Specialties of Hubei Province

SITUATED on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River， north of Dongting Lake， Hubei is known as a province with a thousand lakes and a fertile “l(fā)and of fish and rice.” Wuhan， the capital city of Hubei， was one of the “four famous ancient towns，” together with Zhuxian Town in Henan， Jingdezhen in Jiangxi， and Foshan in Guangdong， in the late Ming Dynasty（1368 -1644） and early Qing Dynasty （1644-1911）， as it was not only connected with nine provinces on land but also the ocean through the Yangtze River. Since the beginning of this century， Wuhan has been regarded as the economic center of central China， with the value of its imports and exports ranking second only next to Shanghai， ahead of both Tianjin and Guangzhou.

An advantageous geographical location and prosperous business nurtured the unique cultural traits of the cuisine in Hubei， making it a combination of both the Northern and Southern dishes. Abundant in aquatic products， Hubei boasts famous freshwater fish dishes， bright and tasty stewing soup rich in nutrition and with a fresh and tender flavor. The most well-known dishes are the steamed Wuchang fish and lotus root stewed ribs soup. Chairman Mao Zedong was so impressed by the Wuchang fish that he even composed some poetry in 1958 to praise the dish.

The 150-meter-long time-honored Hubu Lane is one of the most well-known snacking streets in Wuhan， famous for rows of breakfast stands and family-run restaurants， which are usually in buildings for residences upstairs and businesses downstairs. Cailinji Hot Dry Noodles is the most well-known brand with daily sales of approximately 15，000 bowls to serve over 10，000 diners.

Hot dry noodles， together with Shanxi sliced noodles， Yi mein in Guangdong， Sichuan-style noodles， and the old Beijing noodles with soy bean paste， are among the most famous noodles in China， which fully represent the delicate and tough character of Wuhans people， as well as its inclusive culture， becoming an indispensable part of Chinese dining culture.

In the 1930s， a vendor called Li Bao sold bean jelly noodles and soup noodles at the commercial town of Hankou in Wuhan. One summer night， Li placed the unsold but boiled noodles on the chopping board to avoid spoilage. Carelessly， he knocked over the oil kettle onto the noodles， mixing them together and then cooled the noodles. The next morning， Li cooked the leftover noodles in boiling water， dried them up and put into a bowl， added in sesame sauce， chili sauce， pickled mustard tuber， grounded ginger， scallion， garlic， soy sauce， and vinegar. Diners scrambled to buy the specially cooked noodles. Since then， Li began to sell the hot dry noodles and even taught some apprentices. Several years later， an apprentice surnamed Cai opened the Cailinji Hot Dry Noodles. The business was so resoundingly successful that two large trees were planted at the door which seemed to bring good luck to the owner.

Hubeis snacks are usually cooked with rice， bean， wheat flour， lotus roots， and freshwater fishes， and are known for their appealing historical stories alongside their taste. Jingwu duck necks， delicacies wrapped in tofu skin， mung bean glutinous rice cake， and Xiaogan rice wine are all delicious foods that attract foodies.