Southern rice and northern millet are the basic crops planted on the mainland, which unveils the huge differences between the north and the south in terms of geography, climate, customs, and diet.
Just as northerners can't stand the lack of heating in the winter in the south, when southerners go to the north, they are very likely to be "bored" with the local food because of dietary differences.
Shandong green onions that grow taller than people
On November 15, 2020, at the Shandong Zhangqiu Green Onion Cultural Festival, a special green onion was born, attracting attention with a "height" of 2.532 meters. Netizens joked that it is worthy of the green onions raised in Shandong, which are even taller than people. Although this is just an example, the green onions in the north are like "big and small" compared to the green onions in the south.
Especially in Shandong, a treasure land of feng shui, not only people grow tall, but also green onions. However, southerners were shocked that green onions, which were used for decoration and flavor, were actually used as a staple food by northerners. In addition, northerners can also eat a mouthful of green onions and white-flour steamed buns in peace.
The green onions in the north are larger and more spicy. For most southerners who are Xi to eating lightly, this is difficult to accept. But in fact, northerners have a long history of eating green onions. Previously, due to the cold wind and difficult conditions in the northern winter, the green onions, which have their own pungent taste and bring warmth to people, have become a weapon for the people in the north to ward off the cold.
Green onions have been inherited until now, and they are still the favorite of many northerners, especially in Shandong, green onions have created a street specialty food road of pancake rolls and green onions by virtue of "Gao Qixian". On the cake noodles made with cornmeal, wheat flour, etc., put a few green onions with distinct green onions, roll them up expertly, and chew them contentedly in your mouth.
The hot, spicy and fresh taste has brought countless northerners back to their childhood memories. However, the taste of these "strange power" green onions is so strong that sweating and burping have traces of green onions, so many southerners are discouraged.
Peking bean juice in the taste of the gods
In addition to Shandong green onions, Beijing's bean juice is also a must. In addition, bean juice is comparable to an antique, with a history of more than 300 years. Bean juice is not only a favorite breakfast for Beijingers, but also the strongest traditional snack in Beijing. Although many Beijingers are proud when they mention soybean juice, for southerners, soybean juice is not as sweet as soy milk, but has a strange "smell".
It is said that this is because the soybean juice is fermented through a complex process. Although there is only one word difference between soy juice and soy milk, the taste is very different.
The northern soybean juice is not fermented with soybeans like the southern soybean milk, but mung beans are selected as raw materials, the starch is filtered out through filtration, and then the remaining residue is used for ancient fermentation.
Although the production process is complicated, it is rich in nutrients, and it also has the effect of clearing the fire. But for early adopters from the south, the strong smell of "bean corruption" still scares southerners. Therefore, for southerners who have already been "deceived", bean juice is simply a "nightmare on the altar".
But some people retorted that the bean juice was just a little weird when I first drank it, and I could Xi the aroma of the bean juice when I got used to it. In addition, most people in Beijing believe that drinking more soybean juice is beneficial to their health and supplementing dietary fiber.
Hu spicy soup prepared with medicinal ingredients
The most unexpected thing for southerners is that the soup body of the northern Hu spicy soup is as sticky as a broken ointment. Even if it is, in this unique soup, the "spirit of traditional Chinese medicine" is carried out to the end, and a large number of botanical herbs such as angelica, licorice, woody, cardamom, and ginger are boiled. After complex proportioning and boiling, a bowl of Hu spicy soup loved by all ages in Henan was produced.
However, southerners who are accustomed to clear soup instinctively resist the thick soup base.
In the perception of some southerners, the soup base should not even be thick, which is simply against the "law of cooking". But it is such a spicy soup that makes southerners wonder "whether they should drink it or not", but it is widely welcomed by Henan people. Even in 2021, it was selected as a national intangible cultural heritage, and I have to sigh with emotion, Henan people are really muffled to do big things.
In fact, the origin of Hu spicy soup is no worse than bean juice, which can be traced back to the Northern Song Dynasty, and it was especially popular among officials to drink Hu spicy soup to keep warm. The cold in the north, the spicy and fragrant taste of Hu spicy soup makes people get plenty of warmth in winter, which is both appetizing and warm-up.
It is said that more than 3 million people in Henan choose Hu spicy soup for breakfast every day, which fully illustrates the recognition of Hu spicy soup.
However, Hu spicy soup does not work for most southerners, because the elders often teach the younger generations to avoid spicy breakfast and protect their stomachs. Most southerners are Xi to soy milk fritters, porridge, steamed buns, rice noodles and other lighter dishes as a morning breakfast.
Sweet dumplings that are greasy to the bones
It is the consensus of the whole country to eat zongzi to commemorate Qu Yuan on the Dragon Boat Festival, but there are still many differences between northerners and southerners on the major event of commemorating the great man. What is going on here? It turns out that the controversy is whether the rice dumplings should be sweet or salty. For a long time, when southerners celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, they eat salty rice dumplings.
As soon as the people in the north heard this, they were shocked, how could the zongzi be salty? From the snack to the big zongzi, it was clearly sweet and delicious honey zongzi. In fact, it is a custom that northerners eat sweet rice dumplings that have been passed down for a long time. Although the zongzi from the north and the south have great similarities in appearance, there are great differences in materials and tastes. Southerners like salty dumplings, and northerners prefer sweet dumplings.
Generally speaking, the ingredients of northern sweet rice dumplings are usually mixed with candied dates in glutinous rice, and after cooking, the sweet taste of candied dates rises in the aroma of leaves. But for most southerners who are accustomed to eating mung beans with salted pork filling, the sweet date dumplings are too greasy, and the more you chew them, the more suspicious your taste buds become.
The special meals of the north and south are now the eight immortals crossing the sea, each showing their magical powers. However, with the exchange of information and the development of tourism, it is believed that more southerners will be able to experience a deeper and more diverse northern food culture. And northerners can also gradually accept the classic southern specialties in the experiment. This is one of the trends of the north-south integration of dining Xi in today's era.
The differences between the diet of the north and the south are too many to count. But this also shows that one side of the water and soil nurtures the other side. Whether it is the food of the south or the food Xi of the north, they all condense the life wisdom of their ancestors and have their own school after inheritance. It can be said that each has its own advantages and its own audience, what do you think about this? Welcome to leave a message to interact.