福建客家菜 更顯家鄉情

Hakka people often find excuses for the lack of presentation for their food, especially compared with their seafood-rich neighbors of Chaozhou and Shantou, where more attention is paid to how dishes are prepared and presented.

跟海味十足的潮州菜和汕頭菜比起來，客家菜顯得有些默默無聞，前兩者食材講究，製作精良，上菜時擺盤也很精美，而客家菜卻不怎麼講究這些，這樣說來，默默無聞也就情有可原了。

For an outsider like me, it is in this area that Hakka food stands out. It may not be the best-looking cuisine in the vast array of Chinese gastronomy, but it is surely a strong contender for the best tasting. It reminds one of the kind of food a mother cooks for her child who is visiting after a long absence from home.

可是在我這個外人眼中，客家菜也正因此才變得引人注目。在中國的各色菜系中，客家菜不是最有賣相的，但是其味道絕不輸給任何菜系。品嚐客家菜，會讓你想起母親的味道，一道道菜就像是母親爲遠遊歸來的孩子烹飪的美食。

The Hakka idea of feasting is mostly meat. Its salt-roasted chicken has been incorporated into Cantonese cuisine as a standard. The origin of bean curd stuffed with a small meatball goes back to the time before the Hakka moved away from the Central Plains. Unlikely as it seems, this famous dish is a variation of jiaozi, but since wheat was hard to come by in South China, the Hakka had to make do with tofu.

在客家人眼裏，宴席主要就是要吃肉。客家菜裏的鹽焗雞已經被納入經典粵菜。豆腐丸的起源可以追溯客家人從中原遷離之前。讓人感到不可思議的是，這個著名的菜餚其實是餃子的變形，因爲南方不太種植小麥，客家不得不用豆腐來代替。

Like its dialect, the Hakka cuisine has traces of their connection to the landlocked north. The emphasis on meat could be a testament to hard times when meat was a luxury and reserved for only the rarest of occasions. But dishes like pork with salted vegetables have gained popularity across the nation. It is, however, pork tripe stewed chicken, among the Hakka staples, that was relatively unknown to me and it proved to be delicious beyond description.

就像客家方言一樣，客家菜也處處體現着與北方內陸地區的密切關係。客家菜對於肉的重視證明了，在困難時期，肉是奢侈品，只有在很重要場合才能吃到。但是像鹹菜燜豬肉這樣的菜餚在全國都很受歡迎。還有一道我不太熟悉的客家主食，叫做豬肚燉雞，也是美味到無法形容。

Vegetarians need not despair. Traditionally, much of the Hakka diet is sourced from the earth. It might have been out of necessity, but it has been honed into a culinary art. Tell your host that you prefer a healthy portion of vegetarian food and you'll be surprised at the variety that will greet you and your palate.

素食者也不需要失望。傳統上，大部分的客家食材都是從地裏挖的。這可能是不得已而爲之，但製作這些食材也已經成爲了一門烹飪藝術。跟招待你的客家人說明你喜歡健康的素食，那麼你就會吃驚地發現居然有這麼多吃法，而且你的味蕾也會有非同一般的享受。

The most dramatic part of my trip to Meizhou involved a snack called yanmian, literally pickled noodle. Filmmaker Zhang Yibai, known for his epicurean knowledge, texted us about a noodle shop in downtown Meizhou that had impressed him a year earlier. Our host called every one of his friends and nobody had heard of this place. One night, after we already had dinner and a midnight snack, we were driving around that area and stumbled upon the extremely inconspicuous stall. We ordered one full portion for everyone - yanmian noodle complete with another bowl of fish soup. Xue Xiaolu, director of Finding Mr Right, ended up ordering one more full serving.

這次的梅州之行中最讓我興奮的應該是吃到了醃面。電影導演張一白，是出了名的美食家，發短信告訴我們梅州市中心有一家麪館，一年多以前他在這裏吃過一次，非常好吃。我們的主人打電話問了他的所有的朋友，居然沒有人聽說過這家店。一天晚上，我們吃過了晚飯和夜宵，開着車在城裏瞎轉，偶然發現了這個非常不顯眼的小攤。我們每人都點了一份套餐——一碗醃面加一碗魚湯。《北京遇上西雅圖》的導演薛曉璐吃完後又點了一份。

That night, I texted a good friend of mine in the United States, whose hometown is Meizhou, about this noodle shop and he replied: "Yanmian is available at every snack stand."

那天晚上，我給一個身在美國的梅州朋友發短信，告訴他那家好吃的麪店，他回覆說：“醃面其實在每個小吃攤上都吃得到”。

Never predict the flavor of food served by the glamour of the venue, or lack thereof.

永遠都不要低估提供美食的餐館的魅力。

Last but certainly not least is Mama's Red Wine, which is my personal translation of "niang jiu" (niang means mother). It is similar to many local Chinese brews but much sweeter. Distilled from sticky rice and well water, it is traditionally brewed by the matriarch of the household.

最後要說的是娘酒。它跟許多中國產的啤酒差不多但要甜得多。娘酒一般都是家裏的婦女將糯米和井水進行蒸餾以後釀造出來的。

Nowadays there are plenty of brands and they vary slightly in taste. But invariably they remind me of red wine made from grapes. One sip and I'm transported to the land of hospitality where people may have endured much hardship but have retained their friendly nature.

現在娘酒有很多個品牌，味道略有不同。但娘酒總讓我想起葡萄酒。輕抿一口，我似乎就被送到了那片好客的土地上，那裏的人們歷經磨難，卻依然保持着淳樸的民風。