- Northern Guangdong has high mountains, dense forests, fertile land, abundant rainfall, and rich animal and plant resources. Since ancient times, it has been a natural "food bank" and "granary" for mankind. Going up the mountains to hunt and pick fruits, going down the rivers to fish for shrimps, and sowing seeds will produce a harvest. Therefore, the farming culture is developed, and there are naturally many things that are local specialties. As the song goes: Shixing "Northern Mushrooms" Sanhua Li , Renhua Yinhao Maba rice; Nanxiong yellow smoke plus ginkgo, Lechang fragrant taro and horseshoe . If you make a list of Shaoguan delicacies, Nanxiong salted duck , Yongdoufu, Qujiang Datang braised pork , Longgui cold water pork belly, etc. will be included.
- At this time, we may find that those specialties grown in the mountains and grown in the soil represent farming culture, and those delicacies that people in northern Guangdong love to eat are infiltrated into Hakka culture .
01
From Maba oily sticky rice to Prime Minister Zhang Jiuling’s late-night snack
The first one to enter the horizons of people in northern Guangdong is Maba oily sticky rice. This has archaeological basis.
Maba is one of the earliest human settlements. 120,000 years ago, the Maba people, the earliest ancestors of the Lingnan people, appeared here. Maba oil-sticky rice originates from a small rice field between the two mountains of Maba Shizi Rock, the birthplace of "Shixia Culture". When archaeologists excavated the soil layer of cultural relics at Shizi Rock, they found rice paddy and rice grains in the form of balls, all of which had been carbonized. It was identified by the Grain Crops Research Institute of the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences as artificially cultivated rice.
According to research, carbonized grains have been around for more than 4,000 years. Judging from the grain shape of the carbonized rice, experts believe it is , an indica rice, . The grain shape is very similar to the modern Maba oil-sticky rice. Therefore, it is determined that Maba oil-sticky rice must be related to it. This shows that our ancestors have been planting and enjoying this high-quality rice variety on this land for a long time.
Maba oil sticky rice. Photo courtesy of Shaoguan Agricultural Association
Authentic Maba oil-sticky rice is cooked in a clay pot. The aroma is overflowing and the rice surface is shiny. When the rice grains are placed on the paper, oil stains remain, so it is called "oil-sticky". It is named after its origin in Maba, Qujiang. The rice grains are long and slender, crystal clear and white, with a hard and tough texture, smooth and soft texture, and a fragrant fragrance on the teeth and cheeks after meals. The "Qujiang Local Chronicles" compiled in the 28th year of Guangxu's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1902) has Maba Oil Sticky Rice. A record of tribute paid by the imperial court.
In the early days of the founding of New China, Maba oily sticky rice was sold to Southeast Asian countries as a local specialty. In the 1950s, it was included in the Indian International Expo and won the honor of "High-Quality Rice". In recent years, through the use of advanced breeding technology, standardized production, and unique processing techniques, Maba oil-sticky rice has been continuously optimized while maintaining its original quality. Since 1996, it has won the second place in China. It won the gold medal at the 2016 Agricultural Expo, the title of “Famous Brand Product” at the 3rd China Agricultural Expo, the first batch of five category food “QS” logos in the country and the national “green food” logo.
The yield of Maba oily sticky rice is not high. It is said that the best ones are produced in several fields near Maba County. Every Mid-Autumn Festival and Spring Festival, my friends in Maba would give me several bags of "Maba rice". When the rice is cooked, the oily aroma of rice comes to your nostrils, and you can eat two bowls of it without adding any dishes.
Northern Guangdong produces rice but not wheat. The locals love to use rice to make rice noodles. The more famous rice noodles include Shixing Aizi " Prime Minister Noodles ", Wengyuan Jiangwei Rice Noodles, etc.
"Prime Minister Noodle" is a kind of rice noodle from Shixing Aizi, the hometown of Zhang Jiuling, the wise prime minister in the Tang Dynasty. It is also called cut rice noodle locally. Legend has it that Zhang Jiuling was smart and studious when he was young. In order to obtain fame, he often read late into the night by candlelight. Zhang Jiuling's mother saw it, was happy in her heart, and felt pain in her heart. How can Xiao Jiuling quickly replenish his physical strength while studying hard?
After much exploration, Zhang’s mother finally found a shortcut.She selects high-quality rice, soaks it thoroughly with mountain spring water, grinds it with a stone mill into a thin and tender powder slurry, puts it in a steaming tray and steams it into thin square rice sheets, then uses a bamboo sieve to support it and puts it in the sun to dry until it is 80% dry. Finally, soak them in warm water until soft, then fold several sheets and roll them up, cut them into vermicelli thinly with a knife, tie them up and then dry them in the sun. After Xiao Jiuling finishes studying in the evening, boil water, add one or two sticks of powder and soak it for a few minutes, and it will be a delicious midnight snack. The instant rice noodles invented by Zhang's mother were called "Prime Minister Noodles" by the people in her hometown.
Prime Minister Siheung powder. Photo by Guanchao City
In the local area, when a prospective son-in-law enters his future mother-in-law's house for the first time, he must eat "Prime Minister Noodles". The wife is very dissatisfied with this prospective son-in-law, and the answer can be seen from the "Prime Minister Noodles": when the soup is added If you add two eggs and some green onions, it means that the woman's parents are satisfied with their son-in-law, and wish them a happy and prosperous marriage. If there are no eggs in the powder, it means that the elders are not satisfied with the prospective son-in-law, and the marriage will not be successful. Play...
Regardless of whether it is the noodles from the "Prime Minister's" family, this kind of noodles is still very delicious. It does not rot easily when boiled in water. It is refreshing and smooth in the mouth. Every time I go to Aizi, I never forget to take some home.
Hakka people generally make a lot of rice cakes, and also use glutinous rice or japonica rice. This may be related to the long-term migration of the Hakka people and their need to be portable. There are many kinds of glutinous rice cakes in Shaoguan, including "oil glutinous rice cake" during the Spring Festival, "japonica rice glutinous rice cake" (also known as gray water glutinous rice cake) during the winter solstice, " moxa glutinous rice glutinous rice cake" on Qingming Festival, and "Chinese rice cake", "taro glutinous rice cake" and "steamed leaf glutinous rice cake". Ci", " banana leaf glutinous rice ", "dengzhan Ci" and "fried white water glutinous rice", etc.
Ai Ci. Photographed by Liu Jianyu
In Liling, Yanzhuang, Wengyuan, the habit of making yellow glutinous rice cakes is still maintained. The yellow glutinous rice dumplings are crisp and refreshing, as soft as cakes, as big as a bun, and tough and chewy. Legend has it that Emperor Qianlong was also good at this.
02
Lingnan good fruits, each with its own taste
There are fruits almost all year round in northern Guangdong. The more famous ones are Wengyuan Sanhua plum, Qujiang Nanhua plum, Changba Shatian pomelo, Shixing loquat, Lechang Horseshoe etc.
Sanhua Plum was first planted in the Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty . "Wengyuan County New Chronicles" of Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty said: "Sanhua Plum with good fruit was produced in Sanhua Town." " Cihai " notes: "Sanhua Plum It is a local product of Wengyuan County. It is the only fruit named after its place of origin in northern Guangdong.
Sanhua Li. Photo courtesy of Shaoguan Agricultural Association
Sanhua plum is a kind of Prunus genus in China. There are four varieties: chicken plum, white meat chicken plum, big honey plum and small honey plum. Especially Yahu, Sanhua Village, Longxian Town The Sanhua plum grown in the garden is the best. It usually blooms around the beginning of spring, and the fruit is ripe and available in the summer solstice. The green peel shows a charming blush, and the skin is also covered with a layer of white fruit powder. It is known as the "No. 1 Plum in Jiangnan" and the "King of Summer Fruits in Lingnan". Rated as high-quality and rare fruit in Guangdong Province. Now, Wengyuan County has been rated as the "Hometown of Three Hua Li in China". Every June, when the fruits are ripe, the "Sanhua Plum Festival" is held, attracting a large number of tourists to come for sightseeing and picking fruits.
In addition to Sanhua Plum, there are also Nanhua Plum .
Nanhua plum, also known as bamboo silk plum , is a treasure among plum fruits. It is native to Wushi Mengli. It is said that during the Liang Tianjian period, the Indian eminent monk Tripitaka brought the intellectual medicine Sanzang from India and planted it in Yuehua Temple in Wushi Mengli. It was later transplanted to Nanhua Temple in Nanhua Temple and named Nanhua Plum. Pure Nanhua plums have concave "tooth marks" on both sides of the seed suture line, which is the main sign of Nanhua plums. The fruit has a large core and a small color, with a color like jasper. The flesh is tender, smooth and crispy, juicy without residue, sweet and delicious, and is relatively durable for storage.
Loquat is a famous fruit unique to southern my country. It matures in late spring and early summer and enjoys the reputation of "the best fruit in the world".According to historical records, loquats have been cultivated in Shixing for nearly 500 years. The local good growing environment makes loquats large in fruit, bright in color, soft and juicy, moderately sweet and sour, and rich in nutrients. They are favored by consumers. Therefore, Shixing is known as the "Hometown of Chinese Loquats".
At present, Shixing has planted 33,000 acres of high-quality loquats such as Zaozhong No.6, Jiefangzhong and Dawuxing. It is the loquat base with the largest area, most varieties and the best quality in the province. With its beautiful appearance and sweet flavor, the re-improved Shixing loquat has been selling well since its release, making its reputation even more famous.
There are various kinds of good fruits in Lingnan, each with its own taste, but they can be eaten raw or cooked.
Lechang horseshoe. Photo courtesy of Shaoguan Agricultural Association
Water chestnuts, also known as water chestnuts, are native to India. The earliest recorded record is "Erya": "Paeony, 芫茈." It has a cultivation history of at least 2,000 years in my country. Calling it a horse's hoof only refers to its appearance and means "success will come immediately". Lechang is known as the "hometown of horseshoes", with a total planting area of more than 10,000 acres and an output of more than 10,000 tons. Lecheng and Beixiang are the main production areas. Lechang water chestnuts are famous in the province, Hong Kong and Macao for their large, tender meat, sweet and juicy, crisp and residue-free. The best quality water chestnuts are those produced in the 150-acre production area of Tiandong, Lecheng. During the horseshoe market season in late winter and early spring every year, Lechang horseshoe products line the market, forming a "horseshoe street" that is more than one kilometer long. In addition to Lechang, Shixing horseshoes are also good. Their production areas are concentrated in Dunggang, Chengnan and other places. The horseshoes produced in Dunggang are of the best quality.
On April day, the south wind started to blow, and the green seedlings were densely swaying in the water, and then small light green flowers bloomed at the tips of the stems, like jasper hairpins. Until winter, after a few frosts and snows, it's time to harvest. Dig out the bright red and round horseshoes and peel off the reddish-brown skin covered with mud, and you can see their white and sweet hearts...
03
in " Lechang Baimao Tea, which has a place in the "Tea Classic"
, is located in the deep mountains of northern Guangdong. In the early morning, the sun shines and the clouds are steaming and the clouds are bright; at night, the moon dew cools and moistens things silently, and all kinds of green trees are full of vitality. The famous white tea at home and abroad grows in this unique and fertile place, and is produced in Renhua and Lechang as authentic products. White hair tea not only has a "rich and fragrant aroma", but also has a unique curative effect on spleen and stomach diseases.
Bai Mao Tea is its name, and Silver Hair is its character. The silvery white is elegant, and the hair is rare. Entering it, you will find a different world.
Renhua Yinhao Tea belongs to the green tea category. It was called Imperata Imperata in ancient times, also known as Baimaojian. It was created in the Ming Dynasty and became a tribute during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. It originated from Huanglingzhang, Hongshan Town, Renhua County, and is now chengkou. Shao, Changjiang, Fuxi, Danxia and other towns as well as nearby Lechang, Qujiang and Ruyuan have production.
Baimao tea is divided into five grades: Yinhao tea , Baimao tea, Baimao Wuzi, Wuzi Baimao and Huangke. Yinhao and Baimao tea are special grade and first grade. The finished tea has a shape of thick, plump buds and leaves, silvery color, densely covered with hairs, and 50%-90% hairiness. It is famous for its clear and bright inner soup color, quiet orchid aroma, fresh and mellow taste, and resistance to brewing. .
Yanxi Mountain Tea Garden. Photo courtesy of Shaoguan Agricultural Association
The Tea Book states: “Tea is famous for its high mountains and clouds.” Lechang Baimao tea is distributed in dense forests in mountainous areas in a wild or semi-wild state. In 1943, Professor Luo Borou, a famous tea expert in my country, discovered a large wild tea tree in Jiufeng Mountain, Lechang. Its bud tips were covered with hairs and named it Lechang Baimao Tea. From then on, Lechang Tea was officially named Lechang Baimao Tea.
Two kilometers northwest of city in Lechang City, there is the Xishi Rock, a blessed place of heaven. The Immortal Sutra is listed as one of the 72 blessed places in China and is known as the "Immortal Stone Chamber". Xishiyan Temple was built in the Southern Dynasties. Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, it has been a holy place for Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism and celebrities of all ages. According to Buddhist historical records, when Huineng was studying Buddhism in the north, he went to Shiyan in the west of Lechang to learn Zen from Zen Master Zhiyuan.Around AD 789, the tea sage Lu Yu admired the Shaozhou tea he drank when he was in Guangzhou. At that time, the key production area of Shaozhou tea was Lechang, so he made a special trip from Guangzhou to Lechang to study the white hair tea.
Once, while Lu Yu was sipping white tea at Xishiyan Temple, he was inspired to write the word "shushi" on the wall of Xishiyan. Analyzing from the meaning of the word, "pivot" refers to the unstoppable central axis and central channel. The idiom "Flowing water never rots, door hinges never become beetles" refers to the key or central part of something. Judging from the concept of the character "Shu Shi", each character is three feet square. The sum of the length and width is six, and the combined length of the two characters is also six feet, which means the combination of six and six.
According to research, this stone carving is the earliest cliff stone carving discovered in northern Guangdong. Lu Yu recorded in the "Tea Book Six Drinks" which compiled all the famous teas of the Tang Dynasty: "Shaozhou yellow tea is produced in all counties in Shaozhou, and Lechang is the most valuable tea." In this way, Lechang white tea is listed in the "Tea Book" Occupied a place.
04
Nanxiong cuisine: as hot and gentle as Nanxiong girl
Shaoguan is an area where Hakkas mainly live together, and its food is mainly Hakka dishes. Hakka cuisine, Chaozhou cuisine and Cantonese cuisine are also known as the three major cuisines in Guangdong. Compared with Chaozhou cuisine, Hakka cuisine tastes more "fat, salty and cooked", which is related to the Hakka people's past living standards and habits.
In ancient times, the Hakka people lived in the mountains and made a living by farming, which required a lot of labor. Therefore, they focused on fatty dishes, which can provide sufficient energy for a day of physical exertion. Moreover, the Hakka people have lived in poverty since ancient times, and most of them have been eating for years. Even rich people often eat porridge as a meal. The Hakka people's porridge has more rice and less water. One poem describes it as "blowing away a layer of waves and drinking it all the way." The salty vegetables are both suitable for serving porridge and increase the salt in the body. In addition, there are many vegetation in mountainous areas, so there is no need to worry about firewood. The environment in mountainous areas is humid and viruses are derived. Cooking the dishes a little more can not only ensure food hygiene, but also make the food cook more fragrant.
Nanxiong cuisine is the most characteristic of northern Guangdong. Nanxiong's dishes have four major flavors: salty, spicy, fragrant and sour. They are often stir-fried and simmered to make the meat more flavorful. Chili peppers, sour bamboo shoots and garlic leaves are used for seasoning. The dishes are rich in flavor. The dishes on the table are all delicious and can be used with meals. It goes well with wine.
Nanxiong Hakka cuisine is slightly different from Dongjiang Hakka cuisine. Dongjiang cuisine is more "authentic and delicious", while Nanxiong cuisine has more "spicy" elements. Nanxiong people love to eat chili peppers, which is related to the climate, water and soil. Nanxiong is located at the Meiling Pass, which has a "crack in the door weather". When the temperature drops in the north, it is the first to feel it. In addition, there are many mountains, high altitudes and high humidity. Even in summer, mountain people have to cover themselves with cotton-padded jackets when sleeping at night. Chili pepper is undoubtedly the first choice to keep out the cold and remove dampness. If you want to make friends with people from Nanxiong, you must first learn to eat chili peppers, otherwise you will just stare when they cook a table full of delicious dishes, such as goose king pot, dried beef, stuffed tofu, and stir-fried duck. .
braised duck with sour bamboo shoots . Information picture
Geographically, Nanxiong is adjacent to Hunan, so there is a saying that "Hunan people are not afraid of spicy food, but Nanxiong people are afraid of spicy food." In northern Guangdong, the Nanxiong people are considered the most revolutionary. However, Nanxiong's spiciness is different from Sichuan's spicy and Hunan's sour and spicy. It is truly salty and spicy, with a spiciness index of over 95%. If you go to the remote Youshan and have a meal of fried duck with sour bamboo shoots, half a pot of pepper bamboo shoots and half a pot of duck meat, the red, yellow, and brown colors are really beautiful and make you salivate. If you rush into the entrance without being mentally prepared, you will definitely be shocked by the spicy energy falling from the sky, and you will feel like you have lost consciousness for a while, and you will not be able to recover for a long time. However, after you slowly get used to it, you will feel that Nanxiong food is particularly delicious. After the first bite, you will want to take a second bite. Just like a Nanxiong girl, she is hot on the surface but extremely gentle in her bones. It depends on you. It can be lowered but cannot be lowered.
In Nanxiong, there are two things that are more distinctive, one is cured duck, and the other is stuffed tofu.
Nanxiong cured duck , also known as salted duck , has the characteristics of beautiful appearance, white and translucent yellow skin, plump oil tail, thin skin and tender meat, red meat and fresh taste, crisp and chewable bones, unique flavor and high quality. Delicious food that people give as gifts to relatives and friends. If you come to Nanxiong around the winter solstice, you will see large and small farmers' markets, where hundreds of farmers carry homemade wax ducks for sale every day. According to the "Nanxiong Prefecture Chronicles" of the Qing Dynasty: "Dragon duck is tender, fat and crispy. It is dipped in camellia oil. It becomes bright red over time and is delicious. It is very expensive in Guangcheng."
Nanxiong salted duck, also known as Zhuji Lane Laxiang is famous. Laxiang, one of the industrial workshops in Zhuji Alley, is famous for its refined cured meats. In the old days, the residents of Laxiang were engaged in making cured meats, and their cured ducks were especially famous. Business travelers who pass by Zhuji Lane on their way back south must taste or buy the exquisite cured duck produced in Laxiang, which becomes a delicacy for guests from other places.
Nanxiong salted duck. Photo courtesy of Nanxiong City Culture, Tourism and Sports Bureau
Yong Tofu is one of the famous Hakka dishes. When immigrants from the Central Plains settled in Lingnan, they still kept the custom of eating dumplings. However, Lingnan was short of flour, so they had to eat tofu instead. This Yong Tau Foo is originally a "variation" of dumplings. I remember when I was in primary school, my teacher once taught me to sing a Hakka nursery rhyme: "Gululu, Gululu, get up in the middle of the night to grind tofu; although grinding tofu is hard, eating meat is not as good as eating tofu."
Nanxiong Yong Tofu and general Hakka Yong Tofu Tofu is different. Generally, Hakka Yong Tau Fu uses water tofu and oiled tofu, and the fillings are mainly meat. However, Nanxiong's Yong Taufu is mostly stuffed with oiled tofu buns, and the fillings are rich and diverse. The method is to chop and mix fresh taro, crispy shrimp, minced bacon, mushrooms, coriander and other ingredients. Some people also add different fillings according to different tastes. Then open a small opening in the large piece of fried tofu, scoop out the inside, stuff it with the prepared stuffing, put it into a steamer and steam it until it is ready to eat. It is said that this dish comes from a poor mountain village and is a special dish among the people. In the 1960s, farmers in rural areas could not afford meat, so they had to use glutinous rice to stuff tofu. Little did they know that it tastes great and has been passed down to this day.
In Shaoguan, there are two famous dishes, one is Longgui cold water pork belly, and the other is Datang braised pork.
Longgui Town, now under the jurisdiction of Wujiang District, is surrounded by mountains, Qishiling, Ershi Ridge, Shuangtou Ridge, Yuangangdun Ridge, and Qiaotou Ridge. It looks like five Canglong vying for the return of the power surrounding the market yard. The fierce posture is what the ancients called "Five Dragons Returning to Their Positions", from which Dragon Return gets its name. In the autumn of 1980, Qiu Xuezhang, who lived in the old street of Longgui Town, used his old house to open a "delicious and fragrant restaurant" and introduced a refreshing dish called "cold water pork belly".
Cold water pork belly. Information picture
This "cold water pork belly" was made by Master Qiu "accidentally". It turns out that more than ten years ago, he worked as a cook in the geological team. One summer day, the buyer bought back some pork belly, but he couldn't use it that day. The weather was hot and there was no freezer or refrigerator at that time. In order to prevent the pork belly from spoiling, he washed and blanched the pork belly and soaked it in mountain spring water. The next day, the leaders of the geological team hosted a banquet to entertain the guests. He took out the blanched pork belly soaked in cold water, dried it, cut it into small pieces, arranged them neatly, poured hot oil on it and served it as a dish. Unexpectedly, it was well received. Therefore, now that he has opened his own restaurant, he named this dish "Cold Water Pork Belly" as the restaurant's signature dish. As Longgui Town's cold water pork belly became famous, restaurants in Qujiang, Wujiang and other places sent chefs to learn from Qiu Xuezhang.
Compared with Lengshui Pork Belly, Qujiang Datang Braised Pork has been famous for a long time. The meat is filled with fragrant taro. The aroma of meat and taro are integrated into one. It is soft in the mouth and has a moderate sweetness. You will not feel greasy even after eating two large pieces. There are many of them, and fat people like me prefer them, but they are just a bit inconsistent with modern people's "eating" habits.
Datang Braised Pork.Information pictures
Looking for delicious food in Yaojia cottage, savoring delicacies in Hakka enclosures
Salted duck yellow smoke Ginkgo fruit , Fungus Mushrooms and Sanhua plums
Beixiang horseshoe Zhangxi taro, white clay moon cakes Maba rice
Luokeng Tea speaks of childishness, Shitang wine relieves nostalgia
Northern Guangdong delicacies are waiting for you to taste
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