4．風土民情古來事

4.風土民情古來事

安陽地處中原地區(qū)，有著上千年的悠久歷史，這里我們可以領(lǐng)略到中國傳統(tǒng)的節(jié)日禮儀和風俗習慣，還可以品嘗安陽本地的特色傳統(tǒng)美食。

安陽有自己獨特的飲食文化，這里的傳統(tǒng)美食種類很多，而且風味獨特，令人回味無窮。在這些傳統(tǒng)美食中比較有代表性的有老廟牛肉、楚旺扒糕、芝麻糖等。

老廟牛肉已經(jīng)有300多年的歷史了，自明朝末期創(chuàng)始以來，一直深受人們的喜愛，享有“豫北之花，中華一絕”的美名。相傳滑縣老爺廟附近的一戶人家以宰牛、加工牛肉為生，他家的牛肉深受附近居民的喜愛，到了清朝中期，當?shù)氐拇迕耖_始家家宰牛煮制牛肉，制作工藝也不斷提高。現(xiàn)在的老廟牛肉用15種佐料和陳年老湯，以木炭煮制而成，其獨特的風味使它成為國家級的地方名吃。

作為已經(jīng)有160多年歷史的楚旺扒糕，一直是楚旺的傳統(tǒng)佳品。楚旺扒糕始于道光年間，用蕎麥面蒸煮做成，在食用時先用小刀切成菱形的小塊，再用芥末、香油、蒜汁、陳醋等調(diào)制。楚旺扒糕營養(yǎng)價值豐富，老少皆宜，不僅可以調(diào)節(jié)胃口，振作精神，夏季食用還可以消暑。來到安陽，一定不能錯過楚旺扒糕。

除了傳統(tǒng)的名吃，安陽還有一些獨特的風俗傳統(tǒng)，具有濃郁的地方特色，充分反映了當?shù)氐娘L俗習慣。

在安陽，在農(nóng)歷臘月二十三有用芝麻糖供奉“灶君爺”的傳統(tǒng)。相傳宋朝宰相呂蒙正小時候家境貧寒，和母親相依為命，寄居在一座寺廟內(nèi)。寺內(nèi)的長老不僅學識淵博，而且能夠做一手好小吃--用黃米、小麥、芝麻為原料制成香甜酥脆的芝麻糖。呂蒙正由于聰明好學，深得長老的喜愛，所以不僅教他讀書識字，還經(jīng)常給他芝麻糖吃。到了農(nóng)歷臘月二十三，中國傳統(tǒng)的“祭灶”的日子，因為他家沒什么可以拿出來供奉的東西，于是呂蒙正便把長老給他的芝麻糖拿了出來，供到灶君爺?shù)拿媲?。灶君爺見到芝麻糖便大吃起來，不小心粘住了嘴，說不出話來了，當天上的大帝問他情況時，他只能一個勁地點頭，大帝以為他在夸獎呂蒙正的品德，于是便讓呂蒙正考上了狀元。盡管這只是個傳說，但當?shù)氐木用衩康脚D月二十三還是效仿呂蒙正，用芝麻糖來供奉灶君爺，來祈求好運和福氣。

除此之外，安陽的傳統(tǒng)風俗還有“坐跑車”，迎春和打春，祭孔等。
 

4. Local Food and Customs

Due to key location and long history, Anyang has kept all Chinese traditional customs. Meanwhile, you can enjoy the traditional dishes of local flavor.

Among the most unforgettable ones are Laomiao beef, Chuwang buckwheat cake and sesame candy.

Laomiao beef enjoys a great reputation in China. For 300 years, it has been called "The flower of North Henan". It is said that there was a family near Laoye Temple of Hua county, who made their living by selling beef. And the specially-cooked beef was so popular that each family in the area began to do the beef business in the middle of the Qing dynasty. The skills also progressed a lot. Nowadays Laomiao beef is stewed with as many as 15 kinds of seasonings and the residual sauce (reserved from previous cookings) on a charcoal fire.

With a history of over 160 years, Chuwang buckwheat cake will be among those you can never miss. First made during the reign of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing dynasty, the cake is made by steaming and boiling buckwheat flour. When it is served, it is usually cut into rhombic pieces and you can enjoy the cake with garlic juice, mature vinegar, edible sesame oil and mustard. So rich in nutrition is it that the cake is suitable to eat for both the young and the old. It will give you an appetite and help to alleviate the summer heat.

Anyang locals have preserved a custom of offering sesame candies to the Kitchen God on the 23rd of the last month of Chinese lunar calendar. Kitchen God is sent by heaven to each family, and he will report to heaven about the one year life of the family on this day. About this tradition, there is a story about Lü Mengzheng, Prime Minister of the Song dynasty. As a child, Lü led a poor life with his mother. Since they had no house, they lived in a temple. Intelligent and diligent, Lü won the affection from the elder of the temple. He taught the child to read and write, and often gave him some sesame candies made by the elder himself with sesame, wheat and yellow rice. When it came to the day of 23rd of the last month of lunar calendar, poor Lü had no other than the candies to serve the Kitchen God. The sweet candies stuck the Kitchen God's mouth when it came to the reporting time, so the Kitchen God could do nothing other than nod at each of the heaven's question. The heaven understood this as a total compliment of the boy's personality and crowned him in the next year's nationwide examination. It is only a tale, but the locals have kept the custom all these years, to hope for good luck.

Besides, today, Anyang people still "ride in the carriage" (replaced by a bus after new China was founded and a road was built) on the 16th day of the first lunar month, celebrate the ceremony of receiving the Spring God (who masters agricultural production) and the Spring Ox (a paper-made ox with peanuts, walnuts, dried persimmon and copper-made coins inside), the ceremony of beating the Spring Ox, as well as the ceremony of honoring Confucius both on his birthday and on the day of his death.