13 Styles of Quick-Fried Tripe of Old Beijing 老北京爆肚十三吃

有一种说法，叫做“爆肚十三吃”，据传是满清时期，“在旗”的许多“贝勒爷”，口味不一样，喜好爆的“部位”也不尽相同，所以逐渐形成了十三种不同品种的爆肚。其中爆牛肚有四种：肚仁、厚头、百叶、百叶尖；爆羊肚有九种：肚仁、散丹、肚领、蘑菇头、肚丝、肚板、食信、蘑菇、葫芦。
The statement of “13 Styles of Quick-Fried Tripe of Old Beijing” can be traced back to the Manchu times and the legend has it that Beiles (a rank of the Manchu nobility below that of the Prince) had different tastes for “parts” quick-fried, so 13 types of quick-fried tripe were produced over time, including 4 quick-fried ox tripe, namely smooth tripe (Duren), pocket tripe (Houtou), leaf tripe (Baiye) and leaf slices (Baiyejian); 9 quick-fried lamb tripe, namely smooth tripe(Duren), omasum (Sandan), ridge beam on the first stomach (Duling), end of abomasums (Mogutou), tripe slices (Dusi), first stomach (Duban), esophagus (Shixin), lower end of first stomach (Mogu), and reticulum (Hulu).
一般我们吃的所谓黑百叶就是羊肚，准确地叫法应该是散丹。因为只有牛的才叫百叶。牛百叶还分两种，吃饲料长大的牛百叶发黑，吃粮食庄稼长大的牛百叶发黄，至于味道应该是后者为好，原理自然跟柴鸡一样了。
Generally speaking, black Baiye we eat is lamb tripe and precisely Sandan because only those of ox are called Baiye which is divided into two types: cattle fed with fodder has black Baiye; yet fed with grain and crop has yellow Baiye. So the taste of the latter one is better, similar to the rationale of free-range chicken.
牛肚比羊肚要厚实些，所以如果你想吃脆点的就应该要散丹，想有点嚼头的就点百叶。
Ox tripe is thicker than lamb tripe, so if you would like crisp food, you’d better order Sandan; on the contrary, if you like tough taste, Baiye is a better choice.
吃爆肚的最高境界是吃肚领，肚领比较金贵，很嫩，比肚仁还嫩，据说要好几个肚才出那么一盘。羊的肚领要把外面的皮剥了吃，牛的可以直接爆。这个肚领爆的火候也很讲究，因为太嫩了，所以火候稍微一大就老了，不能吃了。
The supreme stage is having Duling which is expensive and tenderer than Duren. Reportedly, several stomachs could only produce one dish. Duling of lamb should only be eaten after peeling off the skin and that of ox can be fried directly. The degree of cooking matters a lot because the food is too soft. If cooked heavily, it is inedible.
吃爆肚时一般一口只夹一块，要抹着碗底托着香菜葱蘸起调料入口。同时吃爆肚要讲究“齿感”，如果邻座的人听声音以为您在嚼一块嫩黄瓜，那不用问了您已经是一位吃爆肚的老行家了。
When having cooked tripe, you only need to pick up one piece at a time and dip caraway and green onion at the bottom of bowl. In the meantime, “feeling of tooth” is also important: if those at the nearby dining table believe you are chewing a tender cucumber when only listening to the sound, you’ve undoubtedly become an expert in eating cooked tripe.
羊肚仁，食客戏称此菜：“白如堆雪嫩如花，叫我如何不想他。”鲜嫩嫩的肚仁上桌，不需要再涮，直接蘸着调料入嘴，筋斗易嚼。细细问来，才知道肚仁是羊的四个胃中某一段的隆起。把那一小块片下来，有四两重。再去掉外皮及多余的筋肉，就剩下一两重了。每一盘肚仁需要5只羊左右，可见珍贵。
Fans jokingly talk about lamb Duren that “it’s as white as snow and as soft as flower, I couldn’t help but missing it”. When the tender Duren is served, it’s unnecessary to be rinsed and you can dip in condiment and then have the chewable food. After careful inquiry, we learned that Duren is a swell in four stomachs of lamb. The swell sliced from the stomach is 4 liang (50 grams), but after getting rid of surface and muscles, it is only 1 liang. A dish needs 5 lambs, so its preciousness is easily understandable.
在旧社会，一般老百姓吃爆肚大多是吃百叶、散丹之类，只有穷人乍富或者不那么有钱的有钱人才会要肚仁、蘑菇来吃。不过现在好了，这些部位我们也都可以享用，而且绝对不贵，最贵的蘑菇尖不过是十来块钱。
In old days, ordinary people always had Baiye and Sandan. only those poor people getting rich suddenly or wealthy people who are not very rich ordered Duren and Mogu. But now, we lead a well-off life and can enjoy all these parts at an affordable price. The most expensive Mogujian costs only a dozen yuan.
京城有几家老字号爆肚？
How many famous shops do offer quick-fried tripe?
爆肚作为北京的一种地方名吃，较早记载是在清乾隆年代，以清末民初时为盛。仅东安市场一处最多时就有七个卖爆肚的摊位。当时卖爆肚最出名的有东安市场的爆肚冯、爆肚王，天桥的爆肚石，门框胡同的爆肚杨，东四牌楼的爆肚满等。以消费人群不同，老北京的爆肚分东安市场和南城天桥两派。南城天桥、大栅栏的爆肚以牛百叶及肚领为主，制作上较粗放。而东安市场的爆肚冯家、王家，制作上就精细得多，以羊肚为主。早年的官宦人家、八旗子弟，特别是梨园行人，均以食爆肚为快。
As a famous dish in Beijing, quick-fried tripe was recorded earliest in the period under the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, and peaked in the end of the Qing Dynasty and beginning of the Republic of China. Take Dong’an Market alone as an example, there were 7 shops sold quick-fried tripe at most. Most well-known shops include the Baodu Feng, Baodu Wang at Dong’an Market, Baodu Shi in Tianqiao, Baodu Yang in Menkuang Hutong and Baodu Man of pailou in Dongsi. The food in old Beijing was divided into two parts based on consumption power: Dong’an Market and Tianqiao in south Beijing. Those offered in Tianqiao and Da Shi Lan were mainly ox Baiye and Duling with extensive techniques. But the dish produced by Baodu Feng and Baodu Wang was more exquisite, mainly offering lamb tripe. Officials and nobilities at early days, especially those in the operatic circle, took eating quick-fried tripe as a feast.