說起甘肅的美食，人們首先想到的一定是蘭州拉面。不過，當(dāng)?shù)厝藦膩聿徽f“蘭州拉面”，而只說“牛肉面”。其實(shí)，牛肉面并非蘭州特有，西北地區(qū)大大小小的城市鄉(xiāng)鎮(zhèn)都能看到牛肉面館，而“蘭州拉面”的稱號則賦予了牛肉面特殊的地理符號。

When discussing Gansu’s culinary highlights， thedish that immediately comes to mind is undoubtedly theLanzhou Hand-Pulled Noodles， known locally as the“beef noodles.” Although beef noodles are not unique toLanzhou， being prevalent throughout cities and townsacross northwestern China， the name “Lanzhou Hand-Pulled Noodles” intimately associates this dish withLanzhou City in Gansu Province.

牛肉面面條的制作尤為講究力道與技巧的結(jié)合。拉面師傅先在揉好的一條面劑子上撒一些干面粉，揪住兩頭，用力抻開；然后折過來，繼續(xù)拉抻，這樣一折二、二折四、四折八……直到把面條拉到合適的粗細(xì)程度；最后，將整把面條向案板上用力一甩，叭的一聲，揪掉兩端手握住的面團(tuán)部分，順勢往大鍋里一扔，一把粗細(xì)均勻、勁道有力的拉面就做好了。整個拉制的過程不過十幾秒，所有動作一氣呵成。

The process of making noodles is executed withmeticulous care， requiring both proper strength andrefined techniques. The chef begins by dusting a wellkneadedpiece of dough with dry flour， then grips the endsand pulls forcefully. The dough is then folded and stretchedrepeatedly — once， twice， thrice — until the noodles reachthe desired thickness. Finally， the chef slams the entirebatch of noodles onto the counter， tears off the held ends，and tosses them into a boiling pot. In less than 20 seconds，a batch of uniformly thick and chewy hand-pulled noodlesis completed， seamlessly and effortlessly.

顧客可以根據(jù)自己的偏好，對面條的粗細(xì)提出要求。如果顧客沒有提出要求，師傅便默認(rèn)面條做“細(xì)的”；若要求面條再細(xì)一些，就叫“毛細(xì)”；略粗一些的，叫“二細(xì)”。有些人喜歡吃扁面，就可以要一份“韭葉子”，顧名思義就是形狀像韭菜葉子的面條。比“韭葉子”更寬的還有“寬的”和“大寬”，可以想象，寬面吃起來會更加勁道。

The thickness of the noodles can be customizedaccording to the preferences of different customers. If nospecific thickness is requested in advance， the chef willdefault to making xide （thin） noodles. However， optionsfor even finer noodles include erxi （second thinnest） andmaoxi （the thinnest）. For diners who favor flat noodles，jiuyezi （meaning “Chinese chive leaves”） is available，with noodles shaped like the leaves of garlic chives.Broader choices such as kuande （wider） and dakuan（the widest） are also offered， which are naturallychewier.

牛肉面講究“一清二白，三紅四綠”，即牛肉湯要清，湯中要配白蘿卜，澆上紅紅的油潑辣子，最后撒一把切得細(xì)碎的蒜苗，再放上幾片牛肉。這樣一碗牛肉面端上來，熱氣騰騰，香氣四溢，令人口水直流，食欲大開。

A classic bowl of beef noodles features clear beefsoup， accompanied by white radishes， topped withspicy red chili oil， and sprinkled with finely choppedgreen garlic sprouts. Finally garnished with severalslices of beef， the mouth-watering noodles aresteaming and aromatic， ready to satisfyeven the most discerning palate.

牛肉面的精髓在于它的牛肉湯。熬制牛肉湯要放十幾種甚至幾十種香料，各家的配料并不完全一樣，因此湯的口味也各有千秋。各家面館的配方只有老板才知道，牛肉面館顧客盈門，大多是因?yàn)檫@家的牛肉湯味道純正、香濃可口。真正的食客，吃完面后，會把湯都喝光，因?yàn)槟遣攀桥Ｈ饷娴木A。

The highlight of beef noodles lies in its soup，which is made by simmering beef with a dozen ormore spices. The precise blend of ingredients differsby restaurant， and is a closely guarded secret， knownonly to the owners. Popular beef noodle shops owemuch of their success to the authentic， delicious， anddistinctive taste of the beef soup. True connoisseursdrink every last drop， savoring the essence of thedish.

呱呱

此外，甘肅最具地方特色的美食當(dāng)屬天水的小吃?！斑蛇伞保╣uāgua）之于天水人，就像是牛肉面之于蘭州人，是當(dāng)?shù)靥赜械拿朗撤枴Ｌ焖讼矚g以疊音字命名家鄉(xiāng)的美食，除呱呱外，還有“然然”“撈撈”等，聽起來特別親切，表達(dá)了天水人對家鄉(xiāng)美食的喜愛之情。

Another culinar y treasure of Gansu arethe dishes from Tianshui City. To the peopleof Tianshui， “Guagua” is what beef noodlesare to the people of Lanzhou — a uniqueculinary symbol. Tianshui locals often usereduplicative words to lovingly dub theirhometown delicacies， such as “Ranran” and“Laolao，” showcasing their affection for theirfood traditions.

據(jù)說呱呱始創(chuàng)于西漢末年，距今已有2000 余年的歷史。呱呱的吃法講究調(diào)料的搭配：先調(diào)入用香油稀釋好的芝麻醬，放入配著芥末的蒜汁，澆上陳醋，再舀幾小勺油潑辣子，放上一小撮綠豆芽。這樣，一碗色香味俱全的呱呱就調(diào)制好了。

Story tells that Guagua originated over 2，000 years ago during the late Western HanDynasty. This dish is meticulously seasoned： sesame sauce thinned with sesame oil ismixed in， followed by garlic juice with mustard， then drizzled with aged vinegar and a fewspoonsful of spicy chili oil， topped off with a pinch of green bean sprouts. The result is abowl of Guagua that is visually appealing， fragrant， and flavorful.

天水的小吃幾乎都離不開油潑辣子這味重要的調(diào)料。制作油潑辣子非常講究，原料要選用產(chǎn)自甘谷的干紅辣椒，焙香搗碎后放入大碗中，加入少許鹽、芝麻，燒一鍋熱油，待油溫達(dá)七八成熱時，潑入辣子面中，只聽得“嗞啦”一聲，熱油與辣子面翻滾混合在一起，激發(fā)出干辣椒的辛香，再攪拌均勻，一碗紅亮鮮香的油潑辣子就做好了。甘谷的辣子是香辣，調(diào)在小吃中看上去鮮紅油亮，但口感卻是香辛而不是灼口。

Spicy chili oil is an essential ingredient in nearly allTianshui dishes. The preparation is exacting： dried redchilies from Gangu County， Tianshui City， are roasted andground， then mixed in a large bowl with salt and sesameseeds. Oil is heated until it reaches seventy to eighty percentof its smoking point and then poured over the mixture.The sizzling reaction releases the chilies’ spicy aroma. Afterstirring， the brightly red and fragrant spicy oil is ready foruse. Gangu chilies are famous for their aromatic spiciness —while the dishes appear brightly red and oily， their flavor isspicy yet not overpoweringly stimulating.

在天水，幾乎家家都吃漿水。漿水是一種地道的天水飲食，是以鮮嫩的野菜或芹菜、卷心菜為原料，切成細(xì)條，焯水晾涼，投入陶罐或缸中，然后倒入稀薄的面湯，再加上發(fā)酵引子，蓋好，三天后即成。漿水可以生喝，也可以連同里面的酸菜一起熗熟做湯，具有清熱解暑的功效。相傳在三國時期，諸葛亮率軍出祁山攻打曹魏。長途跋涉至天水一帶時，因暑熱干燥，不少士兵出現(xiàn)中暑癥狀。當(dāng)?shù)厝四贸鲆环N叫漿水的湯汁，士兵們喝完很快就恢復(fù)了。

“Jiangshui” is also a traditional household dishin Tianshui. Tender celery， cabbage， or other wildvegetables are sliced into thin strips， blanched， andthen cooled. These ingredients are placed into a claypot or a clay jar， combined with a thin flour soupand a fermentation starter. The container is sealed，and in three days， the fermented beverage will beready. Jiangshui can be consumed right away orcooked together with the fermented vegetables tomake a soup， offering a cooling effect ideal for hotsummer days. During the Three Kingdoms period（222–280）， Zhuge Liang， the Chancellor of Shustate， led his forces to Qishan to battle the Wei statetroops. Legend has it that many of the Shu soldierssuffered from heatstroke as they trekked all the wayto Tianshui. But when offered the Jiangshui soup bythe locals， they soon recovered. Such is the magic ofthis Tianshui delicacy.

天水人一般把漿水加工做熟的過程叫作“熗漿水”：把生漿水連湯帶菜從缸里撈出，備好蔥蒜辣椒，也可以再配一小把新鮮韭菜；大火起鍋熱油，放入蔥蒜辣椒，再把撈出的酸菜和韭菜一起放入鍋中翻炒，利用熱鍋熱油熗出漿水的酸香味道；最后倒入漿水的湯汁，燒開，盛出。如此，一大碗酸爽美味、令人滿口流水的熗漿水就做好了。

The process of cooking Jiangshui is locallyreferred to as qiang Jiangshui （quick-frying Jiangshui）.First， people scoop the soup and vegetables fromthe pot. They then prepare scallions， garlic， and chilipeppers， and perhaps a small handful of fresh chivesfor extra flavor. Next， they heat the oil in a pan，and add the seasoning ingredients， followed by thefermented vegetables and chives for quick-frying.The hot oil enhances the sour fragrance of the soup.Then， they pour in the soup and bring the mixture toa boil before serving. This results in a large bowl ofstimulating， richly flavored quick-fried Jiangshui.

熗漿水的吃法很多，可以直接喝不配任何食材的漿水清湯，也可以在制作過程中，加入各種面食。漿水里面的酸菜還可以單獨(dú)撈出做酸菜炒肉、酸菜粉條、酸菜包子等，甚至用漿水做湯底的漿水火鍋也成了席上的“?？汀薄?/p>

There are many ways to enjoy qiang Jiangshui.One can savor the clear soup on its own oraccompanied by various flour-based foods. Thefermented vegetables can be paired with pork andvermicelli， or used as fillings in buns to createdelicious dishes. The soup can also serve as thefoundation for a Jiangshui hotpot， a commonly seendish on local menus.

漿水這道原本在食物匱乏年代釀就的清湯寡水的飲食，飽含著濃厚的歷史記憶和故鄉(xiāng)情懷的味道。配上簡單的面食，調(diào)上紅亮的油潑辣子，樸素的生活便多了一分美好的滋味。

Jiangshui， a simple dish born from times ofscarcity， carries with it rich historical memories anda profound sense of nostalgia. Often paired withmodest noodles and spicy chili oil， this dish brings atouch of delight to the ordinary everyday life.