Diet is a big deal for ordinary people. Three meals a day goes hand in hand with health, mood, and life. When you are full, you want to eat well, and when you eat well, you want to taste the food.
There are always endless stories about the old taste of a place. It is not only related to legends, food, customs, etc., but also related to regional history, humanistic accumulation, our family, and Personal growth history.
"Sequel to the Old Taste of Shanghai" written by Shen Jialu follows this track, frequently touching readers' memories and awakening the return of taste buds. We can understand the taste of Shanghai through several of these stories.
The Mid-Autumn Delicious Taste of Jiangnan Watercolor
The reason why the old taste is nostalgic is partly due to the thin body fat at that time, and partly due to the gradual accumulation of time. A British writer once said: The past times were good. The beautiful imagination and the little luck that failed, inadvertently cast a golden light on the past, so grandma's braised pork occupied the C position on the dining table.
When I grew up and ate Xinya’s rose sand, creamy coconut and Xinghualou’s fine five-nuts, I realized that there was a world out there, and the puff pastry in the small street south store was mottled. The small moon cakes cannot be compared. Feng shui is changing, and the five-nut mooncake, which is regarded as "national memory", has been criticized recently, which makes people very angry. Do you know how annoying it is to make a five-nut mooncake? Just gathering the best nuts and melon kernels is a big project. As for the enjoyment on the tip of the tongue, it is layer by layer and full of surprises. Middle-aged and elderly fans will never give up on it, which is also a tribute to the spirit of craftsmanship.
In recent years, the market competition has been fierce, and the number of mooncakes has turned out so fast, from crayfish to cheese and bacon, from pickled fresh food to liquid custard, with singing and dancing, and colorful clouds chasing the moon. But the focus is mostly on the filling, and few people mention the crust. In fact, the filling and crust work together to create a plump and delicious seasonal delicacy. Nowadays, most of the fillings of new moon cakes are made from delicacies. Whether it is more delicious when eaten together with the crust will only be known after you eat it. This year I tasted a handmade mooncake. The crust is divided into two types: one crispy and the other soft. The filling is also a combination of chestnuts and bean paste, mung beans and old fragrant yellow (bergamot). The shape is beautiful, the outline is clear, and the style is elegant. The taste is timeless and sincerely interprets the essence of mooncakes.
Chinese people like to commemorate a festival or season by chewing certain foods. This is a cultural instruction passed down from generation to generation in the farming civilization. Amid the good expectations of market prosperity, consumer spending and boosting domestic demand are still in line with the wishes of the masses, so we must be aware that in addition to mooncakes, there are many flavors worth appreciating in the crisp autumn weather.
For example, edamame and taro can best appreciate the fragrant and soft glutinousness of seasonal vegetables when boiled in salt water. Edamame is best when "cow-stepped flat", and its fragrant, glutinous and soft texture is better than that of similar beans. Not many people eat sugar taro these days. It used to be the exclusive preserve of Grandma. Boil the taro seeds until they are half-cooked, then peel them, return to the pot and cook until crispy but not rotten, add brown sugar to enhance flavor and color, put in a bowl and add a small spoonful of sugar-osmanthus. The old grandma held it in front of her grandson solemnly, and every wrinkle on her face seemed to be singing a childhood song. As time goes by, this face will become a bronze relief in the memory of the grandson.
Orange and yellow are divided into orange and green, and there are herons in the lotus pond. After the gorgon fruit comes out of the water, the fruit is larger than a pomegranate. In the afternoon in the small town, an old lady sitting under the shed by the river carefully peeled off the pearl-like chicken head rice and bagged it for sale. She accidentally peeled it into pieces and kept it for herself. . Some tourists find it expensive and choose cheaper dry goods, which is a standard "foreign dish". The elasticity, glutinousness and refreshing fragrance of fresh chicken head rice cannot be replaced by other ingredients. Stir-fried with sweet beans and river shrimps, the red, white and green colors are pleasing to the eye and the taste is elegant. It is satisfying to eat it once a year. .
The aroma and taste of the dried chicken head rice are inferior to those of the fresh ones. You can only cook gorgon porridge, mung bean soup, or make gorgon cake. Gorgon cake is also a kind of Jiahu's specialty, but it is not easy to make at home. Not long ago, I ate a Gorgon Rice Cake at Xingguo Hotel. It was filled with diced autumn pear pickled in sugar and slid into a small dish of peach gum soup. It was like recreating Penglai Wonderland.
After eating wild rice with shrimps, wild rice braised in oil, and wild rice with dried oil, pond lotus root, water chestnut, and water chestnut also followed. When I was a kid, I didn’t have the conditions to eat seasonal fruits regularly. My dad would take two sections of lotus root home from the market, wash and peel them, slice them into tall bowls, and eat them while reading. The cobweb-like filaments would often hang around the corners of my mouth. , this is "the lotus root is broken and the silk is connected". The raw lotus root slices are not very sweet, but they are crisper than autumn pears, and the juice flows in and out between the teeth, which is quite relaxing. The whole lotus root joints are stuffed with soaked glutinous rice, cooked and cut into thick slices, like agate inlaid with white jade, poured with sweet-scented osmanthus sugar oil, and ready to sit down.
It is better to have one section of lotus root, but most of the lotus root sold in the market has two or more sections. Cutting the cross section, you can see that most of them have nine holes. Nine holes are pond lotus root, also called white lotus root. If there are eleven holes, it is field lotus root. There are also seven-hole ones called red lotus roots, which are particularly precious. Lotus root is squeezed together with pear and sugar cane to make a drink that clears away heat and quenches thirst.
"The fresh products from Pitang are as good as water chestnuts when autumn comes" (Zheng Yimei's words). The red water chestnut has sharp corners, and Suzhou people commonly call it "Shui Ke". "Youyang Zazu" believes that those with two corners are water chestnuts, and those with three or four corners are called water chestnuts. As fresh and lovely as lotus root. After peeling off the water chestnuts, her fingers were stained bright red and could not be completely washed off until the next day, but the country girl never tired of it.
You can also invite sweet beans, water bamboo shoots, black fungus, etc. to join in the lotus root, water chestnuts, water chestnuts, etc. to make a fresh and stir-fried dish, which is not too big to be served with rice, but can be added with rice wine to give a refreshing atmosphere.
Xin Qiji's poem "Sending Bad Crabs with Zhao Jinchen": "Emergency in the world calls for talent, Guo Suo can make the ban on wine lifted. For fifteen days on a river and a mountain, things can never be rushed." Mei Yao Chen's poem "Wu Zhengzhong left live crabs on February 10th": "We harvest rice every year and sell river crabs. Where does February come from? The belly is full of red paste and fat like marrow, and the green shells on the storage plate are larger than cups." After autumn, the rivers The water temperature in the lake is getting cooler, and the hairy crabs have also completed their last molt.
There is no shortage of fresh river food in autumn in the south of the Yangtze River. White fish, white shrimp, mandarin fish, crucian carp, bass, herring, silver carp, soft-shelled turtle, eel... Aren't they also very plump?
When will the bright moon come? Ask the sky for wine. Besides mooncakes, we have many wonderful things to share. Nowadays, we must emphasize the relationship between man and nature, and understand and inherit Chinese civilization through seasonal food.
Grilled anchovies with sprouts, ginger and purple vinegar
When entering a restaurant to eat, the waiter will often ask eagerly before opening the menu: Sir, would you like some fish?
For Shanghainese people, fish is indispensable when eating. Just say: there will be more than enough every year. But what kind of fish to eat is very particular. If you order an Eastern Star Spot or Sumei, you will inevitably be frightened when paying the bill; if you order a braised bream, it will look shabby; if you order a squirrel mandarin fish, the sweetness and sourness will already make you sick to your stomach. So if you want to invite friends who know how to eat to have a drink, you would rather choose bamboo shell fish, flounder, or fish. If there is wild mandarin fish, choose steamed or vinegared pepper. If you are inviting your elders to a meal and it is late spring or early summer, bring anchovies.
Anchovy is known as the "King of Fishes", and together with swordfish and pufferfish, it is also known as one of the "Three Delicacies of the Yangtze River". Anchovy is a migratory fish that goes up rivers to spawn. Because it enters the river at the beginning of summer every year, it is punctual and trustworthy. When the ancients created the Chinese character, they added the word "shi" on the right side of the radical of the word fish, so it got its name. Foodies in the Yangtze River Delta have a deep affection for anchovies, and steamed anchovies are a popular delicacy in early summer. Yangtze River shad is the most famous one produced in Zhenjiang. The appearance rate of shad in Subang cuisine is much lower than that of mandarin fish, whitebait, and pond snakehead. If you want to eat shad, you should go to Zhenyang Restaurant. There are also anchovies in Zhejiang, and the Fuchun River is the fattest. But strangely, it is difficult to eat steamed anchovies in restaurants like Louwailou in Hangzhou. Guangdong's Pearl River shad is also a temporary choice, with Shunde's Ganzhutan producing the best, but after all, Pearl River shad is slightly inferior to Yangtze River shad.
Anchovy is very delicate. It is said that once a fisherman touches its scales, it will immediately stop moving, so Su Shi called it a "scale-loving fish". From the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Yangtze River shad became a tribute. By the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, shad had been listed as an important dish in the "Man-Han Banquet".
The anchovies began to spoil in minutes after they came out of the water. Local officials came up with a clever trick: seal the anchovies in cooked lard and drive them through the imperial city on a fast horse station after station. This scene is similar to the lychees sent to the city in the Tang Dynasty. Concubine Bo of Chang'an had a similar smile.
Anchovy is mainly produced in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It is said that the Hengjiang anchovy from Dangtu to Caishiji has the best taste. It is known as a treasure in the water in the south of the Yangtze River. It was used as a tribute in ancient times and is a rare and precious economic product in China. fish. Due to overfishing and destruction of the ecological environment, the Yangtze River shad has also encountered a population crisis, following the alligator, Chinese sturgeon, finless porpoise, and mullet.
Come to think of it, this biological crisis began quietly half a century ago. I remember eating it only a few times when I was a child. It was very noisy. My mother would also miss no opportunity to tell the story of the clever daughter-in-law who treated anchovies to honor her parents-in-law in ancient times. She strung the fish scales piece by piece with silk thread and covered it with the net. The oil cushions the fish's body perfectly. If this kind of story were told today, young people would immediately complain. However, the anchovies that my mother steamed were absolutely the best in the world. The oil penetrated into the fish meat. It was so plump and beautiful that even the transparent fish scales could be put into the tip of the tongue and sipped a few times. In the end, I refused to give up the bit of soup at the bottom of the basin. I ate it with rice, and the fish juice was fresh through every grain of rice, which made me feel full of happiness.
However, there seemed to be no supply of anchovies in the market at that time. They had to rely on relatives and friends to bring them from Nanjing, Zhenjiang and other places. And it was not a whole fish, but only a section as wide as the palm of your hand. The shiny silver scales kept flashing in the air. Deep in childhood memories.
In the 1980s, the Yangtze River shad was basically extinct. Zhongyang Group, the world's largest Yangtze River rare fish breeding enterprise, has been committed to the breeding, release, protection and development of Yangtze River rare fishes since 1993. By simulating the natural migration ecology throughout the entire process, it has successfully cultivated anchovies, saury, sturgeon, Rare fish from the Yangtze River such as mullet and four-gill perch are available, so shad returns to the dining table.
China’s Yangtze River shad is very different from the Burmese shad that is often sold in restaurants. There are three layers of memorable parts of Yangtze River shad. The first layer of fish scales is sparkling, melts in your mouth, and is rich in collagen, which is good for skin nourishment. The second layer is the gray fleshy layer under the fish scales. It has a dense texture and is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which can lower cholesterol. The third layer is white fish meat, which is delicate and rich in protein.
It is said that steaming can best preserve the original flavor of anchovies, such as Tai Diao steaming and ancient steaming. I personally prefer the traditional steaming, which uses traditional Jiangsu and Zhejiang soy sauce water as the basic seasoning, and uses salty The umami flavor highlights the freshness and tenderness of the Yangtze River shad. Tai Diao steaming uses the Tai Diao wine from Xianheng Restaurant, and then mixes in a little rice wine and Zen wine. It not only keeps the meat of the anchovies tender, but also enhances the plumpness and tenderness of the anchovies to the extreme with the aroma of the wine. Of course, considering the cooking equipment in today's restaurants, smoking is also a good option.
Lu Xun’s favorite Tiaotou Cake
Autumn is the harvest season, with new rice, garden vegetables, fresh water, and fruits from the north and south arriving one after another... Autumn is also the season of cakes. In rural areas, new grains are rolled and ground into powder, and several steamed rice cakes are steamed to celebrate the harvest. In the city, people line up from morning to night in front of Shen Dacheng, Wangjiasha, Qiaojiazha and other time-honored restaurants, selling red bean cakes, yellow song cakes, Tiaotou cakes, pine flower dumplings, rice cakes, double stuffed dumplings, and rose cakes. Square cakes...and longevity peaches and sponge cakes that are indispensable for old-school Shanghainese when celebrating birthdays. When Shanghainese move into a new home, they must buy a lot of Dingsheng cakes and distribute them to their neighbors. Dingsheng cake has a thin waist and large ends, shaped like the waist and tenon used by a carpenter to join wooden boards. "Dingsheng" and "dingten" are homophonic, like a tenon hammered into place, embodying the beautiful vision of living in a new environment for a long time. The Dingsheng cakes come in pairs, full of joy. The light red shadow dyed with red yeast powder shyly hides on one side, but it is definitely the most eye-catching one. Dingsheng cake should be steamed and eaten until soft. The skin of the cake is still soft, and the bean paste filling is as thin as quicksand and is sweet to the heart.
Among all the cakes, I love Tiao Tou cake the most. The dark red bean paste filling is moderately squeezed by the glutinous rice skin, and it seems to be breaking out of the cocoon. The bits of sugar-osmanthus sprinkled on the surface often shine like gold in the setting sun, and it tastes like a solid one. Taste. This small blessing is easily accessible to every Shanghainese.
Literary men of the same period recalled Lu Xun, saying that when Lu Xun stayed up late to write manuscripts, his usual late-night snack was Tiaotou cake. "Buy the food and bring it to your room before ringing the bed bell, and you will be richer on Saturday night." This is what Xia Chuzun said in his article "Miscellaneous Reminiscences of Lu Xun".
Some people say that Lu Xun’s love for sweets was a habit he developed while studying abroad. In the book "Shanghai on the Bite of the Tongue", Zhi Jiansha believes: "Lu Xun was not tired of eating Tiaotou cake every night. I'm afraid he needed the stomach foundation he had built in his childhood. He was from Shaoxing, Zhejiang, Zhejiang Province. This area is dominated by sweet and glutinous rice cakes. ”
My hometown is also in Shaoxing, and I have been accustomed to eating glutinous rice cakes since I was a child. I have always felt that Lu Xun should prefer another kind of cake, which is the black cowpea cake produced in Shaoxing. Black Cowpea Cake is made from glutinous rice flour and cowpeas, plus a juice made from mashed black rice tree leaves, and is kneaded into thick long strips, steamed in a basket, cooled and then sliced. In terms of appearance, she is completely black and has few bright spots. She looks like a disheveled and rough-dressed girl, but it tastes good, has a unique local flavor, and is particularly delicious. Place it in a bamboo rice basket and hang it in the window. It can be stored for a long time without breaking. Therefore, when Shaoxing people travel far away and visit relatives, black cowpea cake is a common dry food item. There is also a kind of hot-roasted cake in Shaoxing. I saw it occasionally in food stores. It has probably been classified as an intangible cultural heritage item!
Because of its connection with Suzhou, you can also see the thinnest and most expensive mincemeat cake in Shanghai cake shops. Wang Jiaju revealed in the book "Gusu Food Talk": Honey cake is a famous product of Daoxiang Village. When Emperor Qianlong went to the south of the Yangtze River, it was presented from Suzhou. Emperor Qianlong praised the food and ordered it to be made by Daoxiang Village and presented to the palace. Next is the routine that everyone is tired of hearing. The emperor ate Long Yan's joy and wrote the three words "Daoxiang Village" with one stroke of his pen. "In the old days, Daoxiangcun, Ye Shouhe, Zhao Tianlu and other stores took orders and delivered the cakes to your door. They cut, weighed and packaged them on the spot."
The Double Ninth Festival is coming - the Double Ninth Cake is about to appear. In recent years, traditional culture has returned. At this time, young people line up in front of the cake shop to buy Double Ninth Festival cakes. They buy several boxes at a time and go home to honor their parents. It is full of good intentions.
In ancient times, people would climb high during the Double Ninth Festival and tie dogwood on their arms. It was said that it could avoid disasters. "I know from afar that when brothers climb to a high place, one of them will plant dogwood everywhere." "Next year, we will know who is healthy? Take a close look at the dogwood when you are drunk." These two lines of poetry by Wang Wei and Du Fu have become famous lines that have been passed down through the ages. Literati in the Tang Dynasty had to go together when climbing mountains and planting dogwood trees, similar to today's autumn outings. In the Song Dynasty, eating cakes was added to this custom. Nowadays, Shanghai citizens also hold activities to climb buildings on this day, with Jin Mao Tower and the Oriental Pearl Tower becoming targets. This is an urbanized embodiment of ancient customs.
A small flag must be placed on the Double Ninth Festival cake. The small flag means that the wind is blowing, which means climbing high, because only when you are at a high place can you clearly feel the wind blowing in front of you. Without this little flag, the folkloric meaning of Double Ninth Cake will be greatly reduced. When I was a child, I was playing in a dim sum shop at the entrance of an alley. The master used the broom used to clean pots to break them apart and then used the bamboo strands to make small flags. I was feeling itchy, so I volunteered to help him make them. I have experience in making kites, so I can handle this thing with ease. After working all morning, the master kept praising me and gave me two pieces of Double Ninth Cake that had just come out of the cage. I ate one piece and took one piece home for my mother to eat. My mother was very happy!
Two years ago I went to Suzhou and learned that "A Bite of China 3" happened to film the scene of making Double Ninth Cake at Huang Tianyuan, a famous Chinese time-honored store. I asked the boss if he had put up a small flag, and he said no. After hearing this, he immediately suggested that he mobilize his employees to make small flags and put them on the cakes. In the later episode of "A Bite of China 3", colorful flags were finally placed on the Double Ninth Festival cakes.