Meat is a must in winter 滋养身体，愉悦心灵 它们帮你在郑州度过寒冬
In the Chinese winter diet, you can always see various kinds of meat to nourish the stomach.
在中国人的冬季养生食谱里，总能看到各种肉类的名字，用以滋补养胃。
Photo：Ma Jian
It has been reported in the Science that the brain releases dopamine twice after eating. The first time is when food enters the mouth, which reflects people's thirst for food. The second time is during digestion, which should be related to satiety. Interestingly, dopamine becomes more active when people are protein hungry.
在美国《科学》杂志里，曾有报告显示，人在摄入食物后，大脑会释放两次多巴胺，一次是食物入嘴时，这体现了人对食物的渴望，第二次则是在食物消化时，这应该和食物带来的饱足感有关。有意思的是，当人们处于蛋白质饥饿状态时，多巴胺的活动量会变得更加活跃、频繁。
It seems that whether it is to nourish the body or to please the mind, it is always good to eat some meat. Especially in winter, you can put the burden of getting fat behind and embrace the meat that makes you glow.
看来，不管是从滋养身体的角度还是愉悦心灵的角度，吃点肉总是好的。尤其是冬天，完全可以把怕胖的负担抛之脑后，去拥抱那些可以令你容光焕发的肉肉吧。
Meatball 丸子
Chubby meat 谦逊随和的肉肉
Photo：Ma Jian
You can see all kinds of meatballs everywhere in Zhengzhou, such as steaming meatball soup, tender fried meatballs with a crispy crust, delicious and chewy beef balls, and fragrant four-joy Chinese meatballs.
热气腾腾的丸子汤，外焦里嫩的焦炸丸，鲜香Q弹的牛肉丸，还有香气扑鼻的四喜丸子……郑州街头从不缺各种肉丸子的身影。
Small meatballs may seem ordinary, but they have a long history. It is said that its "ancestor" is the “Tiao Wan Zhi” recorded in the On Food in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. During the Sui dynasty, it was named "Kui Hua Zhan Rou" (minced meat shaped like sunflower) by the imperial chef and presented to Emperor Yang. During the Tang Dynasty, it was renamed "Lion's Head" by the Lord of Xun for its appearance as "lion's head". The lion's head was two or three times bigger than today's small meatballs, and served with soup at the bottom of a bowl, domineering and powerful.
小小的肉丸，看似寻常，却颇有故事。据说其“祖辈”是南北朝《食经》上所载的“跳丸炙”。隋朝时被御厨取名“葵花斩肉”呈现给隋炀帝。唐朝时又因为状如“雄狮之头”被郇国公改名为“狮子头”。狮子头较之现今小肉丸的体积大出了两三倍，独占碗盏，又有汤汁垫底侍奉，尽显霸气威武之风。
Whether it's a small, homely meatball or a lion's head that still sits on Chinese dinner tables today, there must be something special about them. Some people say that meatball is the most personalized food. Although soft and glutinous, it still retains its shape, and never loses its tenacity no matter how things change. Others say that meatball is the most humble and easygoing food. Never fighting with others, it has sailed through a thousand years, and can serve both imperial officials and ordinary people.
其实，不管是家常的小肉丸，还是狮子头，至今保留在中国人的餐桌上，必定有过人之处。有人说，丸子是最有个性的美食，别看它糯软之质，任尘烟浩荡，世事变迁，依然形简意长，不改其状，从不失坚韧之心。也有人说，丸子是最谦逊随和的食物，不争不抢，从从容容趟过千年洪流，上可应帝王高官，下可近凡夫百姓。
No wonder Zhengzhou people love to eat meatballs. Whether it is on a busy snack street, or a festive New Year's Eve dinner, there are always meatballs. Is it because its personality is somewhat similar to Zhengzhou people?
怪不得郑州人爱吃丸子，甭管是热闹的小吃街里，还是喜庆的年夜饭中，总少不了丸子。难不成是因为它的个性特征与郑州人有几分相像?
Crispy meat 酥肉
Eat it once, love it for good 一次就深深爱上的肉肉
Photo：Ma Jian、Zhao Jianhao
One of the Henan's top 10 classic dishes is “fried purple crispy meat”. The main ingredient of this dish is rib, which is boiled, marinated, steamed and fried repeatedly. It is brownish yellow in color, bright in luster, tender with a crispy crust, fat but not greasy. It can be served with scallion and sweet bean sauce for better taste. The dish is said to have originated in the Ming dynasty, which tastes crisp in the way similar to roast duck. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, a chef in Henan presented Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu with purple crispy meat instead of grilled meat, which was thought highly of by both of them. Since then, it has been compared favorably with roast duck and become a traditional famous dish of Henan cuisine.
河南十大经典名菜中有一道“炸紫酥肉”。此菜以猪硬肋为主料，经过煮、腌、蒸和反复炸制而成，具有色泽棕黄、光润发亮、外焦里嫩、肥而不腻之特点，可配以葱段、甜面酱佐食，其味更佳。这道菜相传始创于明朝，因为口感酥烂，吃法与烤鸭相似，清末河南厨师以紫酥肉代替烧烤呈献慈禧和光绪帝，博得了太后和皇上的赞许，此后便有“赛烤鸭”之誉，成为豫菜的传统名菜。
Almost every family in Henan knows how to fry crisp meat. In the oil pot, the meat was turning golden brown and rolling merrily, while children huddled around waiting for the freshly fried crispy meat, which is probably a childhood memory of many Zhengzhou people.
河南人几乎家家都会炸小酥肉。支起油锅，慢慢变成金黄色的肉肉在油锅里欢快地翻滚，小孩子们守在旁边等着吃刚出锅最鲜香的炸酥肉，这大概是很多老郑州的儿时记忆。
Nowadays, crispy meat is often served in the "eight dishes" of wedding banquet. Sometimes it becomes a side dish in hot pot, or it can be a snack that is fried on the street.
如今，酥肉常常出现在喜宴上的“八大碗”中，有时候又变身火锅里的一道配菜，也可以是美食街上随炸随吃的零嘴儿。
Quick-fried, hot and fragrant, fried crispy meat has long been "seen everywhere" in Zhengzhou. Eat it hot within 3 minutes after cooking, appetizing and crispy, and you’ll love it once and for all.
油爆爆、热乎乎、香飘飘……诱人的炸酥肉早已在郑州“遍地开花”。请注意，出锅以后3分钟之内趁热吃，那股香浓酥脆劲儿，一次就让你深深地爱上。
Sausage 香肠
Meat with local flavor 有家乡味儿的肉肉
Photo：Ma Jian
As winter comes, animals always stock up on food in preparation for the long cold winter. People in Zhengzhou have a similar habit, but instead of hoarding food for hunger, they stock up on specialty meats, such as sausages, to satisfy their appetites.
冬天来临，动物们总会囤积食物，为漫长的严冬做准备。郑州人也有类似的习惯，只不过囤的不是用来充饥的粮食，而是用来满足美食欲望的特色肉食，比如香肠。
By means of ancient techniques of food production and meat preservation, sausage is a kind of food in the shape of a cylindrical tube made by mincing the meat of animals into strips, mixing the flavor and then stuffing it into casings. With a long history, Chinese sausages come in a variety of flavors, sweet in Guangzhou, spicy in Chengdu and mostly soy sauced in Zhengzhou.
香肠是一种利用了非常古老的食物生产和肉食保存技术的食物，将动物的肉绞碎成条状，调制好味道，再灌入肠衣干制而成的长圆柱体管状食品。中国的香肠有着悠久的历史，口味也分很多种，广州是甜口的，成都是辣口的，郑州大多是酱香味儿的。
Zhengzhou people like to make their own sausage during the coldest days of the year. From ingredients to meat, it can be prepared to suit your own tastes. Then it is dried for ten or twenty days and can be kept until the Spring Festival. To be honest, home-made sausages taste warmer and have more flavor of home.
每年最冷的时候，郑州人都喜欢自己灌制香肠，从香肠的配料到肉质的肥瘦搭配，可以完全按照自家口味来配制。然后风干一二十天，一直能吃到春节呢。说实话，还是自制的香肠吃起来更温馨，更有家乡的味道。
Braised meat 卤肉
Meat making people happy 能吃出幸福感的肉肉
Braised meat is a dish in which the meat is cooked in a marinade after preliminary processing and blanching. It is often said that stewed meat is a kind of food that makes people happy.
卤肉，是将初步加工和焯水处理后的肉放在配好的卤汁中煮制而成的菜肴。人们常说，卤肉是能让人吃出幸福感的食物。
The "stewing method" detailed in Jia Sixie's Qimin Yaoshu in the Northern Wei Dynasty was actually a marination method. He wrote: “stew pork, chicken and duck with shreds of green onion, ginger, tangerine, parsley and garlic, then add into vinegar, thus making the ‘braised meat’.”
北魏时期贾思勰的《齐民要述》中详细记载了“绿肉法”，实为一种卤制法。书中写道：“用猪、鸡、鸭肉，方寸准，熬之，葱、姜、橘、胡芹、小蒜细切与之，下醋，切肉名‘绿肉’。”
The popularity of braised meat is probably related to its own characteristics. First, it has a unique flavor. Under the effect of condiment, its color is pleasing to the eye, and the taste is mellow and strong, which can stimulate people's appetite directly. Second, it is practical. Stewed meat can be served cold and hot, which is suitable for all ages. It can serve as a cold dish in a banquet, or a fast food or snack, which is easy to carry. Third, it is easy to make. Just prepare the marinade, and cook the meat in it. It comes from a wide range of sources, including meat from poultry and livestock.
卤肉风靡古今，大概与其本身的特色有关。第一，风味独特。在调味品的作用下，卤肉色泽悦目、滋味醇厚、浓香扑鼻，能直接刺激人的食欲。第二，实用性强。卤肉既可冷食又可热食，老少皆宜。既能作为筵席中的冷菜，又能当快餐、小吃、零食，便于携带。第三，制作方便。只要将卤汁调配好，把肉放入煮熟即可，而且取材广泛，一般家禽家畜的肉皆可。
Braised meat is a must on a banquet of Zhengzhou people, and sauced meat shops are ubiquitous on snack streets. With a mouthful of meat already marinated, the smell of incense really fills you with happiness.
郑州人的宴席上必有卤肉拼盘，小吃街上更是不乏特色卤味店。来一口早已被卤汁浸透的肉肉，那种满口留香的感觉，的确让人充满幸福感。
