Kouzibo** Zibo Evening News Expo News.
Reporter Geng Xue Correspondent Liu Yalin Bi Yanying.
Walking in the area of Luzhong, I often hear such a folk proverb: "After eating Boshan rice, go around the world." "Just as when it comes to grapes, you must think of Xinjiang, and when you talk about aged vinegar, you must think of Shanxi, here, when it comes to food, you must think of Boshan.
As the birthplace of Shandong cuisine, there is a dish called "unpacking and taking treasure", which has gone through more than 300 years of ups and downs, and has been passed down by word of mouth through the taste buds of generations of diners.
And this mysterious "unboxing and treasure" is the well-known "Boshan Tofu Box" in Boshan. As the name suggests, it is a dish with tofu as the main ingredient. To put it simply, it is to make a small box of tender and fragrant tofu, open the lid and there is a fragrant filling, and the delicious gravy slowly moistens into the tofu, "pregnant with his taste in the belly", the flavor blends, and the soup is mellow.
Boshan tofu box has a long history, probably formed in the Qing Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty Qianlong's "Imperial Tea Dining Room, Meal Bottom File", it was recorded that Emperor Qianlong's meal list often appeared in a 'box of tofu', which was a small box for women to collect jewelry at that time. Legend has it that when the Qianlong Emperor toured the south, he was in the fortunate Boshan, there was a tofu box on the local hospitality meal, its appearance is unique, the meaning is auspicious, the taste is delicate, the mouth is full of fragrance, Qianlong is full of praise after use, later this dish often appears in the Qianlong Emperor's menu, and is one of the four hot dishes in the Manchu and Han Dynasty banquet Jiubai banquet. Li Fuyuan, vice president of the Boshan District Cultural Research Institute, told the story.
Since its formation, it has been passed down from generation to generation, and the tofu box has become a common dish in the Boshan area. From restaurants to homes, this dish can be made almost anywhere, and different types of tofu boxes have been formed due to the different tastes of each family.
The materials and production process of Boshan tofu box are extremely particular, and local special tofu and soy sauce must be used. Cut the tofu into a rectangle about 5 cm long and 3 cm wide, fry it in peanut oil until golden brown, then cut a piece of skin on one side of the tofu block, dig out the inside of the tofu, and fill it with the adjusted filling. There are a variety of fillings, including three fresh fillings, crab roe fillings, chicken fillings, assorted fillings, etc. After filling the filling into the tofu box, steam it for about seven or eight minutes and take it out. The last step is to pour the juice, which is also the soul of the tofu box. Garlic slices burst into the pot, cook vinegar, throw fungus, green vegetables, bamboo shoots, soy sauce, juice soup, thicken the soup after opening, and pour it on the tofu box after the soup is thick. An Guangpu, manager of the old Boshan of the taste, told reporters.
The finished tofu box has a golden brown appearance and a filling inside. When the diners taste it, pour the soup again, the taste is delicate, the fragrance is full, and the aftertaste is endless. Its fragrance and beauty are not expressed in words and words, only by tasting it can you feel the incomparable fun of this food, it gives people a full range of enjoyment and pleasure of color, flavor and shape.
In fact, the true interest of food lies in the fact that it does not depend on whether the cooking materials are expensive or not, nor does it depend on whether the production process is complicated. Although the delicacies of the mountains and seas and the exquisite craftsmanship are important manifestations of food, the home-cooked dishes and hometown flavors also have a unique charm, which will not be forgotten by people who love it for a long time.
Tofu box is one of the essential dishes of Boshan people's Chinese New Year's Eve dinner. Not only because of its appearance and deliciousness, and the reasonable combination of meat and vegetables, but more importantly, because "tofu" is homophonic to "Dufu", which has a good omen. Moreover, the fillings in the tofu box include both mushrooms, fungus and other mountain delicacies, as well as sea rice, shrimp and other seafood, which can be said to have both "the taste of the mountain" and "the taste of the sea".
The tofu box eaten at the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner is also called "opening the fugai and eating fuzi", which means that the whole family is "blessed" after eating. For the little ones, there is also an added bonus, which is to test the little tongue and guess how many fillings are in their tofu box.
Boshan tofu box, in January 2010, was announced as a district-level intangible cultural heritage by the people of Boshan DistrictOn September 10, 2018, Boshan tofu box was rated as one of the top ten classic dishes in Shandong.
When evaluating the food and drink of a place, it is best to go to three places: the homes of local people, the stalls in the streets and alleys, and the restaurants full of customers and friends. The biggest difference between Boshan and other places is that the meals at home, stalls and restaurants are basically the same, in other words, the meals in the restaurant are generally cooked by families, and the meals of ordinary families can also be served at a large banquet, which has to be said to be a major feature of Boshan diet. And the tofu box is one such dish.
I have known the great world, and I still pity the grass and trees." This poem is a fitting description of the weathery tofu box. This unusual Boshan dish, in the depths of the heights, it has seen a big scene, not only won the praise of the Qianlong Lord, but also went to the state banquet in the Great Hall of the People. However, this is not a high-end dish, and ordinary people can make it. It can not only be sunny and snowy, but also can go down to the Riba people, not only can climb the height of the temple, but also can be far away from the rivers and lakes. There is a big universe in the small box, and this dish also symbolizes the spirit of hard work and tolerance of generations of Boshan people, which has a long history and has been passed down from generation to generation.
*Courtesy of Boshanxi Linju, **Courtesy of Xu Chuanguo. ）