Dahe Network News (reporter Liu Yang) The Grand Canal is a heritage of flow, when the canal flows through Huaxian County, the developed caoyun has created a prosperous Daokou ancient town, and the Daokou roast chicken is a household name.
As a famous local specialty food in China, Daokou roast chicken has a history and culture of more than 300 years. When it comes to Daokou roast chicken, there is always no way around a brand - "Yixing Zhang". On October 22, the reporter of Dahe Network accompanied by the "Walking the Grand Canal" network media interview group came to Daokou Ancient Town, and met Zhang Cunyou, the eighth generation of "Yixing Zhang" roast chicken and the representative inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Henan Province, at the chicken old shop in the southeast corner of cross street in Daokou Ancient Town.
The origin of the "Yixing Zhang" Daokou roast chicken can be traced back to the Qing Shunzhi period, and the descendants of the Zhang surname have passed on this skill from generation to generation, inheriting and carrying forward this skill. "For as long as I can remember, my grandfather has taken me into my own roast chicken workshop every day, and it has been 60 years since I started making roast chicken at the age of 16." Zhang Cunyou said that their family's roast chicken, cutting, cooking, and heat are exquisite, the chicken has to be cooked for three hours, this time requirements are very strict, from the time he operated the roast chicken, decades have been doing this.
Zhang Cunyou also told reporters that in the middle, in order to protect traditional skills and gain a firm foothold, he innovated the original ingredients, and increased the ancestral eight flavor ingredients to 15 kinds according to the eating habits and tastes of modern people, with better taste and more stable quality.
"Now we have more than 30 kinds of products, opened 16 stores in Daokou, 168 chain stores in the province, and also entered overseas markets." Zhang Cunyou introduced that according to the trend of diversified market demand for roast chicken, he developed and launched chicken wings, chicken gizzards, chicken feet, chicken breasts, chicken legs and other small package segmentation products. In addition, chicken is also used as the main ingredient to create a whole chicken feast and a hundred chicken feast, so that roast chicken and catering are organically combined.
When it comes to the canal, Zhang Cunyou also has quite a feeling. "Previously, the crossing was particularly lively and bustling, with many ships coming and going, but in 1907, the Daoqing Railway was opened to traffic, and it became a 'water and drought dock' connecting railways, roads and shipping." Zhang Cunyou said that it is these advantages that make the Daokou roast chicken "fire". "When I was young, I used to carry a basket to the river to sell roast chicken, and many people bought it."
Nowadays, Zhang Cunyou also hopes that by promoting the "Yixing Zhang" culture and the Daokou roast chicken culture, more people can understand the ancient town of Daokou and understand the Grand Canal.