When I say beef noodles, I mean beef noodles in Lanzhou, which is a traditional snack in Lanzhou, Gansu Province. Lanzhou beef noodle is one of the top ten noodles in China. It has a long history and unique taste, and is well-known throughout the country and even influencing the world. Here is the history of Lanzhou beef noodles to share with dear netizens.
According to historical records, Lanzhou beef noodles originated in the Tang Dynasty, and have a history of more than a thousand years. But at that time, because of the complex process and materials, it was always the food for the rich. It was not the common people’s food until the early Qing Dynasty that Lanzhou had its first beef noodle restaurant. In the history of the Qing Dynasty, Chen Weijing, the founder of Lanzhou ramen, was a student of the Imperial Supervisor of the State during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty.
At that time, the noodles were called hot pot noodles, which were first created by Ma Baozi in 1915. Ma Baozi’s family was poor. He made hot pot beef noodles at home for his livelihood. He carried them around the streets and peddled them. Later, he added boiled cattle and sheep’s liver soup to beef noodles, which smelled good, and people liked his beef noodles. Seeing this situation, he opened his own shop, instead of hawking along the street, he thought about introducing a free way to enter the shop. When the guests came in, the man immediately brought a bowl of delicious beef soup for the guests to eat.
Since then, Ma Baozi’s reputation for beef noodles has been expanding. Between 1925, Ma Baozi’s beef noodles were taken over by his son, Ma Jiesan, who inherited his father’s traditional advantages and continuously improved his beef noodles. Later, Ma Baozi was given the reputation of stopping when people know the fragrance. Lanzhou beef noodles are famous for their fresh and delicate broth, which embodies the wisdom and efforts of Chen, Ma, and countless chefs who specialize in broth beef noodles.
At that time, the hot pot beef noodles were mainly soup. The soup was boiled with cattle and sheep’s liver. The beef soup with a certain proportion was clarified and processed. Its flavor was delicious and its style was unique. Since then, on this basis, efforts have been made in terms of taste and clarity, especially in terms of quality. Eventually, people have achieved the style of clear soup, rotten and fragrant meat, fine and refined noodles, which makes Lanzhou clear soup beef noodles full of five flavors.
Finally, the characteristics of soup noodles are identified as the first clear, the second white, the third red, the fourth green, and the fifth yellow (clear soup, white radish, red pepper, green garlic seedlings, yellow noodles). The soup noodles have achieved a unique style of color, fragrance, and taste, and also achieved the quality of low price and good quality, which is deeply loved by the local people. After liberation, the number of beef noodle restaurants in Lanzhou increased to more than 20, and the last remaining four or five were poor in quality and environment. Only after the reform and opening up did the traditional famous food get further recovery and development.
Lanzhou clear soup beef noodles were originally the best food for senior guests in Northwest China. Because it is economical and delicious, many stores not only can be found everywhere in Lanzhou but also have the appearance and location of Lanzhou beef noodles all over the country and even in many countries around the world. Lanzhou locals generally call it beef noodles, while younger people call it big beef noodles or big beef bowls. More people call it a big bowl of beef noodles.
This Lanzhou beef noodle, no matter what it is called and where it is, has gone through many setbacks. Its essence is traditional Chinese food. It has won worldwide reputation with a bowl of noodles and has won praise and honor from domestic and even worldwide diners.
Today, in Lanzhou, beef noodle restaurants are everywhere, and beef noodles have already been opened everywhere. The popular delicacies with good color, fragrance, and economy bring more diners a convenient and fast delicacy, so beef noodles have become a symbol of Lanzhou. However, what is more, puzzling is that the flavor of Lanzhou beef noodles has changed since they left the city. In some places, the noodles can basically retain the essential flavor of beef noodles, but they are not so authentic. Others have no inheritance and there are too many gaps. This allowed Lanzhou people from far away to taste it and concluded that it was far from Lanzhou beef noodles.
