Gourd head, it can be said to be a very traditional snack in Xi'an, Shaanxi. It originated from the "fried white sausage" eaten in the markets of the Northern Song Dynasty. Because pig intestines have thick fat and are shaped like gourds, they are named gourd heads. The basic raw materials of gourd head are pig intestines and pork belly.
Gourd-head steamed buns are a unique snack of the Han people in Shaanxi. Its origin can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. Sun Simiao, the medicine sage, passed by a shop and ate a bowl of fried white sausage because he felt that the fishy smell was too strong. It was too greasy, so I gave him a Bazhen soup and asked him to cook it with this seasoning. The finished product tasted delicious, and the fat intestines were not fishy or greasy. The store owner hung his gourd at the door of the store to commemorate his gratitude for the Medicine Saint’s guidance. , and named the food sold "Hulutou". This is a legend about the origin of gourd head. Although it is not entirely reliable, it is reliable to use seasoning to suppress the fishy and oily smell of fat intestine.
Calabash head actually refers to the section where pig intestines and belly are connected. The process of making calabash steamed buns is exquisite, the most important of which are the three steps of processing the intestines, making soup, and steaming steamed buns. The procedure is to deal with the intestines at the beginning. It needs to go through more than a dozen processes to remove them completely and meet the requirements of decontamination, fishy smell and greasiness of gourd head steamed buns.
The most important thing about gourd head steamed buns is the soup. The quality of the soup determines the taste of gourd head. Therefore, Xi'an people are very particular about making soup. First, they wash and smash the fresh pork bones, put them into a pot and stew them. During this process, they skim off the foam in the soup little by little, and then add the white strip chicken. , pork, add salt and seasoning packets (the legendary Bazhen seasoning prepared by Sun Simiao), continue to cook over low heat until the soup is thick and white like milk.
When eating gourd head steamed buns, it is different from beef and mutton steamed buns. You don’t need to break the steamed buns into small pieces, just break them into half a knuckle size. The prepared steamed gourd head steamed buns are rich in flavor, tender in texture, fat but not greasy, and are a very popular special delicacy.
There are many ways to eat it. You can mix it with chicken, sea cucumber and squid and mince it on steamed buns. You can also soak it in the original soup of boiled bones for three or four times, then add cooked lard and vegetables to accompany it. Eat it right away, add some sugar, garlic and chili sauce to make it more fragrant and tender. Chew it slowly in your mouth and then swallow it into your stomach to make it fat but not greasy.