China News Service, Ningbo, June 14 (Reporter Li Dian) The steaming rice dumplings are peeled off, and the scent of the steaming rice dumplings immediately floats; after a bite, the soft and glutinous rice, the fat and thin, and the marinated meat fuse in the mouth. , Converge, and then, the fragrance of various accessories overflows...
As a traditional Chinese holiday delicacy, Zongzi is a delicacy loved by many people, and it is also an unforgettable homesickness in the memory of many Taiwanese.
Three flavors of rice dumplings launched by San Want Hotel Shanghai Photo courtesy of Shen Weixi
"Taiwanese rice dumplings are divided into'Northern rice dumplings' and'Southern rice dumplings'. The fillings are similar, but the'Northern rice dumplings' are mixed with fried rice first, and the whole rice dumplings are steamed in a half-cooked state; the'Southern rice dumplings' are wrapped with raw glutinous rice and put in the pot. Cooked." Zhang Kaian, a Taiwan compatriot who has worked in Ningbo, Zhejiang for more than a dozen years, talked about the rice dumplings in his hometown.
What impressed him was the Hunan meat dumplings in Nanmen Market, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City.
"Every Dragon Boat Festival, there is a long queue in this store, and even a limit of 6 per person." Zhang Kai'an said that in addition to customers who are home in the mainland, there are many young people from Taiwan who line up to try new things.
Zhang Kaian, who loved to eat rice dumplings since childhood, especially liked the dumplings wrapped by his grandmother.
"I remember when I was a child, there was a Dragon Boat Festival, my grandma wrapped up zongzi, and I ate 11 of them at once. This record became a legend in the family."
However, Zhang Kai’an’s grandmother had a stroke three years ago, and the current Taiwan’s new crown pneumonia epidemic hindered the pace of family visits. “I think the best zongzi in this life can only be kept in my memories.”
In the mainland, as more and more Taiwanese compatriots like Zhang Kaian work and live here, the flavor of the Dragon Boat Festival in my memory has become a touch of homesickness.
In order to recreate the taste of hometown, a few years ago, the Shanghai San Want Hotel, a subsidiary of the Taiwanese enterprise Want Want Group, introduced handmade Taiwanese barbecued pork dumplings.
Taiwanese chef Tseng Junlang told reporters that this year, with "tradition + innovation", he launched a total of three kinds of zongzi, two salty and one sweet.
Among them, Taiwanese roast pork dumplings originated from southern Fujian, and there is not much difference in essence.
However, in terms of seasoning, Taiwanese roast pork dumplings pay attention to the richness of ingredients. In addition to the basic three-layered meat and salted egg yolk, dried shrimp, peanuts, chestnuts and dried radishes are also added. In recent years, they have even begun to add high-end scallops and abalones. The ingredients increase its flavor.
In addition to the traditional Taiwanese barbecued meat dumplings, the other savory dumplings are sweet taro-flavored dumplings, which are made in accordance with the Shanghai taste and combined with the Cantonese-style waxed flavor; while the sweet dumplings are made entirely based on the taste of Shanghai’s sweetness, based on the eight-treasure rice dumplings. The concept of making five-grain glutinous rice dumplings.
From the traditional Taiwanese rice dumplings to the "fusion rice dumplings" with new flavors, when the little rice dumplings ease homesickness, they also show the integration of Taiwan and the mainland.
"As a Taiwanese company, it has always been our mission (purpose) to promote cross-strait exchanges," said Shen Weixi, director of the marketing and public relations department of Shanghai San Want Hotel.
When the rice dumplings merge, people are also merging.
Ke Aichen, who has lived in Ningbo from Taiwan with her husband for more than ten years, calls herself a "senior foodie" and often cooks a variety of delicacies with local families on both sides of the strait.
Talking about the Dragon Boat Festival rice dumplings, she said that in Taiwan, relatives and friends will share different tastes with each other.
Now living in Ningbo, she will still follow Taiwanese traditions and share the hometown flavor of Taiwanese rice dumplings on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival every year.
And Ke Aichen's three children who studied in the mainland, the favorite taste of rice dumplings must be the rich taste of Taiwanese meat dumplings and the oily and delicate flavor of Jiaxing meat dumplings...
"I haven't returned to Taiwan for more than a year. I hope to get together again soon so that relatives in Taiwan can also taste the specialties of the mainland." Ke Aichen said, this is her biggest wish at the moment.
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