Jinan’s famous Dish of Yellow River Carp

The Yellow River flows through the Changqing District, Jinan. Abundant resources, such as the Yellow River carp, are living under the calm water. There are restaurants cooking carp in various parts of Shandong along the Yellow River. And in Jinan, the provincial capital of Shandong, carp dishes have unique flavour have emerged.

The representative of carp dish is the sweet and sour carp. Sweet and sour carp is the signboard of Shandong cuisine, one of branches of the eight major cuisines in China. As a traditional famous dish in Jinan, it has a long history.

It is said that in the old city of Changqing, there used to be a restaurant called Jiaojia Restaurant where the Yellow River carp dish had the best tastes. The signboard there was the Yellow River carp. When the old chef was making sweet and sour Yellow River carp, he first cut the fish on the surface with knife and wrapped it with sauce paste. After frying, the head and tail curled up. Then the sweet and sour juice made from the famous Luokou vinegar was poured onto the fish.

Fish was a noble food in ancient times especially the Yellow River carp which could only be enjoyed by nobles. The Yellow River carp is highly valued not only for its delicacy, but also for carrying the warm, festive, and auspicious meaning of making a success of oneself. For over two thousand years, it has always been regarded as an auspicious fish in China.

With these wonderful legends, the auspicious meaning of carp becomes even more profound. Carp has become a symbol of diligence, kindness, and auspiciousness. Due to the sound of "鲤"，which means the carp, shares the similar sound with "利", which means profits, the north people are enthusiastic about eating carp on important holidays, especially during the Chinese New Year, and embody the best wishes of gaining profits every year into the dish. In traditional New Year paintings in the north, it’s common to see patterns of children wearing red belly pockets and riding or holding a lively big carp.

The delicious food along the Yellow River goes beyond this. The Yellow River which has numerous curves flows through Changqing, generously providing us with a lot of delicious food... Such a taste, carrying the local customs and sentiments with it for a long period of time, has become a lingering complex that people retain on their tongues and hearts.