Hunan snacks and specialties

When talking about Hunan, the first thing that comes to mind is Changsha's stinky tofu. Changsha's stinky tofu is very famous all over the country. Although stinky tofu smells bad, it tastes very fragrant. It is a very popular snack in normal times. In fact, in addition to stinky tofu, Hunan also has other delicious snacks. If you don't know much about Hunan, what are the specialties of Hunan snacks?

Hunan snacks and specialties

Changsha Stinky Tofu

It smells stinky, but tastes crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, fresh and spicy. According to legend, stinky tofu originated from Wang Zhihe from Anhui Province who went to Beijing to take the imperial examination in the eighth year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty. After failing the exam, he had no money to return home due to inconvenient transportation. So he stayed in Beijing and ran a tofu shop. He accidentally discovered that tofu pickled with salt smelled stinky, but had a rich fragrance after tasting it. Then he slowly tried to process the stinky tofu, and finally he created the one-of-a-kind stinky tofu. Legend has it that Empress Dowager Cixi also liked to eat stinky tofu, but because the name was not nice, she named it "Qingfang".

Hunan Sugar-coated Baba

The freshly baked sugar-coated cakes are golden, crispy and tender, fragrant but not too strong, oily but not greasy, and very soft in texture. Just looking at them will whet your appetite. According to legend, there was a man who was sick and had no appetite. He could not eat anything that was served in front of him. Others asked him what he wanted to eat, and he said he wanted to eat sugar-coated cakes. When a bowl of golden, crispy, tender and tempting sugar-coated cakes was served in front of him, his eyes lit up and he ate it all up in no time. Later, he insisted on eating a few sugar-coated cakes every day.

Fish head with chopped pepper

The hot red pepper covers the fresh fish head meat, it smells lightly spicy and tastes fresh and delicious, giving you a satisfying spicy experience. According to legend, this dish was made by a peasant woman when Huang Zongxian, an anti-Qing scholar, was on the run because of his literary inquisition. He passed through a small village in Hunan and found it very delicious. He could not forget it after returning home, so he asked his family chef to improve it.

Yongzhou Blood Duck

A traditional folk dish, blood duck is best eaten with a bottle of cold beer. It was simply a fusion of water and fire - the raging fire that rushed straight to the top of the head was extinguished by the hundred-foot waterfall, and the wisps of smoke curled up and lingered in the heart, which was really an indescribable pleasure. According to legend, when the Taiping leader Hong Xiuquan led his soldiers to attack Yongzhou City, the army's chef did not have enough time to clean the duck's feathers, so he quickly poured the duck's blood into the pot. The soldiers' appetites were whetted and they won the battle. Then at the celebration banquet, they asked what the dish was. The chef could not answer, so Hong Xiuquan said it was called "Yongzhou Blood Duck", hence the name.

Huaihua Zhijiang Duck

The duck meat is tender and bright yellow in color. The gravy is crispy and fragrant, not greasy, and tastes refreshing. It is rumored that Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty went on a private inspection tour to the south of the Yangtze River. On the way, he passed by Zhijiang River and smelled a fragrant and refreshing duck. He went to eat the Zhijiang duck and praised it highly after eating it.

Phoenix Blood Duck

It has the delicious flavor of duck meat, which is tender but not greasy and not dry, and the fragrant and soft blood cake. It tastes rich and fragrant, which increases your appetite. It is a rare delicacy.

Wugang Bronze Goose

Wugang County is known as the "Hometown of Bronze Goose". Bronze geese have thin skin, tender meat, much less subcutaneous fat than other breeds of geese, and dark red muscles like beef, but are far more tender and soft than beef.