even more fragrant.
The origin of eating black rice on April 8
Black rice is cooked by soaking glutinous rice in the leaf juice of a wild plant, black onion. Black oil has a special taste. According to folklore, shortly after Pangu opened heaven and earth, loofah vines planted on the ground grew to the Heavenly Palace. When the jade emperor learned about it, he was furious. At the same time, Tota Litian was ordered to cut off the loofah vine with a sword and lift the Heavenly Palace out of the clouds. At the same time, he ordered Anoplophora longissima to take the seeds of hundreds of herbs and spread them to the world. As a result, the world became a world of grass, crops withered, people starved and cried all over the sky. The longicorn feels guilty. The eighth day of April is the birth day of Buddha. All the immortals in the sky go to the birthday party, and the longicorn also goes to the birthday party. On the way to celebrate his birthday, he quietly carried a plow and came to the world.
When he came to earth, he shoveled weeds, gave his milk to children and patients, and cultivated land. Since then, crops have grown on the earth. This incident alarmed the Jade Emperor. In order to punish the Cerambycidae for their insolence and disrespect to the Buddha, the Jade Emperor kept Cerambycidae in the world forever and lived a life of grazing farmland and taking human milk. People think that saving mankind by Cerambycidae is merciful and shows great respect for Buddha. On this day, people give cows "black rice" (homophonic for "black rice" and "Amitabha") and let them chew, indicating that cows are also chanting "Amitabha". It can't be said that there is no Buddha in its heart. On the eighth day of April every year, let the cow have a good rest and people will eat "black rice" with it. Reading "Amitabha" also means that people will never forget its kindness and share joys and sorrows with longicorn.