The origin of Yancheng Eight Bowls: What are the dishes in Yancheng Eight Bowls

Yancheng Eight Bowls is a popular cuisine for weddings, funerals, and entertaining guests in Yancheng, and is also a local specialty cuisine. The Eight Bowls in Yancheng are slightly different from those in other regions, with a strong local customs. So, what are the dishes in Yancheng Eight Bowls

The origin of the Yancheng Eight Bowls

The origin of the Yancheng Eight Bowls is legendary

At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Wei Che occupied Yancheng and declared himself king, building a palace. In order to show his identity when entertaining local gentlemen, he added many precious ingredients to the Eight Bowls banquet, allowing the Eight Bowls to enter the palace from the folk. Gradually, the Eight Great Bowls spread among the people of Yancheng, and after thousands of years of continuous inheritance and development, they evolved into the current "Yancheng Eight Great Bowls"

Yancheng's eight bowls refer to the authentic eight banquet dishes, such as "stewed earth fat, chicken holding chicken, braised glutinous rice balls, braised mussel, rising cake, taro shrimp soup, Braised pork belly, braised knife fish"

Each dish has its own unique meaning, for example: stewed earth fat symbolizes thirst for talent and courtesy to soldiers; The big chicken holding the little chicken symbolizes maternal kindness, filial piety, and deep affection for licking the calf; Braised glutinous rice balls symbolize smooth reunion and continuous good luck; Braised pork belly in Brown Sauce means prosperity and business; Bu Shao Dan Cai symbolizes sailing through wind and rain, and the liver and gallbladder shining together; The rising cake symbolizes brotherly harmony and steady progress; Taro and shrimp soup symbolize praying for the arrival of a benefactor and a series of happy events; Braised knife fish symbolizes family beauty and abundance year after year

Yancheng Eight Bowls belong to Huaiyang cuisine, with the characteristics of half soup and half water, half meat and half vegetable, humanistic care, and health preservation. At the beginning, it was made with locally sourced ingredients, simple and plain in taste, with a focus on saltiness and freshness. The selection of ingredients was rigorous, the knife skills were exquisite, and the cooking was exquisite. It was skilled in stewing, braising, steaming, roasting, stir frying, stewing, frying, pasting, hairpin burning, drunkenness, salt baking and other cooking techniques according to the ingredients. It paid attention to soup blending and the combination of meat and vegetables in dishes, with stewing as the main method and seafood cooking being unique. With the development of the economy, the improvement of people's living standards, and changes in dietary habits, the Eight Bowls of Yancheng are constantly changing and enriching, innovating and improving traditional dishes, and launching many innovative and fashionable dishes

What are the eight dishes in Yancheng's Eight Bowls?

Five Blessings at the Door - Mixed Cuisine: Implies being as close as a family. To celebrate the reunion, it is also called farmhouse stewed pork belly. Pork skin is used as the main ingredient, accompanied by vegetables, ham, and other ingredients, and braised in red for a smooth and delicious taste. The mixed dishes are known as the "top dishes of Jiangbei" among the eight bowls

Phoenix spreading its wings - Rising cake: symbolizing steady progress. This dish is often made with eggs as the main ingredient, accompanied by a small amount of vegetables or chives. The rising cake is both simple and frugal, with a delicious taste and profound meaning

Qingqing Me - Chicken Shredded Fans: It symbolizes mutual love and long-lasting affection. Cut the chicken into shreds, mix with vermicelli, add soybean oil, and braised to make a very delicious taste. Some people also use the phrase "big chicken holding small chicken" to name this dish. It is said that this dish was originally made with farm chicken as the main ingredient, with multiple local eggs nestled in the original chicken soup, symbolizing family reunion and perfect happiness. Later, chicken shreds were used instead of whole chickens, and vermicelli was used instead of eggs, which has become the current dish of chicken shreds burning vermicelli

Strong affection - boiling dried tea with clams: symbolizing the reunion of family members. Clams can be found everywhere in the harbor fork rivers of various sizes in Yancheng. They can be caught in buckets by fishing with nets or by touching them in the river. Boil clams in boiling water, take their meat without adding any spices, add dried tea, and clear heat. The soup is fresh and tender, leaving a lasting aftertaste

Year after year surplus - braised knife fish: knife fish is also known as crucian carp. They have low requirements for their growth environment, and can breed as long as there is water in the river ditch. Yancheng's unique conditions are abundant water, rivers, and fish. Relatives from families in Yancheng can cook carp of all sizes in a large iron pot, and then spread out miscellaneous grain pancakes next to the pot, which is simply delicious. There is a custom among fishermen along the coast of Yancheng that they cannot turn over after eating fish, which symbolizes a calm and peaceful return from fishing at sea

Family Reunion - Braised Glutinous Rice Balls: The meaning of reunion and reunion. 7、 In the 1980s, it was mainly used for weddings, birthday banquets, and other banquets. The Taiwanese Meatballs banquet is normally placed according to the standard of eight for one table, twenty-five for one bowl, and three for one person. There is still one left in the last bowl, indicating that the host has surplus. Yancheng people call Taiwanese Meatballs "routuozi". It is the custom of Yancheng people to fry a pot at home at the end of December every year before the New Year<56. The main ingredient of Braised pork belly is pork ribs. When it is cooked, some radishes are used to absorb the fat in the meat. It doesn't feel greasy at all, but it is more delicious. The meat has a brighter red color and a sweeter taste

Good Luck Continues - Taro and Shrimp: Listed as the last dish in the Eight Great Bowls of Yancheng, it is made with tofu, taro, dried tea, shrimp, pork, and other ingredients. Yancheng people are hospitable and hope to leave guests with the most delicious taste, which can last forever. Taro means meeting a good person, while shrimp means having abundant grains. The last dish signifies farewell and wishes the guests good luck every year when they meet a benefactor when they go out

The Yancheng Eight Bowls have the following characteristics:

• Half soup, half vegetable: This is a major feature of Yancheng cuisine, originating from the prosperity of the salt industry in Yancheng since ancient times. Local people sweat a lot when boiling salt outdoors and need to replenish water in a timely manner
• Half meat and half vegetable: The combination of meat and vegetable in the dish is reasonable
• Local ingredients: When making, commonly used local ingredients are usually used
• Simple production: The initial method was relatively simple and plain
• Pay attention to soup preparation: The taste is peaceful, and the soup preparation is quite particular
• Strict selection of ingredients: There are certain requirements for the selection of ingredients
• Exquisite knife skills: Emphasize the handling and cutting of ingredients
• Exquisite Cooking: There are various cooking methods, and techniques are applied according to the ingredients. Skilled in stewing, braising, steaming, burning, stir frying, braising, frying, pasting, hairpin burning, drunkenness, salt baking and other techniques
• Differences in Four Seasons: Choose seasonal ingredients for cooking according to different seasons
• Meanings: Each dish has a unique meaning, such as stewed earth fat, which symbolizes thirst for talent and courtesy to soldiers; The big chicken holding the little chicken symbolizes maternal kindness, filial piety, and deep affection for licking the calf; Braised glutinous rice balls symbolize smooth reunion and continuous good luck; Braised pork belly in Brown Sauce means prosperous business and prosperity<127
  
• Among them, stewed pork fat is cooked by swelling the pig skin, making the skin soft and glutinous, and the soup rich; Big chicken holding small chicken is actually a combination of chicken shreds and quail eggs; Braised glutinous rice is soft, sticky, and dense, suitable for both meat and vegetables; The rising cake is similar to an egg roll, with the implication of brotherly harmony and rising step by step; Taro and shrimp soup symbolize praying for the arrival of a benefactor and a series of happy events; Braised knife fish represents family beauty and abundance for years to come

The Eight Bowls of Yancheng have rich cultural connotations. They are not only delicious dishes, but also carry the history, traditions, customs, and emotions of the Yancheng region

The cultural connotations of the Yancheng Eight Bowls are reflected in the following aspects:

1. Regional Features: It is a representative of Yancheng's local food culture and has significant regional cultural characteristics. The characteristic of half soup and half vegetable originated from the prosperous salt industry in Yancheng, where people needed to replenish water; The locally sourced and simple style of production also reflects the local products and way of life
2. Historical Inheritance: With a long historical origin, it is said to have originated from the Three Kingdoms period. After thousands of years of inheritance and development, it has evolved into the current Eight Bowls of Yancheng. It has witnessed the historical changes and cultural heritage of the Yancheng region
3. Folk customs: It is a standard for weddings, funerals, and weddings in Yancheng, playing an important role in various important occasions and reflecting local customs and traditional etiquette
4. Beautiful meaning: Each dish is endowed with a unique meaning, such as stewed earth fat, which symbolizes thirst for talent and courtesy to the common people; The big chicken holding the little chicken symbolizes maternal kindness, filial piety, and deep affection for licking the calf; Braised glutinous rice balls symbolize smooth reunion and continuous good luck; Braised pork belly in Brown Sauce means prosperity and business; Bu Shao Dan Cai symbolizes sailing through wind and rain, and the liver and gallbladder shining together; The rising cake symbolizes brotherly harmony and steady progress; Taro and shrimp soup symbolize praying for the arrival of a benefactor and a series of happy events; Braised knife fish symbolizes family beauty, abundance year after year, and so on. These meanings express people's expectations and wishes for a better life
5. Humanistic Care: With the development of the economy and changes in people's living standards and dietary habits, the Eight Bowls in Yancheng continue to innovate and improve, reflecting the attention and satisfaction of people's taste changes, and possessing humanistic care
6. Emotional bond: It can evoke memories of Yancheng people in foreign lands, serving as an emotional bond and topic of conversation among Yancheng people, representing the taste and warmth of their hometown
7. Labor wisdom: For example, the dish of a big chicken holding a small chicken was created during difficult times when people used chicken shreds instead of whole chickens, reflecting the simple wisdom of the working people