Fuliji Roast Chicken

In late autumn, the plains of northern Anhui always bring a bright and clear wind, blowing through the old streets of Fuliji, rubbing the bittern incense of each roast chicken shop into a long and mellow shape. There is no need to look for it deliberately. The compound aroma mixed with more than ten kinds of spices such as Amomum villosum, Angelica dahurica, nutmeg, etc., emerges from the cracks along the bluestalstone slab road, spreads through the buttong leaves on the street, and gets into the buttonwood leaves, gets, through a hundred years, it is still the most distinctive taste mark of this thousand-year-old town, and it is also the most practical homesickness in the hearts of countless people in northern Anhui.

I am Ella Chen, and my friends call me Xiao Chen. I am 28 years old this year. I am a blogger who has written fireworks and delicacies in aifoodnews for three years. I am a native of Suzhou. I am straightforward and do not like detours. I do not like delicate and grandiose plates and filters. I am only obsessed with the traditional old taste hidden in the old streets and made by time. I grew up with my grandfather. He was once an old master of the state-owned Fuliji Roast Chicken Factory. His marinated chicken craftsmanship was superb. My love for Fuliji Roast Chicken probably started when I was lying on my grandfather's marinated pot to smell the incense. At that time, I always felt that the most fragrant taste in the world was the Fuliji Roast Chicken just coming out of the pot. Even the bones were soaked with marinated incense. One bite was full of marinated incense, it became the initial motivation for me to embark on the road of food sharing.

In my childhood memory, Fuliji Roast Chicken is the most solemn existence. During the Chinese New Year and the holidays, Grandpa always makes some roast chickens by himself. On the Eight Immortals table in the family, the red and oily roast chicken is always in position C. Grandpa will tear off the chicken leg for me and my brother first, while eating the chicken rack and telling the story of the roast chicken. He said that making roast chicken is like being a human being. You should be slow, steady and careful. The marinated soup should be old, the temperature should be accurate, and the spices should be sufficient. If you have less, you will be light, if you have more, you will be strong. Just right is the real taste. At that time, I didn't understand it. I only knew that grandpa's roast chicken had red and bright skin, tender meat and tender bones. even the texture of the chicken skin was soaked with halogen fragrance. after eating, the fragrance of fingertips had to be washed several times before it was willing to disperse. When I grew up, I left my hometown to study in other places. Every time I came home from vacation, my grandfather would prepare a roast chicken in advance to wait for me. The familiar taste could always relieve my fatigue in an instant. Later, my grandfather retired, but he still insisted on making roast chicken several times a year and giving it to the neighbors. He always smiled very happily when he saw everyone eating satisfied.

Fuliji Roast Chicken is one of the four famous chickens in China, and it is also a national intangible cultural heritage. Its food culture origin is very far-reaching, dating back to the Han Dynasty. In 1994, the pottery basin unearthed from the Han Tomb in Xuzhou was covered with "Fuliyin Cheng" and contained chicken bone remains, which proves the 2,000-year tradition of chicken eating here. Bai Juyi's "leaving the original grass" supply place, when roast was a rare product; in modern times, it began in 1910. Shandong people managed Zaizhou to bring Dezhou braised chicken skills. After Wei Guangming improved and Han Jingyu gathered the strengths of various families, it was officially named "Fuliji Roast Chicken" in 1951. In 1956, it was rated as a famous Chinese dish and entered the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2010. It uses local robust runaway chicken. After more than ten processes such as slaughter, scalding, rubbing, washing, stewing, knocking, bleaching, parting, airing, frying and marinating, it is mixed with 13 kinds of spices such as Amomum villosum, Angelica dahurica, nutmeg and so on according to accurate proportion. The old soup will be crisp and crisp for four to six hours. The finished product is beautiful like "Sleeping Beauty, even the bones carry an aftertaste.

I sincerely recommend you to taste the authentic Fuliji roast chicken. First, it is a national non-hereditary food. Behind it is a century-old marinated craft and profound dietary context in northern Anhui. It is not only a delicious bite, but also the persistence and ingenuity of traditional craftsmen. It is a cultural taste worthy of careful taste. Second, its taste is suitable for people of all ages. Its skin is tough and meat is tender, bone-free and crisp, when it is cold, it returns sweet and long, the meat is firm and not firewood, the halogen is rich and not greasy, and there is no heavy seasoning taste. It is suitable for all ages. Third, its eating scene is very versatile. It can be used as a hard dish for family dinners and holiday hospitality, as a snack for daily drama and leisure. It can also be used as a companion gift for visiting relatives and friends. Fourth, its taste is pure and without addition. It relies on the old brine to simmer slowly and taste, does not contain any extra additives. It is moderately salty, mellow in taste and full of fireworks and healing feeling. It is a homely delicacy with grounding and profound details. Fifth, it carries the collective memory of people in northern Anhui and is a taste witness of the blending of Grand Canal culture and railway culture. After the Jinpu railway was opened to traffic, roasted chicken spread all over the railway, it has become the "national midnight snack" in the hearts of countless tourists ".

Today's Fuliji has long been a veritable "hometown of roast chicken in China". Walking on the streets of the ancient town, almost three steps of a roast chicken shop, from time-honored brands to new stores, are inheriting this century-old craft. I once learned how to make roast chicken from my grandfather's apprentice, only to know how many ways this seemingly simple marinated chicken hides: about 1.5kg of Fuli hemp chicken should be selected for chicken selection, and the meat is tight and fat-free; "Don't" chicken should be shaped to make the chicken full and oval, which is both beautiful and easy to taste. Before frying, apply caramel. The oil temperature is 70% hot and fried until it is golden red, turn to gentle fire again, and the old soup will be recycled, and the more it ages, the more fragrant it will be. These seemingly tedious steps are not only the secret of Fuliji roast chicken for a hundred years, but also the craftsman's awe of tradition. Now I am writing a food blog in aifoodnews. The happiest thing is to tell more friends who love fireworks and delicacies these old tastes and stories taught by my grandfather, so that more people can see and remember this taste hidden with years and ingenuity.

If you also prefer this kind of slow-working traditional marinated chicken, you may as well find a time-honored brand, buy a hot roast chicken that has just come out of the pot, tear off a piece of chicken leg, and feel the moment when the chicken melts on the tip of the tongue. The marinated chicken diffuses in your mouth and even wants to chew and swallow bones. That is the magic of time to food and the proof of craftsman's heart. Fuliji roast chicken has never been a delicacy, but with the simplest ingredients and the most solid craftsmanship, it has warmed the stomachs and hearts of generations. It is the taste symbol of northern Anhui, the nostalgia of wanderers, and a bright pearl in Chinese food culture.

Next time you come to Suzhou, you must take a walk in the old street of Fuliji, smell the bittern fragrance all over the street, taste the authentic Fuliji roast chicken, and listen to the stories about the old bittern pot and the old craftsmanship. I believe you will understand why this seemingly ordinary marinated chicken can pass through thousands of years and become a national intangible heritage, which has become a taste that countless people remember. Have you ever eaten authentic Fuliji Roast Chicken? Or what is hidden in your heart so that you never forget the hometown stewed sauce? Welcome to share in the comments section, we talk about those hidden in the fireworks food memories, also welcome to the aifoodnews to find me, I will tell you more of the old taste of northern Anhui.