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| Dough sticks (File Photo) |
For many older people, typical Shanghai-style breakfast means the "Four Heavenly Kings" (si da jin gang 四大金刚) - da bing (大饼) or Chinese pancakes, you tiao (油条) or deep-fried dough sticks, ci fan tuan (粢饭团) or steamed sticky rice balls, and soy milk.
These traditional foods are simple and delicious, easy to grab from vendors on the way to work without having to sit down at a restaurant.
In the old days, vendors worked at the entrance to many old lanes and aromas filled the air, so you could follow your nose to breakfast.
But urbanization has bulldozed many traditional neighborhoods and in place of many small eateries and vendors, there are bakeries and higher-end restaurants.
Traditional breakfast is also difficult to find because making the food is labor-intensive and requires getting up before dawn. And the profit is low; dinner is much more profitable.
Cao Kefan, a popular TV host and gourmet, says that some restaurants claiming to offer authentic Shanghai breakfast fail to deliver the genuine article and real flavor.
"Food and emotions are closely related," says 50-year-old Cao, a judge of the popular TV cooking competition series "Master Chef."
"Many Shanghai people of my age grew up with these old-time foods and snacks. They are more than daily fuel, they evoke heartwarming memories and nostalgia for home," he adds.
Cao tells Shanghai Daily that in its second season starting tomorrow, the show will go in search of China's famous local delicacies.
Old-time Shanghai breakfast is on the list. Cao and the crew also plan to visit suburban water towns and have a long street banquet with locals.
The show will be broadcast twice a week on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10pm on Dragon TV. The judging panel also includes Fairmont Peace Hotel Executive Chef Steven Liu and Liang Zigeng, one of Asia's top creative chefs.
"It is a pity that so many traditional Shanghai delicacies are on the verge of vanishing," Cai says. He misses traditional laohu jiao zhua (老虎脚爪) or "tiger claws," a sweet baked pie shaped like a tiger's paw, and fried turnip pie.
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