Huai'an Pingqiao tofu is a
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
dish which mixes
tofu with
seafood
Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...
,
mushrooms and
chicken
/ref> The dish is very smooth like Ningzhi, and the chicken slices are very soft, like yarn. So it wins a high reputation as "Xi Shi
Xi Shi (Hsi Shih; , ) was, according to legends, one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have lived during the end of the Spring and Autumn period in Zhuji, the capital of the ancient State of Yue.
In traditional st ...
tofu".
History
Huai'an is one of the origins of Huaiyang cuisine
Huaiyang cuisine () is one of the Four Great Traditions in Chinese cuisine. It is derived from the native cooking styles of the region surrounding the lower reaches of the Huai and Yangtze rivers and centered on the cities of Huai'an, Yangzhou a ...
, and Pingqiao is the small town in Huan'an. Tradition holds that the dish was served to the Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...
of the Qing dynasty during the emperor's tour of Pingqiao. In order to please the emperor and get some rewards, Lin Baiwan, a local landowner, had the road from Shanyang City to Pingqiao Zhen decorated with lanterns, colored banners and faille and invited the emperor to his home. While he was steeping the Crane Tea, a speciality of Huai'an, his cook was braising tofu containing Carp brain and mother chicken juice for the emperor. When the cook presented the dish, the house was immediately filled with the pleasant aroma. Although the emperor had tasted many delicacies from land and sea, he was so pleased with the dish that he gave it his royal seal of approval, and named the dish "the best food in China". Since then, Pingqiao tofu has become one of the most famous dishes of Huaiyang cuisine.
Development
Over 200 years, Pingqiao tofu has been well known at home and abroad through many chefs' refinement. In 1984, the government used it as a dish to accept Japanese and the American Chinese. In 1986, 11 countries representatives tasted it and were very content with it. It was also published in the ''People's Daily
The ''People's Daily'' () is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The newspaper provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP. In addition to its main Chinese-language ...
'' and ''Yangcheng News''. What's more, it was also a favourite food of Zhou Enlai. Hu Yaobang has also spoken highly of Pingqiao tofu when he comes to Huai'an. He encouraged Huai'an to set up a Huaiyang restaurant in Beijing. This dish has been recorded in "Chinese Dishes Canon".
Nutrition and health information
The dish is relatively high in protein, fatty acids and many other nutrients such as vitamins and calcium.[平桥豆腐 系出淮安的“天下第一菜”_食圆网 - 淮扬美食菜谱门户行业网站 - 家常菜_淮扬菜_炒菜_烧菜_煲汤_东方美食菜谱 - Foodo.NET]
/ref>
See also
* List of tofu dishes
References
{{reflist
External links
*http://www.meishij.net/china-food/caixi/sucai/130701.html
*http://tupian.hudong.com/a4_18_22_01300000164586121136224401625_jpg.html
*http://www.dianping.com/shop/509521/dish-%E5%B9%B3%E6%A1%A5%E8%B1%86%E8%85%90
*https://web.archive.org/web/20120426081823/http://www.52huaian.com/huaiyangcai/20.html
Tofu dishes
Chinese cuisine