Huguosi Snacks —— A Food Not to Be Missed in Beijing

Huguosi snack is one of the representatives of local snacks, which is famous for its rich varieties, outstanding features and profound historical and cultural heritage. Huguo Temple Muslim Beijing snacks are mainly the classic varieties of temple fairs. There are all kinds of fine stuffing dumplings, Muslim dumplings, Aiwowo, bean powder cakes, sesame rice cakes, fruit rice cakes, pea yellow and so on. Fried products include honey sauce, Xiao Kai, crispy and inby, and liquid foods include bean juice, flour tea, red bean porridge, chop suey soup, fresh soybean milk, almond tofu, lotus seed porridge and so on. Snacks can be cooked in a variety of ways, such as steaming, frying, frying, flipping, frying, roasting, rinsing, punching, frying, stewing and boiling. The production of Muslim Beijing snacks in Huguo Temple is mainly by hand.

Speaking of Huguosi snack bar, we have to start with Huguosi Temple Fair in old Beijing. According to some data, the Huguo Temple in Xicheng District was built in the Yuan Dynasty. It was originally called Guo Chong Temple. The earliest is the former residence of Tuoketuo, the prime minister of the Yuan Dynasty, called Chongkuo Temple, which was built between the Yuan Dynasty and the first year of Zhengzheng (1264- 1295). In the fourth year of Xuande in Ming Dynasty (1429), it was renamed Dalongshan Temple, and it was given a name in the eighth year of Chenghua in Ming Dynasty (1472). It is the former residence of Togtoh, the prime minister of the Yuan Dynasty. Because the temple is located in the west city, old Beijingers also call it "West Temple".

According to the Survey of Temple Fair in Beiping, temple fairs in the old days were held in combination with religious festivals of Buddhism and Taoism. There were many temples in Beijing in the early days. It is said that there are more than 800 temples inside and outside the city. In the past, some temple fairs offered incense to worship the gods, some borrowed Buddha for spring outing, and some held market transactions. Among them, the temple fair in the market center is the most lively. Long Fu Temple in Dongcheng and Huguo Temple in Xicheng are also called "East Temple" and "West Temple".

Huguo Temple has a temple fair in July and August every year. There are many kinds of booths at the temple fair, including silks and satins, clothing, porcelain, antique calligraphy and painting, fans, cookers, medicines, food, flowers and trees, divination, busking, juggling and so on. There are more stalls, and naturally there are more commodities. Because there was a saying in Beijing in the Qing Dynasty that "the east is rich and the west is expensive", most of the houses of flag-bearers were in Xicheng. And "noble people" and "daily needs to the temple fair". According to the memories of the older generation, the most attractive thing about the temple fair of Huguo Temple is the floating stalls of snacks all over the country. People who visit temple fairs, burn incense, shop and play are tired and hungry. They will naturally look for shouts, stand around or squat down, and "catch up" on the inside and outside. At that time, these temple fair snacks were exquisite and diverse, which added a lot of color to the temple fair.

1956, the government organized more than a dozen well-known vendors at the temple fair of Huguo Temple. Huguo Temple Muslim Snack Bar opened at No.93, adjacent to Huguo Temple, and Huguo Temple snacks began to develop on a real scale. Huguo Temple is located in the north of Xisipailou in Xicheng, north of the west exit of Huguo Temple Street, starting from Deshengmennei Street in the east and Xinjiekou South Street in the west, with a total length of more than 580 meters. This is one of the busiest neighborhoods in Beijing. The Muslim snacks in Huguo Temple are named after the snacks in the Western Temple Fair. The temple fair of Huguo Temple in 1930s was very lively. All kinds of Beijing-style snacks compete here, showing their charm.

Face tea is one of the characteristic varieties of Muslim snacks in Huguo Temple. It used to be sold in the afternoon. There is a poem that says, "When you wake up in the afternoon, you always add dried ginger and sesame sauce." Drinking noodles is very particular about how to eat. When eating, you don't need chopsticks, spoons and other tableware. You just need to circle the bowl with one hand to finish the bowl. I'm afraid non-Beijingers can't eat this way. Why do you eat like this? This is related to the taste of noodle tea. Zanzi Twist is an exquisite Muslim snack in Huguo Temple. The technological process is complicated. First, put alum, alkali, brown sugar and osmanthus into a pot and melt it with warm water, then pour the flour into it and stir it evenly. After mixing, roll it up in a long strip for a while and then pull it into a small dose of 40 grams. Mix Fructus Cannabis with boiling water, stick a small dose on the mixed Fructus Cannabis, cut into small bar codes with a length of 10 cm, and put them on a plate for 3 to 4 layers. After cooking, pick up two small strips and knead them into two uniform long rope strips by hand, fold them back and forth into a figure of eight, knead the two ends into jujube pits or fan-shaped with two sharp ends and moderate size, and fry them until they are cooked thoroughly. When frying, the peanut oil in the pot is 50% hot. Take the kneaded dough, put the blank into the oil pan and swing it back and forth to shape. When the blank is slightly hard, fry it in oil until it is brown. The quality characteristics of prickly heat twist are brown color, crisp texture, sweet and delicious.

Bean juice is also one of the most popular Muslim snacks in Huguo Temple. Beijingers began to drink soybean juice in the 18th year of Qingganlong (AD 1753). There is a saying that "Beijing bean juice is the lifeblood of the flag bearer" is not unreasonable. Bean juice was originally a drink for imperial meals in Qing Dynasty. Although it tastes different, it has the effect of health care. Quench thirst and relieve summer heat in summer, clear heat and warm yang in winter, and drink it in four seasons, which is beneficial to appetizing, strengthening spleen, expelling toxin and eliminating dryness. Drink bean juice with inby and shredded pickles. People say that soybean juice is a special snack of "taste outside food". In order to maintain its characteristics, Huguosi snack bar has been operating continuously since 1950s. Some overseas Chinese and compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao came to Huguosi snack bar to taste bean juice and feel the rich local customs of Beijing. 1In August, 1997, in the first "China Famous Snacks" recognition activity organized by the former Ministry of Internal Trade and China Cuisine Association, the bean juice of Huguosi snacks was recognized as "China Famous Snacks".

In the past 50 years, Huguosi snack bar has retained the traditional varieties of Beijing flavor of the old shop, but the appearance of the store has changed with the transformation of Beijing city, and the dining environment has also changed. Moreover, the snacks sold not only keep the flavor of old Beijing, but also are adjusted according to the changing needs of modern people's tastes. Specially hired an old technician, Yang Boru, to enter the store to teach skills and turn the original big, dark, thick and unpalatable food into a small and exquisite snack. Although the environment has changed, the purpose of serving the people economically has not changed. Due to the change of dining environment, snacks are of high quality and variety, attracting a large number of Chinese and foreign diners.

200 1, Huguosi snack bar was further renovated, which not only highlighted the characteristics of old Beijing style, but also allowed customers to enjoy the elegance of old Beijing while tasting old Beijing snacks. The roof of the store is decorated with blue tiles, the picture frame of the temple fair of Huguo Temple is hung on the wall, snacks and celebrities are hung on the four pillars of the house, and a plastic display stand of the old Beijing noodle restaurant is specially set up.

Huatian Catering Group has also given special policies to its snack bars, including paying for the unified decoration and logo of the gables and environment of snack bars, and constantly excavating and improving traditional varieties: pea yellow is too thin, snowballing and adding layers, screwing, enma, toad spitting honey, and standardized technology. Snacks pay attention to seasonality, such as yellow peas and aiwowo in spring, fish in the "ice bowl" in summer, beef tendon and limp flowers in autumn, pot stickers, bowl cakes, fruit rice cakes and Yuanxiao in winter. At the same time, snacks are also popular according to the changes of customers' tastes. There are all kinds of dry, thin, sweet and salty meat and vegetables, such as glutinous rice cake with butter mouth, assorted fried bumps, spicy chicken noodles, ox-eye steamed buns, cream fried cakes, pork chops with ginger sauce, mandarin duck cakes, butterfly rolls, beef biscuits and orchid lanterns. After excavation, introduction and innovation, the variety of snacks in Huguo Temple has reached 100, which can be described as dazzling and colorful.

During the 1999 Spring Festival held in Singapore, the 13th Spring Festival went to Binjiang Beijing Folk Exhibition, and more than a dozen kinds of classic snacks of Huguo Temple were splendid, which made Singaporeans' eyes "bright". The headline news of the radio and TV station that day: Beijing snacks are great! Exquisite snacks have not only been praised by Singaporean citizens, but also Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong of Singapore booked 100 snowballs for the state banquet immediately after attending the event. Exquisite snacks have already entered the "elegant hall". On June 5438+065438+ 10, 2004, the snack bar of Huguosi sent a chef to Macau to participate in the "4th Macau Food Festival". Their exquisite snack skills and delicious Beijing snacks are widely loved and praised by Macao citizens. In the following years, Huguosi snacks gradually became famous. Whenever large-scale international and political activities are held in Beijing, Huatian Huguo Temple is specially invited to serve snacks.

In order to further display the snack culture, let Chinese and foreign guests taste the flavor characteristics of snacks and appreciate the elegant demeanor of old Beijing, Huguosi Snack Bar, a time-honored Chinese snack bar, has carefully developed, explored and innovated on the basis of inheriting traditional snacks in Beijing, and created a "snack banquet" combining snack products with halal specialties with exquisite snack making skills and elaborate banquet design ideas. "Snack Banquet" is famous for its rich variety and unique banquet style. During the dinner, we love to have a nest, snowball, pea yellow, elephant trunk cake and other snacks. Fine materials, beautiful shapes and diverse techniques are all steamed, fried, boiled, branded, soft or crisp, salty or sweet, which has inherited the essence of Beijing court and folk snacks for hundreds of years. At the same time, the "Snack Banquet" pays attention to the collocation of meat and vegetables, reasonable nutrition, and selects banquet dishes with halal food characteristics, such as "fried bear", "braised oxtail" and "refreshing honey". The whole banquet is full of Beijing local flavor and rich cultural heritage. Awarded the title of "Beijing Fine Banquet", it is loved by celebrities and citizens in Beijing and has become a wonderful flower in the catering industry in Beijing.