The ancient Grand Canal witnessed the changes of history and the progress of the times, and also carried the cultural heritage and countless good wishes.
The Shandong section of the Beijing Hangzhou Canal has nurtured the hardworking quality and simple folk customs of the people along the line and has also created distinctive food along the line, which has been praised by many tourists from afar.
The prosperity of the economy and the flow of people make the famous food collections and delicacies along the Grand Canal a paradise for eating. Today, let’s have a look at the food along the Shandong Canal~
01 Dezhou City, Shandong Province
/Dezhou Braised Chicken/
The ingredients of milligrams are not less than one percent, and the cooking time is not less than one second. “This is the ancestral instruction made by Texas braised chicken
Dezhou Grilled Chicken, also known as Dezhou Spicy Boneless Grilled Chicken, is one of the famous Dezhou Three Treasures (braised chicken, watermelon, golden jujubes), a traditional famous food in Shandong Province of China, and a classic in Shandong cuisine.
As early as the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, Dezhou braised chicken was listed as a tribute in Shandong Province and was sent to the palace for the emperor, empress, and royal family to enjoy, known as the “best chicken in the world”.
After more than 300 years of experience, Dezhou Grilled Chicken has become more and more perfect in its production techniques while adhering to inheritance and innovation. From traditional manual workshops to modern production techniques, Dezhou Grilled Chicken has retained its beautiful shape and bright color. Its meat is tender, and its mouth and teeth will retain fragrance, which is unforgettable for a long time.
/Ningjin Daliu Noodles/
Chinese Northerners love to eat pasta, and Shandong people are particularly fond of noodles.
Noodles are one of the most popular noodles eaten by Shandong people. Some people even “drink noodles” for three meals a day. The smooth noodles can be eaten in a few mouthfuls, warm and full.
Shandong people are also famous for their hospitality both inside and outside the province. Noodles are one of the indispensable delicacies for hospitality, implying “long life, long life”
Ningjin Daliu noodles in Dezhou are one of the three famous foods in Ningjin, Dezhou. The production of Ningjin Daliu noodles is very particular. The proportion of noodles is different according to the four seasons.
Among them, the most challenging is the knife work, which requires the strength and width of the knife, so as to make the big willow noodles that are “several feet long, spread like a net, take the pole like silk, and wrap the hands into strands, sparse but not messy”.
The Daliu noodles look tough and powerful, but the taste is soft and pliable. With all kinds of delicious bittern, they are nutritious and taste very good.
/Linqing Shixiang Noodles/
As a famous food in Linqing, Shixiangmian is also called “Shixiangmian”, which is loved by local people and tourists from afar.
According to folk legend, when Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty passed through the Qing Dynasty on his southern tour, he once used the noodles and gave them a name in person. According to legend, it has become one of the most representative staple foods with canal culture characteristics in Linqing.
In addition to the crisp noodles and the proper proportion of water and flour when cooking, the heat is also very important, so the carefully cooked noodles are smooth and tasty.
Then comes the rich side dishes, which are divided into four categories: vegetables, pickles, seasonings, and bittern. All kinds of side dishes exude attractive fragrances, and the air is mixed with the fragrance of various vegetables, pickles, seasonings, bittern, and soup.
“Linqing Shixiang Noodles” is not only a beautiful food given to Linqing by the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal but also a “treasure handed down” of the local traditional food culture of Linqing.
/Linqing Tofu On Pallet/
Tofu with tray is a traditional local famous food in Linqing, Liaocheng. Because the seller always cuts it and puts it on a special rectangular board for sale, it is called “Tofu with tray”.
From morning till night, you can see a large piece of shivering, watery, and hot water tofu wrapped in white cloth on a trolley, bicycle, or small shoulder load. Men, women, old and young compete to buy it.
Water tofu is made from superior soybeans, peeled, soaked, ground into juice, filtered out soymilk with cloth, poured into a pot to boil, and carefully prepared with brine.
The tofu made with traditional techniques is fragrant, and the air is filled with bean fragrance. This kind of tofu made with traditional techniques is also a simple taste, a taste of childhood.
/Dongping pickled fish/
The pickled fish in Dongping, Tai’an is well known because of China on the Tongue. Although it looks less attractive, it tastes very good. The meat is soft, the bones are rotten like mud, fat but not greasy, mellow and refreshing, salty and sweet.
Affected by canal transportation, the pickled fish is more suitable for preservation, which is convenient for passing merchants to bring the taste of their hometown to a distant place.
An ordinary fish can be made into a delicious, sweet, and salty fish with the knife, frying, and seasoning of the Secret Gate.
/Dongping Congee/
Dongping porridge has a history of 330 years, which can be said to be very famous.
Among many porridge products in China, Dongping porridge is undoubtedly a strange pearl.
Dongping porridge uses superior soybeans and millet as raw materials. The ratio of soybean milk and rice milk is about 2:1. The porridge is delicious and unique. It has both the flavor of soybean milk and the sweetness of rice soup.
Milky white porridge, mellow and viscous, put it into a bowl, and soon the surface will be coated; The taste is delicate and mellow, fragrant and sweet, with a slight paste taste, which makes people aftertaste endlessly.
/Bengrou Rice/
Bengrou rice is a special flavor of the Jining people.
“Bengrou” refers to the meat that is served and cooked with beng, and “dry rice” refers to rice. The meat stewed slowly over low heat has a crystal light. Red meat and white meat are fatty and thin. The soft, glutinous, and nongreasy meat melts in the mouth and has a very rich taste.
Bengrou Rice is not only a nutritious and delicious meal but also a symbol of Jining’s food culture. Tourists from all over the country can taste and feel this ancient city in the hometown of Confucius and Mencius and the city of canals.
In the long years, this dish will be deeply imprinted on your taste buds.
/Yutang Pickled Vegetables/
In 1886, Yutang pickles came to Beijing as a tribute. After Empress Dowager Cixi tasted them, she was awarded the words “Beijing is famous, and the taste is stronger than that of Jiangnan”. Since then, Yutang pickles have become a good gift for the upper-class society in Beijing.
Yutang pickles are well prepared. They are made by screening ingredients, pretreatment, pickling, modification, desalination, dehydration, and natural sunshine. The pickles are bright, sweet, and not greasy, salty and not muddy, and have both northern and southern flavors.
/Zaozhuang Spicy Chicken/
Zaozhuang is the hometown of hot chicken in China. Zaozhuang hot chicken is also known as “Zaozhuang big plate hot chicken”. It is a distinctive food in southern Shandong, which is fresh, hot, and fragrant.
枣庄辣子鸡由花椒、干辣椒、加上各种大料将鸡块干煸，最后再加一些青辣椒、芝麻进行调味制作而成。
Zaozhuang Spicy Chicken is made by dry frying chicken nuggets with Chinese prickly ash, dried chili, and various large ingredients, and finally seasoning with some green chilies and sesame seeds.
Local free-range cockerels are preferred for cooking fried chicken. The chicken is fresh, tender and delicious, and tastes delicious. It is not only widely loved by the local people, but also the tourists who have a strong taste and love to eat spicy chicken in Zaozhuang.
/Vegetable pancake/
The vegetable pancake originated in Zaozhuang, Shandong Province. The Tengzhou vegetable pancake is a very famous food.
A homemade pancake is wrapped with colorful vegetables, radishes, cabbage, noodles, ham, and tofu… It tastes soft, tender, and rich, which is popular among diners.
On the newly baked pancake, add edible oil, eggs, ham sausages, and various seasonal vegetables, heat them thoroughly, roll them up a few times, divide them into several pieces, use a package of clean paper, hold it in your hand, smell it, bite it, and the smell immediately spreads in your mouth.
The vegetable pancake is nutritious and convenient to eat. It can be served as breakfast or dinner. The paper-thin noodles, coupled with various delicious dishes, are authentic Zaozhuang flavors!
