Sometimes I wonder, what does “visiting” a city mean?
Is it the photos of tourists that fill the photo album on your mobile phone, or is it the successful location check-in in your circle of friends?
None.
You have to make the taste of this city enter the tip of your tongue and stick to the roof of your mouth. Even if you return to a city you know well and suddenly recall it late one night, you will still swallow your saliva subconsciously.
That's when I was called.
The city of Wuxi is very cunning.
The taste of food does not all exist in those exquisitely plated banquets, but is hidden in the streets and alleys, in those bites of hot, sweet, glutinous, and even sticky food.
If you have never encountered these 10 things below.
To put it bluntly, what you see is only the skin of Wuxi, but you don’t touch its soul.
Wuxi Xiaolong, that “sweet sneak attack”
When eating Xiaolong in other places, the emphasis is on saltiness and freshness.
Xiaolong in Wuxi will give you a "sweet sneak attack" right from the start.
The skin is so thin that it can transmit light, but it won't break no matter how you pinch it. You have to first follow the edge and gently take a small bite. Don't rush to suck it, and be careful not to burn it.
Wait like this, and the heat will dissipate. After it is finished, take another slurping action. At this time, your mouth will be filled with the marinade. The sweetness will come out first, followed by the meaty aroma, and finally a little saltiness as a finishing touch.
Foreigners are often startled when they first take a bite: "Why are these buns so sweet?"
The old Wuxi man smiled: Yes, this is Wuxi.
Sauce spareribs, not only “sweet”
"Tip of the Tongue" photographed it so amazingly, with a sauce-red color and crispy meat.
But I want to tell you that really good sauce pork ribs are not just sweet.
It's the kind of satisfying feeling that you can taste the meaty flavor when chewing on the bones.
When you hold it in your hand, it will feel slightly sticky, which is the sincerity made from collagen and sugar juice. There is no need to use a knife and fork, just take it with your hands. After nibbling, you have to lick your fingers, otherwise you will always feel that you are in need.
Clear water, oil and gluten are a “liar”
This thing is golden and shiny, like a solid ball.
In fact, it is empty and empty inside.
However, Wuxi people just love this "emptiness". They make a hole in it, fill the hole with minced meat, and then put it in a pot and cook it in braised sauce.
At this moment, it is like a "liar", absorbing a lot of gravy and soy sauce, and its appearance is still that round and fat man. When you bite it, the soup bursts in your mouth instantly, and it is a hundred times more delicious than a simple meatball.
This is the homely philosophy of Wuxi people: soft on the outside but strong on the inside, with goods in the belly.
Taihu Three Whites, the stubbornness of minimalism
White fish, white shrimp, whitebait.
These three people have very bad tempers.
It will die when it comes out of water, and it is extremely difficult to keep it fresh, so the word "fresh" is the most important thing.
The method is almost all steamed and boiled without adding complicated seasonings.
In this age of pursuing spicy and sour flavors, Taihu Sanbai has always adhered to its innocent style. When you taste it, what you taste is not the seasoning, but the wind from Taihu Lake and the sweet taste of the water.
Yangshan peach, sucking and drinking "summer"
Every June and July, Yangshan becomes a sweet battlefield.
The best peach is not to be eaten by chewing.
You need to clean it, place it in the palm of your hand and rub it until it is so soft that it seems to be vibrating on its own, and then insert a straw into it.
Really, just suck it.
The peach juice in your mouth slides down your throat like honey, without any residue at all.
If you miss this season, what you are waiting to see will be those "stone peaches" in the supermarket that are as hard as stones.
Rice dumplings with glutinous rice flour, a “glutinous” thing that is almost forgotten
Nowadays, young people love to eat taro balls in milk tea.
But in the memory of old Wuxi people, it is this bowl of rice dumplings with glutinous rice flour.
Use 70% of the white yuan and 30% of the white stems, grind them into powder with water, squeeze out the water and knead evenly.
The leather is soft, tough and smooth, with a unique fragrance of rice products.
Some are filled with lard, some are filled with bean paste, and some are filled with roses. After taking a bite, the filling slowly flows out, and it feels hot but also full of happiness.
Three Fresh Wontons, a Bowl of "Thunderstorm" Nostalgia
Is it clear that when Cao Yu created "Thunderstorm", Zhou Puyuan, a hypocritical capitalist, always had this Wuxi Sanxian wonton in mind.
Fresh meat, Kaiyang and pickled mustard are used as fillings, and the bone soup is served with shredded egg skin and dried tofu.
The skin is thin, the filling is rich, and the soup is clear and flavourful.
If a bowl of wontons like this can be brought to you at two o'clock in the morning, all homesickness can probably be cured, right?
Sugar taro, the ritual of Mid-Autumn Festival
Every year on the half of the eighth lunar month, people in Wuxi must cook sugar taro in their homes.
For taro, choose local taro seeds, add some alkali and burn until purple, then add brown sugar and osmanthus to simmer.
The cooked taro is crispy and soft, the soup is bright red and translucent, with golden osmanthus floating on it.
This "Chinese sugar water" is unique to Wuxi people and has the effect of warming the stomach and heart. If you come in autumn, you must find an old shop and have a bowl of it.
Plum Blossom Cake, that "burnt and crispy" thing on the street
This kind of snack must be eaten standing on the street.
As soon as it came out of the mold, it was so hot that I had to change my left hand to my right hand.
There are red and green melon shreds and small dumplings sprinkled on it, which looks like a plum blossom.
Bite open the crispy outer skin, and inside is hot bean paste or fresh meat filling.
The crispy outside, glutinous inside, sweet and salty taste is the most vivid fireworks on the streets of Wuxi.
Huishan Pancake, an “imagination” from four hundred years ago
This thing is also known as "King Kong Navel".
Legend has it that the royal family of the Ming Dynasty ran to the foot of Huishan Mountain and saw the navel of Vajra Bodhisattva, and suddenly came up with the idea of making a snack.
Use puff pastry dough, stuffed with salt and pepper, and covered with sesame seeds.
It tastes plain, fragrant, fat and crispy.
If you pinch a piece and it will fall apart, you have to eat it with your hands. That is how you respect it.
Having said so much, I actually want to tell you one thing.
The taste of Wuxi is not just sweet.
It has complex qualities, it has delicate characteristics, it presents a gentle image with water vapor, and it is also reflected in the exquisite situation that is immersed in the bones.
If you come to Wuxi, even if you only taste two or three of them, you will be considered to have had a close relationship with this city.
But if you haven’t eaten anything and just passed by those scenic spots in a hurry.
So, please don’t tell others that you have been to Wuxi.
Because what you missed is the most vivid and hot sincerity in this city.
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