In ancient times, the land of Bashu and the Land of Abundance was so well-known, not only because of its rich and abundant products, but also because of the "jianghu on the tip of the tongue" that is deeply rooted in people's blood.
Sichuan cuisine, which has traveled through the long river of history, has such a worldly taste that is blended into the fireworks of the city. It can no longer be summarized by the simple word "spicy".
It is a taste legend that began in Piyi, the ancient Shu Kingdom three thousand years ago. It is a cultural collision caused by waves of immigrants. It is a cultural fusion brought about by waves of immigrants. It finally transformed into the pleasure that fills our lips and teeth today. It finally transformed into the heat that fills our lips and teeth today. This kind of pleasure is unstoppable, and this kind of heat is unstoppable.
If you want to explore what the soul of Sichuan cuisine is, you might as well start here, starting with Chengdu and Chongqing, two "Twin Cities" with very different personalities.
It is like the two sides of Sichuan cuisine. One side is the delicacy and elegance that has been accumulated over the years, and the other side is the boldness and enthusiasm stirred up in the world.
When you step into Chengdu, you will find that the "spicy" here is gentle and soft, which is the key to blending into many flavors and the unique touch that turns stone into gold.
In the deep courtyard of Kuanzhai Alley, there is a classic so-called "braised pork with fermented glutinous rice". It is really a concrete manifestation of the old mansion cuisine and the epitome of it.
It does not pursue the stimulating feeling brought by the numbness and spiciness, but relies on the mellow wine aroma of the glutinous rice grains to slowly simmer the pork belly until it reaches a soft, glutinous and sweet state. It seems to turn into something else as soon as it is eaten, and the remaining taste is very long.
This is the elegance of Chengdu cuisine reflected in the food. It is like a scholar who hides his talent deeply and does not reveal it easily, integrating tradition and exquisiteness into every vegetable and every mouthful of rice.
Busy scenes are common in the market, just like a bowl of red oil. It looks like billowing red waves made of red peppers. However, its spiciness is actually relatively mild, and what's more, it is the burnt flavor produced by the combination of red oil and sesame seeds. When you take a bite, the extremely delicious soup will suddenly burst out in your mouth.
Mapo tofu among the popular dishes and chickpea pudding at the banquet, Chengdu people in Sichuan can show the calmness and calmness of "a hundred dishes and a hundred flavors" in "one dish and one style".
When you go down the river to Chongqing, your taste experience instantly becomes more exaggerated.
The roughness and boldness of dock culture are magnified to the extreme here.
If the spiciness in Chengdu is “fragrant”, then the spiciness in Chongqing is “strong”.
In the early morning, what wakes up this mountain city is not the morning light, but a bowl of Chongqing noodles covered with red oil.
The alkaline water noodles are wrapped in chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, minced garlic, and accompanied by more than ten kinds of seasonings such as mustard. When you take a bite, the strong spicy feeling instantly penetrates the Rendu and Dumai vessels, and you can't help but shout loudly that you are satisfied.
When night falls, the wind on the river is blowing gently, and what is constantly rolling in the Jiugongge hot pot is the passionate life of Chongqing people.
The seven hairy tripes are turned up and down seven times. After eight times, the duck intestines are in a specific state. The duck intestines are slightly curled and should be eaten immediately. Dip the duck intestines into the dipping sauce made of sesame oil and minced garlic. The "Jianghu flavor" with a rich and thick oily taste and distinctive personality is the most perfect way to present the unique characteristics of "rustic, rough and complicated" Chongqing Jianghu cuisine.
Here, what you eat is not only food, but also the unrestrained and hearty pleasure.
The territory of Sichuan cuisine goes far beyond this.
Zigong’s salt-flavored dishes, which originated from salt, are characterized by “spicyness”, just like a boiled beef dish that combines spiciness and tenderness to the right degree; Leshan’s Bobo Chicken, the fragrance of rattan pepper oil envelops the deliciousness of the chicken, one string after another, making people’s mouths unable to stop.
These special dishes are grown from the terroir of various places, and together they weave into the rich and colorful taste network of Sichuan cuisine.
At present, with the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing twin-city economic circle, the exquisite characteristics of Chengdu and the bold characteristics of Chongqing are showing a trend of accelerating integration.
In Chengdu, you can easily find authentic Chongqing old hot pot and experience the spicy pepper flavor that reaches your forehead; however, on the streets of Chongqing, you can also encounter boutique restaurants that specialize in Chengdu's elegant Sichuan cuisine.
This two-way journey not only makes up for the deficiencies in communication between the two places in the past, but also makes Sichuan cuisine, a cultural symbol with ancient characteristics, glow with new vitality.
First, Li Bing built the Dujiangyan Irrigation System to ensure an abundance of food ingredients, and then "Huguang filled Sichuan", which led to a perfect encounter between Chili Pepper and Pixian Douban. As for the new catering pattern formed by the integration of the two cities, every transformation of Sichuan cuisine has left obvious traces of history.
What it gives to the world has long gone beyond the pure pleasure between the lips and teeth, and the hot feeling in the taste. It is also a history that can be tasted, and it is a culture formed by the region that blends with each other and is inclusive.
When you pick up the chopsticks next time, you might as well taste it carefully. Under the red oil, there is the fireworks world of Bashu land with a history of three thousand years.
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