Enshi Prefecture is located in the southwest of Hubei Province, bordering Jingchu to the east, Hunan to the south, Chongqing and Guizhou to the west, and Shennongjia to the north. It is the only autonomous prefecture for ethnic minorities in Hubei Province, with strong ethnic characteristics. The unique environment has created a distinct culinary culture.
Here lists of top ten famous foods in Enshi Prefecture provided by the organizing committee office of "Top Ten Famous Foods" in Enshi Prefecture is as follows: Tujia Oil Tea Soup, Zhang Guanhe Dregs, Tujia cured meat, Boyang dried tofu, Shefan , Gexianmi rice, Fengtou Ginger, Fubao Mountain Water Shield（福宝山莼菜）, and Nianrou Pork（年肉）
Tujia Sauce-flavored Cake 土家酱香饼
The Tujia Sauce-flavored Cake is a highly distinctive snack from Enshi. Its unique production process involves using premium flour and undergoing repeated kneading, rolling, and layering to create a multi-layered structure. A specially prepared sauce, made from a blend of aromatic spices and seasonings, is then brushed onto the cake. Scallions, sesame seeds, and other toppings are added before baking in an oven or on a flat griddle. The finished Tujia Sauce-flavored Cake boasts a golden hue, distinct layers, a crispy exterior, and a soft interior. Taking a bite first reveals the crunch of the crust, followed by the rich sauce aroma spreading in the mouth. The scallion and sesame accents further enhance its unique fragrance. With its rich texture and moderate saltiness, this snack is perfectly suited as either breakfast or a casual treat.
Tujia Oil Tea Soup土家油茶汤
Tujia oil tea soup is a kind of Dim sum similar to tea tea soup. It is fragrant, crisp, smooth, fresh, delicious, refreshing and thirst quenching. It is a traditional favorite flavor food of Tujia people. Therefore, there is a folk saying: "If you don't drink oil tea soup, you will be panic", "Three meals a day, three bowls, and you will be hard to live". At the same time, drinking oil tea soup is a traditional etiquette for the Tujia people to entertain guests. Whenever a distinguished guest comes to their door, the Tujia people will offer a bowl of fragrant oil tea soup as a treat.
Tujia cured meat 土家腊肉
Tujia families often feed New Year pigs, mainly for the purpose of having meat to eat during the Chinese New Year. If there is not enough to eat during the New Year, Tujia people make it into preserved meat, which is not only easy to preserve, but also has a better color. When cooked in a pot, the preserved meat has a fragrant aroma and is appetizing. It is the main dish that Tujia people usually serve to guests.
Cypress poplar dried tofu柏杨豆干
Boxang dried tofu gets its name because it is produced in Baiyang Village, Baiyangba Town, Lichuan City. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, dried tofu has been produced in large quantities in Boyang Market Town, Lichuan. Among them, the dried tofu produced by Shenji Yueyao dried tofu Workshop is the most famous, and it was listed as a tribute by local officials. It was loved by the royal families of the imperial court. Emperor Kangxi also gave Shenji Yueyao dried tofu Workshop a gold plaque of "strange food in the deep mountain". Since then, Shenji Yueyao dried tofu has been renamed as dried tofu in the deep mountain, and is proud of the royal gift, so that the traditional process of dried tofu production has been inherited for hundreds of years, becoming a favorite local flavor. Eat.
Boxang dried tofu is mainly made of high-quality local soybeans, Longdongwan spring water and several natural spices through more than ten unique processes, such as washing, soaking, grinding, filtering, rolling, boiling, binding, pressing, baking, brine, sealing, etc.
She Meal 社饭
Social food has existed since ancient times and is a food used by ethnic minorities such as the Tujia, Miao, and Dong in China to worship the state. Eating communal meals is mainly held on the fifth day after the beginning of spring, known as "passing through the community" or "blocking the community" in folk customs. The fifth day belongs to the earth, so it is a day to worship the earth Bodhisattva. People pray for smooth harvests, abundant harvests, and peaceful family fortune.
The cooking method of community meals is: picking fresh and tender community artemisia (sweet wormwood, artemisia annua) from the countryside, stream sides, and hillsides, washing and chopping, kneading the bitter water, baking, and mixing with wild garlic (shallots), ground rice dishes, preserved dried tofu, dried bacon and other accessories with glutinous rice (which can be mixed with some sticky rice, but needs to be boiled into semi cooked glutinous rice first), steaming or braising. Its taste is delicious, fragrant, soft and delicious, suitable for all ages.
Fengtou Ginger 凤头姜
Named after its resemblance to a phoenix head, it is also known as "Laifeng Ginger". It is a locally excellent ginger variety that has been stably cultivated by the people of Laifeng County through long-term breeding. Its ginger stem is like a finger, with a bright red tip and a hint of purple, and its tubers are snow-white.
Fengtou ginger is crispy and tender without gluten, rich in selenium and juicy, with moderate spiciness, delicious taste, appetizing and refreshing, unique flavor, rich and long-lasting aroma. It is a unique and excellent product among ginger varieties in China, and has long been a popular bestseller in the Southeast Asian market. In 1998, it obtained the "Green Food" certificate from the Ministry of Agriculture and became the first green food brand in China.
However, due to its geographical environment, the local cuisine in Enshi combines the spicy and numbing flavors of Sichuan with the savory and spicy styles of Hunan. Visitors can enjoy the distinctive ethnic snacks of the Tujia and Miao peoples, such as youxiang'er, Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle), hezha, cured meat, doupier, and dried tofu. For main dishes, Enshi's native corn rice, potato rice, and potato corn rice are highly recommended. Beer enthusiasts should not miss the Tujia ethnic "slapping wine" tradition. Note: It is advisable to bring some food for the canyon hike, then enjoy a hearty meal after the tour.