When it comes to eating noodles, Suzhou people dare not say that they are the best in the world, but at least they have the confidence to boast that Suzhou has the most rules and the most connections.

The Suzhou people’s noodle-eating spirit is, to put it mildly, very particular, and to say it exaggeratedly is called hypocrisy. So today we are going to take a look at how pretentious this bowl of Su-style noodle soup can be.

A close relationship that started in the Southern Song Dynasty

Located in the land of fish and fish in the south of the Yangtze River, rice should be the source of rice, but rice is indispensable for every meal. However, Suzhou people are particularly fond of noodles. If they don't eat them for a few days, they will feel uncomfortable all over.

It is difficult to count how many noodle restaurants there are in Suzhou. They are like chain convenience stores in every city, and they are everywhere on the streets. In order to eat a bowl of delicious noodles, Suzhou people waste a lot of time and gasoline. There are many people who have to drive to eat a bowl of noodles in far away places. ?

Whether it is a century-old time-honored brand or a small fly shop in the corner, you can always see someone sitting upright, with an Eight Immortals table, a bench, and a steaming bowl of noodles in front of them.

The history of Suzhou people eating noodles can be traced back to the Southern Song Dynasty.

With the invasion of the Jin soldiers and the royal family's southward migration, many northerners brought their families to the south of the Yangtze River, bringing with them not only a large amount of wealth and population, but also the integration and changes in food tastes.

Pingjiang Mansion in the Southern Song Dynasty, the blue part in the picture is the ancient city of Suzhou

In addition to "eating noodles in the north and rice in the south", "Mengxi Bi Tan" once introduced the importance of the diet of the north and the south at that time. Difference: With the Yangtze River as the boundary, southerners like to eat salty food, while northerners prefer to eat sweet food.

Of course there are economic reasons behind this, because the Central Plains region was obviously more developed at that time, and naturally more people could afford sugar.

So if you have friends around you who complain that Suzhou cuisine and Suzhou noodles are too sweet, please be sure to tell them that this "pot" was first transported from the north.

Only Suzhou values ??chicken head rice the most, by Yue Yue Yu

Since then, Suzhou people have had a bowl of noodles on their dining tables. However, people in Suzhou rarely call it this. They usually call it "eating noodles" directly.

When you go to a local, do as the locals do. The noodles quickly become sublime in the hands of Suzhou people.

During the Southern Song Dynasty, the world-famous "Medicine Chess Noodles" appeared in Kunshan. They were only one point thin. They were as thin as paper and could be used as gifts for distant places. They were thin and thin, easy to store and carry. Isn’t this the ancestor of noodles?

As time goes by, a bowl of Su-style noodle soup finally came out.

Soup, the soul of Suzhou-style eternal noodles

Generally speaking, this bowl of noodles consists of three parts: soup, noodles, and toppings. If you are more sophisticated, you can also add halogen/ dew?.

However, the soul of a bowl of Su-style noodle soup will always be its soup. The taste of a good soup is gentle and long-lasting, with indescribable deliciousness. Any more soup will be salty, which will make your mouth dry. If it is less, it will be bland and tasteless.

So the most important job of any Suzhou noodle restaurant is to prepare the soup.

Thanks to the self-media in recent years, many people know that a bowl of Su-style noodle soup always requires meat bones, eel bones, shrimp shells, fish heads, snails and the like.

But these are just ordinary ingredients. Each noodle restaurant will have its own unique secret recipe. Some will add soybeans to make the soup milkier; some will add a little fermented rice to make the aftertaste more mellow.

For example, the famous Kunshan Aozao Noodles are so delicious that they can only be made when a fish enters the water.

Noodle eaters in Kunshan Aozao Restaurant by Haisheng

But these are just efforts to save face. The same ingredients are used in different origins, varieties, and parts. The final Taste is all about losing a tiny bit and making a difference a thousand miles away.

The shrimp must be fresh Taihu shrimp, and the shrimp brain must be attached, so that it can be delicious.

The appearance is so meticulous, not to mention the procedures of making soup and fire skills. These are skills in the bones, the real secrets that are not passed down.

The rules for cheating are already so complicated, and the pretentiousness has just begun.

For a qualified bowl of Soviet-style noodle soup, the soup must be crystal clear and not turbid and greasy.

This is also the art of making soup. When a pot of soup is boiled to the end, water must not be added in the middle, and the soup water must always be kept at a low boil, and it is never allowed to "drain the soup".

It is said that some noodle restaurants even cook this pot of soup day and night, which is quite similar to the legendary old soup. This is because the meat has been stewed when making the soup. Once the heat is turned off, a large amount of fat will precipitate and the soup will be useless.

Red soup and white soup

Su-style noodle soup is divided into two systems: red soup and white soup, but the actual color is richer. For example, white soup will deepen in color as the seasons change.

The white soup in summer is the lightest in color and refreshing. But it's not really white. It has a little bit of light soy sauce, and it's clear with a little light yellow color.

For example, Fengzhen Noodles, which has become popular in recent years because of China on the Tip of the Tongue, is a classic version with white soup. It is salty and sweet with the aroma of wine, and it is a lot of trouble to eat a piece of tender and delicious braised pork. All forgotten.

Look how delicious Su Daqiang eats

The red soup is naturally filled with soy sauce, but the soul has to be the soup after braised fried fish and eel. The red soup of Aozao Noodles is a must-have. Paired with a piece of fried fish that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, it is a satisfying day.

Don’t worry, the soup is not finished yet. It wouldn’t be a Soviet-style noodle soup without the finishing touch, the sauce. The auxiliary sauce is the marinade left on the bottom of the pot after simmering the meat for several hours. It is extremely delicious.

First scoop a small spoonful into the bowl, and then pour the soup in the big pot. People with a tricky mouth can taste the clear, fragrant, thick and fresh layers of this soup in one bite. Only completeness is the soul of Suzhou.

Toppings, how many people love you

The most outstanding thing about a bowl of Su-style noodle soup is naturally the toppings, which are dazzlingly varied.

From Yangchun noodles without toppings, to the common braised pork, fried fish, shredded pork, assorted and vegetarian noodles, as well as the expensive and luxurious three shrimp noodles.

A bowl of three-prawn noodles can easily cost over 100 yuan

The number of toppings on Su-style noodle soup is unparalleled. A few years ago, it even broke the world record with 518 kinds of toppings. There are even some The restaurant has launched a bowl of Australian lobster noodles worth thousands of dollars, which can be used as a topping for anything.

Toppings can be divided into two categories according to how they are made, those made in advance and those that are fried and grilled. Some friends must be wondering, they must eat freshly cooked food, but who eats food that has been left out for a long time?

This is because I don’t know much about toppings, such as braised meat and fried fish. These toppings must be prepared overnight and sold early the next morning, otherwise there will be no time to prepare them. I really want to If you order it now, you might have to sit in a noodle shop for a whole day.

There are so many toppings in Suzhou noodle restaurants that it’s easy to order a full table

And the most suitable way for cold toppings such as braised pork is to soak them in the bottom of the bowl first to soak up the soup. , is the most enjoyable way to eat.

But there are also some toppings that must be fried freshly, such as fried eels, shrimps, and fried kidneys. They are delicious when they are freshly cooked, but not as good as they are a little cooler.

Crab roe noodles, such toppings are really generous

There is a special deliciousness in the freshly fried toppings that only belongs to Changshu. Yushan Mushroom Oil Noodles are not as famous as Aozao Noodles, but they are the hometown flavor that locals love most.

Among the wild edible fungi in Yushan, pine mushroom is the best and is known as the "King of Vegetarians". It is also the best ingredient for "Mushroom Oil Noodles".