溫州就兩字：好吃

魏水華

如果只拿兩個字概括溫州的美食，“好吃”或許當仁不讓。

溫州有什么？麥餅、瘦肉丸、燈盞糕、鴨舌、豬臟粉、魚丸、魚餅、炊飯、炒粉干……

撲面而來的海洋特性

溫州多山、靠海。撲面而來的海鮮，是這座城市最鮮明的飲食標簽。

有個夸張的說法是，每年東海捕撈上來的大黃魚，有70%是溫州人吃掉的。此外，溫州人餐桌上還有無數泥螺、蟶子、帶魚、血蚶、梭子蟹、鮸（miǎn）魚，它們共同構成了溫州的標準味道。

雖然傳聞的可靠性待考，但溫州確實是中華農耕文明范圍內少見的、具有強烈海洋性與航海傳統的地區。

建城于甌江入海口三角洲上的溫州，有著優良的居住環境。但高低不平的江南丘陵，阻隔了古代溫州前往杭嘉湖平原的陸路;甌江作為獨立水系，與外界相連也有其不利之處。相對便捷、安全的出入方式，就是沿著海岸線航行。

從地理格局上來說，溫州沒有農耕地區阡陌交通、雞犬相聞的特點。相反，它更像自古以來習慣于在地中海上航行的歐洲大陸。

事實上，從溫州開始，延續到更南方的福建沿海、廣東潮汕，正是中國最具海洋性格的地區。除了愛吃海鮮之外，這里的飲食習慣兼容并蓄，有極高的包容度。寧紹地區的糟醉、金華地區的腌醬、福建北部的湯羹乃至閩南廣東地區的燒臘，都能在溫州菜里找到蹤跡。

從更大的城市性格來看，地緣因素還直接導致了溫州人外向的性格。他們沒有傳統農耕地區尊人重土、固守祖業的風氣，而是擅長出遠門、開拓“新大陸”。

如今遍布歐洲列國的溫州餐館，就是一個最典型的例子。溫州菜，是歐洲人接觸最多、接受度最高的中餐，也是中國人眼里與歐洲菜系融合得最好的中餐。

宋以前的古風古語

成也海洋，敗也海洋。

大部分溫州人談起出門經商的經歷，都會以“從前苦，沒飯吃才出去闖”來開頭。

但翻閱史籍，宋朝以前的溫州，其實是文脈鼎盛，富甲東南之地。特別是南宋時期，定都杭州的政權，為了對丘陵阻隔的福建、廣東實施有效統治，大力拓展海上航路。作為杭州灣南下福建、廣東最優質的中轉站和良港，溫州的重要性因而凸顯。

南下行政的貴族和官員駐蹕于溫州，來自南方、打算去首都杭州謀生的“杭漂”也在溫州停留。人才的頻繁出入，為這里帶來了發達的文脈。南宋一代，溫州涌現出的名人數量幾乎是前朝的總和：“永嘉學派”“永嘉四靈”“南戲四部”在這一階段先后橫空出世，它們不是個例，而是區域內現象級的文化噴發。

這種狀態一直延續到蒙元后期，淮南朱元璋舉兵造反，依然懂得禮聘溫州才子劉伯溫擔任謀士——雖然與杭嘉湖平原相隔幾百公里，但當時的溫州，似乎天然屬于水軟風清、才俊江南的一部分。

諷刺的是，溫州人劉伯溫雖然幫朱元璋打下江山，卻并沒有給家鄉帶來更好的命運。隨著明朝開啟海禁政策，溫州的一時鼎盛瞬間化為烏有：片帆不得下海，別說打漁了，連進出都變得極其麻煩。

原本的交通樞紐，成了被遺忘的角落。經濟和政治地位，甚至一度落后于地理上更接近杭嘉湖平原的金華、衢州。

明初到清末漫長的近600年，是溫州遺失的6個世紀。但失之東隅、收之桑榆。雖然經濟文化停滯不前，但溫州卻像時間膠囊一樣，文化中至今保留了許多宋以前的古風。

比如溫州人愛吃原汁原味的蒸菜，當地把“蒸”稱為“炊”。炊飯、炊糕，是很多溫州人的心頭好——是不是覺得很眼熟，武大郎也把蒸饅頭稱為“炊餅”，這是為了避宋仁宗趙楨的名諱。

比如溫州人擅長生腌，“江蟹生”的做法和宋代風靡一時的“洗手蟹”一模一樣：把鮮活肥美的梭子蟹洗凈去腮，大卸八塊，澆上胡椒、醬油、醋、白糖、姜、酒，洗完手的功夫就能吃，簡單樸素，古意盎然。

再比如溫州話里把青蟹稱為“蝤蛑（you meng）”，這正是古漢語里海蟹的名字。在蘇東坡的詩《丁公默送蝤蛑》里，提到了“半殼含黃宜點酒，兩螯斫雪勸加餐”，意思是蟹黃下酒，蟹螯里雪白的肉下飯，這與今天的溫州菜“雙味蝤蛑”里的清蒸膏蟹、鍋貼蟹餅異曲同工。

如果說日本料理中的精致，反映了唐宋時代中國文化的強勢輸出，以及日本人基于本土風俗物產的改良，那么溫州飲食里的精致，則是真正原汁原味地凝固了“崖山”（編輯注：崖山是陸秀夫背著南宋最后一個小皇帝跳海自盡的地方，代指宋王朝的敗亡）之前的中國面貌。

在美食里看過去與將來

明清的600年，對溫州來說，也不是一無所獲。

海路封鎖、陸路阻隔，天高皇帝遠的地緣格局，讓溫州人基本處于放養的狀態：很多人南下福建、廣東，甚至成為了下南洋的華僑。參加倭寇當海盜的，也不在少數。

在這種放任自流的大環境下，市井文化開始蓬勃生長。于是在溫州小吃里，江湖氣體現得淋漓盡致，以燈盞糕為例，其實就是面糊、豆粉和米漿混在一起，包進蘿卜絲、豬肉末、雞蛋等為餡料，下大油鍋高溫油炸而成的一個個燈盞形的餡餅。

餡料選擇豐儉由人，面糊的配比也各有不同，是真正的一百家有一百種不同的味道。油炸的做法粗獷簡單，但最能凸顯面皮的酥脆和內餡的香軟，往往一家做燈盞糕的小鋪，能讓半條街彌漫香味。

豬臟粉，用料主要是豬腸與鴨血，從前都是上不了臺面的雜碎。但在溫州人眼里，它是本地人一個禮拜不吃就心慌的餐桌圣物，能兼任正餐、點心和宵夜。

豬腸要用黃豆醬鹵透，咸香耐嚼;鴨血則切成四四方方的片兒，輕彈軟嫩。再加上一把粗米粉、一撮大蒜葉、一勺鹵湯，操作簡便、滋味悠長，是典型的街頭扛把子。

炒粉干，吃的全是功夫，與其說炒，不如說是“焙”。純用秈米制作的溫州米粉，沒有晶瑩潔白的外表，也沒有久煮不爛的韌勁，優點是綿柔入味。

先拌入醬油、豬油，讓米粉充分吸收滋味。再以小火慢慢焙干米粉中的水分，過程中不停翻拌，并加入雞蛋、卷心菜、胡蘿卜絲、魷魚絲、對蝦等本地常見的配菜，最終讓米粉受熱均勻，獲得焦香酥脆的口感，并與配菜融為一體。用料所費無多，但花在其中的心思與時間不少。

炊飯，其實就是肉湯拌飯。在吃不上肉的艱苦歲月里，這是溫州人安撫肚子的利器。坐在早餐攤里喊“老板，咸飯甜漿”，是最能證明溫州人身份的話語。湯水泡飯味道本不甚佳，溫州人聰明地加入了碎油條點睛，酥爽的口感豐富了飯的層次。

這種油條和平常吃的有所不同，一定要“雙泡”，也就是炸好出鍋后，晾幾分鐘，再復炸一次，這樣就會褪去韌勁，變得如花生米一般生脆生脆，容易弄碎，入飯口感也會特別好——雖然是簡單的家常食材，但工序復雜、做法講究、口味層次豐富，這就是粗中有細的市井文化的縮影。

改革開放后的溫州煥發新生，迅速從邊遠小城晉級成為中國最具時代意義的民營經濟之都，這與當地人的聰明才干有關，更與歷史上擅長遠航的海洋文化有關。

但溫州人似乎從不以做生意、賺大錢而自豪，在他們眼里，再能呼風喚雨的溫商，都不如蘇步青、南懷瑾、谷超豪、葉永烈、林斤瀾等“有文化的老鄉”值得尊敬。

每年過年，溫州人在團圓的飯桌上常常這樣教導自家孩子：“好好讀書，長大了不要像我們這樣做生意，最好去考個公務員，或者做學問。”

源于唐宋時期的文脈，似乎從未斷絕。復雜的城市性格，背后是溫州跌宕起伏的地理和歷史，也證明了“好吃”兩字，從來都不是憑空而生。每一種好滋味的延續、流變，都有其獨特的際遇和相互關聯的因果。

美食里，真的能看到我們的過去、現在與將來。

Why Wenzhou Cuisine Is So Good

By Wei Shuihua

Wenzhou， a thriving city known for its entrepreneurs and private business sector in southern Zhejiang， is also celebrated for its mouthwatering cuisine. It takes a long menu to list the dishes local people favor.

Seafood

The regional cuisine is mainly characterized by seafood. Some people go so far as to boast that 70% of the large yellow croakers netted out of East China Sea are consumed in Wenzhou. Gourmets in Wenzhou eat up a large quantity of shellfish ever year. It is said that though a region of traditional Chinese farming， Wenzhou has a lifestyle heavily conditioned by the sea. In ancient times， Wenzhou was landlocked. Undulating mountains in southern Zhejiang blocked the coastal region from the plains in the north of the province. Oujiang， a river zigzagging across the region， isnt connected with rivers in the north. It goes alone into the sea. The only way out was in the sea. People in ancient Wenzhou connected with the other parts of the country through a number of sea routes that paralleled closely to the coastline. The regional cuisine reflects the historical and cultural characteristics of Wenzhou. Over the past centuries， the local cuisine has included many delicacies from other cuisines and has absorbed many influences from the outside world. In Europe， many Chinese restaurants are operated by chefs from Wenzhou. It is said that many people consider the Wenzhou cuisine is the Chinese cuisine that blends with European cuisines most perfectly.

Turning Point in History

Wenzhou didnt turn to sea until the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）. Before the Mongols came southward， Wenzhou was a traditional farming culture. In particular， the Southern Song whose capital was in present-day Hangzhou witnessed Wenzhou thrive as a key port that connected with port cities in Fujian and Guangdong provinces as the dynasty was able to exercise its power in Fujian and Guangdong. During the Southern Song， scholars mushroomed in Wenzhou， more than all added up in previous dynasties. The turning point in the history of Wenzhou occurred in the Ming Dynasty as the central government closed the door to the outside world. All the sea routes to and from the outside world were officially cut off. Wenzhou withered economically. However， some ancient cook recipes from the pre-Ming centuries remained in the time capsule. Take Pickled Swimming Crab for example. The delicacy is prepared in the ancient way as popular as in the Song Dynasty. Swimming crabs， after cleaning， are cut into chops and then seasoned with pepper， soy sauce， vinegar， sugar， ginger and wine for a short while before they are served. Take blue crab for another example. The way the roe and meat of blue crabs are cooked and enjoyed today in Wenzhou reminds people of a poem by Su Dongpo， presumably the greatest poet of the Song Dynasty， about blue crabs.

For about 600 years of the Ming and the Qing， Wenzhou was more or less overlooked by the central government. The local people did whatever possible to make a living. Many went to Fujian and Guangdong for a job. Many migrated to Southeast Asia. Some became bandits.

Many recipes favored by local people date back to the 600 years when the rule of the central government over Wenzhou was relatively loose. In particular， many delicacies in Wenzhou were enjoyed by grassroots people in the urban Wenzhou in ancient times. Lantern Cake is a deep-fried flour and bean cake stuffed with egg， minced pork and sliced turnips. Stuffing can vary. The cake is popular. Half a street can be permeated by the aroma of the lantern cake if there is a roadside stand deep-frying such a cake. Another delicacy popular in Wenzhou is a soup of chitterlings and duck blood. Ingredients of stir-fried rice noodle vary from seafood to vegetables. Chefs compete against each other to provide the best set of ingredients to attract folk epicures. Rice and pork soup used to enjoy popularity at breakfast restaurants in Wenzhou. Many local residents often have an additional ingredient to the rice soup： a dough stick deep-fried twice and then cut into one-inch-long parts. The crisp stick parts are then softened in the milk before they are consumed.