Luoyang Water Banquet

Luoyang Water Banquet (LuoyangShuixi), also called soup banquet, is not simply a drinking test, but one of the most traditional Chinese cuisines. The history of this local custom can be traced back over a thousand years. Luoyang is a city surrounded by mountains, and the weather here is cold and dry. In ancient time, people hardly got any fruit to enjoy, thus they invented various soup to make up the need of water.


There are two reasons why the banquet has this name. The main reason is that, unlike most meal customs in China, the dishes served in this banquet are brought one after another, like flowing water, hence the name "Water Banquet". The second reason is that around one third of the dishes served are soup or semi-soup ones.
Although dishes in these banquets vary from one restaurant to another in both amount and consistency, you may be assured that carp is included nine times out of ten. The food is noted for its various soups with sour and spicy flavors. There are 24 courses in the banquet. The first course named "Luoyang swallow dish" is made of turnip shreds, chicken shreds, minced pork and other vegetables simmered in soup.

                                          洛阳流水席

洛阳流水席也叫做汤水宴，它不仅仅是对酒量的考验，更是一道最为传统的中国菜。这道菜的历史可以追溯到一千多年以前。洛阳是一座山城，这里的气候较为干冷。在古代，人们很难弄到一些水果来吃,所以他们发明了各种汤，来弥补自身对水的缺失。

洛阳流水席的得名主要有两个原因。最主要的原因是，它不像中国其他的吃饭习俗那样，而是一道接一道地上菜，像流水一样，故而得名“流水席”。第二个原因是其中大部分的菜肴都是汤或者半汤型的。尽管宴席的菜肴会因餐馆不同而在菜的数量和搭配上大相径庭，但是可以肯定的是宴席上十有八九都会有鲤鱼。这些食物多以又酸又辣的汤而闻名。宴席上一共有二十四道菜，第一道菜叫做“洛阳开胃菜”。这道菜主要是用萝卜块，鸡肉块，碎肉和其他的蔬菜一起炖的汤。