Qidong, located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, is the natural habitat of Meretrix meretrix. Every year from July to August in the lunar calendar, Meretrix meretrix is crowded, fat, delicious and nutritious, and is praised as "the freshest in the world" by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.

Meretrix meretrix, also known as Meretrix meretrix, Meretrix meretrix, Meretrix meretrix, belongs to bivalve, Claudiobranchia and Meretrix meretrix. Its two shells are very thick, with a slightly triangular rear edge and a round belly edge. The shell surface is swollen and smooth with enamel, rich and beautiful patterns, and the clam meat is as white as jade. Meretrix meretrix's feet are flat as a tongue, much like the "moon axe" in ancient weapons, so it is also called "moon axe". Meretrix meretrix is very delicious and has long enjoyed the reputation of being the freshest in the world, mainly because its clam meat is rich in amino acids and succinic acid. Since ancient times, many emperors and generals have left quatrains praising the taste of clam.

Spaghetti with clams

Meretrix meretrix is not only delicious and nutritious, but also has therapeutic value for many diseases. Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica says that it can cure "sores, furuncles, toxic swelling, digestion and hangover". Modern research also shows that Meretrix meretrix has the functions of clearing away heat, promoting diuresis, resolving phlegm and resolving hard mass, has obvious inhibitory effect on liver cancer, and has good curative effect on asthma, chronic tracheitis, goiter, lymphadenopathy, otitis media, stomachache and vulvar ulcer. It also has the functions of stimulating appetite and promoting lactation. Eating clams often can nourish and strengthen the body.

Meretrix meretrix is a delicious food and feast for Qidong people. There are various cooking methods, especially stir-frying. Nantong Meretrix meretrix has won the favor of many diners with its unique advantages of good color, shape and taste. The dishes made with it are the freshest in the world, clam cake, axe on toast, Ruyi clam roll and lotus clam kernel, among which the freshest in the world and clam cake are listed in the top ten hot dishes and top ten snacks of Jiangsu famous dishes respectively.

clam

The mussel shell is rich in nutrition, containing fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and inorganic salts, and it tastes delicious. The working people in our country had eaten clams as early as two or three thousand years ago and were listed as court tributes in the Tang Dynasty. Nowadays, the cheap clam not only sells well in the domestic market, but also sells well abroad. In some countries such as France, Meretrix meretrix is listed as a famous dish.

There are many ways to taste clam. Clam shells can be simmered with slow fire, which is delicious and has a unique flavor. Stir-fry in a hurry, the meat is tender and the juice is fresh. If fried with shredded pork or egg skin, or mixed with flour to make clam balls, the taste is tender and palatable. The milk secreted by clams is also a high-grade condiment. When cooking, if you put less, you will feel fresh and fragrant, and the simmered soup is like milk, which tastes mellow and sweet. Therefore, according to legend, when Emperor Qianlong was playing in the south of the Yangtze River, he once ate clam in Gusu and named it "the freshest in the world".

Clams and eggs, steamed with cooked food, have the most comprehensive nutrition absorption, especially suitable for children. Thick egg fragrance, plus a few clams, delicious!

Steamed eggs with clams

Nantong, Jiangsu "the best in the world" refers to Meretrix meretrix, a kind of marine mollusk, which is mainly produced in Jiangsu coastal area north of the Yangtze River estuary and Laizhou Bay in Shandong Province. Nantong City, Jiangsu Province is a rich region, which supplies a large number of domestic and foreign markets. It is not unreasonable that the clam is called "the freshest in the world". Its umami flavor comes from the compound of various amino acids and succinic acid, so it is delicious and incomparable to other foods. When Emperor Qianlong tasted clams, he happily called them "the freshest in the world".

The consumption of Meretrix meretrix can be traced back to ancient times. Han Feizi's Letters recorded that "in ancient times, people ate melons and clams". Paleolithic clam shells discovered by archaeology near Beijing date back more than 50,000 years. In addition, there are also records and interesting myths and legends about Meretrix meretrix in Chinese ancient books, such as Shan Hai Jing, Qi Ren Su, Suiyuan Food List and so on. From ancient times to the present, no matter ordinary people, literati or emperors and princes, many people appreciate the delicious clams. In Ouyang Xiu's poem "Eating Frog Clams for the First Time", he thinks that chickens, dolphins, fish and shrimp are all inferior to Meretrix meretrix, laments that he eats too late, and says, "* * * is afraid of eating too late, and is eager for success, but he is insatiable for beauty." Wang Anshi also described it in the poem Frog's Claw, because clams are delicious, everyone is scrambling to eat them. According to Houshan Dialect, the price of clams sent to Song Renzong is 1000 yuan each, which shows the high value of clams. Even Emperor Yang Di, who lived in extreme luxury, liked to eat clams. "Youyang Miscellanies" said: "Yang-ti loves clams, and his food must have the taste of clams, which is tens of millions."

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