What are the characteristics of Qingdao’s food culture? Introduction to Qingdao’s food culture

Abstract: Qingdao is rich in valuable sea cucumbers, scallops, abalone, conch, prawns, gargi fish, etc. This determines the characteristics of Qingdao cooking that mainly uses seafood ingredients. Traditional Qingdao banquets have certain particularities, and the common ones are "416" and "428" specifications; the order of serving requires cold first then hot, first salty then sweet, and there must be fish at every table; if there is no sea cucumber, no It's a big banquet. So what other food culture characteristics does Qingdao have? Next, let’s learn more about the characteristics of Qingdao’s food culture! Cuisine is the crystallization of the Chinese nation’s food culture. It is a food culture and a geographical culture. Qingdao is the hometown of Shandong cuisine, and Qingdao cuisine is an important branch of Shandong cuisine. The biggest feature of Qingdao cuisine is that it is good at cooking seafood dishes. There are various cooking techniques, but techniques such as "explosion, deep-frying, grilling, and steaming" are the most advantageous. At the same time, the dishes pay attention to maintaining the freshness of the main ingredients, and the taste is mainly fresh, leaning towards lightness. Furthermore, the use of clear soup and milk soup in cooking is the soul of Shandong cuisine. Qingdao cuisine is good at using soup to lock in the original flavor of the ingredients and maintain the nutritional content of the dishes. It is salty, fresh and elegant, refreshing and pure, which really makes people have endless aftertaste. This is the characteristic of Shandong cuisine. As far as the current development status of Qingdao's food culture is concerned, it generally presents the following characteristics:

First, the famous brand "snacks" have unique flavors and become a beautiful landscape.

As the main carrier of food culture, "snacks" represent the overall characteristics and cultural traditions of a city, and at the same time embody the connotation of a city's cultural life. The main promotional tool for a city’s visibility and competitiveness. For example, Chongqing's "hot pot", Beijing's "roast duck", Lanzhou's "beef noodles", etc. all reflect a city's local characteristics and cultural traditions in different aspects. As a highlight of Qingdao's food culture, Qingdao's famous brand snacks are promoting the development and prosperity of Qingdao's food culture with great influence, and fully demonstrate the characteristics of Qingdao's urban food culture. Qingdao's snacks make people feel quite bold. For example, drinking beer and eating clams can create a beautiful scene. According to market research, in recent years, there have been many types of specialty snacks and snack restaurants. There are 354 restaurants for simple snacks, 232 restaurants for snacks, and 119 restaurants for fast food. Qingdao's specialty snacks mainly include: 1. Qingdao seafood wontons, which are famous snacks in the island city's fast food industry. There are many kinds of wontons, including Seafood King Wontons, Pork Fragrant Wontons, Shrimp Wontons and other series of brands. Since 1993, Wonton King *** has received more than 3 million Chinese and foreign tourists. 2. Qingdao Liuting Pig's Trotters has been awarded the title of "Qingdao Famous Food" and won the first place among similar products in the domestic consumer goods event loved by Qingdao youth. "Fusheng Brand" Pig's Trotters has won the trust of customers with its unique quality. Recognized and praised, it is known as "the best shoe in the world". 3. Qingdao pot stickers are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, fresh and delicious, and are timeless. They are a veritable specialty snack of the island city and have been rated as "Famous Snacks of Shandong Province", "Famous Chinese Snacks" and "Famous Chinese Dishes". 4. Qingdao Wanhe Spring Pork Ribs Claypot Rice is very popular among customers due to its careful selection of ingredients, careful production, unique flavor and low price. In 2002, it was recognized as "Shandong Famous Trademark" and named "Qingdao Specialty Snacks". 5. Three delicacies steamed dumplings are made with carefully selected materials and fillings, and strict production and processing standards. They are characterized by a soft surface, thin skin and abundant fillings. They are fresh and juicy, fragrant but not greasy. In December 1997, it won the honor of "Chinese Famous Snacks" recognized by the Ministry of Trade and the China Cuisine Association. In addition, there are Xiaohonglou beef soup dumplings, original clams, seawater tofu, prawn shaomai, etc. They are all special snacks developed from different angles to explore traditional food culture and combine the regional characteristics of the island city, showing the uniqueness of Qingdao food. The cultural prosperity is dazzling.

At the same time, Qingdao also holds many cultural activities in the name of snacks every year, such as the Haiyun'an Sugar Ball Club in Qingdao Sifang District, the Yuanxiao Mountain Club in Shibei District, the Radish Club, and the Hongdao Clam Festival and other large-scale cultural festivals, they all dig deep into folk food culture from different levels, highlight the characteristics of Qingdao snacks, reflect the knowledge and style of Qingdao people's eating, enrich the cultural life of the masses, and have made remarkable achievements.

At present, in order to allow more citizens and tourists to taste delicious and popular Qingdao specialty snacks, Qingdao is learning from some practices in Nanjing and setting up local specialty snack streets, using low-priced small seafood, such as clams, pipes, oysters, etc. , starting from popular raw materials, researching and innovating cooking methods, making Qingdao snacks more distinctive and acceptable to more people.

Qingdao snacks have also developed the following characteristics:

1. Characteristics of spicy fried clams: It is not very spicy at first, but the spiciness gradually penetrates, leaving a great aftertaste.

2. Features of seaweed jelly: homemade jelly is the best. In addition to being very refreshing, you can also enjoy a hint of freshness from frozen vegetables. Mixing it with rice vinegar is particularly appetizing and the frozen jelly is not easy to melt. , thereby ensuring flexibility.

3. Characteristics of grilled squid (squid): delicious color, fragrance, tender meat, and "bite". The key to grilled squid is to control the heat. If it is more, it will be cooked, and if it is less, it will be raw.

4. Characteristics of soy sauce pig trotters: The old soy sauce soup that has been stewed for many years is thick and fragrant. It is stewed just right and the bones and meat are separated. It is chewy but not greasy.

5. Features of Bayu Dumplings: The taste is very fresh, and the dumpling filling is very elastic. Adding leeks or coriander to the filling will give you a different taste.

6. Characteristics of Three Fresh Pot Stickers: The quality of the "skin" represents the skill of the Three Fresh Pot Stickers. It is best if they are fragrant and not greasy when eaten.

7. Features of cabbage and meat buns: delicious and delicious, and you won’t get tired of it after eating for a long time. Fresh cabbage is paired with fresh meat, which tastes tender and smooth. The combination of meat and vegetables has a unique taste.

8. Features of seafood stewed noodles: the noodles are soft and smooth in the mouth, with prominent seafood flavor and bright color. If there is no broth when cooking at home, chicken powder can be used instead. It is best to roll the noodles by hand.

9. Characteristics of chicken soup wontons: fresh but not greasy taste, pure taste, better taste after adding coriander.

10. Features of pork ribs rice: The pork ribs are delicious, tender and not greasy, the soup is moderately salty, and it tastes great when mixed with rice.

Second, seafood has become a banner of Qingdao’s food culture and a beautiful “city business card” of Qingdao.

Seafood, as the city’s business card, is a good interpretation and development of the characteristics of Qingdao’s food culture. Currently, Qingdao is using seafood as a medium to attract more foreign tourists, allowing them to taste Qingdao's delicious seafood and experience Qingdao's food culture.

Qingdao is rich in valuable sea cucumbers, scallops, abalone, conch, large prawns, gargi fish, etc. This determines the characteristics of Qingdao cooking that mainly uses seafood ingredients. Traditional Qingdao banquets have certain particularities, and the common ones are "416" and "428" specifications; the order of serving requires cold first then hot, first salty then sweet, and there must be fish at every table; if there is no sea cucumber, no It's a big banquet. According to market research, there are 113 restaurants in Qingdao that are famous for their seafood. Qingdao cuisine has become a characteristic branch of Shandong cuisine. It uses sea cucumbers, abalone, prawns and other mid-to-high-end raw materials to make Qingdao specialties, such as "braised sea cucumber with minced meat", "original shell abalone", "salted prawns", "Brother-in-law shark's fin" and other products have greatly improved the taste of Qingdao's food culture and promoted the development of food culture, economy and society. Mr. Gao Bingyi, the famous cooking master and honorary president of Qingdao Hotel and Culinary Association, has made reasonable and selective exploration, summary and research on fishermen’s diet, and artistically transformed it with modern cooking theory and technology, integrating the Qingdao area’s agriculture and fishery. People’s food varieties, eating habits and eating styles have launched a “fishermen’s banquet” characterized by “freshness” and “locality”. All dishes are mainly local specialties and small seafood. Each dish is full of classics and rich in flavor. The folk customs and touching myths and legends are in it, which has become the crystallization of delicious food and art, and has a typical Qingdao food culture color. Later, the "Fishermen's Banquet" was rated as a "Famous Shandong Cuisine Banquet" by the Qingdao Municipal Tourism Bureau and designated as a signboard of Qingdao's tourism industry.

Third, restaurants and food streets are criss-crossed with reasonable layout, complementing the commercial streets, showing the prosperity of modern urban food culture.

As a partner city of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Qingdao has experienced rapid economic and cultural development in recent years.

At the same time, the Qingdao Municipal Party Committee and Government attach great importance to the development of food culture and actively promote the construction of catering and leisure streets, food streets, and beer culture streets, using this as a medium to promote the development of Qingdao's food culture, the "city of sailing boats." Minjiang Road is located in the eastern part of Shinan District and intersects with Yunxiao Road Food Street. It stretches from Nanjing Road in the west to Yanerdao Road in the east, and is about 1,800 meters long. There are about 300 stores of various types, including more than 80 catering stores. This is a professional street featuring catering, leisure and entertainment. In the west section, there are more than 50 restaurants such as Sanbao Porridge Shop, Chayuan Porridge Shop, Zhuang Mama Shop, and Laozhuancun Hotel, which feature catering; in the east section, bars, cafes, teahouses, KTV and other outlets focus on leisure and entertainment. Since the municipal government included Yunxiao Road in the planning and development of snack streets in 1999, Yunxiao Road Food Street has developed rapidly and now has more than 60 restaurants. Beer Culture Street, located on Dengzhou Road, Shibei District, has also developed very rapidly. It now has about 50 stores of various types, including more than 20 hotels, beer shops, and restaurants. There are also Xinzhan Snack Street, Haibo Folk Food Street, Haiyun'an Folk Snack City, Qingdao Hotel "Pichaiyuan" Snack Street, Damai Island Seafood City, Huiquan Snack Street, Chang'an Food Street, etc., gathering flavors from all over the world to become a gourmet of paradise. According to market survey statistics, there are 1,854 restaurants of various types in Qingdao, including 871 restaurants in Shinan District, 488 restaurants in Shibei District, 112 restaurants in Sifang District, 101 restaurants in Licang District, and 101 restaurants in Laoshan District. There are 124 restaurants in the district, 50 restaurants in the development zone, and 108 restaurants in the suburbs. These restaurants and food streets not only meet the consumption and leisure needs of surrounding residents, but also promote economic prosperity. They have become a good place for residents to improve their consumption levels, taste fresh delicacies, and gather with relatives and friends. They have greatly promoted the development of Qingdao's food culture.

Fourth, the sudden emergence of Western-style meals has become a new highlight, adding vitality to the development of Qingdao’s food culture.

As an internationally renowned characteristic city and an excellent tourist city, Qingdao has frequent economic and cultural exchanges with foreign countries, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists every year. Foreign tourists not only bring excellent foreign food traditions, but also different food cultures and eating habits. According to market research, there are currently 67 Western-style restaurants in Qingdao, such as KFC, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Vera French Restaurant, Lisa Mediterranean Restaurant and other Western-style restaurants, selling hamburgers, pizza, French fries and a variety of other Western-style restaurants. Western-style pastries have become the favorite delicacies of most young people. As representatives of Western food culture, they pay attention to food science, nutrition, and meal hygiene. They have become a beneficial supplement to Qingdao's food culture and promoted the improvement and perfection of Qingdao's food culture. Nowadays, KFC, McDonald's, Pizza Hut and other chain stores can be seen in Qingdao's main streets and commercial districts. They are using food as their rainbow to spread Western food culture and enhance economic, cultural and other exchanges with countries around the world. At the same time, they also occupy part of Qingdao's food market, impacting and influencing Qingdao's local food. Nowadays, Qingdao cooking masters have to "check the pulse" of the development of Qingdao's catering industry and Qingdao specialties every year. They focus on absorbing the essence of Western food culture to develop and improve Qingdao food, thereby carrying forward the traditional Chinese food culture.

Fifth, the shortcomings of Qingdao’s food include a lack of brand awareness, a single variety of cuisines, weak competitiveness, and insufficient human resources, etc., which all affect the development of food culture into higher fields.

As an important part of Qingdao’s urban culture, food culture has also contributed to the harmonious development of Qingdao’s urban culture. But there are also some shortcomings. In general, Qingdao’s food still lacks brand awareness. There are no nationally famous dishes, and no brands that can make people recall endless memories. They only highlight seafood and show the characteristics of Shandong cuisine and Qingdao cuisine, and do not create the overall advantages of Qingdao’s food culture. , In this way, there is a lack of core competitiveness in the process of competition with other cuisines, which affects the development of Qingdao's food culture to a higher field. At the same time, there is a lack of a group of senior professionals who have mastered Qingdao’s food culture, and they cannot pass on the food culture well.

There are very few experts and scholars specializing in food culture in universities in Qingdao. There is no complete training and management system for food culture professionals, which makes the development of Qingdao food culture lack intrinsic motivation and vitality.