What are the eating habits of Shanxi people?

Three meals a day are basically thick for breakfast, good for lunch and thin for dinner.

Pay more attention to staple food than non-staple food. The staple food is mainly noodles and millet, which is known as "eating all kinds at once". Don't count the dishes in a meal.

Generally, it tastes salty and sour, and vinegar is a common seasoning for Shanxi people. The eating habits of Shanxi people who love noodles have been exaggerated. Every meal has a long history, and there is no shortage of noodles and bread. This is formed under the background of natural conditions, historical origin and attack power. There are all kinds of food crops in Shanxi, with dozens of varieties. The north-central part is rich in sorghum, millet (millet in northern Taiyuan is sticky), sorghum, naked oats, buckwheat, rice, beans (including peas, black beans, mung beans, soybeans, adzuki beans, cowpeas, tea beans, lentils and broad beans), corn and misha. The south is rich in wheat, corn, millet and rice. These grain varieties provide abundant food. Through the ingenuity of peasant women, thousands of kinds of pasta can be made. Pasta in various shapes is delicious and attractive. Many farmers, three meals a day are mainly pasta, either coarse or fine, or dry or soup, coarse and fine, coarse and fine, refined and noodles, and their cooking skills are very rich. Farmers in areas rich in millet use rice as porridge or rice, and mix it with pasta such as mixed soup and noodle soup. Add oil to the noodle soup, or add chopped green onion, or add tender buds of Toona sinensis. This simple food can not only satisfy people's appetite, but also has a strong peasant flavor in the Loess Plateau, which makes people enjoy a kind of spiritual enjoyment. In the Pingchuan area of Jinzhong, farmers' lunches are almost all pasta, such as noodles, noodles, picking or pulling, rolling or pressing, brushing or wiping, each with its own characteristics. Noodles are long and short, wide and narrow, thick and thin; The pulled pieces are thick and thin, big and small, soft and hard. It's really dazzling, as if you were in the kingdom of pasta. All kinds of pasta, together with toppings and condiments with local characteristics, make people feel that eating Shanxi pasta is really a beautiful enjoyment. People with good living conditions should pay attention to eating pasta within one month; Ordinary farmers eat mixed noodles (sorghum mixed with white flour, bean flour, corn flour, or sorghum mixed with elm bark is called "mixed noodles") and change their patterns every day. The yellow wheat cake and oat noodle in the north and the steamed buns with white flour in the south have their own characteristics in both shape and taste. Of course, Lamian Noodles, one of Shanxi's four famous faces, is appreciated by people, with his sharp face, his small face and his small face. Among them, the penetration rate of picking tips is the highest, especially in Pingchuan, Jinzhong, where almost every peasant woman can pick tips with one hand. Miscellaneous noodles can be selected with the same thickness and length; White flour can be long or short, thick or thin. Thick is hollow and soft, thin is smooth and slippery. In Lamian Noodles, peasant women are known as "Little Lamian Noodles", which can be painted in various shapes such as width, roundness, thickness and even triangle. It is such a single pasta (especially in the old society where materials were scarce) that has become so colorful in the hands of hardworking and intelligent peasant women! By cooking, steaming, frying, baking and other means, the tedious housework has been turned into poetic labor, or poetic labor, which makes you sincerely admire: these aunts on the loess slope!

Shanxi people like soup and rice for a long time. Except for some places in the south of Shanxi, most of them live like this. Residents in Changzhi area have met each other in the community so far, and they will first ask, "Have you been drinking?" Most parts of Shanxi have been dry and windy for many years. The people "work at sunrise and rest at sunset" and are naked. The so-called "facing the loess and facing the sky" and "the beads of sweat fall off eight petals" are hard, and there are few conditions for drinking water and tea. Eating depends on soup. Moreover, Shanxi people used to eat very little food, all of which were salt and vinegar. The taste was obviously partial and they needed a lot of water physically, which formed the custom of drinking soup. In the daily recipes of Shanxi residents, soup and rice have the most kinds and the most exquisite eating methods. The low-grade can satisfy people's appetite, the middle-grade can entertain ordinary guests, and the high-grade is the best soup in the high-grade banquet. For example, the three-in-one tip, the three-in-one tadpole and the assorted hollow soup in Jinzhong area are all exquisite soup rice. There is a saying in Shanxi folk; "Drink soup first, and you won't get hurt all your life." It is a "dietary norm" for many residents to drink soup and rice before eating dry rice. This is very reasonable from a health point of view. Eating steamed stuffed buns, cakes and other dry food, most people have to cook rice soup or noodle soup, and families with conditions have to cook soup such as camellia oleifera. Drinking noodle soup after eating noodles is the most prominent eating habit of Shanxi residents. "Drink the original pot soup and melt the original pot dishes" is said to be the old adage of traditional diet. Many farmers have passed it down from generation to generation, and this custom has been maintained to this day. If you have a chance to visit Shanxi people, the housewife will definitely bring you a bowl of noodle soup after you have had enough to eat, and please come and melt the original dish with the original soup. This is not a bad habit, but it is also quite scientific. I like salt and vinegar, and I also like spicy food.

Shanxi folk love the habit of eating salt and vinegar, which has a long history and a wide geographical area. This is directly related to the local soil and water characteristics, natural climate and the living conditions of most people who are mainly miscellaneous grains. For example, the poor watch is seasoned with salt and vinegar; After hard work, the body needs a lot of salt. As we all know, vinegar is widely used in Shanxi folk meals. Shanxi is "hard in water", that is, it is strong in alkalinity. Shanxi people are mainly coarse grains, such as sorghum and oatmeal, which are not easy to digest and need vinegar to neutralize and help digestion. A Shanxi native, who can eat until he dies, must at least eat 150 ~ 200 Jin of vinegar. No wonder outsiders call Shanxi people "old acyl". Shanxi people can't eat noodles, make stuffing and cook without vinegar. Reconciliation must be vinegar-colored, and food must be vinegar-scented. Otherwise, it's not a good meal and it doesn't taste good. As long as you look at the vinegar utensils, bottles, jars and bowls that ordinary farmers must have on the table, you will know the role of vinegar in the diet of Jin people. Mountain residents also have the habit of pickling sauerkraut soup instead of vinegar. In old China, people in mountainous areas couldn't even afford salt and vinegar! The food mixed with this sour soup has a special taste. In the vast rural areas of Shanxi, almost every family has a set of experience in making vinegar, and there are one or two vats for making vinegar in the yard. Sorghum vinegar is brewed in Pingchuan area, while rice vinegar, jujube vinegar, persimmon vinegar vinegar and seabuckthorn vinegar are brewed by mountain residents, each with its own unique flavor. Vinegar is used to blend meals or cook dishes, which has high nutritional value and certain therapeutic effect. Almost all parts of Shanxi have their own famous vinegar, among which "Shanxi mature vinegar" has the best taste and can be called a good seasoning.

Shanxi folk also use a lot of salt in their daily diet. In the past, many farmers used small salt to bibimbap, paying attention to "showing salt". There is a folk saying that "salty and fragrant, no salt and no fragrance", and there is a folk saying that "a clever tongue is inseparable from money, and five flavors cannot be reconciled without salt." People value salt. Like vinegar utensils, every family table is equipped with salt utensils, which is convenient for diners to adjust their meals at any time. Shanxi folk like to eat heavy-flavored food, which is also reflected in the side dishes. On the table of ordinary farmers, there are often one or two pickles or sauerkraut to accompany the meal. In a family of four or five people, it is common to eat one or two large pieces of pickles or five or six pickled cucumbers at a meal. Sauerkraut should be mixed in a whole basin. As a "topping", some places even combine it with rice, which is a special dietary custom. In the past, there were no fresh vegetables in winter and spring, and there was no means to keep them fresh. All the dishes are served with pickles and sauerkraut. In many places, there is a saying that "MC Davi lives on food and pickles drag on", which reflects the hardships and helplessness of Shanxi people in the past. All kinds of pickles and sauerkraut are almost necessities for Shanxi people all the year round. Pickled kohlrabi in Yuci, Taigu, Qixian and other places, bean sprouts in Pingding, old pickles in Dingxiang, sweet shredded vegetables in Changzhi, pickles in Taiyuan and pickled jade melons in Linyi are all famous pickles. After 1950s, small salt was gradually replaced by lake salt and sea salt, and people's habit of eating small salt began to change. But the habit of Shanxi people eating "heavy" food has not changed much so far.

In addition to salt and vinegar, local residents also have considerable demand for spicy food. People have always regarded green onions, leeks, peppers, garlic, peppers and even ginger as essential side dishes and cooking condiments. Wealthy families pickled white garlic and green peppers into pickles to accompany meals, which residents call "fine pickles". This is also delicious for friends and relatives. Residents in north-central China have the habit of eating directly with green onions and garlic. It is more common to chop up peppers and eat them with salt and vinegar. In some places, even every meal is inseparable from Chili noodles, which are mixed with salt to make side dishes. Eating spicy food is very common in southern Shanxi, and residents in Pingyao, Jiexiu, Lingshi and Fenyang are in Jinzhong area. Among the spicy foods in Shanxi, the best quality are Jincheng Bagong green onion, Yingxian Xiaoshikou garlic, Daixian pepper, Hejin, Linfen leek, Pingshun and Yuxian pepper. Ginger is generally imported from other places, and the demand of the people is also quite large.

Merchants "cook a meal" and strive for perfection.

When it comes to eating habits, we have to mention the unique "Fan Zhuang" of Shanxi merchants. Shanxi merchants have a special position in the development of capitalism in China. They changed from merchants to merchants, from closed operation to joint monopoly operation, and from pure merchants to banks specializing in finance, reflecting the track of economic evolution in the late feudal period. Through these active events, we can get a glimpse of their distinctive traditional habits and cultural characteristics.

In addition to folk eating habits, Shanxi merchants also have their own unique eating habits. Especially for big businessmen, every meal pays attention to the combination of dry and wet, the combination of meat and vegetables, and the staple food is mainly pasta. Cooked (including baking, baking), steamed, boiled and fried pasta, from modeling to design and even flavor, have reached the level of perfection. The Cao family in Taigu county, the Qu family in Qixian county, the Qiao family in Pingyao county, the Lei family and other big businessmen, every meal seems to be a banquet, and it is common for a table of rice to cost dozens of taels of silver. Even the side dishes of morning and evening meals should choose authentic well-known brands; Sour, spicy, salty and sweet require pure and unique flavor; Choose delicacies and delicacies; "Eight cold and eight heat" changes with time. Chefs should employ local famous teachers, including the head chef and the second chef, with a clear division of labor, such as meat case, noodle case and dish case, as well as special frying spoons, serving dishes (that is, holding seats), pouring wine, holding spittoons, handing towels and mouthwash. , exquisite degree as butler. No wonder there is a folk saying that "the rich family has a meal and the poor family has a meal for half a year". There is also a saying in Taigu that "there is a paradise mansion on the top, and there is a' access to five' on the bottom (Taigu North Village Cao Shi General Business Organization is located in this county)", which means that the eating and drinking of' access to five' can rival the life of immortals in heaven. There are more than 600 cooks in Cao Shi's family, who cater to delicious food and are distributed in businesses all over the country. There are also more than 100 people who specialize in purchasing famous wines and dishes all over the country, not including those who are preparing for part-time jobs. Sichuan-Guangzhou famous dishes, Northeast Ginseng, Tianjin-Shanghai seafood and local delicacies are all available. There are often high-grade nutritious dishes such as bear's paw, deer tendon, Hericium erinaceus, bird's nest, lotus seeds and lilies on the dining table, as well as various traditional pasta, and the level of "Fan Zhuang" can be imagined. These profligacy not only reflects their pride in financial management, but also reflects their rebellious compensation mentality in the commercial struggle under the strong pressure of feudal economy and foreign capital forces.

The food system and unique customs in my hometown.

The ancients usually had two meals a day, namely, morning food (also known as food) and food (also known as food), which was in line with the ancient labor system of "working at sunrise and resting in the day" and the lack of food sources at that time. This food system has been maintained in many areas of Shanxi. However, due to different regions and seasons, there are differences. Northern residents have always followed the traditional diet system of "three meals in summer and autumn, two meals in winter and spring". "Shanxi Tongzhi" has a record of "feeding in winter and spring, two meals a day", which is about this kind of diet system. Only in summer and autumn, because of the busy farming, it was changed to three meals. In some places in the south and southeast of Shanxi, people have the habit of eating four or five meals a day. During the busy farming season, many rural areas are used to sending rice to the fields, or taking dry food to eat when resting in the fields, which is commonly known as "pinching" among the people. Rural residents also have the habit of taking meals to parties in the streets when the weather is warm. The formation of this custom is probably related to the long-term occlusion of rural information and the monotonous cultural life of farmers. The villagers used the opportunity of eating to get together, and while eating, they talked about their home affairs. Some of them exchanged experiences in planting and breeding, while others spread current news. In the cold season, farmers eat on the kang on their legs, with their elders in the middle, children sitting on both sides and daughter-in-law sitting next to them, which is convenient for rice and vegetables. In a restaurant, if you put chopsticks horizontally in a bowl, it means you are full. Put it on the table or hold it in your hand, which means you need more rice. The housewife asked, "Is it enough?" Or "Do you still want to eat?" Instead of asking, "Do you want it?" Answer "another half bowl", "a little more", or "I'm full" or "I'm finished", but I'm afraid to answer "I'm full" or "I'm not eating". Eating in a scholarly family is another scene: no matter spring, summer, autumn and winter, three meals a year are eclipsed, and eating in the street is not allowed. The whole family is sitting together, and the children are orderly. Men and women are different, and they are in their places. It is not allowed to violate the law. When eating, strictly abide by the old adage of "eat without words", and don't throw rice and noodles on the table. Big armour, giant businessmen, master and servant have strict boundaries, and dining is another rule. The host and hostess eat separately and generally don't eat with others. The footman served plates and bowls, and the maid waited on them. Wine before food, meat before vegetables, salty before sweet, soup after meals, what to serve first, and even the location of the dishes are all stipulated. Servants, servants start a new cooker, eat more coarse tea and light rice, or squat down to eat, or eat on the floor

After the 1950s, the diet system of the whole country has changed. The overlapping of three meals has become a routine, and it is becoming more and more common for a family to eat around the table. Most rural residents still have the habit of eating in the street with bowls in summer and autumn.