Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, located along the Yangtze River, is an ancient Han and Tang Dynasty county with a history of more than 2,000 years. It is a famous land of fish and rice. Its abundant products and unique regional culture have created Taizhou's rich and colorful food culture.

More than 700 years ago, Marco Polo praised Taizhou when he visited it: "This city is not very big, but it has a lot of earthly happiness."

Taizhou City is an auspicious place where the character and soul of the entire city are wrapped in "water". It has the delicacy and softness of the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River, and the boldness and generosity of the north. Each has its own charm and characteristics. When reflected in the food culture, it appears to be extremely sophisticated:

The pursuit of the original taste, freshness and peace is The biggest feature of Taizhou cuisine.

Taizhou’s unique and splendid food culture has given birth to countless delicacies. Today, I will take you deep into Taizhou and taste a few unique Taizhou delicacies.

Lion Head

Taizhou cuisine belongs to Huaiyang cuisine. When talking about this cuisine, there is one dish that cannot be ignored, and it is the famous lion head.

This dish has a great origin. It is said that Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty passed by Yangzhou when he traveled to the south of the Yangtze River. He was obsessed with the four sceneries of Yangzhou. Later, he ordered the imperial chefs to prepare four dishes based on these four scenes. The imperial chefs racked their brains. Finally, he developed "Sunflower Chopped Meat" (lion's head), a dish that will be passed down to future generations.

There are many ways to make "lion head": braised lion head, braised crab meat, and Yifeng lion head. There are expensive ways to eat, and there are cheap ways to eat. For example, Grandma Zhang Xiaoqin, who lives in Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, has her own unique way of making "Taizhou Lion Head".

Pork belly, which is 30% fat and 70% lean, is an essential ingredient for making lion head. The yam is chopped into puree and added to bring a dense and moist taste. The outer shell is slightly crispy and the inside is chewy and chewy. It is an authentic Taizhou delicacy.

Dry silk soup

Dry silk soup is a traditional local snack in Yangzhou and Taizhou, Jiangsu Province. It is one of the famous morning tea dishes. Zhu Ziqing once praised its "color and luster" in "Speaking of Yangzhou" Simple and elegant, extremely tender, delicious and timeless. "

The traditional dry shredded soup is exquisitely made and the process is complicated. It is difficult to get started without professional skills: just cutting the dried shredded silk into matchstick thickness is difficult. attracted many people.

Taizhou hot dried shredded silk is also called Taizhou five-flavor dried shredded silk. It mainly has two meanings. One is that in the early days, Taizhou five-flavor dried shreds mainly had five ingredients, namely meat, coriander, pickled mustard, shiitake mushrooms and shredded ginger. The other is that the dried shreds have a unique taste. Later, the name of five-flavor dried shreds has been used to this day.

For Taizhou locals, dried silk soup is an indispensable "necessity of life". Because one of the famous "three major items" of Taizhou morning tea is dried silk soup.

Roasted Pork with Tofu

Roasted Pork with Tofu Skin is a home-cooked dish in Taizhou City. It is not famous, but it firmly occupies the stoves of ordinary people's homes. It is not famous, but it is delicious. No shortage of temperature.

This dish used to be an indispensable dish at local wedding banquets. It combines Taizhou people’s favorite soy products and precious meat. In the past when supplies were not rich, it was very popular to eat. Meat is a happy moment that ordinary people enjoy only once or twice a year.

The finished product of roasted pork with bean curd skin is rich in sauce, bright in color and oily, making people salivate. The sweet aroma of the tofu skin blends with the oily flavor of the pork belly, and the fragrance is overflowing with a strong and intoxicating aroma of oil. It is very suitable whether as a home-cooked delicacy or as a delicacy for entertaining guests.

Stewed soft-shelled turtle

Eating from the mountains and eating from the water is a simple thought that our country has had since ancient times. Folks in the Jiangnan water towns have such a famous saying about eating: "Carp "Eat meat, tortoise drinks soup" means that the purpose of eating carp is to eat its meat, while the purpose of eating turtle is to drink soup. Because turtle is comprehensive in nutrition, eating it directly is too wasteful, and it is most suitable to drink it in soup.

Turtle soup contains methionine, which is rarely found in ordinary food. The soup is rich in nutrients and is a good dietary supplement suitable for all ages.

Its soup is bright and attractive, with a refreshing and sweet aroma. It is a special delicacy of the Jiangnan water town. It is also a gourmet business card of Taizhou, an ancient city with both water and land, where the north and the south converge.

Choked shrimp

If you ask a Taizhou person what their favorite dish is in summer, in addition to their indispensable "three major items" of morning tea, someone will definitely mention this Tao choking shrimp.

Shrimp is a famous dish in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It is an appetizer that goes with food and wine in summer. Selected wild shrimps, with thin shells and translucent flesh, are marinated raw and have a tender and smooth taste. Savor a sip of good wine, eat a few shrimps, and exhale a long breath of alcohol in your mouth. This taste is the most intoxicating.

According to records, the history of eating drunken shrimp can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. Liu Xun recorded in the book "Lingbiao Luyi": "Southerners buy more fine shrimps, cut raw vegetables, orchids, polygonum, etc., use thick sauce and vinegar to stir-fry the shrimps, and cover them with lettuce..." From here We can see from the records that this way of eating existed at least 1,000 years ago.

There is also a legend that the traitor Yan Song of the Ming Dynasty was the first person in history who dared to eat live drunken shrimp. In the eleventh year of Jiajing's reign, Yan Song went to Zhejiang to inspect government affairs and was warmly entertained by the governor. During the dinner, the waiter served the raw shrimp as a cooked dish and ate it with Yanjiao sauce, which was highly appreciated. Seeing this, Yan Pingzhen, a disciple of the family, offered his livelihood and created the fresh dish of drunken shrimp.

Later in the Qing Dynasty, Zhu Yizun's "Shi Xian Hong Mi" and Gu Zhong's "Yang Xiao Lu" also recorded this unique dish. Mr. Lu Xun once said, "The fresher the shrimp, the happier and more relaxed the person who eats it will be." It can be seen that no matter in ancient or modern times, eating live shrimp is a favorite dish of people, and its eating method and taste are unique.

More than 2,000 years of splendid history, culture and unique geographical environment have created Taizhou’s rich and colorful food culture.

Exquisite and elegant, pursuing the original taste, fresh and peaceful. Taizhou cuisine has a temperament that makes people reluctant to put it down, just like a white-headed old man who is used to seeing the ups and downs, and is unfazed by favors and humiliations. Anyone who has tasted it can't help but want to stop and slowly experience the tiny and gentle happiness in the world.