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Chinese prickly ash Candied haws on a stick
Chinese prickly ash was recorded in The Book seasoning for Sichuan cuisine, Chinese prickly A few years ago, most TV channels before each meal. He was right, of Songs compiled some 3,000 years ago. ash has also been used in many other ways. played the same old song: “Everyone the lady did recover. She probably Although this plant can grow in most parts of Li Shizhen, a renowned doctor of the Ming says the candied haws on a stick are ate too much greasy food and the the country, the Sichuan people are known Dynasty (1368-1644), once cured an old woman sour, but they taste sweet … One candied haws helped her digest. for their love of Chinese prickly ash. A lot of of diarrhea with this plant. The strong smell of such stick can cure you of illness and When simmering haws with crystal Sichuan dishes are named with “ma” – numb, the dark brown seeds can drive away ants, flies make you 20 years younger.” It’s an sugar, it is crucial to regulate the a physical effect created by Chinese prickly and other insects. In the past, imperial ladies exaggeration but the sweet-sour fire. If the fire is too weak, the haws ash on the tongue. At Sichuan restaurants lived in rooms where the walls were paved taste is unique, and there is a story taste sticky; if the fire is too strong, flourishing across the country, one can always with Chinese prickly ash. Besides driving away about how candied haws cured a the haws would look dark and taste delight in a simple dish called mapo doufu – a insects, the multi-seeded plant was also seen patient. It is said that Concubine bitter. Some peddlers put candied tender bean curd fried with Chinese prickly ash as auspicious for families anticipating many Huang, a favorite of Emperor haws on a stick and stacked the and hot pepper. Besides being an important children. Guangzong of the Song Dynasty sticks on a pile of wheat straw. In the (960-1279), once fell ill and didn’t old days, peddlers would carry the want to eat anything. The emperor sticks and call out in a melodious sought after cures throughout tone to attract customers. In difficult the country. A doctor entered the years, eating a stick of candied haws imperial palace, took the lady’s was like celebrating the new year for pulse and said she should be fine children. Today, such peddlers are in half a month, if she ate a few rare and children are often enticed haws simmered with crystal sugar by other attractions.
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Preserved egg
Preserved egg, known as songhua dan or blue shell makes the egg appear like a fossil pi dan in Chinese, is a product of chemical just excavated, thus some foreigners call it experiment. When the duck or goose egg is “thousand-year-old egg”. In any restaurant, you preserved in a mixture of bittern and the water can order the cold dish named preserved egg used in grinding green beans, the protein in with bean curd. More flavors can be added with the egg subsides and the egg white becomes ginger juice or green pepper. Southern Chinese transparent and greenish. Irregular snowflake often prepare rice porridge with preserved egg patterns dot the egg white, while the yolk and lean meat. Preserved egg in fish chip soup becomes juicy and bluish green. The light also tastes excellent.
Bean curd
In the 1980s, a story in Huainan couldn’t escape death, International Economic Preview published but his experiments brought an unexpected in the United States predicted that in the result – bean curd. Liu’s hometown, Shouxian coming 10 years, it’s not the automobiles, county of East China’s Anhui province, is known televisions or electronic products that will as the Hometown of Bean Curd. Today, any have the greatest market potential, the biggest common family in Shouxian can easily cover success belongs to bean curd from China. a table with dishes that all contain bean curd. Obviously, the author is a big fan of bean curd. Bean curd has an amazing adaptability. Each Although bean curd has not attained such family can easily make the cold dish named huge success as predicted, it does enjoy equal bean curd mixed with Chinese onion. The most fame as tea and porcelain from China. It is said famous Sichuan dish mapo doufu is hot, tender that a French artist is fascinated by bean curd. and salty with pepper and Chinese prickly ash. Whenever he feels ill, he would get some bean There are hundreds of notable dishes featuring curd from the China Town in Paris and it never bean curd as the main material. Among Chinese fails him. For most Chinese, the love of bean chefs, bean curd is listed as one of four top curd comes from its special taste. Like many vegetarian materials. However, many temples inventions that came out of total accidents, have invented bean curd dishes that look and bean curd was not invented intentionally. Liu taste just like meat to cater to pilgrims. Such a An, a grandson of Liu Bang, founder of the Han rich variety makes everyone marvel at the great Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), hired many alchemists potentials of bean curd. to make pills of immortality. The Prince of
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Future Cola
As Coca Cola and Pepsi occupy Very Enjoyable”. It is said that the head prominent shelves in department of the Wahaha Group once visited the stores across China, most people United States and presented guests in rural China only associate cola with two glasses of cola, unnamed. with a Chinese product named Future Nobody could tell which was made Cola. Its Chinese name Feichang Kele in China or America. This is only a means “very enjoyable”. In 1998, story, as devoted cola fans can easily the Wahaha Group introduced its distinguish Cola Cola and Pepsi. Future Cola as “real Chinese cola”. Although it is hard to find Future This won some applause but Cola in big Chinese cities, Wahaha linking a drink with patriotism Group has been promoting has not been a very effective another product named Future marketing strategy. Soon the Coffee Cola. For consumers advertisements changed into going after fresh tastes, this “when happiness arrives, it’s has proven rather successful.
Eight Treasures Porridge
In department stores of China, a common an easy thing to prepare the Eight Treasures item is Eight Treasures Porridge (Babao Zhou). Porridge, whose eight chief ingredients vary in This is actually a simplified version of the different areas. It is true that a bowl of porridge Laba porridge made on the 8th day of the 12th meticulously prepared carries more love than lunar month. Legends say that Sakyamuni, an extravagant banquet. When the canned founder of Buddhism, was enlightened and Eight Treasure Porridge was first introduced, became Lord Buddha after he was saved by a people regarded it as an important present. herdswoman on this day with porridge made Thanks to its good taste, the product has held of various grains. Many temples would prepare a market share for many years. It would be very the porridge on this day for pilgrims. Eating appropriate to send a few cans to a patient porridge at dawn has been seen as an effective who can’t digest oily food. way of strengthening one’s health. It is not
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Zongzi
Zongzi is a symbolic food for the Duanwu Festival. The most famous is the Dragon Boat Festival, just like the moon cake for the Mid- Race, which originated as people raced to Autumn Festival and the jiaozi dumpling for the save Qu Yuan from the river. The festival takes Spring Festival. The pyramid-shaped glutinous place in early summer, when people change rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo or reed into lighter and brighter clothes. To fend off leaves is embodied with the nation’s cultural increasing insects, many families light Chinese tradition. Every Chinese knows about the origin mugwort, a herb that has a strong smell. Some of zongzi. In the Warring States Period (475-221 people also drink the realgar wine that is BC), statesman and poet Qu Yuan was deeply believed to drive away snakes and evil spirits. disappointed that his homeland, the Chu Today, one can easily find dozens of varieties Dukedom, would soon be conquered by other in the piles of zongzi in department stores. But powers because the decadent rulers wouldn’t the mass-produced fast food cannot compare listen to anyone’s suggestions. On the 5th day with traditional homemade delicacies. There of the 5th lunar month, he held a boulder and are roughly two types of zongzi: the salty ones threw himself into the Miluo River. The people filled with ham, meat, beef, shrimp, mushroom loved him and didn’t want fish to eat his flesh. and others; the sweet ones with jujube, red So they made zongzi and threw them into the or green beans and sweetened bean paste. river for the fish. Few people can read Qu Yuan’s Recently, a businessman in Guangxi Zhuang great poem Li Sao fluently, but everyone autonomous region produced a pillow-sized seems to enjoy zongzi. There are other ways zongzi that can feed several men. It is a pity that to commemorate Qu Yuan on the Duanwu such a delicacy is not found in other seasons.
Steamed twisted roll
Huajuan (steamed twisted roll) is favored in Shanxi, a neighbor province of Shaanxi, enjoy northern China. It can be seen as an artistic a special noodle named knife-sliced noodles version of steamed bun (mantou). The twisted (daoxiao mian) made by slicing dough into roll blossoms like a flower and invites one to the boiling pot. There are some specific take one more bite. Made of flour just like requirements in making the steamed twisted steamed bun, steamed twisted doll is spongier. roll. From making the dough to twisting Wheat is grown throughout the world and the roll and steaming it, a single error could people of different countries have invented result in very dissatisfactory taste. One or two colorful pasta. Similar to hot dog, people in twisted rolls with rice porridge and pickles Shaanxi province of Northwest China put pork would furnish a typical delicious breakfast in or beef inside pancakes to make roujiamo. China. While Italians enjoy spaghetti, people in
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Fermented bean curd
Just as the idea of fruit wine was inspired by died working for the people in the 1960s. The rotten fruits, fermented bean curd (doufu ru) common food seems to contain rich aroma probably comes from mouldy bean curd. Since that leaves a deep impression. Zhang Yihe, its birth, many people have fallen in love with a writer who talked about her family’s life in it. Although most people treat it as a seasoning, the 1930s and 40s in Beijing, has a long story some insist that it is good for one’s health in about fermented bean curd. From one eatery, prolonging youth, lowering blood fat and she bought five kinds of fermented bean curd preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Many places made from all across the country. The variety in China are known for the special fermented turned the simple breakfast with porridge bean curd they produce. In Guilin of Guangxi and steamed bun into a journey of surprising Zhuang autonomous region, the fermented discoveries. An old monk in Zhejiang also eats bean curd is a good present for friends. In the same breakfast, but without such variety. Lankao of Henan province, the fermented bean Fermented bean curd has become part of his curd became known throughout the country religious life. partly due to Jiao Yulu, a devoted official who
Peking chicken roll
Peking chicken roll has enjoyed great Opera actors and actresses to perform in popularity among Chinese customers since their eateries and required their waitresses to Kentucky Fried Chicken invented this delicacy a dress like Qing Dynasty maidens. As the world few years ago. Based on the lotus-leaf pancake influences China, the Middle Kingdom is also eaten with Peking roast duck, it is made by influencing the rest of the world. People want wrapping a thin pancake around fried chicken to know more about China. The Great Wall and chips, cucumber, Chinese onion, sweet soy the Forbidden City are not enough. Details in sauce and burger paste. To promote this Chinese people’s daily life are getting more product, Kentucky Fried Chicken invited Peking attention these days.
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