Fuyang Gelatiao (Spaghetti-like Noodle)

As a representative of Huaihe River culture, Fuyang is not only the hometown of Guan Zhong, a well-known ancient Chinese philosopher, but also the very place governed by Su Shi, one of the most prominent poets and cultural figures of the Song Dynasty and Ouyang Xiu, a Chinese poet, historian, and statesman of the Song Dynasty. Legend has it that when Su Shi served as governor in Yingzhou (now Fuyang), his good friend Elder Bai referred to the recipe of making vermicelli but accidentally made a kind of round noodle that looks like spaghetti. Then he added sesame sauce, chili oil, bean sprouts, coriander, schizonepeta, deep-fried peanuts and other ingredients in the bowl and mixed them. Su Shi liked it very much and asked what it was. Elder Bai also did not know, so he answered “Gela Gela”(which means “mix”in Fuyang dialect). Su Shi therefore called it “Gelatiao”. Since then, a myriad of Gelatiao stores were opened all over Fuyang.