White shrimp in Nixon and Hongze Lake

The "white-robed shrimp" in Hongze Lake is now a well-known national banquet dish. However, there is a little-known story between "White-robed Shrimp" and former US President Nixon.

This has to start with the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States in 1972. During the period of 1972, due to the tension between China and the Soviet Union, President Nixon of the United States saw the hope of establishing diplomatic relations between China and the United States, so after the two countries exchanged information through "ping-pong diplomacy" and after consultations between the diplomatic departments of both sides, Premier Zhou, on behalf of the China administration, sent an invitation to President Nixon for an official state visit to China.

In order to welcome President Nixon's foreign affairs visit that shocked the world, the Chinese Foreign Ministry set up a reception team and began to prepare a state banquet for President Nixon as soon as possible. Every dish that appears at the state banquet should be carefully selected, and of course, cooking is also very particular.

There are many kinds of Chinese food, but foreigners in our country rarely get used to it, especially Americans on the other side of the ocean. They didn't want to try China's food at that time, and they were obsessed with western beef and dairy products every day. This led to the difficulty in selecting dishes for the state banquet hosted by foreign guests in China at that time.

In order to do a good job in the reception of Nixon's state banquet, Premier Zhou, as the general host of this state banquet, took great pains. He urged me to make sure that there was no mistake in this reception. In order to choose the best dishes for this state banquet, the reception team at that time did not hesitate to compare each different dish. Sichuan cuisine is too spicy, while Cantonese cuisine is too greasy ... After several comparisons, Huaiyang cuisine "two dishes" was chosen as the main course of American guests.

The main birthplace of Huaiyang cuisine is Huai 'an, which is also the hometown of Premier Zhou. Huai 'an's local famous dishes "soft-pocketed long fish" and "white-robed shrimp" are naturally the top-grade Huaiyang dishes familiar to Premier Zhou. "Soft-faced long fish" has long been a well-known national banquet dish since it appeared at the opening state banquet, while "white-robed shrimp" did not appear at the opening state banquet because of its special selection of materials and cooking, so it was not on the menu of famous national banquets at that time.

The "white-robed shrimp" in Huaiyang cuisine is very particular about material selection and cooking. Shrimp must be taken from the white striped shrimp just caught in Hongze Lake, because the white striped shrimp produced in Hongze Lake is thin and thick, and the extruded shrimp is particularly full and white. Feed live shrimps with sauce overnight before cooking them (this is called "processing"). When cooking, first bring the shrimp and mix it with starch, then stir-fry it in the pot, hit it with the pot a few times and thicken it slightly. It only takes three or four seconds to get out of the pot.

"White-robed Shrimp" is the acme of river shrimp cooking. The shrimp cooked in this way tastes fresh and sweet, and hardly needs seasoning. Most of the taste of "white-robed shrimp" comes from the fleeting delicacy of river shrimp itself, so chefs need to catalyze delicacy in a very fast way. This dish not only requires high selection of ingredients, but also tests the chef's cooking level.

It is precisely because of the exquisite selection of materials and cooking that the "white-robed shrimp" in Huaiyang cuisine was limited by the storage and transportation conditions at the opening of the state banquet at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and it only appeared after the selection of famous dishes at the state banquet. However, gold always shines, and Premier Zhou personally chose "white shrimp" as one of Nixon's dishes at this state banquet.

President Nixon also attached great importance to this ice-breaking trip to establish diplomatic relations between China and the United States, and he also showed great sincerity for the successful establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In order to adapt to China's diet, President Nixon began to learn to eat with China chopsticks two months in advance. At the state banquet held for President Nixon, President Nixon was filled with a dazzling array of Huaiyang dishes, which made President Nixon excited after seeing it. At that time, he didn't know where to start.

At this time, the chef of the state banquet introduced the "white-robed shrimp" in Hongze Lake. President Nixon saw this dish from a distance and never dared to look back. President Nixon could not help but pick up a chopstick and put it in his mouth, and then he got a treasure in an instant. The tender and soft smell of shrimp made the president unable to stop chopsticks, and this Huaiyang dish was eaten up by the president.

White-robed shrimp shined brilliantly at this state banquet, and became a "frequent visitor" at later state banquets in China. It is called "Huai Fried Shuangfeng" together with the "soft-pocked long fish" which was selected as a famous dish in the state banquet earlier.