Jinnan cuisine: Xiezhou noodles

Xie Zhou pulled the noodles

Eating habits of Yuncheng people

The people take food as the sky, and the food takes noodles as the first. Because Yuncheng is the origin of traditional farming civilization, the daily diet is basically based on noodles, steamed buns, dumplings, people are able to eat a bowl of steaming noodles every day for the fortunate thing, a day without eating noodles is like not eating for several days, what work is listless. In the Pu opera origami drama "Killing the Dog and Persuading The Wife", the seriously ill mother-in-law asks her daughter-in-law Jiao Shi to make her a bowl of noodles to eat. "And hard and soft, roll out thin and cut wide, aged vinegar to adjust acid, green onions, oil dots, pepper noodles, ginger slices, make me a bowl of bowls." Reflects the characteristics of Yuncheng noodles. The famous Pu opera performance artist Wang Xiulan plays Cao Zhuang's wife Jiao Shi, using an empty bowl to portray the artistic plot of making noodles, tasting noodles and eating noodles into three points, the image is realistic, but the portrait is exquisite, so that the audience under the stage can't help but drool, and the meeting strip is an important position in the daily diet of Yuncheng people.

The legend of Xiezhou ripping noodles

It is said that in the 42nd year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1703), on the ninth day of November, the Kangxi Emperor gave Guan Gong a plaque of "Yi Bing Qiankun". After Qianlong succeeded to the throne, the imperial government approved Yin Liang to build the "Bagua Lou" in the Temple of the Guandi Emperor in Xiezhou, and asked the royal driver to personally visit Xiezhou to participate in the unveiling ceremony of the "Bagua Lou" changing from "Royal Library Building". Qianlong 27 (1756) lunar calendar June 24 is the 1596th birthday of Guan Gong, Qianlong personally led the courtiers and concubines to Xiezhou to preside over the unveiling ceremony and Guan Gong's birthday ceremony to commemorate the event. After the commemoration, the Qianlong Emperor micro-service private visit to Xiezhou Street, just entered the city to see the streets and alleys bustling, saw some people eating lamb steamed buns sweating, some people with chopsticks to pick pasta to eat with relish. Qianlong feasted on the land he managed, a good scene of peace and prosperity, and could not help but feel joy in his heart, looking east and west on the street, unconsciously, it was past noon, and only then did he feel the hunger in his belly. Looking back, there is a small shop at the foot of the West City Gate in Xiezhou, in front of the door supporting a steaming cauldron, only to see a chef in his hand like a beating leather band, the longer and longer, the thinner and thinner, but there is no broken line, after pulling four or five batches in the hand, then down into the pot, and then in a large bowl bowl (extra large bowl, Yuncheng people call the bowl bowl), dig up some lard and onion flowers, put some spices, add some aged vinegar, sprinkle some coriander, with soup, fishing on it, you can see the green in the bowl, white white, green onion flowers, oil dots, suddenly feel the appetite, He ordered a bowl of noodles with each of the entourage, and after a full meal, he felt very enjoyable, and this bowl of noodles left a deep impression on Qianlong.

After returning to the palace, Qianlong was obsessed with the trip to Xiezhou, especially the noodles in Xiezhou, which were endlessly reminiscent and often mentioned. His men sent Wang Wuwa, the chef of the imperial dining room, to Xiezhou to learn the scriptures and learn the technique of making noodles. Wang Wuwa dressed as a civilian to Xiezhou noodle restaurant to work, secretly learn the noodle pulling technology, three or five months later, the noodles, noodles, ingredients, soup and other techniques mastered, Wang Wuwa thought that she was a teacher, she secretly left the Xiezhou noodle restaurant, planning to return to the palace after the show.

On the way back to Beijing, Wang Wuwa was secretly happy in her heart, glad that she had learned the best art, and would definitely be used by the emperor, and she was happy to wake up from the dream several times at the inn at night.

In order to relieve the emperor's feelings of face, he sent someone to report to the emperor in advance, and Qianlong heard of the great joy, so he set up a banquet to entertain the courtiers and share the noodle feast with himself. When Wang Wuwa returned to the palace, the banquet had already been set up in the imperial dining room, only waiting for Wang Wuwa to show her hand and reveal her unique tricks. At this time, the noodles were reconciled, the material was ready, the water in the pot was already steaming, and it began to roll, but the noodles in Wang Wuwa's hands were soft and spongy, and the batch could not be pulled, and the pull was not long, and it was barely able to get down into the pot, and there was no chewing, chewing head, and even breaking into a small knot, and even becoming a paste, causing the emperor to lose face in front of the courtiers. The Qianlong Emperor was furious and sent the imperial cook Wang Wuwa to lay off his job, and specially invited a chef from Xiezhou to guide the mizu, which led to the secret recipe and the true transmission. Originally, Xiezhou noodles should be made of flour and state water milled from local wheat, and when the noodles are made, they must add a little proportion of the pool salt of the Xiezhou salt pond, so that the noodles can be ripped open, elongated, and ribbed. Xiezhou noodles are all thanks to this Xiezhou pond salt as a "lead", in order to pull long, continuous line, chewy, soupy, delicious.

The Xiezhou noodle feast spread throughout the capital at once, and gradually spread throughout the country, and even foreigners from foreign countries praised it. Since then, the Qianlong Emperor has approved Xiezhou to rip noodles as official court tribute noodles, and Xiezhou noodles have become famous all over the world.

Because Xiezhou pulls the noodles slender and continuously, also known as the "line noodles", the noodles sent to the elderly to wish for their birthdays are called "shou noodles"; the women's confinement is called "birthday noodles" when they give birth to confinement, accompanied by eggs and chicken soup; the noodles sent by the married and betrothed men to the women's homes are called "happy noodles"; the noodles that return from home or the distant guests enter the boiling noodles plus two "poached eggs" for hospitality, which is called "Taiping Shengshi Noodles", also known as "Taiping Noodles" and "Peaceful Noodles". Yuncheng customs also have to send relatives out or back to "get on the car dumplings, get off the noodles", which means peace.

Excerpt from Zhao Bo's "Xiezhou Ripping Noodles"