Is Beijing really a gourmet desert?

? Recently, there is a popular saying on the Internet that there is no food in Beijing. Click on any related post, and the following debate will be very lively. Seeing that everyone compared my hometown to a real gourmet desert, and those iconic foods representing the food culture of this land were also spurned by everyone, I was really a little lost in my heart. So I wanted to find out-where is this "Beijing flavor" and unsociable?

? When it comes to a city's food culture, we have to start from the geographical location of the city. As an out-and-out northern city, Beijing's food tastes naturally have the characteristics of northern food-salty and oily, rough and unrestrained. At first glance, the food in the street restaurant is for eating, not for tasting. A plate full of oily and bright cooking with a bowl full of real rice seems to echo to the diners: "It's delicious. Eat. "

? Of course, the rough diet style is only the product of historical changes and social changes. Tracing back to the Qing Dynasty, a glimpse of Beijing cuisine in the long river of history is exquisite palace cuisine. Man-Han banquet often mentioned in cross talk jokes is this famous court dish, which can be described as a feast of delicacies. There are also official dishes enjoyed by bureaucratic ministers, second only to palace dishes. For example, as we all know, Tan Jiacai is good at cooking dry food, and shark's fin abalone and scallop bird's nest are representative works of official dishes. At that time, both court food and official food floated into the historical wheel of Beijing food culture like a wisp of antique fireworks.

? In addition to palace cuisine and official cuisine, Beijing cuisine also has an important component-Qingzhen cuisine. Speaking of this authentic Beijing dish, I'm afraid it dates back to the Yuan Dynasty. The so-called "Hui people in Yuan Dynasty" refers to the historical phenomenon that a large number of Hui people poured into Beijing, that is, from the Yuan Dynasty, Muslim food gradually appeared on the dining tables of Beijingers, and by the end of Qing Dynasty, serious Muslim restaurants had appeared. By the time of the Republic of China, authentic dishes had gradually improved and formed a scale, becoming an indispensable part of the flavor of Beijing cuisine. For example, Donglaishun, a famous Muslim restaurant, is famous for its instant-boiled mutton, which has been handed down from young to old in Xian Yi. There are also Ziguang Garden and Huguo Temple snacks that are common on the street now, all of which are famous Muslim restaurants. You often hear about vinegar, mushu and candied fruit, which are all famous Muslim foods.

? Speaking of which, you may have to say, isn't soybean juice the most famous dish in Beijing? It tastes bad. It tastes terrible. Haha, I believe that many people's prejudice against Beijing's diet is largely due to the "taste" of soybean juice. To tell the truth, as a local who has lived in Beijing for more than 20 years, I have only tasted bean juice once, and I gave up after just one sip. Immediately, the shadow attached to my heart, and the smell ... really made my scalp numb. In fact, many people around you can't accept the taste of bean juice, such as houttuynia cordata and snail powder. People love and hate each other, which can only be said to be one of the most distinctive and controversial Beijing dishes. Whether you are a gourmet or not depends on people. Still have to mention the pot-stewed fire. I still like this bite. The fat intestines are soft and rotten, and have no taste. The fried bean curd soup is full of juice, red coriander is the finishing touch, and the price is also cheap. It's nice to have a small bowl occasionally. I can taste it because I ate too much. It's really boring

? In fact, whether it was bean juice, stewed fire or fried liver, it was just a tool for ordinary people to satisfy their desires at that time. People can't eat any palace dishes or official dishes, and they can't bear to eat meat, so they keep putting oil into the water. Now that the days are good, there are more and more delicious foods to eat. Looking back at these so-called "leveling", it is inevitable that you will be unwilling. The classic taste is full of feelings for Beijingers.

? We bid farewell to the outdated era of material shortage. With the reform and opening up and China's entry into WTO, we gradually merged into this vast global village, and rich and diverse ingredients began to enter thousands of households. Beijing, as the capital, attracts countless people with lofty ideals at home and abroad, followed by homesick food in their hometown. It is in this increasingly open environment that Beijing's diet has become more and more diversified, and the way Beijingers cook has begun to absorb the strengths of thousands of families and open up new tastes. My family is because my mother has several colleagues in Henan who have a good relationship. So there are many delicious foods shared by Henan aunts since childhood, such as frozen eggs and mung bean meatball soup. Even when I grow up, there will always be a few frozen eggs in the refrigerator. This flavor of Henan has already quietly taken root in my heart.

? Nowadays, no matter which city you are in, there are more restaurants than local food when you walk out of the street, especially Beijing, a big northern city full of tolerance. It is more appropriate to describe Beijing as "the food capital of China and the window of world catering". This is not to boast about Beijing's local specialties, but to show that Beijing is a master of world cuisine. The food in this land is rich and diverse, diversified and open, which is the style of Beijing cuisine.

? Maybe you are dissatisfied with the ungrounded price of Quanjude, maybe the strange bean juice turns your stomach, maybe the "authentic" remarks of the short video platform make you feel grandiose and boring, it doesn't matter, I hope you can find the familiar taste related to your hometown in this land, which may not be authentic, but it shows that this beautiful and rich northern city is just like this kind of food-it is the gathering of people from all over the world that constitutes the present capital Beijing.

? I believe that it doesn't matter whether the food here is desert or oasis when I choose to come to Beijing. I wish you all your wishes, live up to your future, and wish our great motherland a better tomorrow.

References:

The article "Beijing wants to be a gourmet capital"

The article "On" Beijing Taste "

Article "Inheritance and Development of Food Culture in Contemporary Beijing"

Article "Beijing Cuisine"

The article "Muslim Food Culture in Beijing"