Food from all over the world | Where in China are the most delicious rabbits?

As the saying goes: "Bunny is so cute, of course it needs to be...more spicy!"

For Chinese people who have been immersed in food culture since childhood, no matter what festival it is, New Year's Day or Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival or Mid-Autumn Festival, "eating" is an unavoidable topic.

In the Year of the Rabbit, of course we have to eat rabbits - not only to satisfy our taste buds, but also for the meaning of a prosperous future . So the question is, with rabbits being so cute, how can we make them taste the best?

In fact, each "rabbit-eating holy land" has already submitted a reference recipe.

01

Sichuan:

Rabbit-eating world full of experts

As the saying goes: No rabbit can escape from Sichuan .

This statement is not groundless. When it comes to the love of eating rabbit, Sichuanese must be at the top of the list.

According to data, Sichuan produces 170 million meat rabbits each year, accounting for an astonishing one-third of the country's total. But even with such a high output, it is still not enough for Sichuan people to eat, and they have to import rabbits from other provinces and countries such as France and Germany.

How much can they eat? According to statistics, Sichuan people eat 300 million rabbits a year, accounting for 60% of the country's total rabbit consumption. In this way, the rabbit consumption of Sichuan alone exceeds the total of more than 30 other provincial administrative regions in the country.

Even in Sichuan, a new profession was born: rabbit taster.

A good rabbit taster eats 2,000 rabbit heads every day, an average of one every half a minute. (Just thinking about it makes people drool with envy) When it comes to eating rabbits, they are truly unrivaled.

It is worth noting that Sichuan not only has an advantage in the number of rabbits eaten, but is also good at "cooking rabbits", which has led to the development of a rabbit-eating world unique to Sichuan.

- Chengdu: A loyal lover of rabbit heads

Chengdu once again topped the list of China's top 10 food capitals last year. The most famous food in Chengdu is the spicy rabbit head .

Due to its different physiological structure, the rabbit head has much less meat than other parts, so it is easy to absorb flavor. Unlike the firm rabbit legs, the rabbit head has a unique taste.

As long as you overcome the psychological barriers, savor the tender meat on your cheeks and cheeks, and take a gentle sip, the rich flavor of numbing and spicy will immediately spread from your mouth to your nasal cavity , leaving you with an endless aftertaste all day long.

- Guanghan: Eating rabbits

Compared with Chengdu, Guanghan has made full use of rabbits. Not only do they eat the rabbit heads, but they will never let go of the rabbit bodies as well.

In order not to miss any piece of meat, Guanghan has a special technique when cooking, which is - binding play, wrapping the rabbit with hemp rope from head to toe.

Jokes aside, this action, which makes adults smile at each other, actually has a deep meaning: it not only preserves it better, but also locks in the fragrance.

Silk-wrapped rabbit is essentially a pickled rabbit. The skin and internal organs are removed, and the whole body is brushed with various spices. It is pickled for half a day and then dried. When eating, just put it in the pot and cook it.

Due to the blockade of the hemp rope, the flavor and essence of the silk-wrapped rabbit are firmly locked in. When you take a bite, the fragrance overflows.

- Zigong: When it comes to rabbit meat, it is second to none.

If someone says that rabbit can only be eaten as a snack and not as a main meal, people from Zigong will definitely be the first to stand up and oppose it.

You know, a portion of fresh, spicy, refreshing and not mushy cold-eaten rabbit can be served as a side dish when people gather together to drink and have fun, and it can also be eaten with two large bowls of white rice.

It is said that its deliciousness is related to Du Fu.

According to legend, Du Fu once passed by Zigong and could not walk after tasting the famous spicy diced rabbit. Du Fu had an idea to cook the rabbit over high heat to remove the moisture so that it would be easier to preserve.

On the way, Du Fu took out the diced rabbit to taste, and unexpectedly, the cold diced rabbit had a different flavor. Thus, the practice of eating cold rabbit was passed down.

In fact, the history of eating rabbit in Sichuan is only 40 years, but why has it developed so prosperously? This story starts from the last century.

Initially, rabbits were raised for their fur rather than for eating. However, in the 1980s, the international demand for rabbit fur dropped sharply. Sichuan, which was already China's largest rabbit-raising province, had no choice but to find another way and start producing rabbit meat.

Rabbit meat itself is bland and not as flavorful as chicken, duck, fish or mutton. But coincidentally, Sichuan cuisine emphasizes heavy oil and rich flavors, and is also good at using spices, which can completely cover up these shortcomings of rabbit meat. Sichuan has always been a place for delicious food, and after seasoning, rabbit meat has naturally become a local delicacy.

02

Zhejiang:

The dark horse player who eats rabbit

In many people's impressions, Sichuan seems to be the only province that specializes in eating rabbit. But in fact, Zhejiang, which has always been known for its fresh and simple cuisine, is also a dark horse in eating rabbit.

For example, in Quzhou , although it is located in Zhejiang, the people here prefer spicy food. It has a traditional delicacy called "three heads and one palm", one of which is a rabbit head.

Different from the "spicy" flavor of Chengdu rabbit head, the soul of Quzhou rabbit head lies in the marinade: fennel, orange peel, rice wine and Chinese herbs, the old soup is the base, and then the rabbit head is put in for marinating. It only takes a few hours for the soup to completely penetrate the bone marrow, and the aroma is overflowing. With a light flick of chopsticks, the meat is peeled off the bone. You can not only taste the tender rabbit meat, but also suck a bite of the rabbit head and taste the excellent flavor of the marinade and rabbit meat.

03

Guangdong:

The king at the top of the food chain

The rabbit won't let go.

Someone once raised a question that hits people's souls: Guangdong people "even eat people from Fujian", so why don't they eat rabbits?

But in fact, this is absolutely a misunderstanding. As the king standing at the top of the food chain, Guangdong people will not let go of delicacies like rabbit. After all, Guangdong pays attention to nourishing food, and rabbit meat has a low fat content but is rich in protein, making it an excellent ingredient for soup and stew.

Cooking rabbit in Guangdong is also very simple. Wash the "delicious rabbit meat", and then pair it with morels, spare ribs, fish maw, or snail meat. Boil it for a few hours , and a nutritious and satisfying old-fashioned soup is ready.

Rabbit meat delicacies from all over the world are actually the products of local cultural background, nourishing the taste buds and nutrition of generations of people. There is no distinction between high and low, and each has its own flavor.

Among the many ways to cook rabbit meat, which one do you want to try the most? In the new year, the future is bright, so start by eating rabbit.

Author: Li Mi