Gan cuisine

Gan cuisine (also known as Jiangxi cuisine) has a long history, and it is a "hometown cuisine" with a strong local flavor developed on the basis of inheriting the "literati cuisine" of previous dynasties. The main flavor characteristics of Gan cuisine are: original flavor, thick oil but not greasy, thick taste, salty, fresh and spicy. The characteristics of the ingredients of Gan cuisine are: fish and rice mountain treasures, fish dishes are significant, good at cooking with rice, and widely take mountain treasures. The production characteristics of Gan cuisine are: cutting and matching, rigorous selection of materials, mainly local specialty raw materials, and fine production. Cooking pays attention to firework, and is good at cooking, steaming, stir-frying, stewing, stewing and other cooking methods, especially good at powder steaming. The dishes pay attention to the original flavor, the oil is thick but not greasy, pay attention to the texture of the dishes, such as crispy or crispy, the taste is salty, spicy and peaceful, suitable for a wide range, and have a strong local flavor. It is even known as the "ninth cuisine".

Gan cuisine definition

Gan cuisine (also known as Jiangxi cuisine) has a long history, and it is a "hometown cuisine" with a strong local flavor developed on the basis of inheriting the "literati cuisine" of previous dynasties. The main flavor characteristics of Gan cuisine are: original flavor, thick oil but not greasy, thick taste, salty, fresh and spicy.

The above definition of Gan cuisine was first investigated by Jiangxi tourism scholar Lu Jun in 1980, and successively published in 1983 by China Tourism Publishing House, "Jiangxi Land and Resources" published by Jiangxi Science and Technology Publishing House in 1990, and in 1980, when he wrote an article to introduce Gan cuisine. Prior to this definition, Mr. Lu Jun, a tourism scholar, had twice participated in expert forums convened by relevant departments of the provincial government and solicited opinions from all parties. According to the speeches of experts and culinary experts from the provincial food department, the above definition is summarized.

Since then, the book "Gan Cuisine" (published by Jiangxi Science and Technology Publishing House in 1993) edited by the Jiangxi Provincial Government and edited by the Jiangxi Binzhao Association and the "Handbook for Leading Cadres" edited by the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and compiled and printed in 2000 have all followed the above definition.

Characteristics of Gan cuisine

The production characteristics of Gan cuisine are: cutting and matching, rigorous selection of materials, mainly local specialty raw materials, and fine production. Cooking pays attention to firework, and is good at cooking, steaming, stir-frying, stewing, stewing and other cooking methods, especially good at powder steaming. The dishes pay attention to the original flavor, the oil is thick but not greasy, pay attention to the texture of the dishes, such as crispy or crispy, the taste is salty, spicy and peaceful, suitable for a wide range, and have a strong local flavor.

Jiangxi is the hometown of fish and rice in the south of the Yangtze River, located in the hills of the south of the Yangtze River, and the Jiangxi cuisine is very prominent in the use of ingredients. Pohu Lake and Ganshui surround the village pond, from northern Jiangxi to southern Jiangxi Jiujiang from ancient Xunyang fish feast, Nanchang is the fish cake represented by white jade and yellow bee meat, fish ball fish silk of Fuzhou, moldy fish blood eel of Ji'an, Ganzhou three fish and other kinds of fish and delicacies are too numerous to mention; in the fragrance of rice flowers, it is said that in the harvest year, Jiangxi people are particularly good at cooking with rice, steamed pork powder, fried meat, pearl balls, dumplings, pork ribs, frozen rice balls, snail paste, and so on, all kinds of fancy cooking of rice flour, glutinous rice, frozen rice, etc., in addition to the dishes, the rice snacks represented by Jiangnan Ba Nankueh are even more numerous; poor countless mountains, Lushan Sanshijinggang tobacco bamboo shoots are the representatives of Gan cuisine and mountain treasures, and Gan cuisine is especially good at making bamboo shoots.

Gan cuisine genre

Gan cuisine is mainly composed of local schools such as Nanchang, Ganzhou, Jiujiang, western Jiangxi, and eastern Jiangxi. (In addition, some mainstream media believe that Gan cuisine is mainly composed of Nanchang cuisine, Xunyang cuisine, Raobang cuisine, Ganzhou cuisine, and Pingxiang cuisine [1] .) ）

Generally speaking, the Gan cuisine genre in Nanchang is characterized by roasting, stewing and stir-frying, such as "stir-fried bacon with quinoa", "Xinya Four Treasures", "crockpot simmering" and so on.

The local genre of Ganzhou cuisine is characterized by steamed and stir-fried, such as "four-star moon-gazing", "small fried fish in southern Gansu" and so on.

The Gan cuisine genre in Jiujiang is characterized by stewed, steamed and fish seats, such as "Lushan Stone Chicken", "Pohu Fat Fish Head" and so on.

The genre of Gan cuisine in western Jiangxi is characterized by lavender and wax, such as "Pingxiang smoked pork", "Jinggang smoked bamboo shoots" and so on.

The genre of Gan cuisine in eastern Gan is characterized by spicy stir-frying, such as "stir-fried meat with Yugan chili" and "stir-fried beef in Tiandun".

History of Gan cuisine

Jiangxi cuisine has a long history. As early as the Han and Jin dynasties, Jiangxi's trade and tourism activities were relatively prosperous. The Han Dynasty's "Historical Records: The Biography of the Goods and Colonies" once described Yuzhang (Nanchang) and other words: "Rice, rice, soup and fish, or fire ploughing and water rake, fruit and clams, do not wait for Jia but enough." The "Yu Zhangji" written by Lei Cizong of the Eastern Jin Dynasty once described the economic exchanges in Jiangxi at that time as "thousands of miles of places, waterways in all directions", "Jiashu refined rice is good at tasting in all directions, and gold and iron are spent on the four realms". "Rice and Rice Soup and Fish", "Jiashu Refined Rice is Good at Tasting in All Directions", etc., are written about the prevalence of food culture in Jiangxi at that time. In the Ming Dynasty, Yuan Mei also recorded Jiangxi's famous dish in the article "Suiyuan Food List": "Steamed pork". [2]

The legend of Gan cuisine

The founder of "Wenshan Chicken" is Wen Tianxiang of the Southern Song Dynasty. Wen Tianxiang is called Wenshan, and the name of loyalty and martyrdom will be passed on to future generations. At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, Wen Tianxiang raised troops and rushed to the front line to block the Yuan army. He fought valiantly against strong enemies, and led his troops to Lin'an in August of the first year of Deyou (1275), and his reputation among the people was greatly enhanced. One day, Wen Tianxiang led the troops to fight and hit Jishui County, Jiangxi, where the old folks welcomed the victorious division. Man Tianxiang held a banquet on the spot to thank his parents and fellow villagers for their support. He personally cooked a chicken dish, which was full of delicious food, and later Jiangxi people called this dish "Wenshan Chicken".

The founder of "Dongpo Meat" is Su Dongpo of the Northern Song Dynasty. Su Dongpo traveled all over the world, and one day he came to Aicheng Village, Yongxiu County, by Poyang Lake, and met a farmer's child who was sick and in a coma, so he used herbs to save the child. The farmer was grateful and stayed in Su Dongpo to live. The next morning, the farmer bought two catties of pork from the market, bundled them with a bunch of straw, and went into the room excitedly and asked softly, "Sir, how do you see this meat to be eaten?" At this time, Su Dongpo was facing out of the window, admiring the beautiful scenery of the field, but he didn't hear the farmer's question, but he chanted a poem in his mouth: "The grass pearls are fragrant", but the farmer misheard it: "The grass is cooked through the heart." "I was busy with my family, putting the meat and the bundled straw into the pot and boiling it all over. During the meal, Su Dongpo tasted this whole piece of meat with a straw flavor, which was surprisingly fragrant and delicious. Su Dongpo also made this meat later, known as "Dongpo meat", which soon spread to various places.

"Old topsoil chicken soup" is named after Zhu Yuanzhang. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang fought Chen Youliang on Poyang Lake. After a defeat, Zhu Yuanzhang led the remnants of the army to flee to a village in Yuanzhou (Yichun), and a kind villager killed the only local chicken in the family and stewed soup for Zhu Yuanzhang and others to drink to quench their hunger and thirst. After learning that the villagers' entire village was surnamed Chen, Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy, and said that the maternal uncle in Fengyang's hometown was also surnamed Chen, and everyone was still cousins! Since then, both sides have affectionately referred to each other as "Old Watches". "Old topsoil chicken soup" has since become a famous hometown dish in Jiangxi.

A famous dish of Gan cuisine

The 100 famous dishes of Gan cuisine[3] are as follows:

Shih Tzu golden silk wrapped prawns, sea cucumber eyebrow balls, rice fragrant duck, Xinya four treasures, simmered pork knuckle in a clay pot, sauce elbow, steamed pork, red crispy pork, roast lamb chops, bitter gourd stuffed pit dates, steamed Junshan Lake hairy crab, boiled fish with cinnamon fish, Pohu Lake white poured bighead carp head, golden cicada playing lotus, tea fragrance and dove, lotus seed duck stewed soup, wrinkled yarn button meat, fried yellow beef, braised beef tendons, fried spoon meat, pearl meatballs, fried double winter, Ruyi winter bamboo shoots, abalone mushroom, phoenix buckle bamboo shoot needle, white sauce jade wings, quinoa fried bacon, stewed catfish with bean ginseng, crispy saury, fried white fish, Dongpo meat, Lushan braised stone chicken, fried shrimp residue, Xunyang lobster, stewed pork ribs with yam, roasted osmanthus fish with local pepper, simmered pork with tempeh, Dongsheng sand bowl porpoise, Jingde porcelain clay stewed chicken, Leping white cut dog meat, gold inlaid jade, boat plate meat, duck foot plate fried bacon, soft-shelled turtle roasted bitter plant skin, Zhishi meat, lotus blood duck, Pingxiang smoked meat, Pingxiang fried meat, family portrait, sand bowl chicken soup, waterless roasted goose, zongzi fragrant bones, white jade yellow bee meat, Tianshi gossip tofu, Tianshi chestnut roasted chicken, yellow roast to worship the king, a product of horseshoe phoenix pill soup, four-star moon-looking, Gannan small fried fish, Three cups of chicken, Red Army stewed duck, purse gloss, butterfly fish dumplings, Xingguo powder steamed gray goose, bell fish cake, Ganzhou poutfish mouth, Ganwei beef face, yellow stewed copper drum black goat, bright moon reflecting stone frog, Shangtang bean curd pot, old topsoil chicken soup, Wuyuan dragon and phoenix, Yifeng fried rice steamed eggs, Yiyang national road fish, spring bulao yellow bud head, Pohu three-color fish, Yiyang chicken, Yugan chili fried meat, Wuyuan pumpkin paste, Wuyuan paste tofu, steamed poached red carp, golden turtle simmered yam, whitebait pickled eggs, hydrangea scallops, soft-shelled turtle boiled noodles, Nanfeng fish shredded, crystal meatballs, two-color egg mushrooms, Linchuan beef offal, Yihuang burnt bamboo shoots, whitebait lotus root silk, sunflower lotus seeds, ginseng berry black-bone chicken, Yongxin roasted milk dog, stewed duck with sauce and radish, Taihe roasted sand turtle, lettuce fried eel slices, Jinggang smoked bamboo shoots fried shredded pork, Pohu steamed lotus root balls, Yonghe tofu.

Culinary specialties

Gan cuisine is formed by the mutual penetration and convergence of the five major schools of Nanchang, Shangrao, Jiujiang, Gandong and Gannan. Although Gan cuisine is not among the eight major cuisines, it is unique. Gan cuisine has a wide selection of materials, prominent main ingredients, attention to knife work, fine production, and highlights the "original taste" in cooking:



1. In terms of cooking techniques, pay attention to the heat, and mainly burn, stew, stew, steam, and fry.

2. In the selection of raw materials, advocating the concept of green, ecological and healthy. Jiangxi's ecological environment is very good, and the raw materials taken from the local area are all green and healthy, such as quinoa from Poyang Lake, bamboo shoots from Jinggang Mountain, hairy crabs from Junshan Lake, and chili peppers from Yugan.

3. In terms of flavor type, it is mainly spicy. Different from the spicy of Sichuan cuisine, the spicy of Hunan cuisine, and the sour and spicy cuisine of Hubei cuisine, the spicy of Gan cuisine is spicy, fresh and spicy, with moderate spiciness, suitable for both north and south, and has a wide range of adaptation groups. 4. Gan cuisine is similar in technology. (1) The material is mainly based on local specialty raw materials, and the preparation pays attention to the selection and strictness, the knife work is fine, the main material is highlighted, and the color is separated. (2) The cooking method pays attention to firework, and is good at burning, stir-frying, stewing, stewing, steaming, etc., among which powder steaming is a feature, such as steamed pork and steamed large intestine, which must be put into soy sauce, chili pepper, sugar, cooking wine, minced green onion, minced ginger, monosodium glutamate, pepper, etc., that is, the original flavor and unique fragrance. (3) In terms of texture, pay attention to the original juice and umami, crispy, rotten, crisp, oily but not greasy, heavy and spicy, close to Hunan cuisine and Sichuan cuisine system. Among them, Nanchang cuisine is the main component of Gan cuisine, with a long history and pays attention to color matching and modeling. Three cups of dog meat, Yuzhang crispy chicken and five-yuan dragon and phoenix soup are all high-quality dishes, stir-fried bacon with quinoa, crockpot soup, rice flour steamed pork, Nanchang fried noodles, cold noodles are all very local characteristics, Huang Shanghuang roasted marinade out of the kiln in the modern taste.



Flavored yuzu peel

Cooking techniques

The production of Gan cuisine is quite procedural. In terms of knife processing, there are three methods and eighteen kinds, which require uniform thickness and consistent length, and cannot be broken. When ingredient, we pay attention to the combination of nutrients and the nutritional principles of medicinal diet, and pursue the dietary effect of high protein and low fat. Flour or cornstarch can be used for battering, but it must be starched before heating. Pay attention to seasoning and heat when cooking. After the dish is completed, it is necessary to choose a good container, pay attention to the beauty of the shape of the plate, and appropriately choose a special-shaped plate, go straight to the topic, and arouse people's appetite. There are principles of order when serving, such as cold first and then hot, light first and then heavy, light and salty, salty and sweet, etc., all contain corresponding scientific principles.

Flavor dishes

Jiangxi's main famous flavor dishes are: Yuzhang crispy chicken, five-yuan dragon and phoenix soup, three cups of chicken, crockpot soup, fragrant meat, winter bamboo shoots and roast pork, quinoa fried bacon, Shangrao soup powder, Xinzhou sausage, original cage boat plate meat, Xunyang fish fillet, fried stone chicken, Xingguo tofu, rice flour beef, golden thread hanging gourd, Xinfeng radish dumplings, camphor tree noodles, Huang Yuan mg, rice noodles steamed pork, bean bubble roast pork, eight treasure rice, Jinggangshan smoked bamboo shoots, Nanchang lion head, Nanchang fried noodles, Nan'an plate duck, Guixi vegetables, Yifeng local chicken and so on.

Top 10 Gan dishes

In order to excavate Jiangxi's local cuisine and carry forward the Gan cuisine, Jiangxi Province held the "Top Ten Gan Cuisine" collection and selection activities in the province in December 2009. The selection activity was launched in late December 2009, and 55 local specialties were recommended by 11 districted cities in Jiangxi Province after the preliminary evaluation. After the voting of more than 300,000 domestic and foreign tourists, 30 Gan dishes entered the finals. On the day of the final on February 26, 2010, representatives of tourists from home and abroad, as well as national outstanding tour guides, advanced individuals of the World Expo, tourism ambassadors, culinary experts, etc., tasted and scored on the spot. On the afternoon of February 26, 2010, the first "Top Ten Favorite Gan Dishes of Tourists" selection activity ended in Nanchang, Jiangxi. Zhu Hong, Vice Governor of Jiangxi Province, attended the award ceremony, announced the list of the top 10 favorite Gan dishes of tourists and presented awards [6] .

The top ten Gan dishes are the "top ten favorite Gan dishes of tourists" including: Pohu fat fish head, four-star moon viewing, stir-fried bacon with quinoa, Lushan stone chicken, fried meat with Yugan chili, smoked meat in Pingxiang, lotus blood duck, old topsoil chicken soup, Yonghe tofu, and Jinggang smoked bamboo shoots. [7]

Fine Gan cuisine

In order to fully explore Jiangxi's local specialties, Jiangxi Province launched a special Gan cuisine selection activity in 2010, which began in late December 2009, and after more than 30 million domestic and foreign tourists voted, 30 Gan dishes entered the finals. Today, including Taiwan, all over the country, as well as the United Kingdom, Japan and other countries tourists, government officials, business leaders, national outstanding tour guides, Expo advanced individuals, TV program hosts, tourism ambassadors and culinary experts composed of the jury, after the scene cooking, tasting, from the taste, texture, local characteristics, nutrition and hygiene, modeling, color and cultural connotation and other aspects of the score, and finally selected the "tourists' favorite top ten Gan dishes" and 20 Jiangxi fine Gan dishes.

The 20 Jiangxi high-quality Gan dishes are: Pohu wild osmanthus fried noodles, fresh whitebait in golden soup, Wucheng dog meat, Wuxiang lotus red carp, Linchuan beef tripe skin, fairy kiss, Linchuan lotus silk, soft-shelled turtle boiled noodles, Yongxin dog meat, Jinggang bamboo rat, Gannan small fried fish, three cups of chicken, Bagua tofu, Mingyueshan hot spring tofu, Changnan a pot of fresh, Leping white cut dog meat, Bajie play phoenix, village river fish, Pingxiang small fried meat, kaolin simmered meat, steamed pork.

Specialties

Stone Street Twist

It is famous for its exquisite ingredients, fine production, uniform kneading, and unique kung fu. It uses fine white flour, first-class white sugar, high-quality clear oil and other high-quality raw materials, every 100 catties of twist production, to mix eight catties of fresh egg yolk into the material. Rub repeatedly until the fabric is even, then twisted.

When frying, there should be more oil, more fire, and the oil temperature should be strictly controlled at seventy. In this way, the twist oil is raw, sugary, small, beautiful, moist, sweet, crispy, and refreshing. Many guests who come to Nanchang for business trips, visiting relatives and friends, and sightseeing have come to buy.

Gan flavored milk dog meat

Gan flavor milk dog meat is characterized by fresh and slightly spicy, which is a delicacy to accompany wine. Production method: Take the limbs of the milk dog (the soft rib part is reserved for it), and marinate it with an appropriate amount of Beijing onions, cooking wine, star anise, refined salt, and monosodium glutamate. Finely chop the remaining ginger, chives, peppers and garlic. Fry the peanut kernels in oil, break them into minced pieces with a knife, and blow off the skin. Put minced ginger, minced green onion, minced dried pepper, minced garlic and minced peanut kernels in a bowl, mix with broth, refined salt, monosodium glutamate, pepper, sesame oil, balsamic vinegar and red oil into a marinade and set aside.

When making, the marinated dog meat is steamed in the cage, then taken out to dry and deboned, then cut into 4.5 cm wide slices, neatly arranged on a plate, poured with the marinade and decorated.

Hometown pot

The hometown pot has a unique flavor. The production method is to cut the pot into blocks, cut the pig's blood into thick slices, slice the chicken breast and slice it with sizing oil, cut the flavored vegetables into oblique blades, slice winter bamboo shoots, cut the dried pepper into small oblique blades, cut chives into sections, and cut ginger into nail slices.

Then put the woks on the fire and put the flavored vegetables and winter bamboo shoots and stir-fry for a while, put in the good soup, put in the pig's blood, skim off the foam after boiling, add refined salt, put in chicken slices and monosodium glutamate, after boiling, hook the pot and put it in a bowl, sprinkle with green onions, and drizzle with sesame oil for later use.

Put oil in the wok, when the oil temperature is 70% hot, push it into the pan, fry it until crispy and hard, remove it and put it into a deep dish. To serve, pour the dishes from the bowl over the pot. [5]

Flavor roasted marinade

Walking through the streets of Nanchang, if you want to taste the special flavor, you should still buy some flavor roasted marinade, because in Nanchang, there are many barbecued marinade shops, and business is booming. Throughout the day, you can occasionally see a long queue in front of the grilled marinade shop.

Gold wire hoist

The golden thread gourd is a folk snack in Nanchang, with exquisite taste and very rare for outsiders. The production of the gold thread hanging gourd is actually very simple, take 10 wrapped wontons, and cut about two taels by hand. Bottom the noodles first, then the wontons, then pour over the original bone broth, add pepper and chives. The noodles are thin, soft and long, and the wontons are fragrant and fresh, just like a golden gourd floating on the bowl noodles, which is both beautiful and delicious.