(Speed News Reporter Zang Ziqing, Wang Yanshen, Zhou Ni) In the gradually cooler days, the streets and alleys are always filled with the intoxicating aroma of food. Traditional delicacies such as sweet potatoes, sugar gourds, and chestnuts have quietly appeared, and these familiar flavors not only evoke the taste buds of citizens, but also add a touch of warmth to the city.
The rock sugar gourd is "rolled".
"The sugar gourd is good-looking, it is worn with bamboo sticks, symbolizing happiness and reunion......" After autumn, in the streets and alleys of the city, how can there be no lack of this "protagonist" - rock sugar gourd. In Suqian, rock sugar gourds are also called sugar balls, and you can see stalls selling rock sugar gourds in streets and alleys, shopping malls and supermarkets.
On October 15, near Wuyue Square in Sucheng District, Ms. Wang, a rock sugar gourd stall owner, told reporters that rock sugar gourds were originally made of hawthorn, oranges, apples and other fruits skewered and coated with a layer of sugar coating. Later, with the passage of time, the production methods and ingredients of rock sugar gourds have also changed and enriched. Talking about her memories of rock sugar gourds, Ms. Wang was very emotional, she said: "When I was a child, the old people in my family would make rock sugar gourds, but I didn't expect that when I grew up, I started making and selling rock sugar gourds. ”
"The steps of making rock sugar gourd are divided into string fruits, boiling sugar, dipping sugar, cooling, etc., I usually choose fresh and plump, uniform size hawthorn, after skewering, wrap a layer of sugar on the outside, and bite it crunchy." Saying that, Ms. Wang picked up a string of sugar gourds, and she told reporters that boiling sugar is the most critical step, and you should pay attention to the heat when boiling, because it is easy to get sticky if the heat is not over; The heat is too big, the color is heavy and it is bitter to eat.
Mr. Su, a citizen who came to buy rock sugar gourds, said that he liked to eat rock sugar gourds since he was a child, and at that time they were all without filling.
It's time for the chestnuts to smell again
In October, the weather is getting cooler, and many citizens are looking forward to the aroma of fried chestnuts wafting from the streets. At noon on October 15, reporters took to the streets to look for this long-lost fragrance.
"Xinli is on the market, buy 1 catty and reduce 5 yuan." A conspicuous sign was placed at the door of a pastry shop on the north side of Chu Street in the city, and the loudspeaker in the store kept broadcasting "Fried chestnuts with sugar, fried and sold", and the aroma of chestnuts mixed with caramel in the air came to the face. And the most attractive thing is the chestnuts that have just come out of the pot, which makes people salivate.
Mr. Wu, an employee of the store, said that this year's chestnuts were of good quality and tasted particularly good. "We use high-quality chestnuts from Shandong, and each chestnut is carefully selected to ensure that it is full and sweet." He skillfully stir-fried chestnuts while introducing them to reporters.
"Hot, fragrant fried chestnuts with sugar are a must-have in autumn and winter, and when the weather is cold, you want to eat a handful, and your heart will warm after eating." Ms. Yu, a citizen, couldn't wait to peel off the fried chestnuts that had just come out of the pot and tasted them. "I like to buy a bag of fragrant sugar-fried chestnuts in my spare time after work, and eat them while watching dramas, which is a pleasant enjoyment."
The hot sales of sugar-fried chestnuts have also driven the sales of other fried nuts. The reporter visited and learned that fried peanuts, fried melon seeds, fried walnuts and other fried goods are also very popular with the public, and the sales volume has increased significantly recently.
Sweet sweet potatoes warm the stomach and heart
"When the weather is cold, as long as you smell the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes on the street, you want to buy one and hold it in your hand, and that kind of warmth can dispel the fatigue of the day." Fang Mingwei, a citizen of the Xichu Manor Community in the city, said.
On the evening of October 15, the reporter saw in the night market of Chu Street in the urban area that Fang Mingwei was shopping with his children, she said with a smile: "The child loves to eat roasted sweet potatoes very much, and he can't walk when he sees the stall. ”
Tang Hua, 55 years old this year, has been roasting sweet potatoes on the streets and alleys for more than ten years, "My hometown is in Caiji Town, Sucheng District, and I moved to the city with my children two years ago. Tang Hua told reporters that he began to set up a stall every autumn, and when he waited until winter, the business was exceptionally good, and he could sell dozens of roasted sweet potatoes every day.
After a while, Tang Hua plans to roast some rock sugar pears and sell them with roasted sweet potatoes. "Today's young people love novelty, but there are some things that will never go out of style, like this roasted sweet potato." Tang Hua said with emotion while skillfully putting the sweet potatoes into the oven.
"For our generation, baked sweet potatoes are not only food, but also a feeling, a memory." Zhang Yulin, a citizen who was tasting roasted sweet potatoes, said that the taste of roasted sweet potatoes on the street is the taste of childhood and the taste of home. Whenever she smells the familiar fragrance, she remembers the warm scene of sharing sweet potatoes with her family when she was a child, and the warmth and sweetness of that warmth and sweetness still make her have an endless aftertaste.
As night falls, the night market on Chu Street gradually comes alive. In front of Tang Hua's roasted sweet potato stall, people stopped from time to time, some were attracted by the tempting fragrance, and some were moved by this simple craftsmanship.