When it comes to Xi'an, Shaanxi, the most representative special snack is "lamb steamed bun".
There are Huimin shops and Hanmin shops for lamb steamed buns, but Hui compatriots have a deeper understanding of beef and mutton, coupled with the rendering of national brands, which are often more recognized by many diners.
Most of the old eaters who come to eat lamb steamed bun prefer to go to the "Muslim shop", so most of the "steamed bun restaurants" you see now are halal.
Of course, it is not that the "Hui shop" steamed bun must be delicious, in fact, in the local area, there are also Hanmin steamed steamed steamed
Today we want to talk about this last one - gourd head steamed bun, which is also a local snack in Xi'an.
Locals like to refer to the "gourd head", but the ingredients can have nothing to do with the gourd, it refers to the "pig intestine", it is said to be because the connection between the large intestine and the small intestine of the pig, after cooking, the size is reduced, resembling a gourd and named.
It is also said that when the medicine king Sun Simiao ate "fried white intestines", he used traditional Chinese medicine to guide the store to "go fishy", and the latter hung a gourd at the door in order to thank him for his kindness, which was later named "gourd head bubble bun" by diners.
Of course, there is no way to verify who is true and who is false, but a bowl of authentic "gourd head steamed buns", as a hegemon in the Xi'an bubble steamed bun industry, the taste is naturally beyond doubt.
Although there are pig intestines, but the soup is not boiled out of the large intestine, the use of pig bones boiled, the ingredients are vermicelli, pig intestines, pork belly, chicken, pork belly slices, etc., very rich, if it is "seafood", there will also be sea cucumbers, squid and other ingredients.
To put it bluntly, it can also be called "fat intestine steamed bun".
The trouble with "gourd head steamed buns" is that in the treatment of pork belly and pig intestines, even after several times of cleaning, for many friends who are not accustomed to eating pig intestines, it is still very difficult to accept psychologically.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > Xi'an version of "Beijing brine"</h1>
In the "bubble steamed bun world", the taste is relatively heavy, and many foreign friends who come to Xi'an are often rejected by its "pig fat intestine", and even ridicule it as "Xi'an version of Beijing brine".
But on closer inspection, although the two have similarities, they are very different in the end.
For example, the "pig lung" in the brine is absolutely absent in the steamed bun, and in addition, the ingredients of the steamed bun are rich in variety, and the ingredients are more exquisite, and the taste of the cooking is naturally very different.
In fact, in a strict sense, gourd head steamed bun should not be called bubble, it should be called "bubble", that is, the broken bun and pork belly, pork intestines, vermicelli and other ingredients are placed in the bowl, and then repeatedly poured with hot soup to heat the steamed bun into the taste.
Even if there is a pot "boiled", because the steamed bun is half a hair noodle, the original chewiness is poor, direct cooking is easier to become a paste, so when the soup in the pot, it is also used in a small heat.
But more often, the first "risk" method is used.
When the locals eat "gourd head steamed buns", they also have to accompany a "pork belly", which is a kind of bacon made of pork and pigs.
In the early years, butchers would pack meat in wooden boxes, and when peddling along the street, they would use a small pole to knock out a sound, reminding the neighbors that the meat seller was coming, and after a long time, they dropped the name of "meat".
Like most bacon in the north, in addition to the strong smoky taste, the taste of the meat is salty, and must be eaten hot to taste good, for the relatively light taste of the "gourd head steamed bun", is a very suitable partner.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > - light fat said -</h1>
I personally prefer the "pork version" of the gourd-headed steamed bun to the traditional lamb steamed bun.
Because it is not like beef and mutton, the smell will stay in the mouth, and the most important thing is "cost-effective", because pork is cheaper than beef and mutton, and the same price can eat more meat.
As for whether it is good or not, it is natural that the benevolent see the benevolent and the wise see the wise.
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