"Xiaolong", the full name of "Xiaolong Steamed Buns", is the Jiangsu and Zhejiang people's collective name for this type of pasta, which can have filling or absence. Regarding the origin of Xiaolong, Shanghai Xiaolong first originated in Nanxiang, and its history can be traced back to nanxiang xiaolong steamed buns in Nanxiang Town, called "Rihuaxuan", which deals in cake dumplings during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, and has a history of 150 years.
Xiaolong is definitely an iconic presence in Shanghai, in addition to the familiar taste, it is also an unchanging old Shanghai feeling. In Shanghai, the small cages we are talking about are basically dough skins that are not fermented, the filling is "soup buns" with soup, the lid of the cage drawer is opened, and the thin skin is tender and tender, steaming cages, simple and delicate, and the worms are immediately hooked. As for the Jianghu faction of Xiaolong, although it is a collective name, it has its own characteristics in various parts of Jiangnan, and it is very noisy.
Nanxiang small cage
The saying of the "Nanxiang School" in Shanghai Originated during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, when Huang Mingxian, the owner of the "Rihuaxuan" in Nanxiang Town, improved the large meat buns from the north and turned them into thin-skinned, meat-stuffed small cages with soup juices, and gradually became popular among the people. Nanxiang Xiaolong also uses unleavened flour as a skin, the filling is mostly pork, and crab powder, shrimp meat, etc. will be introduced according to different seasons, most of the Shanghai Xiaolong do not put soy sauce in the filling, the soup is transparent, and the taste is slightly sweet and salty.
Wuxi small cage
In Shanghai, you can also eat Wuxi Xiaolong, which is also considered to be "not a wrongdoer and does not gather". Wuxi xiaolong is said to have been very popular with the Qianlong Emperor at that time, a Wuxi xiaolong dough skin belongs to semi-fermentation, the size is larger than the Shanghai small cage, fully reflects the characteristics of Wuxi people sugar, the soy sauce and sugar in the filling will never be stingy, so the soup is sauce-colored, and many will add ginger to go fishy. Such a "pool of sugar water", the taste is slightly salty and sweet, many northerners are difficult to eat.
Changzhou small cage
The appearance of Changzhou Xiaolong looks more similar to that of Shanghai Xiaolong, and it must be steamed and eaten to be authentic. Changzhou small cage is divided into three types: random number, pair setting and crab. "With the number" is ordinary meat filling; "pair of inlays" is a cage of half crabs, half do not add; "add crabs", that is, a cage can eat crabs, such a pay attention to Changzhou small cages feel that they are worth a lot.