Liu Xuezhi "Dunhuang Food"

As an important node city for cultural exchanges between the East and the West, Dunhuang embraces all kinds of food from the East and the West with its broad mind. It not only brings together various food varieties from the East, West, South, and North, but also absorbs Various dietary concepts and dietary etiquette have become "living specimens" of Chinese dietary civilization.

Dunhuang Hotel is a time-honored four-star hotel in Dunhuang with a history of 30 years. It is called the "State Guesthouse" of Dunhuang. Its status and image can be imagined. In the past few decades, it has successfully received hundreds of Chinese and foreign dignitaries and celebrities. The elegant and unique architectural style and high-quality and diverse services have left guests with unforgettable memories. In particular, the food at Dunhuang Hotel is famous far and wide for its delicious flavor. The most famous thing about Dunhuang Hotel is the "Dunhuang Banquet", which is based on the records of Dunhuang murals and Dunhuang posthumous documents, and based on the extensive absorption of local folk snack characteristics and the unremitting efforts of three generations of local famous chefs. In order to produce a variety of pure delicacies in the "Dunhuang Banquet", the chefs mostly use local ingredients. Scenic sites, historical allusions, folklore, and medicinal foods have also become important elements of the ingredients, which are reflected in every aspect of the meals. On the details.

Zhang Kefa, Chinese cooking master and general manager of Dunhuang Hotel, said, "I think Dunhuang cuisine is like my own child. From her conception to birth, she stumbles until she becomes tall and becomes a talented person. This We must pay attention to, cultivate, develop, explore and innovate. So far, Dunhuang cuisine has been developed for 40 years. We have also received many foreign heads of state, including dozens of Chinese party and state leaders. We feel very honored, and the honor is not I am honored by the word "Dunhuang". ”

The Dunhuang Banquet shows outsiders not only a variety of delicacies, but also a concentrated display of Dunhuang culture and the spirit of Dunhuang people. In 2002, Dunhuang Hotel represented the catering industry in Gansu Province and participated in the third Chinese Food Festival held by the China Hotel Association in Hangzhou. The three banquets, "Dunhuang Banquet", "Dunhuang Music and Dance Banquet" and "Dream Dunhuang Banquet", made their national debut for the first time. It became a blockbuster. It conquered the Chinese food industry with its new creativity, exquisite skills, exquisite singing and dancing, unique regional characteristics and rich cultural heritage. It won the highest award at the National Food Festival, the "Golden Tripod Award" and the "Chinese Famous Food Festival". 20 awards including "Banquet", "Gold Award for Chinese Famous Dishes" and "Gold Award for Chinese Famous Dishes". The achievement of these honors is by no means the work of one person, nor is it a one-time achievement. It is the result of hundreds of years of hard work and wisdom of the older generation of Dunhuang chefs, and the culmination of more than 40 years of hard work by three generations of Dunhuang Hotel staff.

In midsummer in Dunhuang, under the Mingsha Mountain after the rain, Gobi and desert closely surround a charming oasis. The air after the rain exudes a rare coolness, sweeping away the unbearable summer heat in Dunhuang. Coming from the city to the countryside, in a green cornfield that was about to mature, Zhang Kefa walked slowly, with a little calmness in his calm eyes, and he still continued the secret in his earthen jar. He was looking for an introduction to a delicacy—a type of sweet corn. Only at the foot of Mingsha Mountain, the large temperature difference between day and night prompts sweet corn to mature early in summer and become the best local food. In order to ensure the quality of the ingredients, the newly picked sweet corn must enter the production process quickly to ensure the purity of nutrition and taste.

Zhang Kefa is making a delicacy called pulp noodles. Use an earthen pot to collect fresh noodle soup, add an appropriate amount of ginger, celery, pepper and other condiments into it. Under the action of microorganisms, it will naturally ferment for three to five days, and it will become a sour and delicious food that can be directly For drinking, it can also be prepared with sesame oil and cauliflower, and eaten below. It is a delicious local delicacy to relieve summer heat.

Dunhuang people have a long history of preferring pasta. There are precise written records of many varieties of pasta, including glutinous rice noodles, which can be traced back to the Sui and Tang Dynasties 1,600 years ago. From Dunhuang murals to various documents unearthed from the Buddhist Scripture Cave, there are abundant pictures and records about food. Therefore, Dunhuang people have deep historical roots in the traditional customs of being particular about eating and advocating delicious food.

Zhang Kefa’s earthen jars also contain rich connotations of food culture.

In order to make the traditional pulp noodles have the natural aroma of grain, he added freshly picked sweet corn to it. This time Zhang Kefa achieved great success. A week later, the new guests who checked into the hotel began to be enthused by the dozen or so exquisite dishes at the "Dunhuang Banquet", but in the end, Zhang Kefa's bowl of syrup whetted their appetites.

Among the 45,000 square meters of murals in the 492 grottoes in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, there are dozens of murals that vividly display many types of food that we can hardly imagine today. There are also documents unearthed from the Dunhuang Sutra Cave, which also record a lot of information related to Dunhuang people's diet. These materials are recorded in detail from the names of raw materials to the production methods, from the amount of food to the number of people dining, etc. Every aspect of it is recorded The research results have attracted the attention of the world. Gao Qi'an, director and professor of the Dunhuang Business Culture Institute of Lanzhou Business School, said: "Dunhuang food culture has its unique position in the entire pattern of Chinese food civilization. We can look at the variety of food, the customs and habits of food, and the characteristics of food culture. From several aspects such as exchanges, Dunhuang does have a lot of food from the east, food from the west, and even food from surrounding ethnic minorities. This is a feature that many places in the mainland do not have, and because the literature records are very detailed , then it makes up for some deficiencies in the dietary phenomena recorded in traditional historical books, including dietary varieties, etc.”

For more than 10 years, Professor Gao Qi’an has devoted himself to studying Dunhuang food culture and has published "Dunhuang Food Exploration" and "Dunhuang Food Exploration". The three books "Research on Dunhuang Food Culture in the Tang and Five Dynasties" and "Zhijiu Lamb-Dunhuang Food Culture" paid all-round attention to the spiritual aspects of Dunhuang people's pursuit of food, and revealed the ancient Dunhuang people's diet more than a thousand years ago. The secrets of Dunhuang studies have filled the gaps in the research field of Dunhuang studies.

Gao Qi'an's research found that more than 50 kinds of food names used by Dunhuang people more than a thousand years ago continue to this day. These names truly reflect the raw materials, preparation methods and even their origins of these foods. These foods were popular throughout China at that time and are true records of the food varieties at that time. For example, steamed buns, various cakes, stuffed skins, yellow noodles, cold noodles, wontons, soup noodle slices, noodles, steamed buns, fried noodles, rice dumplings, etc., which are still popular in Dunhuang and Hexi, and even in the country, are all in Dunhuang. The exact source was found in murals and Dunhuang documents.

Why are there so many varieties of food in Dunhuang? Was food just for filling our stomachs, or was it a way of social interaction and communication in society at that time?

Gao Qian said: "There are more than 40 wedding banquet pictures preserved in Dunhuang murals. This wedding banquet picture is from the Maitreya Sutra, which means that women will not marry until they are 500 years old. But such a sentence is not included in the painter's murals. It is very rich, how rich is it? It has wedding banquets, dances during wedding banquets, and the entire program of wedding banquets. This painting of Yulin Grottoes is of course the most famous, and it is also a painting with relatively well-preserved murals. It actually expresses very rich content. We can see the difference in etiquette between ethnic minorities and Han people. We know that in the mainland of the Central Plains, men and women sit at different banquets, but here men and women sit together. This It is also a kind of dietary etiquette. "

The main reason for this phenomenon in a small oasis agricultural area like Dunhuang is the result of the continuous absorption and accumulation of foreign food culture since the Han Dynasty. The excavation of these food varieties undoubtedly provides the right direction for us to study the influence of Dunhuang food varieties at that time on the Central Plains and on the development of food in later generations. Nowadays, when we face these colorful delicacies, when we taste these Dunhuang delicacies, the taste of the prosperous Han and Tang Dynasties seems to be restored on our tongues, memories that have been treasured for thousands of years.

"The street has not been finished, and the aroma makes people greedy. Follow the aroma to the food street, and it is rare to see so many varieties. There are many kinds of snacks here, and the donkey meat yellow noodles are the specialty. Dunhuang steamed noodles It tastes so delicious that I want to eat two bowls. The fried fish roe and stuffed noodles with steamed buns really satisfy my craving. The beef and mutton rice casserole is delicious, and there are also flavored mutton skewers.

Fragrant vermicelli, stir-fried cabbage, and braised chicken pancakes, so delicious! There are so many varieties of food, and time constraints have come to an end. As for the variety of food, it’s Huyazi chewing melon rinds - there are many. "Zhang Han, a famous Dunhuang rapper, once mentioned the Dunhuang Allegro on CCTV in his early years. In an Allegro describing Dunhuang food, he listed dozens of tempting food varieties in one breath, and his humorous language made it very popular. The delicacies of modern Dunhuang arouse people's appetite...

During the peak tourist season every year, when night falls, the Dunhuang Shazhou Night Market is bustling with lights flashing like daytime, and tourists rush to patronize and enjoy themselves. This market, affectionately known as the "Dunhuang Living Room" by tourists, is vividly called the "Starlight Night Market" by CCTV. The most attractive thing is the "Famous Snack Plaza" in the night center, with thousands of various snacks. Presented in front of tourists, all kinds of delicacies from all over the world are once again gathered in this magical land of Dunhuang, with different shapes and colors, making it difficult for them to resist the temptation of delicious food.

The rich history makes Dunhuang unique. The connotation of food culture and the infinite artistic charm. From the prosperous Tang Dynasty to the present civilization, Dunhuang people have perfected food culture from the bottom of their hearts. When we walk in Dunhuang city, we can see famous food stores that have been passed down for hundreds of years and can taste them at any time. To the Dunhuang delicacies that have been passed down for thousands of years.

Zhang Zheng is the fourth generation descendant of "Shunzhang" yellow noodles and ranks second among the brothers. Due to the booming business of the store, they often work from morning to night. You can only take a breath after 10 o'clock. According to Zhang Zheng, "Shunzhang" yellow noodles are the only ancestral yellow noodles in Dunhuang. They have been passed down for five generations and have lasted for hundreds of years. As early as the 1940s, the name "Shunzhang" came into being. Dunhuang has become a household name, and its superb ramen skills are a feast for the Dunhuang people. It is also a must-try Dunhuang delicacy for Chinese and foreign celebrities who come to Dunhuang. It is understood that Zhang Zheng inherited the legacy of his ancestors and fathers' "Shun Zhang" yellow noodles. The descendants of "Zhang" yellow noodles have made authentic Dunhuang yellow noodles for celebrities such as Peng Dehuai, Zhao Nanqi, Yang Shangkun, Li Zhengdao, Li Xuejian, etc. "Shun Zhang" yellow noodles have left them with an unforgettable taste.

With a shout, a plate of yellow noodles poured with marinade was brought to the table. The noodles were shiny yellow, chewy in the mouth, and had an endless aftertaste. Together with the special braised pork and a plate of fresh donkey meat, Supplemented by a small dish of minced garlic and a small dish of chili, the "Shun Zhang" yellow noodles are delicious, mainly because the stew is made with minced mushrooms, donkey meat, and Dunhuang old noodles. Made of tofu, etc., with soup, the tofu is cut into small pieces, a little hard and chewy. The braised vegetables are poured on the yellow noodles, exuding a mellow meat and the sweet taste of mushrooms. The taste and appetite suddenly increased.

In terms of operation, "Shunzhang" has always followed the ancient saying that "the aroma of wine is not afraid of the depth of the alley". It does not advertise or accept any honors, and only relies on the reputation of customers. According to legend. However, something happened that completely changed this ancient saying. A man named Daning worked as an apprentice in "Shun Zhang" shop a few years ago. He opened a donkey meat yellow noodle restaurant near Zhang. Daning was willing to study and study. Not only did he achieve success in the art of ramen, but he also worked hard on sauced donkey meat. He gradually became famous and continued to win awards. The store continued to expand and eventually opened on the main street. The business was booming and it finally won the honor of "Chinese Famous Snacks".

Society is progressing. While the catering industry pays attention to cultural taste, it is also competing for the market to the maximum extent. The people of "Shunzhang" are also deeply aware of this. So Zhang Zheng also secretly competed. He, his brother Zhang Bin, and sister Zhang Cailian discussed and moved the store in the alley to the bustling farmer's market, and *** and his colleagues funded the construction. A majestic two-story building, it also relied on the original authentic yellow noodle skills to conduct research and improvement on vegetable stew, and actively participated in various catering competitions, which greatly improved the taste of "Shun Zhang". Business is more prosperous than before.

The delicacies hidden deep in Dunhuang folk are not limited to various kinds of noodles. Look, Xiajia Hezhi in this lane is not big in appearance, but it is crowded with people.

Upon further inquiry, we found out that it is a century-old shop and a famous Dunhuang snack that has been passed down for more than a thousand years. This Dunhuang-specific mutton sauce fully absorbs the dietary characteristics of the Western Regions and the Central Plains. The soup has a strong meat aroma, the meat slices are crispy and delicious, the vermicelli is soft and smooth, and the "added sand" and "meatballs" have a unique flavor, plus green cauliflower. , it can be said that the "color, aroma and taste" are all excellent.

Hidden in the busy city, "Zhongjia Brewing Pi" is an inconspicuous shop in the eyes of outsiders, but in the eyes of Dunhuang people, it is a necessity of life. According to documents unearthed from the Dunhuang Tibetan Scripture Cave, RANG skin was a very popular snack in the Dunhuang market during the Tang Dynasty. It uses good white flour and is made into a dough through a special process. It is white and translucent. When eating, fold the dough, cut it into strips with a knife, put it on top with the steamed and sliced ??gluten, and pour the prepared seasoning on it. Edible.

Zhang Zhong, an expert on Dunhuang literature and history, said: "Zhang Daqian, who came to Dunhuang during the Republic of China, was a famous gourmet in China. I remember that I met Zhang Daqian up close when I was a teenager. According to Yu Youren's evaluation, At that time, Dunhuang was most famous for its roasted mutton. The mutton was cooked and then grilled on a grill. Instead of using charcoal fire, it used a kind of red willow firewood grown in Dunhuang. It has always been saline-alkaline since it was a young seedling, so it contains quite a lot of salt-alkali components. After it is roasted over fire, the smoke comes out and the saline-alkali components seep into the meat through the smoke. The roasted meat is particularly special. Fragrant. Because Yu Youren came to Dunhuang in 1941 and ate it twice on the mutton cart in the old Dunhuang city. He said that this true northwest flavor was nowhere to be found. ”

Most of these ancient delicacies can still occasionally flash in our field of vision, but many varieties have been quietly hidden among the simple folk, and we rarely see their true appearance.