China News Service, March 15 (China News Business Reporter Zuo Yukun) The cultural tourism market in 2024 is really "hot" at the beginning of the new year - Malatang in Tianshui, Gansu Province is extremely popular.
"It is recommended that it be popularized across the country and let me taste what it tastes like." "The only drawback is that I don't have it downstairs." "I was so greedy at night that I wandered around the living room and ate two calcium tablets." This shape is like Lying in the northwest of the motherland, the northwest province is often praised for its rich historical heritage. Now it has become popular in different ways with its red color and spicy flavor.
On March 14, in Tianshui, Gansu, a merchant was making Malatang.
Photo by China News Service reporter Jiumei Danzeng
“There are four to five hundred foreign tourists every day.”
"I also watched short videos and learned that our spicy hotpot in Gansu is very popular. Now people come to the store every day to check in. There are four to five hundred tourists from outside the city alone." At around 12 noon on weekdays, a man from Tianshui City, Gansu Province There is a long queue at the door of Heping Malatang.
"It's not a holiday yet, and there are already a lot of people. We estimate that there will be more people during the May Day holiday." Ms. Mu, the store owner, told a reporter from Sino-Singapore Finance that the store has extended its business hours to ensure that everyone who queues up from other places can Tourists can eat it.
Tourists lined up in front of Ms. Mu’s store.
Photo provided by interviewee
In front of the hot Malatang restaurant, you will see diners who have selected the ingredients, each holding a handful of vegetable skewers like a bouquet of flowers in their hands. When it is their turn, they will put all the side dishes they have picked on the table. Cook it in a large pot, remove it, add garlic water and original soup, sprinkle dry ingredients on the plate, brush with red oil, finally remove the ingredients from the skewers, and mix them thickly with more spicy oil.
"Tianshui Malatang does not have a thick soup base like spicy hot pot. We cook it with chicken broth, so the soup base is actually clear. The fiery red color is just because of the spicy food mixed in later." Boss Chen from another Tianshui Malatang shop told reporters.
When introducing the characteristics of his own Malatang, Boss Chen was eloquent. He said that in fact, the business in the store has been booming since last summer, and customers often queue up for an hour.
"I thought last year's business was very good, but we didn't have enough tickets. I didn't expect it to be even more popular this year. It opened at 10:30 in the morning, and people were queuing up after 9 o'clock."
Data from Tongcheng Travel Platform shows that as of March 14, travel search popularity in Tianshui, Gansu Province has increased by 186% in the past week, and continues to rise rapidly.
Related topics such as taking the high-speed rail to Gansu to eat spicy hotpot have also appeared on the hot lists of major platforms.
Ctrip data shows that in the past month, content on Tianshui tourism and Tianshui Malatang-related strategies has surged in the Ctrip community. The overall travel order volume destined for Tianshui, Gansu has increased by more than 20% year-on-year, of which hotel orders have increased by more than 40% year-on-year. Ticket orders increased more than 4 times year-on-year.
The search volume of Tianshui has more than doubled compared with the same period last year.
On March 14, in Tianshui, Gansu Province, tourists held up their selected Malatang ingredients.
Photo by China News Service reporter Jiumei Danzeng
“15 yuan can feed one person”
A bowl of hand-made noodles + a plate of spicy dishes. Among the key tags of Gansu Malatang's popularity, in addition to the tourists who come from afar after taking many trains, there is also a delicious and affordable price of "30 yuan for a large bowl" .
"My spicy hotpot is priced at one yuan per stick, and 90% of the dishes in the store are one yuan. Only a few items, such as the pissing beef balls, cost two sticks, which is two yuan." Ms. Mu told reporters that Tianshui people like to match. Eat Malatang with noodles. The noodles in the store cost 6 yuan for a bowl. It costs only 15 yuan for one person to be full.
A few days ago, Ms. Mu met several guests who came specifically from Chongqing.
"I asked you if the Malatang in Chongqing is also delicious. Why did you come so far to Gansu? They said they wanted to try the taste of Gansu Malatang for themselves."
Gansu has a long and narrow territory, from Qingyang in the east to Dunhuang in the west, the distance spanned is longer than from Beijing to Nanchang, Jiangxi.
Therefore, in Gansu, Malatang is different in different places. It can even be said that every Malatang shop has its own recipe.
On March 14, in Tianshui, Gansu, a merchant was making Malatang.
Photo by China News Service reporter Jiumei Danzeng
"We all say now that Gansu is an important node on the Silk Road, and its geographical location has brought about the blending of various cultures. It is said that the earliest Gansu Malatang was eaten by businessmen on the road. Different flavors and ingredients have affected Malatang. The taste." Boss Chen said.
But when it comes to the soul of Gansu Malatang, which is what distinguishes it from other Malatangs, everyone’s answer is unanimously chili.
It is understood that the biggest characteristic of Gansu Youpo spicy seeds is that it is spicy but not dry, fragrant but not strong. In the words of Gansu people, it is "spicy on the lips but not on the throat." This also depends on Gansu's nationally famous Gangu peppers.
Data show that Gangu pepper has the characteristics of thick skin, good color, strong spiciness and high oil content.
Today, more than 60 varieties, mainly line pepper, have been exported to more than 20 countries and regions, and Gangu pepper has become one of the national pepper production bases.
In addition, Gansu Malatang’s rich menu also has many local features.
Potatoes from Dingxi, vegetables from Yuzhong County, Lanzhou City and Wushan County, Tianshui City, fungi from Zhangye, black fungus from Kang County, Longnan City... Gansu, a hidden vegetable province, adds rich and fresh flavor to this bowl of fiery Malatang. Ingredients.
This wealth has also spread to the local stock Zhongxing Fungus Industry, which is known as "the only Tianshui Malatang concept stock".
After Zibo and Harbin made local stocks Delis and Changbaishan popular in the two places last year, as of March 15, Zhongxing Fungus Industry has risen for 8 consecutive trading days and has achieved multiple daily limits.
On March 14, tourists taste Malatang in Tianshui, Gansu.
Photo by China News Service reporter Jiumei Danzeng
"I hope Tianshui will be as prosperous as Gangu Chili"
Similar to Zibo Barbecue, food has become one of the favorite travel themes for many tourists.
Just as netizens joked that "the mouths of greedy girls and greedy boys support the tourism industry", "a delicacy leverages a city's cultural tourism" has become an influential urban business development path.
In response to the order, the local cultural and tourism department in Tianshui also rushed to work, painting walls, building roads, and consolidating the "hardware" all night long. It also organized a special car service at the airport and opened a "Mala Tang Special Line" to take foreign tourists to Mala Tang shops for dinner. ; The scenic spot also immediately launched joint ticket discounts and free pick-up and drop-off services.
"Many foreign tourists who come to eat Malatang will ask us what interesting places there are. Tianshui Cultural Tourism has directly posted the travel guide after eating Malatang on our corner. It is available at the entrance of every Malatang store." Ms. Mu Mentioned that the local government vigorously promoted Tianshui specialties this time, and also paid special attention to helping merchants.
"When we saw that there were fewer benches for customers to sit on in the store, they would give us free benches. Several Malatang restaurants near us are concentrated together, and people would also come to distribute Tianshui specialties for free. They were very enthusiastic," said Ms. Mu.
"This small city with a history of 2,700 years has finally become popular on the Internet. We locals are very moved, and we must strictly control the quality and treat every customer as always." Boss Chen said, I hope Tianshui will be as popular as Gangu pepper. Prosperous, let this "wealth" last longer.
(over)