Original old artist jiuhang
When it comes to "pineapple", Cantonese people will definitely think of Xu Wen.
Isn’t it? Old artists have also written about Zhanjiang County, occupying the title of "the first pineapple county in China" with a 370,000-mu "pineapple sea". But Guangdong has always been a "big pineapple producer". Besides Xuwen, the largest pineapple production base in the country, sweeter pineapples are hidden in the depths of the county, such as Zhongshan Shenwan.
△ Zhongshan Shenwan pineapple. /worm
Compared with the famous Xuwen pineapple, the old artist thinks it is the pineapple in the town that is more worth digging. It is a pity that they are sweet, crisp and slag-free, but they are silent and unknown, hidden under the "pineapple sea"
In Twelve Fronts, Shenwan pineapple in Zhongshan is called "the most rich sweetness". Pineapple is a kind of fruit that can be described as "love and hate" for old artists. What they love is sweetness, and what they hate is that if they eat too much, they will get numb, which is commonly known as "damp heat" in Guangdong. However, Shenwan pineapple is actually called "no need to soak in salt water", sweet and residue-free, and all that is left is the fruit handle, so my spirits come.
Why don’t you go and meet this legendary pineapple yourself?
Shenwan pineapple is absolutely sweet.
Compared with Xuwen, Shenwan pineapple, which grows on the zhongshan town, is much less famous. Not to mention mainlanders, even Cantonese people only know that there are squab, crispy meat carp and Xiaolan chrysanthemum banquet in Zhongshan, but they don’t know that there is Shenwan pineapple.
It’s no wonder that they, after all, Shenwan, a mysterious town, is very remote. Open the map of Zhongshan, and you will find that it is located in the south of Zhongshan City, bordering Modaomen Waterway in the west, and the Xijiang River estuary is just one foot away from tanzhou town to Zhuhai. However, it is precisely because of the geographical characteristics of being close to the estuary, sandy soil and strong sunshine that the old artists are more curious about Shenwan pineapple.
After entering the town, I saw several pineapple stalls without accident, which really deserves to be called "pineapple town".
△ Pineapple stalls can be seen everywhere on Zhongshan shenwan town. /Author for the picture
Although May is not the best time for pineapples, the air in shenwan town still smells sweet of pineapples. For pineapple, a fruit with a long growth cycle (1.5-2 years), local people will plant it in different seasons to ensure that it can be produced all year round.
Shenwan town faces the sea with its back to the mountain, but Yaji Mountain, which is only 300-400 meters above sea level, is the most important pineapple planting area. From the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain, all kinds of pineapples are densely planted.
The old artist found that no matter in front of the house, on the flat or on the hillside, it can be a place for people in Shenwan to grow pineapples. "The best pineapples grow on the hillside." The farm owner told the old artist, "Although pineapples look ordinary, they are very delicate, and they are only made twice in three years. It takes at least one and a half years for each pineapple to grow to maturity. If you want to taste delicious, you need slope, water, soil and light conditions, but they grow on the mountain.
According to the boss, the pineapple in Yaji Mountain looks rough and yellow, but it is rich in iron. Coupled with the spring water from Yaji Mountain, Shenwan pineapple is so sweet.
△ Pineapples growing on Yaji Mountain. /Author for the picture
If you want to eat sweet pineapple, the more golden the fruit looks, the better. According to tourists from Zhongshan City, in May every year, even the green skin of Shenwan pineapple is sweet, and the sweet smell of pineapple at home can float all over the room. Although pineapples are produced all year round, the best ones are only from May to September.
With aunt’s skillful knife cutting, a complete Shenwan pineapple has been placed in front of us. Just looking at the pineapple with its coat off, you can’t see any difference between the pineapples you eat in peacetime, but before it is served, the smell of pineapple that has poured into your nose tells you that there is something really.
"Soak the pineapple in salt water before eating", which is completely ineffective in front of Shenwan pineapple. It doesn’t even need a bamboo stick. Just grab the small fruit handle and bite it. Oh, my mouth is like a pineapple-flavored perfume, which is sweet to my heart.
△ Shenwan pineapple, ready to eat with the handle.
The boss listened to my compliment, but his face was saddened: "If you had come two months earlier, it would have been so sweet that it could hardly be described." Although I can’t eat the pineapple in May, that bite just now is still the best pineapple that the old artist has eaten this summer.
There are 16 words commonly used in the outside world to summarize the characteristics of Shenwan pineapple: golden flesh, sweet and juicy, rich in honey, crisp and slag-free. Old artists still feel that it is not accurate enough. In Cantonese, it is said that "pineapple tastes like pineapple". Only after eating Shenwan pineapple do you know that this sentence is the highest praise. From the sense of smell, it is rich and fragrant enough, the entrance is sweet, without a trace of acidity, and the juice is full but will not overflow. You can always eat the fruit stalk from the tail without any numbness.
With the pineapple, the town finally appeared.
From "relying on water to draft" to "relying on mountains to eat mountains"
If it weren’t for pineapples, people might know nothing about Shenwan. Indeed, it is just one of the 15 towns under the jurisdiction of Zhongshan, and even Zhongshan locals may "only hear its voice, but not its appearance."
However, it is indeed possible that Shenwan is "blessed by God". It is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with Modaomen Waterway (the mouth of Xijiang River) in the west, with mountains, water and flat land each accounting for one third. It has two islands in the center of the river, Modaodao Island and Zhupai Island. Such a geographical environment is destined to be a natural harbor. According to legend, the place used to be hit by typhoons, and only the ships sheltered here were safe and sound. The boat people thought that there was a god’s shelter, so they built a temple to worship it and called it "Shenwan", which has been used since the town was built.
△ Overlooking Shenwan from Yaji Mountain, mountain, water and flat land each account for one third. /worm
Before planting pineapples, people in Shenwan lived on water. The population of shenwan town is mainly composed of Guangfu people, Hakkas and Yi people. Guangfu people live on the flat land, Hakkas live at the foot of Yaji Mountain, and Yi people live along the Modaomen Waterway. Because it is located at the junction of salt and fresh water at the mouth of the Pearl River, the fishery in Shenwan is very rich. The villagers were born in rivers and seas and lived in boats. Their unique living space closely linked their lives with rivers and seas.
One of the characteristics is that people in Shenwan eat rice worms. The insects in Shenwan are a must in Guangdong, and Qu Dajun recorded in "Guangdong New Talk" that "in summer, when it rains, the insects are born by steaming in the grain … The mature insects in first frost are also ripe. On the twelfth and sixteenth days of the first lunar month, they broke out in the spring tide and floated on the fields. If you take it from the net, the vinegar will be white pulp, filtered with white rice bran and steamed into paste, which will be sweet and beneficial to people and cover the essence of rice. " In the eyes of Shenwan people, insects are plump and rich in protein. No matter whether they are fried with ginger and scallion or baked with rice, they are local specialties.
You know, insects have high requirements for the environment. Nowadays, in the Pearl River Delta, only Zhongshan Shenwan and some beaches in Tanzhou, Zhuhai Doumen and Jiangmen Xinhui can produce insects. It is conceivable how high the soil and water in Shenwan are, and Shenwan people also take "relying on water to draft" to the extreme.
△ There are fewer and fewer beaches in the Pearl River Delta that can produce grass insects. /worm
△ Shenwan Potted Rice Worm.
But don’t forget, water only accounts for one third of Shenwan, and there is another third, mountains.
Yaji Mountain, which is only 300-400 meters above sea level, is the highest peak in shenwan town. Because it looks like a bun on a girl’s head from a distance, it is named "Yaji Mountain". This was an ordinary mountain. It was not until 1915 that Li Guohan, who lived in Peru, brought back a pineapple seed, which made Shenwan, in addition to "relying on water to eat water", have to add a "relying on mountains to eat mountains".
No one could have imagined that the sandy soil mixed with red and yellow in Yaji Mountain turned out to be a good hand in planting pineapples. In the 1920s, Li Guohan planted a new kind of pineapple on the back of the old village at the foot of Yaji Mountain, and with the blessing of mountain spring water, slope and sunshine, the pineapple planted here was extremely sweet, crisp and slag-free. Since then, almost every household in Shenwan has planted pineapples. Today, nearly 3,600 acres of pineapples have grown in this 60.9 square kilometer land in Shenwan.
△ From "relying on water to draft" to "relying on mountains to eat mountains". /worm
The owner of the self-tour farm told the old artist: "In the best time, you can produce 1,500-1,800 pineapples per mu on the sloping land and 3,000-4,000 pineapples per mu on the flat land. After picking pineapples, tourists can also carry out a series of activities such as making pineapple bags and squeezing pineapple juice. "
People in Shenwan are undoubtedly lucky. From "eating by water" (insects) to "relying on mountains" (pineapples), the "mountain and river culture" of Shenwan can best be reflected in this point.
"Hey, a dish of pineapple fried rice."
Pineapple has been rooted in the DNA of Shenwan people, and their lives are inseparable from pineapples of all sizes. In addition to raw food, Shenwan pineapple is also very suitable for cooking, because it is sweet enough and the taste will not be sour. The knowledgeable Cantonese chef will use Shenwan pineapple.
In "Twelve Flavors", Nicholas Tse made a "pineapple and sweet meat" with Shenwan pineapple, which may be a classic dish that every grandmother in Guangdong must master.
△ pineapple meat.
"Sweet and sour pineapple meat" is known as the "rice killer" with its crisp taste. Only those who have eaten it know how hard it is to stop. Dice the pineapple and pork tenderloin, cut the green pepper into pieces for later use, wrap the pork tenderloin with egg white, roll the flour, put it in a hot oil pan, fry it until it turns golden and discolored, take it out, mix a sweet and sour juice, evenly wrap each piece of sweet and sour meat, and finally add the pineapple and green pepper pieces to stir fry together. The sweet and sour fragrance rushes to the tip of the nose, and the mouth is crisp, and the pineapple bite is neither greasy nor "heavy", but it feels like lightness.
Pineapple is not only a pair of "matchmakers" with pork, but also with chicken, duck and beef. The sweetness and sourness of pineapple can just bring out the "freshness" in chicken and duck. Shenwan pineapple chicken and sliced duck with pineapple sauce are even more "interesting".
△ pineapple beef skewers.
But as a city that knows how to eat, how can the old masters in Zhongshan fall into a pattern? Yes, they can also combine pineapple and crispy pomfret to make "crispy pomfret fish balls" and "Shenwan pineapple crispy pomfret". This group of people really only need to put "Zhongshan special" on the public screen.
Unexpectedly, it seems that the two combinations with wide brain holes can really collide with different sparks. "Crispy fish ball" can be regarded as an upgraded version of pine nut fish. First, the crisp fish ball is fried to crisp, and then it is paired with pineapple. When you bite it in one bite, the fish meat is both soft and sour, and it tastes sour and sweet. It is served in half a pineapple, and your index finger moves when you look at it.
△ pineapple+crispy pomfret.
But for supper, the most soothing thing is a dish of "pineapple fried rice". Prepare half a pineapple, dig out the pineapple meat, leave the shell for later use, and then add favorite ingredients such as shrimp, diced meat, eggs, etc. The fried rice out of the pot is clear and golden and attractive, and then put it into half a pineapple shell with the same color, which is a must in terms of flavor and vision.
△ Pineapple fried rice.
In Shenwan, pineapples can be made into dessert snacks in addition to cooking. For example, Shenwan pineapple bag, Shenwan pineapple layer cake, Shenwan pineapple egg, Shenwan pineapple octopus ball, Shenwan pineapple ice …
A pineapple bag with a pineapple is normal in Shenwan. If you meet a freshly baked pineapple bag, and the hot crispy skin bites down, the mouth is full of sweet pineapple granules, which is called "the fairy is hard to return" delicious.
△ pineapple bag with pineapple.
Although the town of Shenwan is unremarkable, there are pineapples in summer and grasses in autumn, which is definitely a "comfortable town on the tip of the tongue". In order to eat pineapple, it’s not a problem to drive, but it’s better to be in May next year.
Huang Jiabao
Where is the best pineapple you have ever eaten?
Editor | Second Uncle
Typesetting | Gloria
Proofreading | Huang Siyun
The pictures in this article are from the Internet.
Original title: "The pineapple in this town, why do you hang the whole country?"
