There is a town in the western part of Zhengzhou city called Xushui Town, which is an ancient town with a long history. Formerly known as Sui (sui) water, the early Han Dynasty changed its name to Xushui, Xushui County, Song, Ming, Qing, the Republic of China are all set up towns, the founding of new China at the beginning of the xingyang county, later assigned to the suburbs of Zhengzhou city, the 20th century 80 generation to the Central Plains District.
There is a famous snack called Flower Chicken in Xushui Town. There is an interesting legend about the flower chicken.
Legend has it that the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty often took a close-fitting photo and micro-clothing to go out for a walk. One day to the Erxian Residence, want to taste the folk flavor, go to the second floor elegant seat, run the hall of the table to pour tea, send the menu, south cooking and north stir-fry, the flavor is complete. Suddenly, I saw a dish with a maximum price of 10 silver and one by one called flower chicken. Laughing, he said, "The chicken that Hanako eats is so expensive?" Just eat this! ”
The running hall serves a few cold dishes and a pot of hot wine. Qianlong drank two glasses of wine and his appetite increased greatly. Downstairs, there was a roar: "Call the flower chicken here!" Before the words could be heard, one guy placed a blue and white porcelain plate on the table, and the other guy held a large watermelon-like mud egg with a copper plate. Qianlong was stunned: Tell me to eat mud? Trick me? I was about to have a seizure, only to see the guy throw the mud egg on the copper plate, and the mud egg fell into four petals, and a steaming, white and yellow fat pheasant was exposed. Qianlong reached out and took a chicken leg and ate it: Oh, all five flavors, fat and fragrant.
Qianlong has eaten a hundred kinds of vegetables, mountain treasures and seafood, monkey head bird's nest, flying in the sky, swimming in the sea, running on the ground, what has not eaten? It was the first time I had eaten such a good dish today. Qianlong praised while eating, and couldn't stop saying: "Delicious, delicious!" "A gust of wind swept through the clouds, and a chicken ate it, but still wanted to eat."
"No, we only sell one a day!" Runner said.
"Where is this cooked, and where do the famous dishes come from?" Just asked.
"Sent by Zhengzhou Prefecture, Henan." Legend has it that the famous dish comes from the town of Sushui. The guy replied. He said with a flying eyebrow: "Zhengzhou Xushui's flower chicken is even more delicious than this!" ”
Qianlong wrote down the words "Su Shui" in his heart, stood up and wiped his mouth before leaving. The runner quickly stopped: "The guest officer has not given the money yet!" ”
Qianlong went out to eat where he brought money? "Well, I'll write you a couplet, and you can sell it for 1,000 taels of silver."
"Except for the emperor, whose words are worth two pieces of silver?" Qian said, "Pen and ink are waiting." "The treasurer ordered the guy to prepare the paper and ink." Qianlong raised his pen and waved it: "Famous earthquake plug three thousand miles north, taste pressure on the twelfth floor of the south of the river", the end of the paragraph: "Qianlong Royal Pen". The people were so shocked that their faces were as earthy as they were, and they immediately fell to their knees. Qianlong smiled, rolled up his sleeves and went out.
Qianlong was obsessed with calling the flower chicken and decided to go to Zhengzhou to eat water. This time, disguised as Hanako, the master and servant came to a mountain back in Sushui, and happened to meet a pheasant named Hanako who found a frozen pheasant. There was no pot, no plucking, so the chicken was sealed with loess and mud, and the paste was layer after layer, thick, like a mud lump. I took out an earthen kiln, put the mud eggs in it, picked up some firewood, and lit it on fire. Burn slowly over low heat and roast while burning.
When the firewood was burned out, he went to collect the firewood and burn it again. After two hours of pouring, I estimated that the chicken was cooked, and pulled out the yellow mud and dropped it. The chicken feathers are gone, the chicken body is shiny, white and tender, some are yellow and charred, and the fragrance is fragrant. When Qianlong looked at it, the saliva flowed out. Begging for everything, Hanako tore a chicken leg to him. One eat, oh, more fragrant and delicious than the last time the Erxianju restaurant made.
Qianlong returned to Beijing and ordered a tribute to Zhengzhou Zhizhou: The water was called Hua chicken. I don't know who gave a fold to the imperial court: the flower chicken was eaten by beggars, the name was indecent, and it was not appropriate to levy it. Qianlong was probably afraid of revealing his old bottom, who was disguised as Huazi, and ordered that he would not levy this tribute, and he would not be able to do so. However, the reputation of the chicken was greatly enhanced, and it slowly flourished.