The Most Underrated City in Anhui: Why Does It Hold Half of Huizhou Cuisine's Legacy?

With a history spanning over 800 years, Anqing served as the capital of Anhui Province for more than 270 years, starting from the 25th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign. It is the hometown of the renowned "Tongcheng School" of literature and the birthplace of luminaries such as Chen Duxiu and Deng Jiaxian. The melodious Huangmei Opera matured in its embrace, and the "Huiban," the precursor of Peking Opera, took its first step toward Beijing here. Anqing is also a strategic military stronghold with a tumultuous history, witnessing the birth of China's first modern military industry, the Anqing Internal Ordnance Institute.

This city, which could represent "half of Anhui," now remains quietly unassuming, even its cuisine staying under the radar. When people mention "Anhui cuisine," they often think of stinky mandarin fish and hairy tofu, unaware that it is far more diverse. The bold, oily, and fiery flavors of southern Anhui account for only one-fifth of its richness, while another school—"Wanjiang cuisine"—excels in fresh, sweet, and light tastes. And the birthplace of this "Wanjiang cuisine" is none other than Anqing.

Abundance defines Anqing’s culinary essence. Its geographical position, bridging Wu and Chu while embracing the Yangtze and Huai rivers, makes it a hub for the finest flavors along the Yangtze. The boldness of Sichuan and Hunan, the delicacy of Jiangnan—all blend into the city’s cuisine. Centuries of prosperity have built a profound foundation, filling tables with mountain delicacies and river-caught fish.

Visit Anqing—let "what to eat" be your first reason.

"The throat of the Yangtze’s thousand-mile flow, the first state dividing Wu and Chu."

The great river surges through a narrow valley plain between the Dabie Mountains and southern Anhui’s highlands—this is Anqing. Downstream lies the gentle, fertile Jiangnan. Anqing is a prime port on the Yangtze and a vital waterway hub connecting Wuhan, Nanjing, Hefei, and other major cities. In wartime, it was a military stronghold; in peacetime, a bustling commercial nexus.

The prosperity brought by its waterways is evident in how Anqing locals prepare river delicacies.

The shad, along with pufferfish and reeves shad, is one of the "Three Delicacies of the Yangtze." In late spring and early summer, shad appear downstream. Exquisitely delicious yet extremely delicate, they are rare and lose freshness quickly after being caught. Thus, Qing officials once raced horses to deliver shad to Emperor Kangxi, and Eileen Chang lamented that "shad’s many bones" were one of life’s three regrets.

Yet for Anqing’s riverside dwellers, such prized shad is a familiar delight. Traditionally steamed with bamboo shoots, ham, and mushrooms—scales intact—it is a generational treat for those raised by the Yangtze.

Similarly, the tender, mildly sweet longnose catfish is prepared in Anqing by repeatedly drizzling hot oil over it, yielding a softer texture than deep-frying and a hint of sweetness. Then there’s Huanghu Lake’s hairy crab and Taihu County’s fresh red water chestnuts—delicate, sweet, and exuding refined opulence.

Nestled against northern mountains, facing the Yangtze to the south, bordering Hubei to the west and Jiangxi to the south, with Nanjing to the east, Anqing straddles the transition between the Yangtze’s middle and lower reaches. As a natural harbor, it welcomed countless ships over centuries, absorbing culinary influences along the way.

Take the steamed shad—elegant like an old prosperous city, with a touch of Jiangnan’s gentle sweetness. Qianshan’s "yellow mud steamed pork" is tender and rich, steeped in Hunan’s bold flavors. Tongcheng’s mugwort cakes are even more unique: unlike Jiangnan’s savory stuffed qingtuan, they mix diced cured meat and crushed mugwort into glutinous rice, blending upstream and downstream tastes in one bite.

As a strategic stronghold, Anqing boasts not only wealth but also fierce military memories.

Over a century ago, the Taiping Rebellion swept through Jiangnan, seizing Nanjing. Zeng Guofan’s Xiang Army adopted a methodical approach, capturing Anqing and turning the tide toward Nanjing. He then established his headquarters here, launching the Westernization Movement and founding the Anqing Internal Ordnance Institute, which built China’s first steam engine.

The Xiang Army brought their homeland’s flavors—smoky cured meats, fragrant chilies—elevating Hunan cuisine. As the saying went: Huaiyang cuisine was the "officials’ food," Cantonese the "merchants’," and Hunanese the "soldiers’."

One wonders: how connected is the chili oil Anqing locals pour into beef noodles today to the Hunanese soldiers who carried chili oil in bamboo tubes over a century ago?

This is the city’s unique historical musing—perhaps the answer lies in the ceaseless river waves.

Eastern Jin poet Guo Pu praised Anqing as "a city of suitability."

Suitable—for what? For abundant produce and fertile land. With or without extravagance, Anqing is a down-to-earth, livable place.

From above, Anqing on the Yangtze’s north bank is framed by mountains: the Dabie range to the northwest, southern Anhui’s peaks to the south, and the vast Jianghuai Plain to the north. Mountain treasures, rustic farm flavors, and everyday street eats—chicken, duck, noodles, beef bones, rice, taro balls… Anqing’s cuisine is rooted in this very simplicity.

所以，来到安庆，不必只瞄准大菜、宴席菜，尝一尝这里的乡土味、家常味，更能感受到这座城市的迷人之处。

晨光熹微，街头的小店里，已经支起卤锅，摆开面案。锅里盛满牛骨煨出的肉汤，案上是刚刚和好的面团。

随着天光渐渐转亮，小小的店面热闹起来，来往的老食客从不看菜单，只是熟练地要一碗牛胸骨，连汤带肉，可以几人同吃，每人再要一碗几块钱的素面。

肉汤做汤底，牛肉做浇头，“吸溜吸溜”的吃面声此起彼伏，这就是名声在外的安庆牛肉拉面。它像是兰州拉面和淮南牛肉汤的集合体，却有了一加一大于二的效果，汤头浓郁，滋味醇厚，这样一碗热气腾腾的面条，就是安庆人面对一天忙碌的底气。

如果时间充足，还可以坐下来点一份全牛锅，它是牛肉面的进阶版本。全牛锅里包含牛排、牛肉、牛筋、牛杂，早在沸腾的卤锅里熬煮入味。可以继续配面，也可以选择配些蔬菜。有博主感慨，安庆全牛锅下面吸饱汤汁的千张，才是人间至味。

这里的鸡汤泡炒米也是很出名的。炒米，长江中游常见的小吃，炒制的过程很有观赏性：米粒热油下锅，在火力的催动下米香四溢，熟练的厨子总能掌握火候，绝不会太过以致炒米发焦。通常的吃法是泡热水或热汤下肚，安庆人则爱用带着厚厚鸡油的一锅鸡汤为炒米做配。浓郁的香味浸透炒米，还带着一丝香脆，是刻在安庆人基因里的偏爱。若再配上一个大南门新煎出来的牛肉包子，那简直是最顶级的享受了。

鸡汤好，鸭汤也是一绝。安庆多水，处处是湖荡草滩，哪里都有鱼虾螺蚌，最适合水禽生长。安庆的鸭子好就好在壮实不肥腻，没有鸭腥味，煲汤时只需在油盐外略加葱段生姜，不破坏本味，却又鲜又浓。

土地上常见的物产，总是能被安庆人调理出好味道。比如安庆招牌菜山粉圆子烧肉，就是用山芋粉搓成圆子，与五花肉同炖，圆子吸取五花肉油腻的同时，自己也变得酥弹可口。朴素的食材，简单的烹饪，却带来意想不到的搭配效果。

安庆北部的桐城，地处平原和山区的交界，耕读传家是这里最重要的文化传承，培育了一代代学者雅士，催生了大名鼎鼎的桐城派，也造就了乡土之家朴实却不粗糙、细致却不奢靡的饮食习惯——

洁白如霜桐城丰糕，松软甘甜，是桐城春节期间流行的传统糕点食品，可以切片吃，也可以油炸上桌；籼米和糯米混合，加入新鲜的蔬菜泥，猪油和白糖提供香甜，蒸熟之后就是桐城人熟悉的菜心粑；以火激出浓烈的花椒味，找好时机，加入红烧的鸡肉中，稍稍焖煮，就是本地名菜桐城花椒鸡。

还有桐城水芹、桐城丝枣这样的地理名产，名菜与家常菜的界限何必分明，在这些名字和食物里，能感受到一种属于乡土的亲切和温润，这就是走在安庆街头，那些锅气满满的炸串、煎包、炒面们带来的感动。

想起安庆，就从饮食开始吧！

整整四十年前，纪录片《话说长江》风靡全国，镜头的视线随着滚滚长江向东延伸，落在江西景德镇，落在一江之隔的九华山，落在下游的大南京，却偏偏略过安庆，这座曾经与上海、武汉、重庆齐名的码头城市。

航运时代渐渐远去，公路铁路的飞速发展让安庆的地缘重要性大大下降，淡淡的“遗忘感”便随之浮起。但与食物有关的记忆不会轻易流逝，几百年酝酿出来的好味道一丝不打折扣地、忠诚地陪着这座城市。当安庆人走出家乡，也让这些味道惊艳了更多人。

比如这几年逐渐出圈的江毛水饺，就是起源于安庆的特色小吃。名为饺子，实则更接近馄饨，因创始人姓江得名，它以皮薄如纸，形似猫耳，肉嫩汤鲜出圈，甚至沿着长江“攻陷”了南京城，哪个南京人的早餐桌上都离不开这一碗“安庆馄饨”。

哪怕是平平常常、隐藏在街巷间的小吃，如蟹壳黄烧饼、侉饼油条、锅贴煎包，看着似乎与江南饮食并没什么大的分别，却有一种质朴、大方的诱人，好像童年的美味总在老时光里等你，让邻近许多城市的人大为流连。匆忙的年代，安庆饮食能提供一种温和平缓的情绪价值。

听过天柱山吗？这座历史名山，一度被称为“南岳”，却终于因为失去五岳的身份，而渐渐隐没与中国名山之林。辉煌过，也低落过，就矗立在安庆西北侧，静静地凝望长江，凝望这座和自己有着相似命运的城市。

安庆应该被看见。不仅是以“老省会”的身份，不是贴着“小透明”的标签，而是一座把地理风物和历史底蕴酿成好味道的美食之城。

来安庆吧，就用“吃点什么”作理由。

封图 | 吴保国 吴砚

This article is original content from [Di Dao Feng Wu].