The Spring Festival holiday is over, and everyone is returning one after another. The collective return of wanderers is not only a great migration of people, but also a great migration of flavor specialties from all over the country.
Whenever you leave home, the suitcase is inevitably full of all kinds of hometown delicacies, although it is full, but the family always hopes to put a few more things, so that the hometown taste will accompany the person who is about to travel for a longer time.
I believe that memory has a taste".
Character: Ms. Guo.
Hometown: Shenyang, Liaoning.
On the return trip, I will bring special products: beef biscuits, bulao forest sugar, canned yellow peaches, and Jinxing milk powder.
February 17 is the day when Ms. Guo returns to Beijing from Shenyang, and this year she brought some special products full of childhood memories of Shenyang people, such as cow biscuits, bulao forest candy, canned yellow peaches and Jinxing milk powder, which has not changed for decades. "Maybe it's because I'm older, but when I see the snacks I ate when I was a kid, I miss it very much, and I believe that memory has a taste. ”
A special product from Shenyang brought back by Ms. Guo. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
Ms. Guo went to Beijing alone in 2010 to find an internship, and then settled in Beijing to get married and have children, for more than ten years, she often traveled back and forth between Beijing and Shenyang, slept for 10 hours of hard sleep, sat for 5 hours on the train, and now with the opening of the alpine high-speed railway, the return home has been shortened to 3 hours by car. The itinerary has become shorter, her parents have also aged, and as she has grown older, her career and family responsibilities have become heavier, and Ms. Guo has come home less often. Every time she left home for a period of time, Shenyang's tendon cakes, chicken racks, and barbecue haunted her.
I remember that in the first few years of Beipiao, every time I left Shenyang, my mother would wrap me with a pot of dumplings with three fresh fillings, and then stuff a few eggs and fruits to eat on the way. In addition, my mother would fill a bottle of self-fried beef sauce for me to take back to Beijing and put in the refrigerator, so that I could take it out and eat it with rice or noodles at any time. Ms. Guo said that her mother's three-fresh stuffed dumplings contained leeks, beef and shrimp, which were very delicious, but the smell was too large to be eaten on the train, and the taste became worse when they were brought back to Beijing. After leaving home this year, Ms. Guo made her way back to Beijing after eating three fresh dumplings, and her suitcase was full of her childhood memories.
Suitcases filled with "Made Henan".
Character: Wang Ke.
Hometown: Kaifeng, Henan.
On the return trip, I will bring special products: bucket chicken, pepper chicken, almond tea, "artificial meat", thirteen spices, Hu spicy soup, etc.
At the end of the Spring Festival holiday, Wang Ke dragged a suitcase full of specialties and reluctantly got on the northbound train from Henan. When I returned to my hometown, my suitcase only contained a few changes of clothes, and now my suitcase is all "occupied" by the smell of my hometown.
This is Wang Ke's first Spring Festival after participating in the work, and before returning to her hometown, she agreed with the two classmates who shared a house to return to Beijing with their hometown specialties to share together. My mother wakes up early in the morning to buy Wang Ke's favorites, "Bucket chicken, pepper chicken, almond tea, and 'artificial meat' (a kind of soy product), these are all local specialties in Kaifeng, and many of them can only be bought in stores or stalls." ”
Made in Henan". Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
When he left his hometown, his family was most concerned about whether he ate well, and the taste of his mother thousands of miles away made Wang Ke miss him the most. "My favorite is my mother's steamed buckle bowl, where pork, fish and chicken are fried until golden brown and crispy, and then steamed in a pot for two hours. The approach seems simple, but it is actually very exquisite. I've also tried to make buckle bowls, but the taste is always wrong, and my mother only likes it. Wang Ke said that in order to bring her mother's taste to Beijing to share with her classmates, she carefully learned the recipe of this dish from her mother this Spring Festival, "I also brought a package of thirteen incense from Henan, which is a must-have for steamed buckle bowls." ”
In Wang Ke's impression, every time she left home, her mother had to stuff her suitcase with food, in addition to Kaifeng specialties, there were also Shuanghui ham sausages from Luohe and Hu spicy soup from Xihua County. Looking at the box of delicacies, she couldn't help but sigh, "This is really a suitcase worthy of the name 'Made in Henan'." ”
I can't forget the taste at home.
Character: Yin Mei.
Hometown: Weifang, Shandong.
Specialties on the return trip: sheeds, sausages, dried fish, spicy silk, handmade buns, etc.
At the end of the Spring Festival holiday, Yin Mei from Weifang, Shandong Province, returned to Beijing with half a suitcase of New Year's goods. Yin Mei laughed at herself that the loneliest time of the year is to eat the New Year's goods brought back in a rental house in Beijing and feel the warmth of home.
When she returned to Beijing this time, what Yin Mei wanted to bring most was the wild shepherd's cabbage that her mother had dug from the field in the past few days. At this time, the shepherd's cabbage has few leaves, but the roots are very long, and according to my mother, this kind of shepherd's cabbage is the most delicious. The shepherd's cabbage has been carefully cleaned by the mother's boy, and it is very bright. After Yin Mei returned to Beijing, she was going to adopt two methods, one was cold dressing, and poured it with freshly fried chili oil, which was called a fragrant. The other is to make shepherd's cabbage dumplings, where minced shepherd's cabbage is mixed with pork belly, and the flavor fusion of vegetables and meat can reach its peak.
Returning to Beijing is indispensable for the taste of home. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
As in previous years, Yin Mei brought back sausages, spicy silk, and radish tofu vermicelli buns wrapped by her mother as usual, which are all essential features of the New Year in her hometown.
This year, Yin Mei also brought a new food, which was dried small fish at her cousin's house. My cousin is in Yantai all the year round, and the family has a fishing boat, Yin Mei wanted to go to Yantai more than once to experience the life of a fisherman, but she was too busy with work to make the trip. My cousin's dried fish is caught and dried by herself, and it can be fried or made into soup, which is a rare delicacy.
Bring two suitcases, one for food.
Character: Ding Liang.
Hometown: Lanzhou, Gansu.
Specialties to be brought on the return trip: beef noodles, roast chicken, fried yellow croaker, fried beef tenderloin, sweet rice, sandwich pork, etc.
Ding Liang, who works in Beijing, took leave in advance and returned to his hometown of Lanzhou, Gansu Province this year, wanting to stay with his family for a few more days in the first year after marriage, and also made a list of delicacies to eat when he returned to Lanzhou.
After spending a warm Spring Festival in his hometown, Ding Liang is about to return to Beijing to work, he has to bring two suitcases, one for clothes and one for food, thinking that his friends can also taste the delicious taste of his hometown.
On Chinese New Year's Eve, Lanzhou specialties "appeared" on the stage of CCTV Spring Festival Gala for the first time, which made Ding Liang's eyes shine. Lanzhou provided pre-packaged Lanzhou beef noodles and Lanzhou lily specialty gift packages for the Spring Festival Gala, sending Lanzhou gifts to the people of the whole country. In the package that Ding Liang returned to Beijing, there were also lilies and beef noodles, as well as roast chicken and fried yellow croaker made by his family.
Lanzhou special food. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
Ding Liang also brought a unique sweet rice and sandy pork. As one of the "Eight Big Bowls of Lanzhou", Babao rice is used to being called "sweet rice" by locals. The sweet rice is made by my mother, steamed with glutinous rice, honey, red dates, lotus seeds, and candied fruit, and then supplemented with sugar and dried fruits. Jiasha meat is also one of the "eight bowls", my mother has made improvements, with beef, bean paste sugar, egg white, rose sugar, starch and other cooking after several processes, it tastes crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
When you leave home, you have to eat the taste of home.
Character: Yan Xiaojing.
Hometown: Yan'an, Shaanxi.
Bring special products on the return trip: yellow rice date cake, potato balls, yellow rice buns, crispy meat, pancakes, etc.
At the end of the Spring Festival holiday, Yan Xiaojing got on the train back to Beijing, and her suitcase was full of potato balls, yellow rice buns, crispy meat, pancakes and other hometown specialties. Different from previous years, this year she brought a yellow rice and jujube cake unique to northern Shaanxi, one for herself to taste, and one for her colleagues working in Beijing.
Yellow rice date cake. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
The yellow rice jujube cake in northern Shaanxi takes "strip" as the unit of measurement, and one can be cut into many small pieces, and there are various ways to eat, you can eat it steamed, or you can fry it in an oil pot. Yellow rice jujube cake is also the rice cake of northern Shaanxi, different from the rice cakes of other regions, the yellow rice jujube cake of northern Shaanxi is made of local unique yellow glutinous rice, wrapped in jujube paste, the taste is sweet and delicious, rich and attractive.
In Yan Xiaojing's memory, yellow rice jujube cake is the standard for major festivals in northern Shaanxi, and yellow rice jujube cake will appear on the table every time there is an important festival such as the New Year, wedding, funeral, and other important festivals. Not only that, yellow rice jujube cake will also be used as a special gift, and many people buy gift boxes to give to relatives and friends. Yan Xiaojing felt that even if she left her hometown, she would have to eat the taste of her hometown, and the yellow rice jujube cake had the taste of home.
The most delicious taste in memory.
Character: Tian Yuyu.
Hometown: Xi'an, Shaanxi.
Specialties to be brought on the return trip: mutton steamed buns, vacuum-packed rolling dough, boxed trouser noodles, beef jerky, etc.
For the taste of the New Year, Tian Yuyu, who is also from Shaanxi, can't forget the taste of the bowl of mutton steamed buns in his hometown. On this return trip back to Beijing, she specially brought a few packets of vacuum-packed mutton steamed buns.
Tian Yuyu is a native of Xi'an, he loves to eat mutton steamed buns, and every time he goes back to Xi'an, he has to go to the streets and alleys to find steaming mutton steamed bun stalls. "Take a bite of mutton steamed buns, the deliciousness of mutton and the softness of the buns blend together, which is addictive. ”
Lamb steamed buns. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
Mutton steamed bun is an authentic traditional Shaanxi delicacy, made with mutton, steamed buns and other ingredients, although the ingredients are simple, but the production is time-consuming, requiring the joint efforts of chefs and diners. Diners need to break the steamed buns in advance and put them in a bowl, the chef cooks the mutton, adds spices and seasonings to simmer, pours the cooked mutton broth into the bowl with the minced buns, and sprinkles with coriander and chopped green onions, at which point a bowl of fragrant mutton steamed buns is ready.
Whether enjoyed at home or at a street stall, mutton steamed buns are an indispensable part of Xi'an people's daily life, and one of the important representatives of Shaanxi's food culture, which is also the most delicious hometown taste in my memory. Tian Yuyu said.
This time, Tian Yuyu also brought vacuum-packed rolling dough, boxed trouser belt noodles, beef jerky and other hometown delicacies. She felt that during this time in Beijing, she could always eat the taste of her hometown.
Be a communicator of the culture of your hometown.
Character: Ms. Zhang.
Hometown: Harbin, Heilongjiang.
Specialties on the return trip: red sausage, Russian chocolate, large lieba, etc.
When she returned to Beijing after the holiday, Ms. Zhang's suitcase in Heilongjiang was full, including corn, sticky bean buns, Russian chocolate, Da Lieba bread, and Wuchang rice that her mother packed separately.
Ms. Zhang also packed a lot of red sausages into her suitcase, "mainly to bring them to friends in Beijing to taste", Ms. Zhang said, red sausages are Heilongjiang's specialty business card. On the famous pedestrian street ** street in Harbin, you can see a specialty store every short walk, and the glass cabinet next to the cash register is full of red sausages. And at the snack stalls in the scenic spots, grilled red sausages will not be absent.
Red sausage. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
To say that the origin of red sausage and Harbin can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, Harbin gradually prospered due to the construction of the Eastern Railway, and a large number of foreign businessmen also came to look for opportunities. The first Harbin red sausage is said to have been made by introducing the red sausage processing technology of the Russian technician Aikinsbins.
Harbin red sausage pays attention to the meat is firm, fat and thin, and when you get closer, it has a strong smoky flavor and a faint fruity aroma, and the reddish-brown casing is also particularly eye-catching. "Red sausage is the most common non-staple food on the table of Harbin people. If you want to eat it differently, you can also fry it with chili peppers. Ms. Zhang recalled that when she was a child, the snack combination in each child's schoolbag may be different, but there must be bread and red sausage packed by the mother.
Harbin is not only a city for domestic tourists to communicate with the north and south, but also a bridge between Chinese and Russian cultures. Ms. Zhang said that the popularity of her hometown has made more people see Harbin, Heilongjiang, and the Northeast is not only "soil", but also "foreign". This time, when I gave the red sausage to my friends, I was also ready to talk about the story behind it and be a disseminator of the culture of my hometown.
Southern pastries are sure to be loved in the north as well.
Character: Ms. Wu.
Hometown: Jiangsu.
On the return trip, bring special products: cloud cakes, zongzi candy, Biluochun, etc.
After the Spring Festival, Ms. Wu from Jiangsu brought a lot of hometown flavors back to Tianjin, including zongzi candy, meat floss, Biluochun, and a salted duck. Different from previous years, before leaving this year, she specially bought a few boxes of cloud cakes, "This is a very southern style of pastry", Ms. Wu said, unlike the northern beef tongue cake, furnace fruit and other dry and crispy pastries, the cloud cake tastes delicate and soft, and the shape is like the name, white as a cloud, as thin as a book page. It looks white and tasteless, but in fact it is sweet and not greasy, melts in the mouth, and before you can taste it, a piece will be in the stomach, and the magical taste is unstoppable.
Cloud slice cake. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
Ms. Wu recalled that when the family celebrated the Chinese New Year, she always had to go to the market to buy some cloud cakes, which were elegant and delicate for all ages, and on the other hand, they also had a good implication of rising step by step. The cloud cake is usually a large rectangular piece, and if you look closely, you can see that it is a few millimeters thick with many flakes clinging together.
For Ms. Wu when she was a child, tearing off the cloud cake piece by piece like tearing off a calendar and tasting it was a fun and delicious thing. In the past, cloud cakes were mostly cut by hand by white case masters, but now with the development of food technology, many cloud cakes are cut by machine, and some can be thinner and more uniform. As a result, new flavors have been added to other ingredients such as nuts and sesame seeds.
With the hit of last year's film and television drama "Ning An Like a Dream", the plot of the male protagonist making cloud cake for the female protagonist many times in the play introduced this snack to more audiences. "At that time, my office colleagues were discussing what the cloud cake tasted like during their lunch break, and I said that I had it in my hometown, and I would bring some for everyone to taste when I got home. I'm sure this slightly sweet, non-sticky pastry will be loved in the north as well. ”
Let friends really experience the food of their hometown.
Character: Liu Chong.
Hometown: Leling, Dezhou, Shandong.
Bring specialties on the return trip: drunken dates, Texas grilled chicken.
At the end of the Spring Festival holiday, Liu Chong from Leling, Dezhou, Shandong Province returned to Beijing with a full taste of his hometown. Liu Chong first recommended a special delicacy of "drunken jujube".
Drunken jujube is derived from Leling's special golden silk jujube, which is high in sugar and will be drawn after drying, which impresses Liu Chong. Liu Chong said that in the past, every household would plant jujube trees, and in addition to choosing to eat them directly or dry them, they could also be made into drunken jujubes. The steps of making drunken jujube are not complicated, cut fresh jujube from the tree, wash it and dry it, dip it in white wine and put it in a bottle to seal and preserve, and it can be taken out and eaten in about a week. "The taste is different depending on the sealing time, and the longer it lasts, the softer it is, and the stronger the aroma of the wine. ”
Liu Chong brought back drunken dates and Texas grilled chicken. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
Such a simple snack is the most representative hometown flavor in Liu Chong's memory. Because of the use of liquor as an adjunct, drunken jujube used to be considered a "luxury snack" and could only be tasted on special days. Liu Chong has a difficult memory of the taste of drunken jujubes, only remembering that it is a slightly stimulating but indescribable taste, but he is very sure that both himself and his family have regarded drunken jujubes as a unique local taste. Although the industrial production of drunken dates has begun, and the family no longer makes their own drunken dates, when a plate of drunken dates is placed in front of you, no matter where you are, it is like being in the small courtyard of your hometown, chatting happily with your family with drunken dates.
Another hometown flavor in Liu Chong's suitcase is Texas Grilled Chicken, which has a certain reputation across the country. Liu Chong said with a smile that when he was a child, he first knew about grilled chicken, and he only remembered that it was a good thing brought by relatives, and the soft meat could be tasted even by toothless old people. Now that life is better, it is no longer difficult to buy Texas Grilled Chicken, but it still plays an important role in people's memories. It is precisely because of this that Liu Chong returned to Beijing this time and brought Texas grilled chicken as a gift to his friends, so that his friends could truly experience the food from Texas.
The taste of home is the taste of mother.
Character: Zhang Wei.
Hometown: Liupanshui, Guizhou.
Specialties on the return trip: spicy chicken, homemade ham sausage, bacon.
In Zhang Wei's eyes, the taste of hometown is the taste of his mother, and only during the Spring Festival can Zhang Wei go home and taste his mother's craftsmanship. In Zhang Wei's suitcase back to Beijing, all the delicacies were made by his mother, among which Zhang Wei's favorite was spicy chicken, homemade ham sausage and bacon.
Zhang Wei carries some of the hometown flavors. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
The night before he left home, Zhang Wei's mother began to fry spicy chicken for him. Guizhou's spicy chicken uses home-made glutinous chili peppers, which is also the key to its unique flavor. Zhang Wei said that when the tender chicken and the bright red pepper collide in the iron pot, the fragrance lets him know that this is home. After the spicy chicken was fried, after it cooled, my mother also thoughtfully packed the spicy chicken into vacuum packaging, and told Zhang Wei, "Don't eat it alone, remember to give your friends a taste." ”
Not only the spicy chicken, but also the homemade ham sausage and bacon that his mother asked him to share. Homemade ham sausage uses a lot of lean meat, and there is no greasy feeling caused by the excess fat of ordinary ham sausage. After lightly frying in the pot over a simmer, the intestines turn golden, wafting out a burnt flavor, accompanied by Guizhou characteristics of five-spice chili noodles, Zhang Wei can eat a whole one. The bacon is made of high-quality pork belly, which is smoked by his mother before the Spring Festival using fruit wood and pine wood, and the meat is cut with a slightly smoky taste.
When preparing these delicacies, Mom deliberately saved the best parts for him, and even though he repeatedly said that he couldn't eat that much, Mom insisted on packing them in his suitcase. In the mother's opinion, the child is alone, and he is getting older, and it is difficult to guide his life. The only thing that can be done is to prepare the hometown flavor that the child loves to eat, so that the child knows that even if he is thousands of miles apart, his family is always by his side.
Every meal carries the thoughtfulness of the family.
Character: Li Zhuo.
Hometown: Hebei.
Specialties to bring on the return trip: mille-feuille pastry, candied dates, macadamia nuts, etc.
It's the day of the Spring Festival return again, and this time Li Zhuo prepared mille-feuille puff pastry, sugar dates, sesame balls, macadamia nuts, potatoes, and almond syrup. Some of these foods are for my sister who is returning to work, and some are for myself who is about to start school.
Li Zhuo and his sister both like to travel lightly and simply, and try to bring as few things as possible every time they return. Although I didn't bring much, I prepared it with my family. Li Zhuo prepared two servings of mille-feuille puff pastry and sugar dates, "My sister and I both love to eat mille-feuille pastry and sugar dates, and my sister also likes sesame balls, so I secretly put a little sesame ball in her sugar date bag, and I didn't tell her, and when she went back to find this little surprise." ”
Lulu: "Almond juice was drunk by the sisters since childhood. Every year when visiting relatives during the holidays, milk and "Lulu" can be described as essential drinks for visiting relatives and friends. "Lulu" in winter is a little cold, and every time I drink it, my family will heat it up in advance. Among the "Lulu" that I was going to take away this time, there was also a can that had been heated up, so it was convenient for my sister to drink it on the way. Listening to the words of his family instructing the two sisters to warm up before drinking, Li Zhuo felt warm in his heart.
Mille-feuille pastries, candied dates, macadamia nuts, etc. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
The potatoes were named by my sister to take away, and the people in my hometown love to make stews, especially the potatoes in the stew, which have a dense texture and melt in the mouth. My sister often said that the potatoes bought outside did not have the habit of eating at home, so this time the family prepared potatoes and asked my sister to take them back to make stews.
Beijing News reporters Guo Tie, Qin Shengnan, Wang Ziyang, Liu Huan, Wang Siyang, Xue Chen, Zhang Mingxuan.
Edited by Li Yan.
Proofreading by Jun Liu.