In Huizhou, bacon has a unique name, called "Daobanxiang". I like the words "knife board fragrance". It seems that I can smell the fragrance of food on the knife board through the words. Look, what a beautiful name this is, and its color is even more beautiful. In the light yellow texture of the marinated pork, there are faint reddish, cinnabar, and orange-red textures. Pumpkin-colored skin, topaz-colored fat and purple-red lean meat are connected. The delicate texture of the meat can be seen through the tip of the chopsticks, and the dense lines can be seen at a glance. You can tell that it is the best pork belly that has been steamed and cut into pieces. The small square pieces are placed diagonally and stacked on top of each other. They are not sticky or connected, and are clean. It is very simple and simple like the farming community in Huizhou.
Whether "Dao Ban Xiang" can be fragrant depends on drying it. During a sunny period after the Spring Festival, Bai Hua Hua's meat begins to turn yellow and produce oil. By the time of Qingming Festival, "Dao Ban Xiang" is ready. . At this time, rapeseed flowers are everywhere in Huizhou, and azaleas are blooming all over the mountains and plains. The old house is filled with the fragrance of "knife-banxiang". The taste of Daobanxiang is neither salty nor bland, neither oily nor greasy. The bacon has been marinated for a long time, but it still has a fresh flavor. This is a kind of skill.
Xu Ruoqi once wrote: Daobanxiang is indeed an ordinary Huizhou local dish, but in those days when oil and meat are scarce, whether in the city or in the countryside, you can enjoy it, even if it is Tasting a little bit is also a luxury thing.
I have had such emotions too. I remember that in the past, during the fifth and sixth months of the year, when farming was busy and the appetite increased, during dinner, people would move tables and benches one after another to enjoy the cool weather while eating. Whoever had a few pieces of bacon on the top of their bowl was very enviable. When I was a child, in my house, if a bowl of meat could be seen on the dining table, it meant that there were guests or it was a festival. I remember that every time there were guests at home, my mother would fumble around in the pickle jar and take out a piece of bacon. The heavy wooden lid made a wooden sound when it was moved from the mouth of the earthen jar. The sound was unpleasant, but it was delicious.
Huizhou people can make the same bacon into Daobanxiang, which is much more interesting to the eyes and taste. Especially in the restaurant, the incense sticks are put in bamboo baskets. The bamboo baskets are woven like boats, which is very reminiscent of "the poems of Southern Dynasties figures in the late Tang Dynasty". Think of a table full of people. The waiter walks over with a charming smile, holding a canoe in his delicate hands. The diners sit quietly, stopping to eat. Nostalgic? Thinking about taste? Remembering something? In short, my heart will be somewhat touched by Fengya’s predecessors.
No bamboo makes people vulgar, and no meat makes people thin. Made in Huizhou, the dish is fragrant. The top is fat and thin, with distinct layers of pork belly, and the bottom is strands of dried bamboo shoots. The bamboo and meat are eaten together, and it is neither thin nor vulgar. If you taste the "daobanxiang" carefully, you can taste a strong fragrance, a kind of freshness that is light and tends to nothingness.