(Looking for China) Liuzhou snail noodles: whether to eat or not, it should be the smell of fresh bamboo shoots in soup
China News Agency, Liuzhou, May 17th: Liuzhou snail noodles: whether to eat or not, it should be the smell of fresh bamboo shoots in soup
Author Lin Xin
Peng Ping, an international student from Laos, still remembers "running away" when she tasted snail noodles for the first time.
"At that time, I only remembered that the snail powder was very 'stinky'. After the hair and clothes were swayed, there was an indescribable 'smelly' smell."
But what she didn't expect was that she would be deeply fascinated by this "stink" in the future.
"Although it smells bad, the more I eat, the better it is. Now I eat snail powder three or four times a week." Peng Ping said.
Among the various rice noodles in Guangxi, Liuzhou snail noodles can be described as "notorious".
Walking on the streets of Liuzhou, a unique "sour" smell came out from the scattered snail powder shops, and many Internet anchors came from afar to live broadcast the snail powder, which became a unique landscape.
People in Guangxi love long noodles, and the combination of "snail + noodles" is inseparable from the landform of Liuzhou.
The Liujiang River passing through the city contains a large number of snails. Unlike ordinary snails, the snails are small in size, crisp and tender in taste, and compact in taste.
According to archaeological findings, as early as about 20,000 years ago, the "Liujiang people" living in Bailian Cave in Liuzhou began to fish for snails for consumption, and there are still remains of primitive people "burning stone snails" in the Bailian Cave site.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Liuzhou night market gradually prospered, and many diners asked for fresh and spicy snail soup when eating rice noodles.
Over time, Liuzhou snail noodles were born.
"Since I can remember, I can almost smell the unique smell of snail noodles when I walk through every street and alley in Liuzhou." In 1979, He Tao's parents were "fashionable" and opened snail noodles stalls on the roadside.
Today, He Tao, who grew up with snail noodles, has become a city-level representative inheritor of Liuzhou snail noodles making skills, and he has also opened snail noodles shops all over China.
"Traditional Liuzhou snail noodles are made with snails, pork bones, and chicken frames boiled for several hours, with rice noodles as the main food, and special ingredients are added." He Tao introduced to the reporter, while swiftly adding sour bamboo shoots, chopped green onion, peanuts, and fungus When the side dishes are put into the bowl, pour a spoonful of the rich and refreshing soul soup base, and a bowl of "scented and smelly" snail powder is brought to the diners.
The "stink" of snail powder comes from its "finishing touch", sour bamboo shoots.
Pickled sour bamboo shoots use an "ancestral trick".
According to He Tao, the first step is to dig a 9-meter-deep cellar, and let the bamboo shoots ferment naturally for several months with mountain spring water. After marinating, they are fried in red oil.
Such a secret sour bamboo shoot makes the snail powder smell bad and taste delicious.
"Everyone is looking for the taste in memory, so when doing product innovation and research and development, we must not forget the taste of snail noodles." He Tao currently has dozens of snail noodles stores all over China, and each store will be equipped with one. A 300-pound soup bucket is used to boil snail soup to ensure the original taste of snail powder.
"My son brings his classmates to the store to eat noodles. He will put more chili peppers than anyone else's. It's very exciting, and he's very happy after eating. For outsiders, eating a bowl of snail noodles may be a challenge in itself." According to He Tao, the hot and sour snail noodles also contain the courage and passion of Liuzhou people to dare to fight.
In 2014, bagged snail noodles that are convenient for circulation and fast food came out, and they began to "fly" to all parts of China, even Southeast Asia, the United States, Europe and other places.
In 2021, the sales revenue of Liuzhou snail powder industry chain will exceed 50 billion yuan (RMB, the same below), and the annual export volume will be about 52.56 million yuan.
Talking about the "popularity" of snail noodles from roadside stalls to a ten-billion-dollar industry, He Tao said that there are two "secret recipes": keep the soul and keep innovating.
Today, local standards for the entire industry chain of Liuzhou snail powder, ingredient planting and breeding, procurement, and processing have been released one after another, maintaining the taste and quality of Liuzhou with standardization.
At the same time, innovative formulas are constantly being developed, providing an additional experience for fans at home and abroad.
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