There are three hometowns of steamed dishes in China: Tianmen in Hubei, Liuyang in Hunan and Changshu in Jiangsu. Compared to the other two, Changshu steamed dishes are more particular about selecting materials and the skill of cutting dishes is more exquisite and fine.
Changshu steamed dishes can date back to the pottery era in history and was firstly popular in Dongxiang countryside.
Changshu steamed dishes are cultured, only for the character steaming, it includes five types as dried steaming, soup steaming, powder steaming, raw steaming and cooked steaming. The skill of cutting dishes is very exquisite, particular attention is made to the dish array, each dish is bright-colored and has appealing design.
The Chinese would like to seek good lucks and the local Changshu people who are particular about traditions are more so at this point. The character “steam” indicates “flourishing” and has very nice implied meaning of itself. In the banquet of Changshu people, steamed dishes are usually the leading actor.
“The traditional eight dishes” are the last items for banquet. The productive Changshu is never lack of fresh food materials, and the delicate character of Changshu people can be found a glimpse of traces from their selection of materials for steamed dishes.
For “the traditional eight dishes” , not only because they are the most representative Changshu steamed dishes, but also because each dish name has very good luck: “fried fish in chrysanthemum shape” means abundance, “fried” means flourishing and good luck; “jade and gold brick” implies dignity; “bringing in wealth and treasure” has the golden egg dumpling to symbolize gold ingot, the soybean sprouts at the bottom symbolize everything going as one wishes and the dish implies prosperous treasures; “hide delicate babies in gold house” implies happy family; “white soup and silver uppermost part of pork leg” implies sweet life and “the immortal hen” implies to enjoys days like supernatural beings…
Further, for those Changshu people who are away from home, the steamed dishes are the right taste of their hometown. For those who come from afar, it’s sure for them to have steamed dishes in Changshu.
