The chef of Huaiyang cuisine.

Chefs have a special social status in Huai 'an. Huai' an Xiang has the saying of "two difficulties", which means "scholar" and "cook". These two professions have to go through hardships to become famous. After reading the book, you may become a scholar, and then enter the official position; If you are a good cook, you may become a cook and live a good life. For poor families, learning to cook from a teacher is a more realistic career choice, so in ancient Huai' an area, a social atmosphere of advocating cooking has been formed. On July 19th every year, the chefs in Huai 'an have a get-together to celebrate the birthday of Tianchu Star. At most, there are more than 1, people, and there is a Huai Kitchen Guild. In Shitang District, outside the south gate of Shanyang City, there are more than 2, cooks. Among so many practitioners, the only way to stand out is to find a new way and create new products. Once famous, its social status and economic income will undergo qualitative changes. In the Qing Dynasty, there were "three winds" in Huai 'an culinary world. One was "wanting a cook". Empress Dowager Cixi repeatedly asked Governor Cao Yun for a famous chef from Huai 'an to serve in the palace. The youngest chef, Jia, was still alive in the middle of last century. The second is to "take the cook". Bureaucrats in Huaishi, such as Li Hongzhang and Duan Qirui, take their families with them when they leave their posts. The third is to "send the cook". The dignitaries and businessmen all regard it as a fashion move to send or recommend Huai chefs to each other. Even ordinary people's families pay attention to cooking skills, and strive to make their lives interesting by making a few "good dishes".

The overall flavor is moderate and moderate, giving consideration to the north, south, east and west. No matter what you cook, you should avoid the extreme taste. How to do this, the magic weapon of Huai kitchen is to give priority to the original taste of raw materials, and to use its taste to grow strong but not to be exclusive. For example, when cooking "Huaibai Fish" series dishes, we should not only focus on the delicacy and freshness of Huaibai fish, but also pay attention to properly blending to get rid of its fishy smell. When cooking vegetables, it is necessary to ensure that a dish has a unique taste and its character remains unchanged, and at the same time, it is seasoned with meat broth to make it beautiful. In the process of cooking meat dishes, we should not only keep their meat flavor, but also pay attention to getting rid of greasy, so as to make them refreshing. Cooked in this way, from the perspective of food, it can make the eater get a rich taste experience; From the perspective of modern health preservation, this treatment also has the effect of fitness and body-building.

In the historical evolution of Yangzhou cuisine, there was a phenomenon of cooking with bear's paw and live monkey as raw materials in the early stage, but this phenomenon was gradually abolished in the late Qing Dynasty, and it was resolutely decided by knowledgeable officials (such as Wu Tang, the governor of Cao who came from Xuyi farmhouse, when he was in office) that it was not allowed to buy exotic smells from afar, but only to entertain guests with ordinary products from Huai and receive distinguished guests. Historically, this change has played a decisive role in Huai 'an cuisine eventually becoming a complete independent cuisine genre and an important pillar of Huaiyang cuisine. Today, this localized cooking style lasts for a long time, as evidenced by the "Xuyi Lobster" which became famous in the 199s. Because real estate is the main material, it is a historical necessity that many original and original dishes emerge one after another.