苏州美食: 当地名菜_风闻

EATING IN SUZHOU: FAMOUS LOCAL FOODS

一、苏州美食: 当地名菜

Chinese food is popular everywhere. No matter where you go, there’s probably a Chinese restaurant! However, at least in Spain, until very recently it was not easy to find a Chinese restaurant that served things different from the usual fare of fried rice, spring rolls and sweet and sour pork. Which are totally fine, but there’s so much more variety in Chinese food! Savoury, spicy, sweet or sour, every region in China has its own cuisine where one flavour prevails. In Suzhou, in case you were wondering, sweet is king! Let’s see which are some of the most famous local dishes here.

中国菜在各地都很受欢迎。无论你走到哪里，都可能有一家中国餐馆！然而在西班牙，直到最近还很难找到一家提供不同于炒饭、春卷和糖醋排骨的中国餐厅。中国食物的种类太多了！中国的每一个地区都有自己的风味独特的烹饪方式，无论是辣的、甜的还是酸的。在苏州，甜者为王！让我们看看这里最著名的地方菜有哪些。

– Sweet and sour fish, a.k.a squirrel fish 

- 糖醋鱼，又名松鼠桂鱼

This is the absolute star of any meal with guests. It’s a whole fish cut in a way that resembles the tail of a squirrel (or that’s what Chinese people say), battered, fried and covered in an orange sweet and sour sauce. It’s quite a sight and very tasty, but better make sure that the piece you take is well covered in sauce, you can literally taste it. (I have to say this: fish and seafood is not too good in China, at least for someone who comes from Spain. But nothing that cannot be fixed with a delicious sauce).

这绝对是与客人共进晚餐的亮点菜。这是一整条鱼，切得像松鼠的尾巴(中国人是这么说的) ，搅拌，煎炸，再淋上糖醋酱。这种鱼看起来不错，味道也很好，最好确保你吃的那块上面涂满了酱汁，你可以真正地品尝它的味道。(我不得不说: 鱼和海鲜在中国不太好吃，至少对于来自西班牙的人来说是这样。但没有什么是不能用美味的酱汁来调配的)。

– Eel in oil 

响油鳝糊

There are many lakes around Suzhou, so many of the popular local dishes contain aquatic animals. By the way, if a shrimp from the sea is seafood, a shrimp from the lake is… lakefood? Or is it also called seafood? This dish is made with yellow eel cut longitudinally and covered with a brown sauce. When it’s brought to the table, the waiter pours hot oil on top. I always joke and say this is snake… because it looks like it!

苏州周围有许多湖泊，许多当地的流行菜肴都含有水生动物。顺便说一下，如果从海里来的虾是海鲜，那么从湖里来的虾就是湖鲜吗？还是也叫海鲜？这道菜是把黄鳝纵切，并覆盖一层棕色的酱汁。端上桌后，服务员在上面倒热油。我总是开玩笑说这是蛇， 因为它看起来很像蛇！

– Stir fried shrimp

- 清炒虾仁

This is a very simple dish that Suzhounese love to eat. C. always orders it when we are eating with guests, and it is also served in weddings and New Year dinners. It consists of very small shrimp, peeled and stir fried with a bit of cornstarch, and then eaten with a bit of soy sauce. C. always jokes and says the shrimp are peeled by toothless grandmas who use their gums to do the job.

这是苏州人喜欢吃的一道非常简单的菜。我们和客人吃饭的时候总是点这道菜，婚宴和新年晚宴上也会有这道菜。它是由很小的虾去皮，用一点玉米淀粉翻炒，然后吃的时候用一点酱油。他总是开玩笑说，这些虾是由没牙的老奶奶用牙龈去皮的。

– Lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice and sprinkled with osmanthus flowers 

- 桂花糖藕

I like all kinds of food and I eat my way through this list without any problems, but this is my favourite. The lotus root is crunchy and juicy at the same time, the rice is sticky and the sauce is sweet. Yummy! According to Baidu, this recipe is originally from Zhejiang, but you can find it in all the Suzhounese food restaurants.

我喜欢各种各样的食物，我吃的时候没有任何问题，这是我最喜欢的一道菜。莲藕又脆又多汁，糯米又粘又甜。美味好吃！根据百度的说法，这个菜谱最初来自浙江，但你可以在苏州所有的美食餐厅找到它。

– Suzhou-style noodle soup 

- 苏式汤面

It is said that northern Chinese eat noodles and southern Chinese eat rice, but even though Suzhou is considered to be south, noodles are very popular here. The local noodles are very long and thin and in their most basic version they are served only with the broth and a bit of chopped chives, but there are many other varieties with toppings added. I was googling Suzhou noodles and came across this article, in which a Shanghai fanboy discovers them. Hehe. It seems he was really impressed: “[…] right here, in Shanghai’s backyard, is a noodle culture that is as sophisticated as Japan, among the most delicious things you can eat in China, and accessible by train in 30 minutes. Suzhou”. 

据说北方人吃面条，南方人吃米饭，苏州被认为是南方，但面条在这里很受欢迎的。当地的面条又细又长，最基本的做法是只放肉汤和一点切碎的细香葱，还有很多其他种类的面条可以加上配料。我在网上搜索苏州面条的时候偶然发现了这篇文章，是一个上海的粉丝发现的。呵呵。他似乎真的被打动了:“就在这里，在上海的后花园，有着和日本一样复杂的面条文化，在中国你可以吃到最美味的东西，坐火车30分钟就可以到达苏州。

– Meat mooncakes

- 鲜肉月饼

These are called mooncakes, like the ones eaten during Mid-Autumn Festival, but they have nothing to do with them. They are sold all year round and are actually very good! As their name clearly indicates, the filling is meat and, like most Suzhou food, they are slightly sweet. These are not eaten in restaurants but bought in bakeries and eaten as a snack, but I added them to the list because as far as I know they are only available in the Yangtze river delta area.

这些被称为月饼，就像中秋节期间吃的月饼，但它们与月饼没有任何关系。它们一年四季都在销售，实际上非常好吃！正如他们的名字清楚地表明，馅料是肉，像大多数苏州食品一样，他们有点甜。这些东西不是在餐馆里吃的，而是在面包店里买来当零食吃的，我把它们加到了清单上，据我所知，它们只在长江三角洲地区才能买到。

You might have noticed that there’s not much “green” in these dishes. Vegetables are ordered during meals and banquets to balance the abundance of sauces and fat in other dishes, but they are usually just stir fried greens that are not considered a local speciality.

你可能已经注意到，在这些菜肴中没有太多的“绿色”。在正餐和宴会上，人们会点蔬菜，以平衡酱汁和其他菜肴中的脂肪，它们通常只是炒青菜，并不被认为是当地特色菜。

Have you tried any of these Suzhou foods? What’s your favourite type of Chinese food?

你吃过这些苏州菜吗？你最喜欢的中国菜是什么？