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Lip-smacking snacks part of a rich tradition
March 19, 2009, Thursday
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CAT'S Ear that delighted an emperor, noodles that fed students and crispy cakes that helped a general win a war - these are some of the traditional snack foods that Hangzhou has become famous for. Tan Weiyun looks over a menu.
Wonton soup, xiaolongbao (small steamed buns), noodles, lip-smacking desserts and signature dim sums such as sanxian shaomai (steamed buns filled with pork, shrimp and eggs). Hangzhou's snacks, just like the city's scenic beauty, are a great lure for tourists.
Yummy-yummy Cat's Ear, flour-made dough that looks like a cat's ear, mixed with chicken shreds, ham, mushrooms and bamboo shoots in spiced soup, is one of symbol snacks of the city.
Northern people like wheat-based foods while the southern people prefer rice. The Cat's Ear was originally from the northern part of the country during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). After some adaptation, this snack, a perfect mixture of the northern and southern cuisines, has become a favorite for Hangzhou people.
There is also a story behind this traditional snack. Legend said during an incognito journey of the Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to Hangzhou, a sudden cloudburst drenched him on a boat in the West Lake and the emperor was cold and hungry. He asked the boatman for something to eat. The boatman's little granddaughter cleverly twisted dough into small slices and shaped it like cat's ears. Boiled in the pot for a few minutes and sprinkled with a sauce of fish and shrimps as seasoning, the snack received the thumbs-up from the hungry emperor.
After Qianlong went back to the Forbidden City, he summoned the girl to Beijing to cook the "Cat's Ear" for him, thus making it a famous snack of Hangzhou.
Maybe because the local delicacy has something to do with the supreme emperor, cooks are fastidious about selecting the ingredients - diced ham, chicken meat, mushrooms, dried scallops, sliced bamboo shoots and soup stock that has been simmered for many hours on the stove.
Some say the Cat's Ear is very much like Italian macaroni (shaped like a seashell). It is said Marco Polo learned this cooking skill during his trip to China and introduced it when he returned to Italy.
Pian'er chuan noodles is another Hangzhou signature snack you shouldn't miss. Made with spiced soup, lean pork, bamboo shoots and xue cai (preserved vegetable), the simple Pian'er chuan is a popular, grass-roots dish in Hangzhou.
It is the specialty of a century-old, time-honored restaurant Kui Yuan Guan, which invented the noodles more than 100 years ago, when the then small bistro created this dish for the poor students who passed through the city to take part in the national imperial examination held every three years in Beijing.
Congbao Gui'er, or shallot fried pancake, might be the most dramatic snack in Hangzhou. During the Southern Song Dynasty, the national hero Yue Fei, a patriot and military general who fought for the dynasty against the Jurchen armies, was framed and killed by a court official Qin Gui.
Angry citizens then invented the snack, which was wrapped with rice paper, stuffed with shallots and fried bread, to show their indignation. The fried bread inside was a metaphor for the notorious Qin.
Then snack became popular among the citizens and today it is one of the most famous Hangzhou snacks.
Baked until it turns gold in the pan, Congbao Gui'er is usually dipped in sweet or spicy sauces before eating.
Wushan Hill Cake, a popular snack often seen on the Hangzhou's streets, is a crisp cake, fried golden and sprayed with sugar on top - it is oily, but not greasy.
The crispy cake has a long history that can be traced back more than 1,000 years (the last stages of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 907-979 AD).
General Zhao Kuangyin during the Southern Tang (937-975) were warring in Shouxian County of Anhui Province, and the local common folk prepared the crispy cakes with chestnut flour in support of Zhao's troops. Later on, Zhao became the emperor and he often ordered his imperial chefs to cook the cakes.
During the Southern Song Dynasty, this cake was brought to Lin'an (now Hangzhou) when the capital moved there. It soon became a popular snack right from the royal family down to the common people.
Zhi Wei Guan
The restaurant proudly claims a history of 100 years, featuring authentic local dishes and snacks. This include its award-winning dish Zuiji, or chicken preserved in alcohol in a small jar, Cat's Ear, the lotus root with sweet glutinous rice and many others.
Address: 83 Renhe Road.
Tel: (0571) 8706-5871, (0571) 8701-0499
Address: 10-12 Yanggong Causeway
Tel: (0571) 8797-0568, (0571) 8797-1913
Kui Yuan Guan
This noodle restaurant with a history of more than 140 years dishes out various local noodles, including the Pian'er chuan.
Address: 154 Jiefang Road
Tel: (0571) 8702-8626
Wonton soup, xiaolongbao (small steamed buns), noodles, lip-smacking desserts and signature dim sums such as sanxian shaomai (steamed buns filled with pork, shrimp and eggs). Hangzhou's snacks, just like the city's scenic beauty, are a great lure for tourists.
Yummy-yummy Cat's Ear, flour-made dough that looks like a cat's ear, mixed with chicken shreds, ham, mushrooms and bamboo shoots in spiced soup, is one of symbol snacks of the city.
Northern people like wheat-based foods while the southern people prefer rice. The Cat's Ear was originally from the northern part of the country during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). After some adaptation, this snack, a perfect mixture of the northern and southern cuisines, has become a favorite for Hangzhou people.
There is also a story behind this traditional snack. Legend said during an incognito journey of the Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to Hangzhou, a sudden cloudburst drenched him on a boat in the West Lake and the emperor was cold and hungry. He asked the boatman for something to eat. The boatman's little granddaughter cleverly twisted dough into small slices and shaped it like cat's ears. Boiled in the pot for a few minutes and sprinkled with a sauce of fish and shrimps as seasoning, the snack received the thumbs-up from the hungry emperor.
After Qianlong went back to the Forbidden City, he summoned the girl to Beijing to cook the "Cat's Ear" for him, thus making it a famous snack of Hangzhou.
Maybe because the local delicacy has something to do with the supreme emperor, cooks are fastidious about selecting the ingredients - diced ham, chicken meat, mushrooms, dried scallops, sliced bamboo shoots and soup stock that has been simmered for many hours on the stove.
Some say the Cat's Ear is very much like Italian macaroni (shaped like a seashell). It is said Marco Polo learned this cooking skill during his trip to China and introduced it when he returned to Italy.
Pian'er chuan noodles is another Hangzhou signature snack you shouldn't miss. Made with spiced soup, lean pork, bamboo shoots and xue cai (preserved vegetable), the simple Pian'er chuan is a popular, grass-roots dish in Hangzhou.
It is the specialty of a century-old, time-honored restaurant Kui Yuan Guan, which invented the noodles more than 100 years ago, when the then small bistro created this dish for the poor students who passed through the city to take part in the national imperial examination held every three years in Beijing.
Congbao Gui'er, or shallot fried pancake, might be the most dramatic snack in Hangzhou. During the Southern Song Dynasty, the national hero Yue Fei, a patriot and military general who fought for the dynasty against the Jurchen armies, was framed and killed by a court official Qin Gui.
Angry citizens then invented the snack, which was wrapped with rice paper, stuffed with shallots and fried bread, to show their indignation. The fried bread inside was a metaphor for the notorious Qin.
Then snack became popular among the citizens and today it is one of the most famous Hangzhou snacks.
Baked until it turns gold in the pan, Congbao Gui'er is usually dipped in sweet or spicy sauces before eating.
Wushan Hill Cake, a popular snack often seen on the Hangzhou's streets, is a crisp cake, fried golden and sprayed with sugar on top - it is oily, but not greasy.
The crispy cake has a long history that can be traced back more than 1,000 years (the last stages of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 907-979 AD).
General Zhao Kuangyin during the Southern Tang (937-975) were warring in Shouxian County of Anhui Province, and the local common folk prepared the crispy cakes with chestnut flour in support of Zhao's troops. Later on, Zhao became the emperor and he often ordered his imperial chefs to cook the cakes.
During the Southern Song Dynasty, this cake was brought to Lin'an (now Hangzhou) when the capital moved there. It soon became a popular snack right from the royal family down to the common people.
Zhi Wei Guan
The restaurant proudly claims a history of 100 years, featuring authentic local dishes and snacks. This include its award-winning dish Zuiji, or chicken preserved in alcohol in a small jar, Cat's Ear, the lotus root with sweet glutinous rice and many others.
Address: 83 Renhe Road.
Tel: (0571) 8706-5871, (0571) 8701-0499
Address: 10-12 Yanggong Causeway
Tel: (0571) 8797-0568, (0571) 8797-1913
Kui Yuan Guan
This noodle restaurant with a history of more than 140 years dishes out various local noodles, including the Pian'er chuan.
Address: 154 Jiefang Road
Tel: (0571) 8702-8626
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