The story of Emperor Qianlong's arrival in Wan Hu Town.

Strolling in this quaint Wan Hu alley beside Fuhe River, breathing the fresh river water and feeling the rich cultural atmosphere, are you also thinking of bringing some unique gifts to your friends and relatives? There is no doubt that you must include Wan Hu's famous oil level.

If Wan Hu is the ancient rhyme town with the most scholarly flavor, then the oily noodles in Wan Hu will add a royal flavor to this book. According to legend, Emperor Qianlong went down to the south of the Yangtze River and came to Wan Hu Town. Tired of walking, he came to a small shop to eat noodles with oil. After tasting it, the smooth and delicate taste immediately touched Emperor Qianlong. Subsequently, Wan Hu oil noodles were selected as court food, and they were also called "Longxu Noodles" because their smooth and white noodles were as fine as Longxu Noodles.

In today's Wan Hu town, there are still more than a dozen workshops still doing oil noodle business. Under the guidance of the villagers, we walked into Rao Xirong's noodle restaurant at No.92 Shengli Road in the town. While the weather was fine, he was busy in the studio, and countless greasy noodles hung straight on a special drying rack. When the wind blows, the thin and dense oil surface swings slightly with the wind, much like the meticulous bead curtain of other people's homes.

Master Rao, 53, has been cooking oil noodles for 36 years. In his words, he has been dealing with this craft all his life and is still continuing the traditional craft of his ancestors. Using high-quality flour, vegetable oil, refined potato starch, salt and other raw materials, it goes through more than ten processes, such as kneading dough, rubbing large strips, rubbing small strips, frying potato powder, oiling, wire rod, winding strips, pulling strips, drying in the sun, taking off the shelf and packaging. After time and sunshine, a unique food with smooth, white, uniform thickness, delicate lubrication and non-stick to hands is formed. Whether it is fresh water or rich chicken soup for cooking, shredded pork and mushrooms are intentionally covered as "Zi Qiao". Wan Hu oil surface will definitely make you unforgettable.

Master Rao said that the secret of making oil noodles well lies in different seasonings all year round. How much salt to put and how much water to add are all exquisite. In order to make noodles, it is common for him to get up at 3 am and start busy for more than ten hours. At the end of the day, he and his wife can cook a few hundred kilograms of noodles at most. "Sometimes when you are tired, you will come to a bowl of noodles, which also has the effects of strengthening the spleen and stomach, lowering blood pressure, expelling wind and dispelling cold." Master Rao said.

At this time, an old man who came to buy noodles told us that Xu bowl of oil noodles appeared in the market at the end of the Ming Dynasty. According to legend, water transportation was developed at that time, and people came and went at Xuwan Wharf. Busy businessmen need a fast food that is delicious and can fill their stomachs, so oily noodles have become the best choice. An endless stream of Fuhe River, coupled with the superior natural conditions in Wan Hu Town, has also made Wan Hu's oil noodles more and more popular. Because it is tribute noodles, the packaging of Xuwan oil noodles is very particular. During the Republic of China, hardcover oil noodles were even packed in red lacquer wooden boxes, with auspicious dragon and phoenix, century-old harmony, splendid rivers and mountains engraved on the outside, and with the product name and specifications of gold lacquer, workshop font size, cooking instructions and various colorful spikes, which were very beautiful.

Nowadays, people in Wan Hu still put a bowl of oil noodles on the dining table, whether celebrating birthdays or festivals. This is not only a habit, but also a respect for this special food that has accompanied them for generations and has too much emotion.

If you have a chance to go to Wan Hu, you must remember to bring the special oil noodles here and share them with more relatives and friends.