Beijing Snacks

Beijing’s snacks have a long history, a wide variety of varieties, exquisite materials and exquisite production, and are well-known. The Qing Dynasty's "Dumen Bamboo Branch Ci" says: "Three big bucks are spent selling good flowers, cutting cakes makes ghost legs chatter, a bowl of sweet pulp porridge in the morning, then tea soup and noodles; fried cakes with cold fruit and sweet ears, hanging furnace sesame cakes Aiwowo, The fork-fired ones have just been sold, and the hard noodles are called dumplings; the plates are full of Shaomai wontons, and the newly added glutinous rice balls with rice noodles..." These snacks are sold at temple fairs or street markets, and people will encounter them accidentally. Old Beijing vividly calls it "meeting food".

Famous Beijing snacks include:

·Noodles:

Aiwowo, fried noodles with soybean paste, braised pork belly, donkey rolling, pea yellow, siu mai, sesame seeds Tofu, fried dumplings, etc.

·Hot pot:

Bean juice, stir-fried liver, fried tripe, braised and roasted, etc.

·Frying:

Fried dough sticks, fried cakes, enema, coke rings, ginger steaks, sugar ears, etc.

·Drinks:

Sour plum soup, lotus seed porridge, etc.

Where to eat authentic Beijing snacks?

·Donghuamen Night Market

Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, whatever you want is available! Bean jelly, grilled cakes, lotus seed porridge, sour plum soup, red fruit cheese, almond tofu, grilled skewers, grilled lobster, grilled squid, fried grasshoppers, fried scorpions, fried silkworm chrysalis, all are plentiful, complete and hygienic. From Xindongan Market to Donghuamen Street, it is brightly lit and bustling.

·Huguo Temple Snack Bar

Beijing snacks passed down from the "meeting food" in temple fairs have been improved and refined, and there is no longer the "big, hard to eat" snack in the past. , "one can fill you up" is rough; Dun'er pastry and jujube rolls are all small and cute; ginger sauce steaks and sugar ears are exquisite in every possible way.

·Jinfang Snacks

Snack shops from the founding of the Republic of China to the present include sesame balls, almond tea, ai wowo, butter fried cakes, fried dumplings, etc. The Lantern Festival is the most famous. There are more than ten kinds of snacks such as hawthorn, green plum, hanging flower, bean paste, assorted, cream, coconut and so on.

·Jiumen Snacks

Jiumen was organized by the Beijing Snack Association on the initiative of several famous time-honored brands in Qianmen Menzha Hutong. There are many time-honored brands in it, such as Nian Gao Yang, Cheese Wei, Small Intestine Chen, Paodu Feng, Ruibinlou Dianqiao Huoshao, Li Ji Baishui Sheep Head, Yueshengzhai...

·The famous snack street is still there. There are:

Wangfujing Snack Street, Shichahai Snack Street (the original Qianmen snacks moved here)

The Beijing snacks in Nanlaishun, especially the noodle tea, are very good

The enema in Longfu Temple has been around for quite a long time. Both the texture and the taste of the enema are top-notch

Beihaili’s imitation meals are authentic Beijing palace snacks

1. Paodu Feng's Paodu

2. Braised small intestine cooked in a braised fire

3. Tianxingju's stir-fried liver

4. Jinxin's bean juice/charred rings

5. Baishui Sheep Head at Baikui Laohao

6. Candied haws of sugar haws/steamed dumplings at Bulaoquan

7. Siomai at Duyichu

8. Roast duck in Quanjude

9. Shabu-shabu mutton in Donglaishun

10. Sauced pork in Tianfuhao

11 Zhajiang noodles

12. Enema at Longfu Temple

Top Ten Legendary Traditional Beijing Snacks 1

Yanjing Bean Juice

Bean Juice is a special flavor of Beijing The snack itself has a sour taste, which is like the fried stinky tofu in Changsha Huogong Restaurant. Most outsiders dare not touch it, but old Beijingers like to drink it, especially in the cold winter. Pair it with a plate of shredded pickles or eight-treasure pickles. After two bowls, you will feel hot and sweaty. It not only cures colds but also appetizers. It has a unique flavor.

According to legend, bean juice was originally a folk food in the Liao Dynasty and has a history of more than 1,000 years. The introduction of bean juice into the palace began during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. It is said that when Cixi was a child, she lived in Xinjiekou, Beijing. Due to her poor family, she often drank soybean juice instead of vegetables. Later, soybean juice became a drink in the imperial meals of the Qing Dynasty.

Before liberation, there were only small vendors selling bean juice, either walking through the streets or setting up stalls in markets. They had a piece of blue cloth around the front with a white cloth logo on it. They only yelled when selling. : "Zi'er, start the pot!" However, this legacy has disappeared, and today's young people cannot feel this atmosphere...

Homemade enema

In Among the snacks in Beijing, enema can be regarded as high-quality, low-priced and absolutely popular. This pure Beijing-style real local product can be seen everywhere in markets and temple fairs for many years, especially in Beijing’s night markets, where it plays the main theme. You see, at the stall selling enema, the big shovel hit the big iron pan with a clanking sound, which attracted adults and children to come around and insist on paying for two plates to try. To be honest, eating an enema is not about quenching hunger, but just appreciating its flavor and satisfying your cravings.

Among the traditional snacks in Beijing, in terms of flavor, the enema, which is burnt on the outside and tender on the inside, has the most unique taste; in terms of tradition, it has remained unchanged through the ages. No matter who it is, it will still be fried. The enema is dipped in garlic juice; it is still eaten piece by piece with small bamboo skewers. If anyone uses chopsticks, it will not be interesting at all. I heard from the old people that in those days, there was an enema shop on the east and west sides of the Back Gate Bridge outside Di'anmen, which was very famous in Beijing. The older family in Qiaodong was called Fuxingju. After its closure in the 1930s, only the Heyizhai family in Qiaoxi remained. In the past, Heyi Zhai was also famous for its enema business. However, things are different now. The Heyi Zhai of that time has already changed its appearance and has become a shop that sells a variety of snacks and has an antique appearance.

Enema is to pour starch and red yeast into pig intestines. However, this kind of quality-conscious food is no longer easy to eat. Usually what you see and eat at temple fairs and night markets is just made of starch and red yeast into a stick shape, cut into slices and fried on a pan. Of course, the taste is not as good as real sausage, but because it is fried in oil and is particularly fragrant, and the price is relatively cheap, there are still many people eating it. Some people who are addicted to enemas simply buy a few pieces and go home to fry and eat them for their own enjoyment. This is also a way to eat.

Flavored Cheese

In the Qing Dynasty's "Miscellaneous Songs of Dumen", there is a bamboo poem that describes it vividly: "I go to the street to eat a cup of wine, and I drink it full of wine." Withered throat. My throat feels like butter, and my heart and spleen are as cold as autumn." This little poem perfectly introduces the frosty jade-like cheese. As a Beijing-style snack, cheese was originally a food of the Mongolian people in history. Even if cheese later entered Beijing, it was only a palace snack in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and it was not until later that it spread to the people.

At that time, there was a "Fengfenggong" cheese shop in Dong'an Market. The owner's surname was He, a Manchu Zhenghuang Banner. Judging from several generations, this authentic bannerman has always lived on the imperial grain, but by the Revolution of 1911, "hardcore old rice trees" like him no longer worked. But He Zizhao was a thoughtful person and he just relied on his own efforts to set up a dairy farm in a rural village. He also asked a master chef who had worked in the imperial kitchen of the Qing Palace for tips on making cheese. So, he rented a store in Dong'an Market and opened a shop, specializing in selling cheese. At that time, there were no cold drink shops on the streets, let alone ice cream or popsicles. As a result, cheese was a standout in the capital. Every summer, most of the young men and young ladies in the palace, as well as the young and old in the Qing Dynasty, became the patrons of "Mr. Fengsheng".

At this point, some people may ask, things like sliced ??cakes and fried dough sticks are seen every day and eaten every once in a while, but how on earth is this cheese made? When it comes to making cheese, it takes some time. First, boil the fresh milk, let it cool, add sugar, filter it through a fine basket, then add an appropriate amount of glutinous rice wine, mix well and put it in a bowl. After layering it into a wooden barrel, add fire to the bottom of the barrel to bake. It's called "grilled cheese". Wait until it solidifies and remove from the fire, then let it cool and chill. In this way, the cheese is made. You see, eating cheese is not worth your time!

Since the "Fengfengsong" cheese shop was established in Dong'an Market, there have been cheese houses specializing in cheese making in Beijing, wholesale of cheese to vendors who carry loads on the streets. In the evenings of summer, in the alleys of old Beijing, you can often hear the cry of cheese sellers: "Num yo ah, drink cheese..."

Fried pimples

At night, when When you follow the crowd into the bustling snack night market, waves of aroma will hit your nostrils.

Here, you will find a wide variety of Beijing snacks. If you look around the night market carefully, their preparation methods can be roughly divided into deep-fried, baked, steamed, boiled, brewed, pan-fried, roasted and stir-fried. The stir-fried here does not mean stir-fried. Stir-fried vegetables and snacks are not sold in Sichuan, Sichuan, Huaiyue and Guangdong. If you want to eat stir-fried vegetables, you have to go to a restaurant. The "fried" here refers to stir-fried dumplings.

It should be said that fried dumplings can be regarded as a famous dish in Beijing. Legend has it that in the early years of the Republic of China, there was a home-cooked restaurant called "Guangfu Guan" in Liulichang outside Hepingmen. The owner was an old lady named Mu, who lived with her daughter and sold some noodles every day. It is said that the mother and daughter accidentally invented this fried dumpling. One time, the noodles were not sold out, so the girl from the Mu family came up with an idea. She rolled the noodles into dough, cut them into small lumps, boiled them in boiling water, took them out, and put them in a cool place. To prevent fermentation. That night, they used the cooked noodles, chopped vegetables, and shredded pork to stir-fry for dinner. Unexpectedly, it tasted very refreshing, with a bit of chewiness and a particularly good taste. The girl said to her mother: "Why don't we sell this tomorrow and call it fried dumplings." In this way, the fate was determined by one word, and the unintentional thing happened to become famous. After arriving here, the fried dumplings they sold became famous in the capital, with new and old customers coming one after another. This way of eating was particularly popular at the time due to its high quality and low price, and it did have a special taste. Later, many celebrities also came here to join the team of eating fried dumplings. Because of its reputation, some good people nicknamed the Guangfu Pavilion run by the mother and daughter of the Mu family as "Mujiazhai" and called the girl from the Mu family "Mu Guiying". Look how interesting it sounds.

Tang Huo Shao

Old Beijingers all know that Tongzhou has three treasures: Dashunzhai’s Tang Huo Shao, Xiaolou’s roasted catfish, and Wantong’s soybean curd. Grilled catfish is now rare, and Wantong’s soybean curd has long disappeared. Although Dashunzhai’s sugar-fired roast has gone through the war, it still has the original flavor of the ingredients. It is crispy and soft in the mouth, sweet and delicious, not sticky and not greasy. . In 1960, when Indian President Nehru visited China, he ordered Dashunzhai's sugar-cooked food and bought more than 20 kilograms of it. In such a big China, Nehru would have such a preference for this humble sugar-fired snack, which shows that this snack has become famous all over the world.

According to legend, as far back as the Chongzhen period of the Ming Dynasty, a Muslim named Liu Dashun came to the ancient town of Tongzhou on a grain ship from Nanjing along the North-South Grand Canal, which is today Tongzhou due east of Beijing. Liu Dashun saw that Tongzhou Town was well connected by water and land, and merchants gathered there. It was a good place to settle down and make a living, so he opened a small shop in the town and named it "Dashun Zhai", specializing in making and selling sugar fire. By the time of the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Dashunzhai Sugar Fire had become famous far and wide. In order to maintain the traditional characteristics, Dashunzhai's sugar-fired roasting is very particular in the selection of ingredients. For many years, the chefs have insisted on using pure standard powder for noodles, finely ground sesame oil from Tongzhou for oil, and osmanthus must be used. The sweet osmanthus produced in Tianjin, as well as the indispensable brown sugar and sesame paste, are also purchased exclusively from one place, and there is no ambiguity. The reason why this century-old store has endured for a long time is that it has genuine products at reasonable prices and has won the trust of the people.

Beijingmen Baoduer

As soon as autumn comes, Beijingers will naturally think of the mutton-boiled mutton, and even the elegant and famous order to eat Baoduer. Although it is a snack, it can be appreciated by both refined and popular tastes. Almost everyone has a good impression of it. They call it Panduren'er and Sandan (i.e. Baiye). With a pot of old wine, the brothers sit around the table. After talking about the mountains, the sea and the north, you will definitely eat with relish.

The reason Baoduer can stand on its own and be unique among Beijing snacks is when Dong'an Market opened more than 80 years ago. At that time, a man named Wang was the first to set up a Baoduer stall in the market. This is the Baoduer King that has been followed to this day. At that time, as soon as the sky brightened, the whole family would go to battle together. First, they would buy fresh beef and mutton tripe from the "soup pot" (referring to the place where cattle and sheep are slaughtered) outside Chaoyang Gate, and then take it to the well platform to wash it over and over again. Especially in winter, the water is bitingly cold and my hands are red and swollen from the cold. Finally, you have to walk five or six miles to deliver the cleaned beef and mutton tripe to Dong'an Market for the market. In this way, Baoduerwang's reputation in the capital grew day by day, with more and more repeat customers. By the 1940s, the shop moved out of the market. After that, there were Xi Deshun and Bao Duer Wang from Chaonei Street. To this day, the old store is still prosperous and full of customers.

When it comes to having a belly, you have to eat it in the end, and how to eat it is also very particular, not only in the selection of main ingredients, but also in the cutting edge and the heat. It requires a certain amount of craftsmanship. Whether you say it is sliced, diced, cut into strips or shreds, or even the width, thickness, or thickness, the regular eaters are also very concerned about it, not to mention they are also very particular about the ingredients used to make their stomach popsicles, not only in restaurants It is prepared in advance, and some customers come in and ask for it to be specially prepared according to their own taste. It is said that Mr. Ma Lianliang, a famous old Peking Opera student at that time, especially loved to eat stuffed rice, but his favorite condiment was only sesame sauce mixed with vinegar, and nothing else. Although it is simple, the old man can enjoy it alone.

Stir-fried liver with flavor

At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the catering industry in Beijing was also very prosperous. There were restaurants serving big houses and small restaurants attracting customers, not to mention those all over the capital. There are teahouses, teahouses, meat shops and large wine vats. To say “eat in Beijing” is true. Whenever the Beijing specialty snack fried liver is mentioned, Beijingers will think of "Tianxingju" in the fresh fish mouth outside Qianmen. Speaking of which, you may not know it, but diagonally opposite Tianxingju, there used to be a shop with a longer history, which is the old fried liver restaurant "Huixianju". At that time, "Huixianju" attracted guests from all over the world with its unique flavor and became famous in Beijing. Even people from the opera industry in the nearby Guanghe Tower Theater were regular customers of "Huixianju".

Speaking of this snack, it is said that during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, a Beijinger named Liu Yongkui rented a shop in Xianyukou, so he opened a small couple's hotel and built a large restaurant. It has a somewhat elegant name - Huixianju, specializing in rice wine and side dishes. After arriving in Gengzi, the shop was run by their descendants, Liu Guogui and his three brothers.

In the early days, when the Liu brothers were running fried liver, they used the cooking techniques of boiling, stir-frying and thickening. The fried liver they made was delicious, high quality and low-priced, and famous far and wide. It was not only popular among the people in Beijing. Even the dignitaries were attracted by the aroma of fried liver.

Speaking of this fried liver, what kind of snack is it? In the early years, someone once described it like this: "The fat intestines are boiled in thick juice, and the aroma of fried liver is heard in the market." It turns out that the stir-fried liver is not stir-fried, but just stewed fat intestines, thickened with starch, mixed with a little bit of water, and finally sprinkled with some mashed garlic, and this is a snack.

The Liu brothers are extremely shrewd in business. If they sell the fried liver in a large bowl, they will definitely lose money. If the price is set high, they are afraid of not being able to get customers, so they custom-made a special dish for the porcelain kiln. The fried liver bowl has a large mouth and a trumpet-shaped base. It looks quite big, but in fact, the capacity inside is not very large. Even though each bowl only sells for two coppers, you still make a profit. . Over time, selling fried liver in a small bowl became a trend and became a special thing about eating fried liver. Even if you eat fried liver in a small shop in Beijing today, you still use a small bowl.

It is said that the Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly wanted to taste the fried liver. However, after she tasted it, it didn't matter. Although she won praise, she said that it might be better to remove the heart and lungs. With golden words, how dare the common people disobey orders? Since then, old Beijingers have had a common saying - Beijing's stir-fried livers lack heart and lungs.

Traditional Shaomai

Historically, there used to be a very ordinary small wine shop on Qianmenwai Street. To be honest, it didn’t even have a name, it became famous overnight just because it got the emperor’s favor. This is the "duyi place" that Chinese and foreign guests flock to, specializing in Beijing-style snacks like shaomai. When talking about Shaomai in Duyichu, we must first mention the origin of “Duyichu”.

In the twelfth lunar month of the seventeenth year of Qianlong's reign, New Year's Eve arrived in a blink of an eye. In the past, at this time in Beijing, most people would never go out if they had nothing to do. Therefore, all stores were closed early. In the dark night, only the Li Family Hotel showed dim light, still open to welcome guests and do business. At this time, three people came in from outside the shop. Among them, the owner was dressed as a scholar, and two servants held gauze lanterns and illuminated the front and back. They were enthusiastically led upstairs to have a drink by the waiter. While drinking and eating, the host asked: "What's the name of this hotel?" The waiter said: "The store is too small and it doesn't have a name yet." The man looked at the surrounding environment and said with emotion: "In this year's holiday season, At the time, the hotel was still open, but you were the only one in Kyoto, right? Let’s call it the ‘Total One’!” Who would have thought that, a few days later, one day, more than a dozen people were sent from the palace. A eunuch sent a tiger-head plaque with the words "All in one place" to the Li family hotel.

Only then did everyone know that on New Year's Eve, Qianlong traveled privately incognito on a snowy night and visited the Li family shop.

This legendary story has been passed down for hundreds of years among generations of descendants in Duyichu, from shopkeepers to clerks, from managers to waiters. The story may just be a rumor. It has a bit of a romantic feel, but its reputation is growing day by day. When diners come here, they must first see the tiger head plaque hanging in the store, and secondly, they must taste its traditional snack Shaomai.

In fact, siomai is made of flour as the skin and meat as the filling. Eighteen pleats are made on the top, just like the flowers blooming on the top of a wheat, so it is called siomai. In terms of production, it is steamed in a small steamer. It has a beautiful shape, like a blossoming lotus flower. It tastes thin and filling, and tastes delicious, fragrant but not greasy. In the past, whenever the autumn crab meat season was in season, crab meat stuffed shaomai was sold here, which was delicious.

North and South Barbecue

In Beijing, it is known as the "Southern Wanbei Season", which refers to the historical "Barbecue Wan" on Xuannei Street in Nancheng and the "Barbecue Wan" in Houhai. Barbecue season.” These two restaurants mainly deal in barbecue. The difference is that Nanwan grills beef, while Beiji grills mutton.

Historically, these two barbecue restaurants are both century-old shops, and they both started as stalls along the street. Customers stood on benches and grilled and ate themselves. Later, the business prospered, and this Beijing restaurant was Delicious snacks moved to elegant rooms and became a gathering place for wealthy families and literati.

In the pre-Qing Dynasty, there were several royal palaces around Shichahai, such as Prince Gong’s Palace, Prince Qing’s Palace, Prince Chun’s Palace, etc. The barbecue season was famous, and the princes naturally became its patrons. For example, Puyi's father, the Prince Regent, ordered Ji's barbecue. However, those princes did not go to the shop to eat, but sat and waited at home. The Ji family was like a theater troupe attending a party. They had to prepare a cart with ingredients and go to the prince's house to bake in person.

Just as the owner of the barbecue season is named Ji, Nancheng’s barbecue restaurant Wan is also named after the owner’s surname Wan. It is roughly the same. In the early days of business, the Wan family started selling barbecue along the street with a cart, anytime and anywhere. An iron grate is set up on the ground, and the customers grill and eat while the host cuts the beef slices and settles the accounts and collects the money. At that time, there was no cash box. After receiving the money, I just put it in the pocket of my coat. Later, there was a formal shop on Xuannei Street. Due to the selected meat essence, thin slices, pine wood fire, and all the seasonings, the barbecue business is becoming increasingly popular, and many wealthy families are willing to come here to enjoy the wild fun of barbecue. It is said that meat cutting is a unique skill of the Wan family. For many years, only the descendants of the surname have been passed down to their descendants, not outsiders. Of course, this is just an old custom. Nowadays, whether it is Nanwan or Beiji, it has long become a common place for ordinary people.

Big Copper Spout Teapot

Anyone who has watched the TV series "Big Copper Spout Teapot" will probably remember that the protagonist Niu Xingli, a veteran actor from Renyi, plays the role of selling teapots while holding a big teapot. Tea soup.

It is probably difficult for anyone to say which dynasty invented tea soup. However, over the years, no matter which dynasty or generation it belongs to, this tea soup has always been displayed at temple fairs during New Years and holidays, making groups of adults and children widen their eyes in surprise. Look, on the table selling tea soup, there is a large and shiny copper pot. The spout, handle, upper mouth, and base are all inlaid with patterns carved with brass, and a goldfish swimming in the grass is inlaid on each side of the pot body... When the fire is burning, boiling water is seen rolling in the pot. , steaming hot. What's even more interesting is that when you look at the master selling tea soup in front of you, he has his feet spread apart and his arms in a straight posture. He is holding a bowl in one hand and pouring water from the pot with the other hand. The mouth of the bowl is one or two feet away from the spout of the pot. , and saw the steaming boiling water spurting out from the spout of the pot, "smashing" it into the bowl without any leakage, and the movements were accurate and graceful. In fact, it really takes a lot of skill to brew it well. First of all, it has to be done in one go. You can't be sloppy and pour it into the bowl drip by drip. Otherwise, the tea soup will definitely be raw, and the seller will lose money. Furthermore, although the water is strong, you must not pour it on your hands. Otherwise, your hands will be burned and the bowl will be smashed. It is even more uneconomical to lose money and make a fuss. Therefore, the masters who sell tea soup all have a unique skill. Although all the movements only take a few seconds, it may take several years to master this skill.

The main raw material of "Babao Tea Soup" is millet noodles, accompanied by walnut kernels, peanut kernels, sesame seeds and other fruit ingredients. There are as many as eight kinds of ingredients, so it is also called "Babao Tea Soup" . In old Beijing, there were also hawkers who walked the streets and alleys selling food while shouting.

A pair of burdens, one end is a cabinet for raw materials and porcelain bowls, and the other end is a brass high-mouth pot on a small stove. The pot is three feet high, polished to a shining gold, clean and beautiful. The hawkers are like this, and the store owners are also using copper pots like this and setting them up at the door of the store. You can see a huge thing standing there from a distance. People at that time were pretty smart, so it was like advertising without spending any money.