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Feasting on tales of city's historic snacks
By Wu Huixin |
June 20, 2013, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FOOD documentary series "A Bite of China" was a smash-hit, thanks to its focus on local dishes from around the country, including Hangzhou's signature dish, West Lake Vinegar Fish.
A second season is currently being filmed, and expected to be broadcast at next year's Spring Festival.
Many Hangzhou natives hope the series will cover more local dishes to publicize the city's rich food culture. And in an effort to entice program makers back, local foodies have listed a dozen must-try Hangzhou snacks on China's largest review website www.dianping.com.
To many Hangzhou locals, the snacks sold at roadside food stalls epitomize the city's true delicacies, by virtue of the simplest food ingredients and cooking techniques.
High-end restaurants are won over by these humble favorites too, serving versions on their menus.
Here, Shanghai Daily recommends four Hangzhou snacks, and tells the fascinating stories behind them.
Ding sheng gao(定胜糕)
This pink cake is made of glutinous al dente fragrant rice powder wrapped around sweetened bean paste. As the Chinese name literally means "certain victory," it's often eaten to bring luck.
Ding sheng gao first appeared during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) and, along with a legend about Yue Fei, a famous general of the dynasty.
Yue was engaged in fighting invaders from the Jurchen-ruled Jin Dynasty in northern China, which had displaced the Song to present-day Hangzhou, which they made their capital.
To boost morale, Hangzhou people made batches of cakes, on which "定胜" were written to send to Yue's army.
Under Yue's command and with the residents' encouragement, the Song troops returned in triumph, which in turn saw the fame of ding sheng gao soar.
The cake has survived through the centuries since, and although it no longer has Chinese characters written on it, many residents believe that eating ding sheng gao before exams can bring good luck.
Numerous shops in Hangzhou's lanes and thoroughfares sell this pink cake, but many locals consider the one sold on Hefang Street is most authentic. Every day, streams of tourists and locals are attracted by this yummy and auspicious cake.
Cong bao hui(葱包烩)
This deep-fried thin pancake wrapped around scallion is also related to General Yue Fei. Cong bao means a wrap with scallion, while hui refers to Qin Hui, widely regarded as a notorious traitor.
Though Yue and his army - helped by their ding sheng gao - defeated the invaders, the renowned general was later executed on the orders of chancellor Qin.
Many historians have described the killing of the patriotic and loyal general was one of the most infamous acts by a government minister in the history of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
Yue's death stirred Hangzhou and residents vented their hatred by making paste into a shape resembling Qin and then frying it.
Soon, the crispy and flat deep-fried shallot pancake became popular with citizens.
Today, cong bao hui still makes a frequent appearance on Hangzhou's lanes and streets. Vendors paste it with sweet or spicy sauce, and fry it over a simple coal stove.
According to reviews on the dianping website, the street vendor opposite Gaoyin Street Primary School serves the most delicate cong bao hui.
Pian'er chuan (片儿川)
Pian'er chuan is a dish of noodles with fried pork, bamboo shoots and preserved vegetables. The most popular noodle variety among locals, it symbolizes Hangzhou's noodle culture.
This cheap meal featuring the refreshing taste of preserved vegetables and sliced bamboo shoots was created by Kuiyuanguan Restaurant, which was established in 1867 and still exists today.
At the time, candidates from other cities of Zhejiang Province would gather in Hangzhou for the imperial examination.
The restaurant created the dish in order to cater for people from different areas converging for the exam.
Every day, hundreds of diners come to Kuiyuanguan Restaurant for a taste of the old and original flavor of pian'er chuan.
Suo yi bing(蓑衣饼)
Renowned as a traditional Hangzhou dim sum today, suo yi bing actually originated in Anhui Province, dating back to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (AD 907-979) period, and was originally called su you bing (酥油饼).
At the time, Zhao Kuangyin, a military official with the Houzhou Kingdom, was involved in a war and local people made this snack to support Zhao's army. After Zhao became the first emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), he always ordered chefs to make this snack.
After the royal family retreated to southern China and settled in Hangzhou, the snack became popular among Hangzhou folks. In time, the name altered to suo yi bing - reflecting the pronunciation in Hangzhou dialect.
It was also a favorite snack of celebrated literary figure Su Dongpo, when he lived in Hangzhou during a tenure of office.
Nowadays, the cone-shaped crispy and slightly sweet snack is known as the "Wushan No. 1 dim sum." Wushan is a hill located in the southeast of Hangzhou and stores selling the dim sum were initially mostly around it.
Today, a number of food stalls at the foot of Wu Hill still sell this historic snack.
A second season is currently being filmed, and expected to be broadcast at next year's Spring Festival.
Many Hangzhou natives hope the series will cover more local dishes to publicize the city's rich food culture. And in an effort to entice program makers back, local foodies have listed a dozen must-try Hangzhou snacks on China's largest review website www.dianping.com.
To many Hangzhou locals, the snacks sold at roadside food stalls epitomize the city's true delicacies, by virtue of the simplest food ingredients and cooking techniques.
High-end restaurants are won over by these humble favorites too, serving versions on their menus.
Here, Shanghai Daily recommends four Hangzhou snacks, and tells the fascinating stories behind them.
Ding sheng gao(定胜糕)
This pink cake is made of glutinous al dente fragrant rice powder wrapped around sweetened bean paste. As the Chinese name literally means "certain victory," it's often eaten to bring luck.
Ding sheng gao first appeared during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) and, along with a legend about Yue Fei, a famous general of the dynasty.
Yue was engaged in fighting invaders from the Jurchen-ruled Jin Dynasty in northern China, which had displaced the Song to present-day Hangzhou, which they made their capital.
To boost morale, Hangzhou people made batches of cakes, on which "定胜" were written to send to Yue's army.
Under Yue's command and with the residents' encouragement, the Song troops returned in triumph, which in turn saw the fame of ding sheng gao soar.
The cake has survived through the centuries since, and although it no longer has Chinese characters written on it, many residents believe that eating ding sheng gao before exams can bring good luck.
Numerous shops in Hangzhou's lanes and thoroughfares sell this pink cake, but many locals consider the one sold on Hefang Street is most authentic. Every day, streams of tourists and locals are attracted by this yummy and auspicious cake.
Cong bao hui(葱包烩)
This deep-fried thin pancake wrapped around scallion is also related to General Yue Fei. Cong bao means a wrap with scallion, while hui refers to Qin Hui, widely regarded as a notorious traitor.
Though Yue and his army - helped by their ding sheng gao - defeated the invaders, the renowned general was later executed on the orders of chancellor Qin.
Many historians have described the killing of the patriotic and loyal general was one of the most infamous acts by a government minister in the history of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
Yue's death stirred Hangzhou and residents vented their hatred by making paste into a shape resembling Qin and then frying it.
Soon, the crispy and flat deep-fried shallot pancake became popular with citizens.
Today, cong bao hui still makes a frequent appearance on Hangzhou's lanes and streets. Vendors paste it with sweet or spicy sauce, and fry it over a simple coal stove.
According to reviews on the dianping website, the street vendor opposite Gaoyin Street Primary School serves the most delicate cong bao hui.
Pian'er chuan (片儿川)
Pian'er chuan is a dish of noodles with fried pork, bamboo shoots and preserved vegetables. The most popular noodle variety among locals, it symbolizes Hangzhou's noodle culture.
This cheap meal featuring the refreshing taste of preserved vegetables and sliced bamboo shoots was created by Kuiyuanguan Restaurant, which was established in 1867 and still exists today.
At the time, candidates from other cities of Zhejiang Province would gather in Hangzhou for the imperial examination.
The restaurant created the dish in order to cater for people from different areas converging for the exam.
Every day, hundreds of diners come to Kuiyuanguan Restaurant for a taste of the old and original flavor of pian'er chuan.
Suo yi bing(蓑衣饼)
Renowned as a traditional Hangzhou dim sum today, suo yi bing actually originated in Anhui Province, dating back to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (AD 907-979) period, and was originally called su you bing (酥油饼).
At the time, Zhao Kuangyin, a military official with the Houzhou Kingdom, was involved in a war and local people made this snack to support Zhao's army. After Zhao became the first emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), he always ordered chefs to make this snack.
After the royal family retreated to southern China and settled in Hangzhou, the snack became popular among Hangzhou folks. In time, the name altered to suo yi bing - reflecting the pronunciation in Hangzhou dialect.
It was also a favorite snack of celebrated literary figure Su Dongpo, when he lived in Hangzhou during a tenure of office.
Nowadays, the cone-shaped crispy and slightly sweet snack is known as the "Wushan No. 1 dim sum." Wushan is a hill located in the southeast of Hangzhou and stores selling the dim sum were initially mostly around it.
Today, a number of food stalls at the foot of Wu Hill still sell this historic snack.
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