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Anhui and Zhejiang,Two Classic Culinary Provinces
Regional FoodsSummer Volume: 2013 Issue: 20(2) pages: 10 to 13
Foods here are one of eight major culinary influences in China. Besides that of its Wan cuisine, the others, in alphabetical order, are the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan, and Zhejiang. Not everyone touts the same eight as the most famous ones. Some say the city of Shanghai is one, others include Guangzhou. One group of eight discussed in the 2001 Chinese Cuisine Recipes and Their Stories published by Beijing Foreign Language Press lists: Fujian, Guangdong, Huizhou, Hunan, Shandong, Sichuan, Suzhou, and Zhejiang. There are still other groups of eight, so unanimity on what culinary cultures are most famous or most important simply does not exist. This cuisine has many well-known dishes, including lots with wild herbs. Some are land specialities, others from the sea, some resemble those of Jiangsu, others of different neighbors from the Yangtze and Huai River regions. They are loved by the mainly Han population who live here and do include tastes from Huizhou and Tunxi, and from the Zhuang local minority people. Many of the local popular dishes feature fresh water fish or shrimp and poultry dishes, and many are smoked or seasoned with sugar and/or vinegar This sub-tropical region has four seasons that are not equal in length. Spring and Fall are quite short. The province has one of China's 'four furnace' locations, that is in Wuhan. The other three are in Changsha, Chongqing, and Nanjing. All four are so hot that some say people can fry an egg on almost every sidewalk or road in town. The capital city of Anhui is Hefei, now spelled Hebei. It is called the 'green' city and is in lower reaches of the Yangtze River, between the Yangtze and Huai Rivers. It is almost in the middle of the province, and called green because a mite more than one third of its almost three thousand square miles are wooded. More than five million residents live in Hebei. It is a major stop on the Bengbu-Yuxi Kou Railway. Quite ancient, it did become a commercial city two thousand years before any rail lines were laid. This city has contributed much to China's commerce and culture. The major rivers mentioned above provide much water for the province's agriculture. They grow lots of rice, wheat, and tea, many kinds of vegetables, particularly those grown for their oil. The waters of Chaohu Lake, one of China's five largest fresh water lakes, and the above two rivers provide lots of water, though the lake is quite polluted now. In addition to food, the province produces much coal, other minerals, and many non-agricultural items. Hebei is the political, economic, cultural, and transportation center of the province. It is known for many special dishes including Luzhou Roast Duck. Another popular dish is Hotchpotch, shown with this article, it has many red peppers. Some locals prepare it with sea cucumber, fish maw, squid, chicken, pork, dried scallops, dried shrimp, pig tripe, bamboo shoots, dried bean curd rolls, many fungi, pigeon eggs, and seasonings. Boiled Crucian Carp from the Baohe River, and smaller Crisp Crucian Carp from there and elsewhere are made with soy sauce and lotus roots; these are popular too. So is San He Xia Hu made with tiny white shrimp, sanhe-style, with rice flour, leeks, and soy sauce. What fascinates about this dish it that is made salty and eaten with a spoon. Hodge Podge, another way to spell this dish, is made by some as a sweet and salty soup. Touted to be consumed at Reunion Dinner and always associated with it, it is loved year round in this province. So is local egg dumplings wrapped in sheets of fried egg. They can be filled with pork, steamed and served with soy sauce. Loved, too, is Chicken with Chestnuts, Prawns in Nest, Taro with Honey, Mabing, their sesame cakes, and Baiqie--white sesame slices; as are two special teas, black tea from Qimen and local green tea from Huangshan. In this provincial city of Wuhu, Steamed Hilsa Herring, Braised Crabs made with meat balls, and Crab Meat and Shrimp Cup are loved, too. This last item is steamed, stuffed, and served in wine cups. In Wushan, they adore salty goose, and have since Tang Dynasty times (618 - 907 CE). There are other popular foods, many include bayberry, stone frog, pangolin, white bamboo shoots, and soft-shelled turtle often prepared with lard, black pepper, pork, garlic, shallots, and fresh ginger. Wild animals are specialities here, many coming from the Huangshan, Tianzhu, Juihua, and Langya mountains. They can be steamed, sauteed, smoked, or stir-fried; as are stone frogs from the caves in the Huangshan Mountains, stewed soft-shelled turtles and carp fished from local lakes and rivers, stewed stone fungus found in the Lushan mountain region, and Mandarin Fish served smoked and with Maofeng tea. Many of the mountain dishes are made with osmanthus flowers found in capital city of Hebei or in local hills nearby. Traditional Chinese medicinal doctors say they are good for the complexion and valuable to rid the body of poisons. Anhui people love their Bagong Mountain Bean Curd. Legend has it that this two thousand year old dish was made by King Huaian Liu An who ruled during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE). In fact, he was looking for some food for his own immortality but failed to find anything, but in the process did invent bean curd.
Easy to make, Anhui recipes use easily obtainable ingredients; some are at the end of this article. They and other local foods are adored here and in many other places in China.
Zhejiang, called 'crooked river' in Chinese, boasts more than fifty-five million inhabitants and lots of fertile land. It is south of the Yangtze River and the Fujian Province, north of the Jiangsu Province, and west of the Anhui and Jiangxi Provinces. Its foods, here called Zhe, include many famous dishes including West Lake Fish, known for its vinegar sauce, Dungpo Pork, Beggar's Chicken, and Shrimp with Longjing Tea. Many of these dishes were written about in previous issues including in Volumes 3(1) on pages 13 and 21 and Volume 5(2) on page 8, respectively. There were also articles about Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbo, and this province in earlier issues. Look for them in the Index listings. Hangzhou with its almost ten million people is the provincial capital. It was once described by Marco Polo as "the most splendid city in the world." Foreign tourism did and still flourishes here as does trade. It has many rivers and lakes, considerable land at the foot of its beautiful mountains, is bordered by Taihu Lake in the north and the East China Sea in, you guessed it-the East. The province has been well known for more than five thousand years, though by the name of Liangzhu, in the distant past.
Hangzhou is also famous for many Buddhist and vegetarian dishes including Arhat's Vegetarian Food. It signifies eighteen Buddhist Arhats getting together and enjoying its many dried fungi, day lilies, bamboo shoots, and ever-so-many other items that season this dish. It is said they also love Fried Mock Shredded Eel, Grilled Mock Shark's Fin, and Vegetarian Duck; all made with nary an animal product. Shaoxing, an old provincial town, is well-known for its wonderful yellow wines. It has two great museums, one dedicated to that yellow wine, the other to three items made in urns. One is that wine, another dye for its silks, and the third is its soy sauce. The museums and the Xianheng Wineshop are not to be missed, nor should a dish simply called Broad Beans. It is made with lots of them, and lots of aniseed. Spiced Dried Bean Curd also comes from here, as does Steamed Mandarin Fish in Clear Soup, the latter swimmings with pork balls, fish balls, bamboo shoots, fish maw, local mushrooms, chicken stomach slices, and other ingredients. Ningbo is a large and beloved seaside city at the Eastern end of this province. Its Eel in Clear Soup is popular as are its soft-shelled turtles, Preserved Mustard Greens and Yellow Croaker, Deep-fried Goose Livers, Fried Shrimp out of their shells, and Ningbo Dumplings made with glutinous rice flour. Not to be missed anywhere in this province is the local Jinhua ham. Many local dishes are made with it here and throughout China, perhaps the most famous are Ham and Immortal Duck, Jinhua Crisp Cake, and Ham in Sweet Juice. This last one is loaded with ham, lotus seeds, green plums, cherries, osmanthus flowers, and sugar. Other popular Ningpo dishes are Ham Slices with Cloud Ear Mushrooms, Yipin Diced Pork with Fermented Red Doufu, Fish Head with Bean Curd, and Drunken Chicken. All of these are absolute musts for those going here during Spring Festival. We have enjoyed them then, and at other times. Also not to be missed in this province are the Spring bamboo shoots. They are prepared rich in sugar and fat, usually lard, and seasoned with sugar, soy sauce, and scallions. Check this magazine's index for many of these dishes, then read and make the Anhui and Zhejiang recipes below. Do enjoy them all!
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