叶晨
《世说新语》里有一段关于吃的有趣对话,说是晋武帝司马炎的驸马王济曾经傲慢地问出生于江南的大才子陆机:“你们江南有什么东西,能和我这儿的羊酪相比?”
这位王济,可是当时都城洛阳鼎鼎有名的大吃货。有一次,他宴请皇帝司马炎,派人上了一道“乳猪”,司马炎品尝后赞不绝口。《晋书》记载,“蒸肫甚美,帝问其故,答曰:‘以人乳蒸之。”好家伙,用人的乳汁做菜,王济在吃法上的奢侈和讲究可见一斑。
不过,就算面对的是知名贵族美食家,出仕中原的江南人陆机丝毫没有退却,他淡淡地回答:千里莼羹。
一生热爱江南水土的陆机或许明白,以素雅、尚鲜、重时节为特色的江南菜系,终究会成为带有鲜明文化印记的顶级美食代表。
眼下的季节,浙江迎来了好天气,和煦的春风与阳光叫人泛起游意,所谓“今朝新雨霁,一笑整巾屦[jù]”。而品尝当地美食,肯定是春游中非常重要的部分,美食和美景结合,应季食材配上当地的传统做法,可以让味蕾和心情一起跳舞。
那么,在春季浙里该吃什么?“百县千碗”!
此前,由浙江省文化和旅游厅主办,各市旅游部门、浙江省饭店业协会、浙江省餐饮行业协会联合协办的“诗画浙江·百县千碗”旅游美食推广活动挖掘了全省各地特色美食,各地分别选出最具地方代表性的10碗美食,全省共有89个县(市、区),加起来可谓是“百县千碗”。那就让我们跟随“百县千碗”中的春季时令菜去拥抱春天吧!
杭州富阳:春江老鲜
“桃花流水鳜鱼肥。”春季,桃花盛开,富春江出产的鳜鱼也正值肥美鲜嫩,推荐你去原产地杭州富阳等地品尝。
当地有一道以鳜鱼为主料的“春江老鲜”,曾是过去富春江边大户人家宴请贵宾必不可少的大菜之一,后经大厨的传承改良,开始走入寻常人家。做法上,将主料鳜鱼和江蟹、江虾、黄蚬及山珍、鞭笋、菌菇、丝瓜及中草药等慢火炖制,调味简单,出锅后汤色纯白,尝一口回味无穷。
搭配美景:龙门古镇、野生动物园等
宁波奉化:书圣剡溪鹅
“落日花边剡溪水,晴烟竹里会稽峰。”我们常听到的“浙东唐诗之路”,指的就是一条唐代诗人往来比较频繁的旅游风景线,它自绍兴古镜湖、浙东运河、曹娥江至剡溪,再溯源至如今的台州天台,对唐诗发展有着重大影响。
当然,自古美景、美食也密不可分。剡溪流经奉化,从此开阔平缓。清粼粼的溪水养育出了岸上肉质肥嫩的大白鹅。尤其是清明节前后,剡溪沿岸水草丰茂,鹅肉最为鲜美。
书圣剡溪鹅选用正宗的溪口剡溪鹅。将鹅肉料理干净,用特定的香料卤煮至七八成熟,待冷却之后切成小块,盛至锅中,加入葱姜提味去腥,放入原味高汤,然后煮至鹅肉自然散发出浓郁的鲜香。揭盖出锅,再由食客在餐桌上现场制作,放入青翠嫩绿的蔬菜与鹅汤同煮,那鲜香实在让人忍不住大快朵颐。
搭配美景:溪口、雪窦山
湖州南浔:鞭笋浔味绣花锦
野食,是春季美味的主题之一,此时不仅有马兰头、蕨菜等野蔬,还有惊雷笋等高山时鲜。你不必入田园爬深山,就能轻松地在南浔古镇找到一道特别的时蔬料理。
这道鞭笋浔味绣花锦,以当地的特有食材绣花锦为主料,拿鞭笋来给绣花锦作配,有了笋的山林清气托底,绣花锦的清香就更上一层楼了。据当地朋友介绍,令人吃惊的是,正宗的绣花锦只长在南浔古镇方圆十里之内,出了十里就徒有其形而无其香了——江南食材出产地域的重要性不言而喻了。
搭配美景:南浔古镇
温州文成:白落地温蛋
“白落地”,学名又叫“铜锤玉带草”,是一味清热去火的良药。温州文成人常用它的鲜叶来泡茶喝,泡出的茶汁清澈碧绿,颇为爽口。
此外,白落地还可以和鸡蛋炒着来吃,或者和蛋做汤喝,有个好听的菜名,叫“白落地温蛋”。鸡蛋嫩黄、叶子鲜绿,喝着就让人想起眼下这个嫩芽初生的春天。
搭配美景:百丈漈
衢州开化:山泉清水鱼
衢州一带清水养鱼的历史已有600多年。據《开化县志》记载,本地人利用当地生态优势,在自家挖塘引山泉,以青草养之,因为山区海拔高、气温低,鱼生长缓慢,一年才可长半斤左右,常常需要养殖三四年。
如此养成的清水鱼鳃色红艳,无半点泥腥味,肉质细腻而有弹性。烧煮时得用农家柴火灶,全程不动鱼身,也不揭锅盖,鲜嫩的鱼肉自然而成。
搭配美景:台回山、钱江源国家森林公园
舟山嵊泗:青椒炒贻贝
嵊泗贻贝,舟山方言称之为“淡菜”,一般3月下旬就有上市,到4月中旬最肥美。舟山的春季捕捞季节,大贝壳连着小贝壳,密密实实一大片,菜市场中尤为壮观。除去外壳和足丝的淡菜,肥软可爱,用开水稍烫下便能轻松取下小小一只。
当下正是海岛旅游季节,可以在嵊泗的花鸟岛找一间沿海民宿住下,傍晚和亲朋好友围在一起剥淡菜壳,鲜香之气萦绕左右,岂不美哉。当然,淡菜肉制作方法也多,可以用酒腌制,也可以与青椒同炒,这就看你挑的那家民宿的大厨会什么花样了。
搭配美景:花鸟岛、东极岛
台州天台:饺饼筒
很多地方都有开春吃春饼、春卷的习俗,总称为咬春。假如你春游台州,那么品尝当地的饺饼筒,恰好应了这“万物朝新”的风俗。
随着时代的发展,饺饼筒馅料开始变得更加随意,或者说是更有创意,一般会有炒好的肉丝、绿豆芽、豆面、蒿菜、鸡蛋丝、豆腐、韭菜、青蚕豆等等,高档点的会再加点蟮丝、墨鱼、蛏肉之类。品尝之前,你可以先闻其味,因为面皮被煎得焦黄,不软而脆,焦香四溢,再一口下去,你会感觉自己是在吃特大号的春卷。
搭配美景:天台山
丽水庆元:极品鲜菇
春季,需要食鲜。此时不少的应季浙江菜中,往往会加入菌菇类的食材,起到提鲜增味的妙用。
要吃菌菇,省内推崇丽水,其境内的庆元、龙泉、云和等地均以盛产菌菇、木耳闻名。例如,庆元241香菇便是丽水市庆元县最具代表性的香菇品种,其鲜菇口感嫩滑清香,干菇则口感脆而濃香。最常见的吃法可以参照一道当地菜肴“极品鲜菇”——将菇切花刀,用浓汤汁入味,淋上薄芡,加味极鲜酱油即可。配料和做法非常简单,但味道却馨香独特,靠的就是庆元香菇傲人的品质。
搭配美景:百山祖
金华兰溪:鸡子馃
一年之计在于春,一日之计在于晨,春食往往要搭配一份精致的早饭。
在金华兰溪的游埠古镇,喝早茶是一种习惯。在这座古镇上,每天早晨4点就有茶铺开张了,6点多进入茶客最多的时候,在早茶铺集中区域解放街上(当地也称“早茶街”),5米宽的街道两旁绝对已经坐满了人。而鸡子粿,是喝早茶一族青睐有加的选择。
这种融合了猪油、瘦肉、豆腐、葱和鸡蛋的油煎饼制作过程很有特色——煎至半熟时,将鸡蛋打碎,用筷子在馃皮上挑开一个小口,倒入蛋液,再将馃两面煎至金黄,鸡蛋、肉末和葱段碰撞出独特的香气,内嫩外酥。
搭配美景:游埠古镇、诸葛八卦村
Tasty Charms of Zhejiang
By Ye Chen
A legendary part of Jiangnan Zhejiang loves cooking and eating. , a book written by Liu Yiqing (403-444), traces this passion for finest taste to Jiangnan more than 16 centuries ago. One anecdote recorded in the book relates a brief conversation between Prince Wang Ji and Lu Ji, a court official who came from Jiangnan, which is a historical and geographic name for the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. A celebrated gourmet in the capital, the prince boastingly and arrogantly asked Lu Ji, “What do you have in Jiangnan that can be as good as sheep cheese here?” “The water shield soup,” replied calmly and simply Lu Ji without hesitation. Lu was cultured and refined enough to know the regional flavors in Jiangnan were much better. The culinary style in Jiangnan emphasizes light flavors from fresh and seasonal ingredients, much different from the heavily seasoned flavors in the north.
In 2018, the cultural and tourism authorities in Zhejiang launched a province-wide program to find the top ten dishes of each of 89 counties, county-level districts and cities in the province. The selection amounted to just a little south of 1,000 dishes in the province. Among this wide range of local dishes, many are available only in springtime.
Mandarin Fish
Fuyang, which used to be a county in Hangzhou and now a district of the city, boasts a dish of fish from Fuchun River, which traverses the picturesque county. The mandarin fish is the main ingredient of the dish, accompanied by crabs, shrimps, clams, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and some herbals. In the past, only the wealthy people along the river could afford to give such a treat to guests. Nowadays, modified by chefs, the dish is available at a reasonable price and most people can enjoy it. The best place to sample the dish is Dragon Gate Town and the Safari Park in Fuyang.
Shanxi River Goose
This famous dish is a representative of the local cuisine of Fenghua, a county-level city in Ningbo in the east of the province where an ancient route of poetry of the Tang exists in Chinese classics. In the Tang Dynasty, the picturesque beauty of the eastern Zhejiang attracted poets all over the country. Shanxi River was part of the pilgrimage all the way to Mount Tiantai. Local people never hesitate to point out to visitors that the great local cuisine goes nicely with the great beauty of the poetry path. Cooked in broth and served with fresh seasonal vegetables, the tasty goose can be an unforgettable gourmet experience at Xikou or Xuedou Mountain, two of the best known tourist destinations in Fenghua, which attracts more than 6 million tourists a year.
Embroidered Brocade with Bamboo Shoots
The embroidered brocade in the name of this delicious dish has nothing to do with any fabric or embroidery. It is a local name for a kind of cabbage in Nanxun, a canal town in Huzhou in the north of Zhejiang. The cabbage cultivated around in Nanxun is very special. Gourmets agree that the taste isnt authentic if the cabbage comes from anywhere else five miles away from the town. This special dish helps explain why local flavors across Zhejiang are often unique. The same food ingredients may taste different five or ten miles away. It goes without saying that Nanxun is the only place where this dish is available. Chefs anywhere else have long since stopped trying to imitate.
Herb Eggs
The herb in this dish is the Common Pratia. Local people in Wencheng, a county in Wenzhou, steep it in hot water and drink as tea. And they make it a key ingredient in scrambled eggs. The spring is the best time for the herb eggs in Wencheng. And the best location for this local delicacy is at Baizhangji, Chinas tallest waterfall in a string of local tourism destinations.
Clean-Water Grass Carp
Local people in Quzhou in the mountainous southwest of Zhejiang have been raising grass carp in spring-water ponds for more than 600 years. Situated at a high altitude, these ponds are home to grass carp that feeds on grass thrown in by pond owners and grows very slowly. It usually takes a grass carp to grow in three or four years before it is big enough for dinner table. The grass carp from such a pond does issue any muddy odor and the fish meat is tender. If it is cooked in a rural kitchen with firewood, it tastes best. Restaurants at Taihui Mountain and the National Forest Park at the Headwaters of Qiantang River are most recommended.
Mussel with Green Pepper
Zhoushan Archipelago in eastern Zhejiang begins to see mussels harvested from the sea in late March every year, but the best-quality mussels are available in mid April. There are many ways to cook mussels. The best place for having a mussel feast is usually at an islanders home on a small island. It can be steeped in wine or it can be cooked with green pepper. It can depend upon the cook hired at a village inn. Never underestimate what these local cooks can do with mussels. Restaurants at Flower Birds Isle and Dongji Isle are recommended.
Dumpling Roll
The delicacy resembles the spring roll in almost all aspects, but the size is bigger and the stuffing is much more. It is usually available in the spring. In the past there were not so many ingredients rolled in. Now, as the market works pretty well and local economy has been thriving for decades, many delicious ingredients get into the stuffing such as sliced eels, cuttlefish and mussels in addition to sliced pork, mung been sprout, tarragon, tofu, egg, chives, broad bean. If you are visiting Mountain Tiantai, try the dumpling roll there so that you dont need to go out of your way to find the delicacy.
Fresh Mushroom
Qingyuan in the south of Zhejiang is best known as a county of mountains where mushroom is a major pillar of the local economy. The local people offer a dish of fresh mushroom which they proudly call Fresh Mushroom Masterpiece. It presents a minimalist style: cooked with broth and topped with several drops of soy sauce. Though Qingyuan and neighboring counties are all good at providing tourists with this dish, the best place for a tourist to enjoy this local delicacy is Baishanzu Mountain, literally the ancestor of 100 mountains, which is the second tallest peak of Zhejiang.
Pancake
Unlike some other places across the province, Youbu, a town whose history goes back to many hundreds of years ago, boasts an early morning breakfast tradition. Some teahouses in the town open up at four oclock in the morning. The biggest crowd for a cup of tea and breakfast appears at about 6 oclock. The 5-meter wide Liberation Street in downtown is nicknamed Morning Tea Street.
It is absolutely the favorite of most early risers in the town. The pancake is their favorite. The ingredients including minced lean pork, tofu, green onion, lard and egg are not what make the cake special. It is the way the egg goes into the cake. While the cake is on the pan, the cook uses a chopstick to open a tiny hole on the cake and pour the whipped egg into the cake. This may look time-consuming and not particularly efficient, but the recipe comes from a time when no one was in a hurry to go anywhere. The traditionalists in town still enjoy the pancake made this way. Tourists love it too. The best place to get a bite of the pancake is Youbu Town and Zhuge Eight-Diagram Village about 15 kilometers away from Youbu.
ceremonies at grassroots level keep history and tradition of hundred years or even thousand years alive,” she observes.