As the saying goes, one side of the water and soil raises one person, and for chili peppers, the principle is similar.

Although he does not know the specific origin of the chili peppers brought by Yang Huairen to the Great Song Dynasty, there is a certain reason why the southwest region is the main production area of chili peppers in later generations.

The character of the people born and raised in Yunnan-Guichuan seems to have not changed much in a thousand years, and they are enthusiastic, and the kind of boldness in their temperament is different from the wildness of the northerners, but a kind of pride with a little delicacy.

Even if you stop halfway to inquire about the customs, the old man who answered the question will give you a detailed introduction in a hurry, speaking at a speed like bursting beans, lest you not say enough and leave you with a good impression of his hometown.

When you quit your job and are about to leave, people don't forget to remind you that the road is waterlogged because of the rain, and will point you to a path that may be narrower, but it will save you more time to get you to your destination.

Or if you ask for a bowl of water at the edge of a farmhouse in the country, the peasant woman will take the bowl of the sea where they usually eat, and pour it full of steaming hot water, instead of giving you 10,000 cold water to drink just because you are a strange passer-by.

Occasionally, if the answer is yes, then people will bring you some simple meals, as well as their own pickled watercress, and they will not hesitate to scoop a big spoonful out and watch you eat clean.

Yang Huairen's envoy traveled to Chengdu, a beautiful city known to literati and scholars as the Jinguan City, which has been the largest population, cultural and economic center in the southwest since ancient times.

In November, you can't see the beautiful scenery of the flowers on both sides of the Geumgang River, but the scenery of the Geumgang River in winter is different.

The dense bamboo swayed with the wind, and there was always a mottled light jumping out of the bamboo bushes, as if dancing with the sound of bamboo leaves.

Yang Huairen's newly accepted apprentice, Niu Erniang, originally wanted to serve by the master's side, but Yang Huairen, who was a master, didn't have the kind of master's shelf, so she didn't need to carry tea and water with her.

Since he still has an important and secret matter to do, it is better to let someone take them back to Tokyo City first and live in the Yang family Zhuangzi temporarily, as for her to serve the two masters, that is a later story.

Or four people, wandering around the city of Chengdu, or looking for some delicious snacks unknown in the streets and alleys, and also learning about the style of the southwest.

In the era when there were no chili peppers, the people of Shu also pursued the two flavors of numb and spicy, and the smart people used green onions, ginger, garlic, mustard greens, and pepper to deal with a specific spicy taste in a variety of novel ways to meet their unique needs for spicy taste.

Mapo tofu is not the kind of practice of later generations, the spicy taste is ginger spicy or mustard, although it is not as direct and pure as chili, but it is also a unique taste.

Locals may be looking for this spicy taste in winter, or maybe it's a need to keep out the cold, and although the climate is not as cold as in the north, the damp and cold in the middle of the night is also uncomfortable.

And if you eat the spicy taste, your body will heat up unconsciously, and it even has a refreshing effect.

If the characteristics of folk snacks are spicy, then the most representative of Chengdu in the restaurant during the Northern Song Dynasty is Jinjiang cuisine and snacks.

Jinjiang cuisine is not as atmospheric as the official cuisine, nor is it as delicate as the Jiangnan side dishes, but another unique delicacy.

The most famous is the ginkgo stewed chicken and tamale, the ginkgo stewed chicken is also known as one of the four uniques of Qingcheng, according to legend, it is the Qingcheng faction of the Tianshi Cave created by the great virtue of the Taozun.

Poisonous ginkgo biloba can cause discomfort if eaten too much, but when used in small amounts, it is stewed with white chicken and becomes a good nourishment.

The purest ginkgo stew requires almost no other ingredients, just a pinch of salt, minced ginger and pepper to taste, and the two seemingly unwanted flavors of ginkgo and chicken are perfectly blended.

The key point is that the stew must use a casserole, and even the process of processing the ingredients does not see any metal knives or kitchen utensils, bamboo knives and casseroles, so that the finished dish is completely free of the anger of the knife kettle.

It is precisely because of this that the chicken seems to taste more fragrant and tender, and the ginkgo seeds become soft and sweet, without the feeling of greasy and bitter, which has become a classic of clever and reasonable combination of two different ingredients.

Steamed pork is another famous dish that can represent Chengdu without spicy taste at all, and of course, the steamed pork of later generations is also put in chili peppers.

The seasoning in the restaurant is relatively rich, and the tamales were originally a home-cooked dish that can only be eaten by the people of Sichuan during the New Year, and there are not so many expensive seasonings.

Regardless of the north and south of the country, eating meat during the New Year seems to be a traditional custom that has been forgotten by us, in the era of material scarcity, especially in the era of scarcity of meat, it is something that both children and adults look forward to.

At that time, lean meat was not welcome, and the fatty pork belly with skin was the object of everyone's competition, and only the person who contributed the most to the harvest in the village was eligible to give priority to the selection of pork belly with skin.

When the pork is taken home, it is not immediately willing to eat, hang it on the beam of the house and watch it for a few days, and when the saliva of the adults and children in the family is almost exhausted, the Chinese New Year's Eve will come.

At this time, the housewives of the house will take the pork from the beams, divide it into small pieces, and repeatedly smear it with the newly harvested rice bran powder to wash away the slight smell of the pork that has been left for a long time.

Then the rice flour made from freshly ground rice is smeared again, a pinch of salt is a must, and the spices at home are certainly incomplete, but the housewives have all sorts of ways to find ready-made condiments that can add flavor to the dish.

Sometimes it's the cloves grown in the small yard of the family, sometimes it's the wild dried fruits in the back mountains, and even a few blades of grass that can't be named, but have a charming taste, all of which are crumpled and marinated pork.

In the end, it is steamed out, it is a dish of tamales with its own characteristics, maybe it is a bit strange to think about it now, and the taste is not necessarily acceptable to everyone, but in the hearts of those poor people, this is the most anticipated and memorable taste of home in a year.

On the contrary, after eating such tamales, I tried the tamales in the restaurant with a variety of precious seasoning spices, but I felt that it was not that delicious taste.

This may be a side of water and soil, raising a group of people with personal characteristics and tastes.