Xiangcheng famously eats "Panlong Eel", its fame can be traced back to the end of the Qing Dynasty, when it was a sensation in the government and the opposition, and became the main dish of the Empress Dowager Cixi's imperial meal. This reputation is closely linked to Yuan Shikai, who trained in a small station. He is committed to equipping a new type of military force armed with foreign guns and artillery, but lack of funds has become a major problem for him. In order to raise funds, Yuan Shikai did not hesitate to spend his personal savings and asked the Empress Dowager Cixi for help.
However, the Qing Dynasty was in financial difficulties at that time, and the Empress Dowager Cixi was not interested in Western foreign gadgets.
Once when Yuan Shikai entered the palace alone to meet Cixi, unfortunately, the Empress Dowager Cixi was resting in the palace, and he was received by a beautiful parrot, and the parrot saw Yuan Shikai and learned to say: "It's the dragon you coil for me, it's the tiger you lie down for me", Yuan Shikai was confused and didn't know what it meant, so he asked Li Lianying, Li Lianying told him that Lafayette was very dissatisfied with the emperor's reform of the government in recent days, so he reprimanded the emperor into the palace: "It's the dragon you coil for me, it's the tiger you lie down for me", The little parrot immediately learned to chirp. There is a saying that the speaker is unintentional, and the listener is intentional, Yuan Shikai listened to it, and secretly said in his heart: "It seems that something big is going to happen to the government." It doesn't matter what big things happen to him, I can't stop training at this small station. On the same day, he returned to the small station residence, thought about it, and stayed awake all night. Just when Yuan Shikai was anxious about the financial problem, Cixi's words reminded him of a delicacy called "Panlong Eel" in his hometown, which had a unique taste and was fragrant and delicious. He decided to use it as a birthday gift to the Empress Dowager Cixi.
The next day, just after dawn, the housekeeper Guo Baoyu reported: "Lord Yuan, you asked me to come to the chef from my hometown" Yuan Shikai said to the chef Guo Baoyu: "Hurry up and make a plate of dragon eel first, I will taste it." Guo Baoyu listened to it and hurriedly arranged for the chef to cook. For about two hours, a plate of fragrant, steaming coiled dragon eel was placed in front of Yuan Shikai.
The chef said to Yuan Shikai: "To eat this dish, the eater has to wear gloves on both hands (at that time, gloves made of cotton cloth) were used to tear and eat, of course, you use it, and we will tear it for you to eat." Saying that, he took out a yellow eel with his gloved hands, tore off the skin, and asked Yuan Shikai to hold it in his mouth with chopsticks and chew it, "Well, it's tender, fragrant, delicious, wonderful!" He can be the king of the Manchu and Han Dynasty! So he arranged for Guo Baoyu to choose high-quality ingredients and expensive recipes and condiments according to the chef's requirements.
Not long has passed, and the birthday of the Empress Dowager Cixi has arrived. Many civil and military ministers are vying to pay tribute to the old queen mother to celebrate her birthday, and most of the ministers' birthday gifts are golden horses, silver arhats, jade cabbage, green ** and the like. When Yuan Shikai presented the gift, Li Lianying shouted loudly: "The birthday gift of Lord Yuan of the small station training is a unique dragon eel in the world, I wish Lafayette a long life", the little parrot heard it and shouted: "It's the dragon you coil for me, it's the tiger you lie down for me", at this time, Lafayette had an idea, and it was handed over. When Yuan Shikai presented the coiled dragon eel, the aroma instantly filled the entire hall. After tasting it, the Empress Dowager Cixi was full of praise and called it "the taste of immortals in the world". She praised the chef Chang Qingfu's skills, and named him the deputy head of the Sipin Zongren Mansion on the spot. Since then, the panlong eel has become famous, and Xiangcheng's hometown has also taken this dish as the main dish, and more than a dozen restaurants specializing in cooking panlong eel have developed in Xiangcheng County.
Yuan Shikai also won the favor of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and immediately approved 100,000 taels of imperial silver to purchase foreign guns and cannons.
Today, the panlong eel has become an iconic delicacy in Xiangcheng, attracting countless tourists to taste it. The craftsmanship is meticulous, and the selection of ingredients and condiments is extremely strict. In the process of frying, cooking, stir-frying, etc., there are strict regulations on the size and length of time for each step. On the basis of traditional craftsmanship, modern panlong eel is added with monosodium glutamate, chicken essence and other condiments to make it taste more delicious and delicious.
Tourists who came to Xiangcheng County said: "When you come to Xiangcheng County, you must taste the dragon eel." "This is not only because of its deliciousness, but also because it carries a piece of history, a story about Yuan Shikai and the Empress Dowager Cixi, and a memory of the taste of hometown.