Chapter 113 Guilin Rice Noodles

Speaking of Guilin, everyone knows that Guilin’s mountains and rivers are the best in the world. When talking about Guilin food, everyone knows that Guilin rice noodles are very charming. There is a Guilin rice noodle shop at the intersection of Huangxing Road and Yingpan Road. The storefront on the first floor is small, and there are several private rooms on the second floor.I often go there to eat Guilin rice noodles and feel the flavor of Yao people's food. This trip to Guilin, I deliberately went to Xing’an County, the origin of Guilin rice noodles, and Lingqu, which has a long history with rice noodles, to find the rice noodles and taste of my dreams.Xing'an has a long history. It belonged to Baiyue in ancient times, Lingling in Qin Dynasty, and Shi'an in Han Dynasty. It was set up in Linyuan County in the early Tang Dynasty, and later changed to Quanyi. It was changed to Xing'an in the second year of Taiping Xingguo in Song Dynasty, taking the meaning of "prosperous and stable", which has been used until now. .Xing'an is located at the junction of Chu and Yue, gathering the Han culture of the Central Plains and the Baiyue culture of Lingnan.The poems and essays I have read include: Liu Zongyuan's "Quanyi County Recovering the North Gate" has been recited through the ages; Yuan Mei's "The water from the river to Xing'an is the clearest, and the green hills are clustered in the water; you can clearly see the top of the green hill, and the boat goes up the top of the green hill" is very popular; Su Zongjing's "Out of the Douhe River and Crossing Xing'an County": "The path borders the bottom of the bridge, and the boat passes through the city; the paddles wave the waves, and the awning window buys wine." dangling.This is the intersection of Hunan dialect and Southwest Mandarin, mixed with Yao dialect.The diet is mostly influenced by Hunan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, and the flavors of Lingnan ethnic minorities. There are braised taro meat, stewed chicken in clear water, stewed duck with ginkgo fruit, hot and sour Hehua fish, fried bacon with winter bamboo shoots, etc. Snacks include Guilin rice noodles, Baba, oil tea, etc. All villages make rice wine, known as Yao wine, which is cool and delicious with a unique flavor.

Lingqu Canal was named Qinzhuo Qu and Douhe in ancient times, also known as Xianggui Canal and Xing'an Canal. It was built in the 33rd year of Qin Shihuang. It is the oldest existing artificial canal in the world. The Xiangjiang River flows through Hunan into Dongting, the Nanqu flows into the Lijiang River, and reaches the South China Sea through the Pearl River.Lingqu, Dujiangyan in Sichuan and Zhengguoqu in Shaanxi were called the three major water conservancy projects in the Qin Dynasty.In the Tang Dynasty, ancient gates were built in Lingqu to facilitate flood control.When I wandered in Lingqu, the scenery on both sides of the strait is beautiful, there are many cultural relics and historic sites, wandering in the history and culture, there is a sense of fragrance.

When I arrived in Lingqu, I had to eat a bowl of Guilin rice noodles, and I chose a century-old restaurant to sit down.The "Guilin Rice Noodle Song" is played in the store: "Xing'an rice noodles are well-known far and near, and the millennium craftsmanship has been handed down to this day. Xing'an rice is good, white as silver. Squeeze the rice noodles, the taste is excellent, soft and delicate, sweet and fragrant. Moderately salty, not greasy Not fishy. The powdered soup moistens the throat, and the stewed powder is mellow; the screw pig’s feet are stewed with chicken; the soup is boiled with bones, fried peanuts; the color is delicious, and the boss is enthusiastic. Once you eat it, you will eat it again; if you eat it three times, you will be addicted to it.” The lyrics praise rice noodles, which makes me interested.

According to legend, Guilin rice noodles began in the Qin Dynasty. Qin Shihuang sent Shi Lu to lead migrant workers to dig the Lingqu. After the Lingqu was completed, Qin Shihuang toured the landscape of Guilin in micro-clothes. He liked the carp whiskers and carp belly of the Lijiang River. There are thousands of carp. In order to save the carp, the fishermen came up with the idea of ​​using rice flour to make fish whiskers (rice noodles) and fish maws (cut powder) instead of carp whiskers and carp belly. Qin Shihuang ate the fish whiskers and fish belly made of rice milk, It was a hit, and Guilin rice noodles came out.

Another story is that soldiers from the Northwest came to build the Lingqu Canal. They were not acclimatized to the environment. The Northwest soldiers who grew up eating noodles had no noodles in South Vietnam. They missed their hometown very much. Shi Lu ordered that rice be used to make noodles. The rice is soaked and ground into rice milk, drained and kneaded into a dough ball, steamed half-cooked into a mortar and pestle, and squeezed out vermicelli. There are round roots and flakes. The garden is called rice noodles, and the flakes are called cut noodles. Put it directly into the boiling water pot to cook and eat immediately. The rice noodles have good gluten strength, white color, and tender, soft, smooth and refreshing taste.In the army, Chinese herbal medicines are used to make decoctions to prevent epidemics. Soldiers often eat rice noodles and medicinal soups together, gradually forming Guilin rice noodles with a brine flavor.The brine is boiled with grass fruit, fennel, pepper, tangerine peel, betel nut, cinnamon, clove, cinnamon stick, pepper, bay leaf, licorice, sand ginger, star anise and other herbs. It is specially used to treat wrist pain, indigestion, vomiting and diarrhea , the exquisite brine is boiled with pork bones, beef bones, mangosteen and various seasonings, with a strong fragrance.After the construction of Lingqu, the Yao compatriots who participated in the excavation of Lingqu in Xing'an area used oral records to record the process of making rice noodles, which was determined as a basic diet among Yao compatriots.

Guilin rice noodles developed to its heyday in the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.Guilin in the Qing Dynasty had Xuanrongzhai Fried Noodles, Huixianzhai Stewed Noodles, and Yirongzhai Soup Noodles.During the period of the Republic of China and the Anti-Japanese War, Guilin rice noodles became famous. Horseflesh rice noodles and Dandan rice noodles were very famous, and their eating methods and raw materials also increased.Gradually, Guilin rice noodles derived vinegar water noodles, lettuce noodles, cold salad noodles, hot and sour noodles, three delicacies noodles, beef brisket noodles, original soup noodles, and stewed vegetables noodles, which also included the advantages of Liuzhou snail noodles and Guangdong roll rice noodles, and became famous all over the country. The famous rice noodles.

I ate the authentic Guilin rice noodles and savored the taste of Chinese herbal medicine in the marinade. Only then did I recall the magical herbs and eating habits of the Yao compatriots, and gradually understood the characteristics of Guilin rice noodles.