舌尖上的冰與火

舌尖上的冰與火

Tang Hulu (Sugarcoated fruits on sticks) is a popular food in winter.冰天雪地里吃冰糖葫蘆最爽口了。

The northeast of China is a rich cultural stew pot in which the Manchurian cuisine is mixed with Han Chinese cuisines and Western cuisines.Yet the most authentic and popular way of having a taste of the region is, of course, to eat popsicles and stewed food in the cold of winter.That is because when chill winds blast down from Siberia, food, whether cold or hot, is one of the best ways of guarding against the cold, just like woollen sweaters.

Frozen pears are traditional winter fruits for northeastern people.凍梨是東北人傳統(tǒng)的冬季水果。

Eat cold when it gets cold

The reputation of North-easterners for eating cold food in frigid temperatures has spread far and wide in China and beyond.In winter, the northeast of China is magically transformed into a frozen wonderland.But harsh weather conditions can never freeze local people's enthusiasm for cold, teeth-demanding food – icy desserts, popsicles, ice cream, crispy sugar-coated fruit on sticks, frozen pears, frozen persimmons, frozen apples, frozen crab apples, to name just a few.Indeed, one of the coolest things to do there in winter is to savour icy desserts after dinner from the comfort of wellheated homes.For newcomers, think twice whether you have “iron” teeth or a very strong stomach, or not, before you give it a try.

The way that they sell popsicles in winter is truly intriguing for non-locals.Boxes of popsicles and ice creams are laid outdoors in rows.The best known of all pops in the region are those of 'Modern Popsicle', a brand that has thrived for over a hundred years.“Sweet but not sickly, icy but sweet smelling” is what they say.That is why the queue never dies down at their shops all year round.It is reported that more than 10,000 popsicles are sold every day at the single shop located on Zhongyang Street (or Central Street) in Harbin.Despite the number, the shop makes each and every pop the way that it did a hundred years ago.No packaging is used to guarantee an unspoiled taste.Available in two fl avours (cream and cocoa), square-shaped Modern Popsicle pops are melt in your mouth delicious.

Sugar-coated fruit on sticks, or Tang Hulu in Chinese, won't taste as good without ice.String half a dozen of pitted hawthorn fruits onto a stick, dip them in sugar syrup and then leave the syrup to harden into a shiny coating.Listen to the crispy sound as you take a bite of the sweet and sour tasting icy Tang Hulu.

Frozen pears, persimmons and crab apples are the best-loved of all frozen fruits in Northeast China, though newcomers like frozen strawberries and yellow peaches have also managed to appeal to taste buds in recent years.Fruit peddlers start selling these frozen fruits when winter comes.Statistics show that in Harbin alone, 50,000- 60,000 tons of them are sold every winter season.The tradition of eating frozen pears came about in theNorthern Song dynasty (960-1127) among the Liao people.Before having your fi rst bite, you'd better“warm up” the frozen pear in cool water and wait until you see a thick crust of ice around the pear.Then crack the crust and enjoy the sweet melted fl esh that fl ows out.The taste will be even better if there are ice crystals in the fl esh.

Stewed goose in iron pot.鐵鍋燉大鵝。

Northeastern stews

As part of Mongolian and Manchurian tradition, stews or stewed dishes claim a unique place on the dining table of the North-easterners.They are a must-have for family meals or dinner parties, particularly in winter.There is a large variety of stews.Cooked in an iron wok, a typical Northeastern stew has a combination of two ingredients – meat and seasonal vegetables.Classic examples include Pork Stew with Cellophane Noodles, Chicken Stew with Mushrooms, Pork Rib Stew with Common Beans and many more.Easy to prepare and rich in nutrition, stews are a true seasonal treat in bitterly cold winter.

The Demoli Fish Stew is the best known of all stewed dishes in Northeastern Chinese cuisine.The story about its origin dates back more than 100 years.Its ingredients typically include a common carp (crusian carp, cat fi sh or yellow-head cat fi sh will also do) fresh from the Songhuajiang River, fl at noodles, hazel mushrooms and freshly-made tofu.Don't be surprised by the size of servings, usually in a large clay pot, and get prepared for an authentic Northeastern dinner that often goes with rounds of toasts.

越冷越吃涼

東北人越冷越吃涼，早已名聲在外。雪后的東北搖身一變?yōu)椤皟霰薄?，而沒有凍貨的冬天是不完美的。冰點(diǎn)、冰棍、冰淇淋、冰糖葫蘆、凍梨、凍柿子、凍蘋果、凍海棠……這些考驗(yàn)“牙口”的食物，全是東北人在冬天里離不開的美味。窗外北風(fēng)凜冽，室內(nèi)暖氣十足，全家人圍坐電視機(jī)前，吃著飯后冰點(diǎn)，是寒冬中最溫暖的事情。初來乍道的外地人，如沒有鋼牙、鐵胃，一定要倍加小心。

東北售賣冰棍的方式實(shí)在稀奇。一到冬天，冰棍雪糕都是成箱地一溜兒擺在室外。“甜而不膩，冰中帶香”的馬迭爾冰棍可謂是冰棍中的“明星”。這支創(chuàng)牌百余年始終暢銷不衰、無論冬夏都要排隊(duì)購買的小冰棍，幾乎成了哈爾濱的象征。據(jù)說，僅在中央大街，每天銷售就達(dá)一萬多根。堅(jiān)守傳統(tǒng)工藝，為保證口感而不使用外包裝，只有奶油和可可兩種口味的冰棍方方正正，吃到嘴里，入口即化。

糖葫蘆到處都有，不過少了一個(gè)冰字就不夠味道。梢條棍串起去核的山楂，裹上麥芽糖稀遇冷風(fēng)迅速變硬。東北冬天的冰糖葫蘆，酸酸甜甜冰涼可口，凍硬的糖稀一口咬下去嘎嘣脆。

東北凍果江湖中，向來以凍梨、凍柿子、凍花紅（海棠果）三者為尊，資歷最久、味道最好、地位最高。近年來也有凍草莓、凍黃桃等不少新秀崛起。一到冬天，東北的街市里，小販們把凍果成筐拉出來賣，數(shù)據(jù)統(tǒng)計(jì)，僅哈爾濱，凍果一冬的銷量就有五六千噸。早在北宋時(shí)期，遼人就有吃凍梨的習(xí)慣。把硬如石塊的凍梨放冷水中，梨子表面結(jié)冰，敲碎冰殼，已經(jīng)融化的梨吃起來甜津可口，帶冰碴的果肉咬起來尤其美味帶感。當(dāng)然也有心急的吃貨，沒緩好的凍梨直接上牙啃，堅(jiān)硬的凍梨一咬一道白印，啃起來拔拔涼、甜津津。

百味鐵鍋燉

深受世居在此的蒙古族、滿族等少數(shù)民族影響的東北燉菜，至今都是東北城鄉(xiāng)人家每日的情懷，更是數(shù)九隆冬迎來送往餐桌上的必選菜。種類繁多的鐵鍋燉菜多是兩兩搭配，一葷一素，如“豬肉燉粉條” “小雞燉蘑菇”、“排骨燉豆角”等。根據(jù)不同季節(jié)搭配不同材料，因時(shí)因地制宜，簡(jiǎn)單易煮，營養(yǎng)豐富。客人圍灶臺(tái)而坐，選好食材即下鍋，柴火噼里啪啦聲和木蓋縫隙飄出的熱騰騰香氣，令人食指大動(dòng)。

作為東北的系列大鍋燉中最知名的燉菜，“得莫利燉魚”已傳承了百年的歷史。俗話說“千燉豆腐萬燉魚”，把現(xiàn)做的豆腐和松花江活鯉魚（也可以用鲇魚、鯽魚、嘎牙子魚）、寬粉條子、榛蘑等一起下鍋。一大搪瓷盆的得莫利燉魚端上桌，人們往往被 “盤似盆，盆似鍋”的菜量驚呆，熱氣蒸騰中，筷子開始飛舞、酒杯頻頻舉起，個(gè)個(gè)吃到酣暢淋漓。

ICE AND FIRE ON THE TIP OF THE TONGUE

Text by Wang Yuanchang Photos by Wang Yuanchang & VCG Translation by Leo

Frozen Jiaozi, Tang Hulu and frozen sticky red-bean buns areindispensable in winter.凍餃子、冰糖葫蘆、凍粘豆包皆是東北人冬季離不開的美味。