(Taste of China |.) Food) Shanhaiguan muddy pot: "reunion taste" between mountains and sea

Qinhuangdao, 7 July (ZXS) -- Topic: Shanhaiguan muddy pot: "reunion taste" between mountains and sea

Authors: Zhao Danmei, Chen Lin, Xing Lu

The "status of rivers and lakes" of Hun pot in Shanhaiguan, such as hot pot in Sichuan and Chongqing. In the eyes of gluttons, even friends who have settled overseas "always think about this mouthful". In the eyes of Shanhaiguan people living all over the world, even if they have encountered thousands of hot pots, Hun Guo is still the favorite - that is the taste of hometown, and it also means reunion.

Hun pot, also known as meat pot, is said to be the way to eat when the Manchus entered the customs. Eating muddy pot, sauerkraut and kelp is essential. These two ingredients are usually shredded and spread on the bottom of the copper pot, and then the ingredients such as pork belly, small crab, prawns, and pork ribs are stacked in the pot and boiled with stock. As the thick white soup boils, the hot air is wrapped in a thick fragrance and spreads, the juice is white, arousing people's appetite and appetite.

Hun pot, also known as meat pot, is said to be the way to eat when the Manchus entered the customs. The picture shows the Shanhaiguan muddy pot. Photo by Han Bing

In the hot summer, it still can't stop the people's heartfelt love for the muddy pot. Wang Wenhe, the representative inheritor of the city-level "Shanhaiguan muddy pot making technique", carefully observed the expression of every diner in the lobby. This is also one of the "secrets" that he has opened a pot shop for more than 30 years and his business is still booming. The craftsman, who has been making muddy pots for most of his life, is still eager to be recognized by more new diners.

Since opening the first muddy pot shop in Shanhaiguan in 1993, the pursuit of the ultimate freshness of muddy pot is Wang Wenhe's unchanging belief. He can always be seen in the early hours of the morning among the first people in the market looking for fresh ingredients. In Wang Wenhe's view, dumplings, stewed ribs, and other muddy pot ingredients must be made fresh, "frozen and eaten without umami". Coupled with the broth that has been boiled for more than four hours, a pot of delicious food can be served.

In April this year, Wang Wenhe, the city-level representative inheritor of "Shanhaiguan muddy pot making skills", put the ingredients into the pot in turn. Photo by Han Bing

The Bohai Sea in the south, the Yan Mountains in the north, and the Shanhaiguan that connects the throat of Hebei and Liao, is a place where Manchus, Han and other ethnic groups converge and integrate, and it is also the meeting place of Manchu and Han food culture. When the indispensable sauerkraut of the northeasterners meets the seafood brought by the long coastline of Shanhaiguan, the unique flavor of the Shanhaiguan muddy pot is achieved.

Speaking of the "protagonist" of the muddy pot, in the eyes of many diners, crisp sauerkraut is a must. The moment I remembered it, a trace of sourness swept through my mouth. "Sauerkraut eats oil, and a large piece of fatty pork belly is the most enjoyable to eat with sauerkraut." So says Mr. Li, a diner from Qingdao, Shandong Province.

For sauerkraut, Wang Wenhe also has his own insistence. He never buys sauerkraut that has already been pickled, but personally selects local firm, moisture-sized cabbage and stares at the pickling of sauerkraut. Day after day, Wang Wenhe's craftsmanship has been recognized by diners. "There are regular customers who have eaten here for more than 30 years, and some friends who have settled overseas often tell me that they always think about this bite."

"The Great Wall is home on both sides." Liu Xueqin, a researcher in the literature and history of the CPPCC in Shanhaiguan District, Qinhuangdao City, and a folklore scholar, said that like the Shanhaiguan muddy pot, it is a model of the integration of local ethnic food culture. "Every New Year's holiday, we will eat muddy pot, and the goo gu tu is particularly festive in the atmosphere, relatives and friends gather together, and we can eat from morning to night."

Liu Xueqin said that the steaming hot pot highlights the ancient road of the Shanhaiguan people, and also connects the inside and outside of the customs. "The muddy pot is very inclusive, you can eat shabu beef and mutton, you can also eat shabu vegetables according to your own preferences, it symbolizes a food culture of reunion and harmony." (End)