The newly elevated spring takes place
When it comes to the cuisine of the South Courtyard Gate of Xi'an's bustling place, the first thing to say is the Spring Gourd Head Steamed Bun Restaurant. Because the gourd head steamed bun is a famous and excellent cuisine with unique flavor in Xi'an and affecting the north and south of the river, and the "spring occurrence" gourd head steamed bun in the South Courtyard Gate is definitely a first-class authentic old-fashioned brand in Xi'an.
First of all, the name is absolutely loud, and there is a tendency to take the lead, so that you can immediately connect with the poem Saint Du Fu and his "Spring Night Happy Rain". Among them, "good rain knows the season, when spring is happening", and the three words derived from "spring happen" are poetic and rich, timeless and fresh, making people unforgettable when they smell it.
The Xi'an Chronicle • Food, edited in August 1996, records: "Chunsheng Hotel, located at No. 19 South Courtyard Gate, was founded in the early 1920s. The business area is 400 square meters, and there are 84 employees, including 6 chefs of level 3 or above. Mainly engaged in gourd head steamed buns, it is famous for its fine selection of ingredients, tender soups and tender meat, and full of aroma. In addition to a series of gourd head steamed buns such as seafood, seasonal freshness, shrimp, chicken slices, and large meat, the 'Five Elements Dish' with therapeutic effect has been developed, which is highly praised by customers. ”
In August 2000, Mr. Chen Zhongzhong, who served as vice chairman of the China Writers Association and chairman of the Shaanxi Writers Association, wrote a couplet for "Spring Occurrence": "Two thousand centuries alternated spring to spring and spring, and it is difficult to change the original gourd head in the past eighty years." Let's go back a thousand years.
The historical origin of the gourd head in spring also involves the medicine king Sun Simiao. Legend has it that in the Tang Dynasty, the capital city of Chang'an already had a snack called "fried white intestine". At that time, the medicine king Sun Simiao was summoned to the Taiji Palace by Tang Taizong to treat the disease of empress Dowager Changsun," and once when he visited Chang'an East City, he tasted a "fried white intestine", but felt that its taste was fishy and smelly, so he took out several flavors of incense-removing medicines such as Xi Daxiang, Shangyuan Gui, and Hanyin pepper from the medicine gourd, and taught the store how to use it. As a result, the general "fried white intestines" turned into a grinning food overflowing Chang'an Neighborhood. Sun Simiao praised him after coming to taste it for the second time, and also gave his own medicine gourd to the owner. The shopkeeper honored the medicine king as a "great doctor of cangsheng" who "healed the world", and thanked the medicine king for his guidance and the grace of support, so he hung the medicine gourd symbolizing the identity of the medicine king at the head of the door. The gourd harmonic sound "Fluke" means auspicious. The shopkeeper also has the wisdom to open the hole, coupled with the so-called "fried white intestine", the choice is the fat intestine at the junction of the large intestine and the small intestine of the pig, because it shrinks like a gourd head after cooking, and the "fried white intestine" is renamed "gourd head", which is both allusion and because of the image. As a result, "Hulutou" became famous for a time and caused a sensation in the capital Chang'an.
Of course, the legend of letting the gourd head bubble bun go back to the Tang Dynasty and hang up the signboard of the medicine king Sun Simiao can be said: it is very well made, it is not very outrageous, and it is not harmful. Therefore, the author also agrees with it. And there are a lot of related legends, it is a bit reluctant to move hard!
The real "spring occurrence" historical origin is still very clear, and it has now reached a hundred years.
The predecessor of "Spring Occurrence Gourd Head" is the name of gourd head. It happened in the 20th century in 1920, a Guanzhong young man with the surname He and the name Leyi, who carried a burden in the south courtyard gate and Wuwei Shizi area of Xi'an's bustling place, walking through the streets and alleys, rain or shine. Because the gourd head sold by He Le Charity is finely selected, exquisitely made and uniquely seasoned, it has a good reputation in this area.
Then, more than a year later, he opened a shop in Wuwei Shizi on the west side of the South Courtyard Gate, hung up the sign of He Ji Hulutou, and began to operate it regularly, and the business gradually flourished. Then, Chen Shufan, the overseer of Shaanxi Province, famously visited his small shop, tasted the gourd head he made, and ate "three heads and one breast" (gourd head, belly head, intestine head, and breast meat). Eating Chen Overseer's lips and teeth were fragrant, he cried out in a desperate voice. At once, the fame of He Ji Hulutou was greatly shocked, and everyone in Xi'an City was unaware.
As a result, the "He Ji Gourd Head" business soon became bigger, and by the mid-1920s, He Ji Gourd Head and Wang Ji Sheep Blood were merged into one store in the South Courtyard Gate, the business scope expanded, the variety increased, "He Ji" was like a tiger, and the business was more prosperous. At the same time, the self-satisfied boss He Leyi expanded his small shop with only two rooms to five stores, and replaced the shotgun with a cannon.
At that time, the He Ji Hulutou Shop, as soon as it opened, it ate the door of ying, and by noontime, the shop was already noisy and full.
The popularity is exuberant, but also attracted a lot of literati rioters, celebrities from all walks of life patronize, some of which suggested that Boss He, change the name of the store to "Spring Occurrence", borrow the famous sentence "Good rain knows the season, when spring is happening", to create a momentum for it.
Boss He, who was overjoyed, naturally promised, and since then, the name of "Spring Gourd Head" was born, and it has become more and more vibrant, and spring will always stay and be passed down to this day.
I remember that in our children's song, there was: "The gourd head at the south courtyard gate is full of saliva." Spring happens with a bowl, and each one is more energetic, just like the dragon on February 2. "Spring happens" coincides with "the dragon looks up", and the song here is really a bit level.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Northeast Army suffered from gastrointestinal diseases due to the insubordination of officers and men. Recommended by people who understand dietary therapy, let patients eat gourd heads that occur in spring, what to say: what to eat, eat the gourd head of the large intestine can supplement the stomach and intestines. Who knew that once they ate it, they really had a good experience, and the officers and soldiers who suffered from gastrointestinal diseases were actually cured one by one. The "gourd head" that occurs in Zhichun has the effect of replenishing the qi and nourishing the body. Later, Zhang Xueliang personally ordered that the spring gourd head be designated as the sick meal of the Northeast Army.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the "gourd head in the spring" once again became popular, with excellent quality and affordable, and the business was particularly good. As a local famous snack, "Gourd Head Steamed Bun" has become the first choice for our provincial and municipal leaders and social organizations to entertain visitors from other places.
In the 1950s, after the public-private partnership, the "Chunsheng Hotel" was moved to the former site of the Xi'an Children's Home in the south of the middle section of Nanyuanmen Main Street, and in the early 1960s, it was moved to the former site of the old Fengxiang Jindian, which is now the Chunsheng Hulutou Steamed Bun House. The business area is more than 100 square meters. It was open all day, but it was still difficult to meet the needs of the masses, and it was often full of seats. Around the 1960s, "Spring Occurrence Gourd Head" needed to be supplied with a ticket, and people who passed by the South Courtyard Gate could only enter the "Spring Occurrence" store door. If you are lucky enough to get a meal ticket, most of them also choose to buy a bowl to bring home with some tofu cabbage and make it into a big pot for a large family to share.
A classmate of mine told me that in the 1950s and 1960s, there seemed to be a steaming iron pot at the entrance of the Chunsheng Restaurant, and a four-edged wooden stick was attached to the large iron pot, on which hung a shiny light gourd big fat chicken, which was particularly eye-catching. This is to tell customers that there is chicken soup in the soup of gourd head steamed buns. In those years and months, many restaurants had large fat chickens in the soup pots, such as a door selling chicken shredded ravioli in the west of the Ping An Market. I remember an old chef telling me that chicken soup is the freshest, and the stir-fry stew relies on chicken soup to enhance the flavor!
Interior view of the New Year
The first time I entered the "Spring Occurrence" gourd head steamed bun shop was at the end of 1965 in the 20th century. At that time, I went to secondary school and worked in the Bell Tower Food Store. The school I went to was part-time and half-time, and I had to pay 15 yuan a month. Deducted 8 yuan for food, the remaining 7 yuan. So, I went to "Spring Occurrence" for a full meal and solved the idea of "Spring Happening" gourd head steamed bun for more than three years.
This thought stemmed from the fact that when I was in junior high school, I ate Zhang San's pork once, and it felt very beautiful! When eating, I couldn't help but marvel, and there was a novel of mine next to it: "You may not know, in addition to Zhang San's pork, there are also gourd heads that 'spring happen', which are even more delicious, and they are all specially made out of the intestine!" This moment aroused the thought of a bowl of "spring happening" gourd heads. But in those years, first, the family was not rich, and the poor student baby when he was in junior high school had no money. The second is to eat the "spring occurrence" gourd head to be supplied with a ticket, and my family has never received such a ticket.
Since the 1970s and 1980s during the reform and opening up, "Spring Occurrence" has undergone many renovations and renovations, and has gradually become a modern medium-sized hotel with a simple and elegant appearance and a spacious and bright restaurant. In 1983, I returned to Xi'an from Tongchuan and had the opportunity to go to "Spring Occurrence" to eat gourd head once. At that time, I was the head of the drama and literature group and the editor-in-chief of Tongchuan Literature and Art at the Tongchuan City Center Cultural Center. He came to Xi'an to prepare to participate in the Third Member Congress of the Shaanxi Provincial Writers Association, which was also the first Meeting of the Writers Association held after the "Cultural Revolution". I took the time to go to the Xi'an Literary Association "Chang'an" Literary Magazine in Jiaochang Lane to visit Gu and Shang Ziyong, and at lunch, the two of them invited me to dinner, called Jia Pingwo, and a group of four of us walked to the South Courtyard Gate spring to eat gourd head steamed buns. In the spring, there were many people and people, so Jia Pingwa and I went to occupy the stool, Shang Ziyong went to buy wine and vegetables, and Gu went to invoice for gourd head steamed buns. It was wine and vegetables that day, and a table was set. Once again it made me over a gluttonous addiction. At that time, the three of them were full of praise for the "spring occurrence" gourd head, and remembered that Hegu said: "When you get to Xi'an, you must take the gourd head of the 'spring happening', otherwise, it is equivalent to not coming." "Looking back on that year and month, the cultural people interacted, the innocence was a mess, and the hospitality of several of them at that time, to this day, when I think about it carefully, still makes me moved."
In 1998, the "Chunsheng Hotel" underwent a major expansion on the original site, and the business area increased to more than 1120 square meters, which can accommodate more than 500 people at the same time. In 1997, "Hulutou Steamed Bun" was awarded the title of "Chinese Famous Snack" by the China Cuisine Association, and the State Administration of Trade awarded China the title of "Famous Dish". In August 2010, Chun occurred and was recognized as "China Time-honored Brand" by the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China. And won the 2018 15th China China Time-honored Boutique Expo "Gold Award" product title.
The gourd head that occurs in spring has the saying of "three absolutes":
The first must: wash the intestines and leave a fragrance to dispel abnormalities. The main raw material for making gourd head steamed bun is pork intestine belly, and the quality of intestinal cleaning is related to the quality of the entire steamed bun. Spring occurs in the cleaning of the intestines has a long history, the method is unique, to go through the rinse, pinch, scrape, turn, pick, turn back, drift, boil, dry and other more than a dozen processes, and in the process of cleaning the intestines, according to a certain proportion, with salt, vinegar and other substances to remove the fishy smell. In this way, the washed intestines are white and crystal clear, fishy and odorless, and after cooking, there is a special aroma, which is smooth and tender to eat, and the mouth is rotten.
The second best: the soup is strong. The key to the quality of gourd head steamed buns is in the soup, Mr. He Leyi, the founder of "Spring Occurrence", he selects the material carefully, the soup is fine, every morning he will put pig bones, chicken, duck and other materials into the pot in a certain proportion, boil the soup and put it into the barrel, sell rice in the afternoon stall, add the soup in the bucket to the rice pot one by one, the soup is not sold after the stall is finished, even after the development of the shop, its practice is still the same, never add water, so the soup of the gourd head in the spring has the characteristics of strong flavor, fresh soup and white color, and the winter drips on the ground immediately into ice. For decades, chun occurring restaurants in the boiling soup ingredients in strict accordance with the traditional soup making techniques: single pot boiling soup, quantitative feeding, a soup, no longer add water, and on the basis of the original ingredients to increase beef bones, fresh meat, so that the soup that occurs in spring is a must.
Third absolute: the penetration of the steamed bun is even. The formation of gourd head steamed buns, the key is in the chef's final processing method "泖", which is an ancient traditional craft in cooking techniques, "泖馍" looks very simple, in fact, a bowl of gourd head is ultimately good or bad all in this "singing", a good chef can skillfully use the technique of spinning, turning, and beating, so that the bun is all soaked, the bun is smooth and soft without hardness, the spices penetrate evenly, the layers are clear, the shape is beautiful, and the customer will taste fragrant and fragrant after eating, and the aftertaste is endless.
On the basis of the "gourd head steamed bun", the Spring Occurrence Hotel has further developed and developed the "Five Elements Dish" according to the traditional theory of intestinal gold, liver wood, heart fire, belly soil and dirty nourishment.
Speaking of the five elements, which are associated with the five flavors of sour, sweet, spicy, spicy and salty, the famous chef master of "Spring Occurrence Hotel" ,...... Using cooking processes such as stir-frying, frying, burning, boiling, hanging juice, etc., it truly achieves good color, aroma, taste, meaning, shape and nutrition, and is a rare tonic delicious product. Dozens of varieties have been developed, such as: fried large intestine, pretzel large intestine, spicy heart slices, warm mixed waist flowers, hot belly kernels, onion fried liver tip, intestinal ginseng immortal (immortal), intestinal serrain (often acacia), bamboo intestine (rising and rising) and many other famous dishes, with profound meaning and rich cultural connotations. Such as the unique shape of chrysanthemum fat intestines, chicken minced intestine slices, lychee intestines, etc., can be described as a dish, a shape, a hundred dishes, a unique style, coupled with a unique food supplement function, deeply loved by customers.
The "Five Elements Dish" in Spring has also been rated as a high-quality dish by the Xi'an Catering Association, and has won gold awards at the National Food Festivals in Shanghai and Zhengzhou. Chunsheng Hotel also developed and launched the "Five Elements Ancient Rhyme Banquet" and "Five Elements Competition banquet", which were awarded the "Special Gold Award" at the first East-West International Food Expo in 2004, and the "China Famous Banquet" at the second East-West International Food Expo in 2006.
Tao Hu drawing
After a hundred years of wind and rain, the "Spring Occurrence Gourd Head" can be famous and the spring color will always stay, which is closely related to the traditional cooking process of the hotel always adhering to the fine workmanship, as well as strict control in all aspects of sausage washing, boiling soup, steaming and so on. That's why the "gourd head steamed bun" in spring has always maintained its unique flavor and is still famous today.
South Courtyard Gate Tao Hu painted
This article is published with the authorization of Mr. Zhu Wenjie