frightfiction Chapter 243: Up to 99, down to just able to walk
Chapter 243: Up to 99, down to just able to walk
Shen Youyou coughed a few more times, and then waved her hand after feeling better: "No, I choked."
Shen Zhiqiu said: "It's not that serious. It's been a while since you last had noodles. Are you so excited?"
Shen Youyou laughed and didn't respond. Instead, he asked his father: "What are you holding in your hand? Why does it look familiar?"
Shen Zhiqiu quickly brought it over and handed it to Shen Youyou: "Try it!"
Shen Youyou had just finished her bowl of white noodles, with only a sip of soup left, so she directly took the bowl that her father handed to her.
After taking the first bite, he raised his eyebrows and said, "Hian-le noodles?"
The main ingredient of hele noodles is buckwheat, which is characterized by its black color, thin strips, tough and smooth texture, and the fact that it cannot be broken when picked up, and it has a fresh and delicious taste.
It can be eaten hot in winter and cold in summer.
Moreover, the taste and texture are very special, and Shen Youyou can easily distinguish them.
But before Shen Youyou could say anything, Old Lady Hua couldn't help but say to Shen Zhiqiu: "Look at you, she has white noodles to eat, but you insisted on serving her a bowl of buckwheat noodles. Those noodles are not tasty, it's strange that she can get used to it."
Shen Youyou was awakened by her grandmother's nagging: "Grandma, it's delicious. If you don't believe me, why don't you try it?"
Old Lady Hua: "I've been eating whole grains for half my life, don't I know what it tastes like? Do I need to try it?"
Shen Zhiqiu chuckled: "Mom, this buckwheat noodles should be made with white flour, so it's not bad. Do you want to eat some? I'll serve you a bowl."
Old Lady Hua didn't believe in evil, so she refused to eat: "I finally get to eat some thin noodles, go away and stop annoying me."
When Shen Youyou knew there was buckwheat here, she became interested again.
This is really someone trying to give away money.
In fact, buckwheat was a particularly important grain in ancient times. As early as in the "Shennong Book", buckwheat was recorded as one of the eight grains grown at that time.
There are many legends circulating among the ancient people.
For example, it is said that a long time ago, there was not a drop of rain for many days in a row. During the severe drought, the crops naturally wilted and no harvest was achieved. The people were worried and complained bitterly.
Seeing that the people were kneeling on the ground and praying sincerely for rain but got nothing during the autumn harvest season, the Dragon King could not bear it anymore, so he ran to the Jade Emperor to report the sufferings of the people.
When the Jade Emperor heard that innocent mortals had suffered such a catastrophe and he was unaware of it, he immediately sent down a heavy rain to soak the dry land.
However, the season for crops to mature has passed, and even if the East China Sea were flooded again, it would be of no help to the people's harvest this year.
The Jade Emperor looked around and found that there were indeed no crops that could bloom and bear seeds. He suddenly had an idea and grabbed a handful of seeds from thin air and scattered them on earth. The shiny seeds fell on the ground and began to grow and bloom.
After a frost, the land that had been silent for the winter suddenly produced a lot of buckwheat, and everyone cheered.
Therefore, whenever there was a severe drought, people would plant buckwheat before the Frost Descent solar term to make it bloom, and soon afterward they could harvest the buckwheat for winter storage.
When all crops failed to grow, only buckwheat was harvested, and the poor people were very grateful.
Of course, in addition to myths, there are also real stories in history about how buckwheat saved people from suffering.
It is still related to the famous Yang Family Generals.
During a battle, Emperor Taizong of Song and the army of the Yang family were besieged by the Liao army at Yanmen Pass on the northwest border. The long stalemate almost left the Yang family with no food.
Taizong was extremely hungry and his soldiers were exhausted. Many even died from their wounds due to lack of medicine.
At this time, the local people saved money and donated all the buckwheat produced in Yanmen to support the soldiers.
The Song army, which had been hungry for many days, finally had a full meal, and Emperor Taizong of Song praised the incomparable deliciousness of buckwheat.
After eating for several days, everyone regained their strong bodies, and the injured were cured without taking any medicine, which amazed everyone.
Everyone felt that this was God's blessing on the Song Dynasty. After several hard battles, the Yang family finally broke through the encirclement and repelled the Liao army.
After returning to the court in triumph, Emperor Taizong still remembered this incident and wrote "China's No. 1 Buckwheat" as a gift to the local people.
To express gratitude for the contribution of Yanmen buckwheat in saving the emperor, he ordered local officials to offer Yanmen buckwheat as "the best tribute" every year.
The reputation of Yanmen buckwheat also became known from then on.
It was only when Shen Youyou ate the buckwheat noodles that he remembered a delicacy from the Eight Great Bowls of Xinle in his previous life, which he had not been able to discuss with his father successfully due to the thunder on the road.
That is buckwheat cake.
In fact, there are many places where you can find baogao.
For example, the steamed cake at Dingzhou Mingyue Store has a very authentic taste, does not stick to the pan, is moderately soft and hard, is chewy but crispy, does not stick to the throat or teeth, and has a good taste.
Ba Gao is a small round cake made of buckwheat flour. When eating, cut it into small diamond-shaped pieces with a knife and place it on a plate.
Use a small fork made of bamboo to pick up a piece of baogao and dip it in the sauce made of mashed garlic, vinegar and sesame oil, or pour the sauce on the cut baogao and eat it with a small bamboo fork.
The refreshing, fragrant, soft and chewy taste will make you unable to stop and salivate.
There is also a popular saying: "Ming Yue Ba Gao (buckwheat paste), garlic sauce, fragrant oil and vinegar, sour, spicy, salty and fragrant, a real treat."
Shen Youyou grew up eating pao. When she was a kid, she would go straight to the pao stall when she went to the market.
There are small stalls selling baogao on the streets of every big market. After setting up tables and long benches, various seasonings, small plates and small bowls on the street, fellow villagers who come to the market will gather around in a short while.
The children were fine, so they just ate some pao gao to satisfy their cravings.
There are also many things that adults like to eat, and they are even more exaggerated.
Cut two pieces of steamed cake, pour two taels of wine, eat and drink while chatting about family matters.
After eating and drinking, you can take a few pieces to give to your family members at home to satisfy their cravings and change their taste.
It is no exaggeration to say that "Baogao can be eaten as a staple food or as a side dish. People of all ages, from the age of 99 to the age of just learning to walk, regardless of gender, love to eat it."
The origin of baogao is their destination, Kyoto.
It is said to be during the reign of Empress Dowager Cixi.
At that time, the nobles were tired of eating delicacies from land and sea and longed for some light and refreshing snacks.
So some people made baogao with buckwheat flour and presented it to Cixi for her to taste.
Cixi was very satisfied with the baogao, so it gradually became popular among the people and became a great product for cooling off in the summer.
Moreover, the production process of Baogao is not complicated. The key lies in the selection of materials and the cooking time.
The raw material is buckwheat noodles. Add appropriate amount of water and salt, stir well and steam.
The steamed baogao has a soft and glutinous texture and a unique fragrance.
Buckwheat is not only rich in nutrients, but also has the effect of clearing away heat and reducing fire, and strengthening the spleen and stomach. It is especially suitable for eating in summer.
Of course, there are many ways to eat pao.
In summer, it is placed on ice to make iced pao. In winter, it is fried or deep-fried with oil to make hot pao.
Beat it and mix it with cucumber, then pour sesame oil, salt, vinegar and minced garlic on it. It is a cold-mixed pao. If you like spicy food, you can also add chili peppers.
"Yo Yo! What are you doing? Your saliva is almost flowing out."
Shen Youyou was awakened from her thoughts by Erya: Emma! She was just imagining eating pao gao.