Cut and cooked with pork or beef, seasoned and dried, it becomes jerky. Nowadays, jerky in all flavors is a good snack for home travel. In ancient times, jerky was not only to satisfy the appetite, but also to be one of the "Eight Treasures", and its status was obviously higher than it is now.
Was the ancient "jerky" really that important?
High-end food with many benefits
The advantages of jerky itself attracted the attention of the ancients. After being cooked and dehydrated, the meat takes on flakes, strips, granules or flocculents. Processed dried meat is rich in fat, protein, vitamins and trace elements and other nutrients, suitable for arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and other patients to eat in moderation. The elderly and children eat a small amount of dried meat, which can promote muscle growth, improve immunity, enhance physical fitness, and promote appetite.
Affected by the processing technology, 2-2.5 kg of meat in the brine, the weight is reduced by half, and then dehydrated, volatilized 10-20% of the water in the cooked meat, and finally can be made into 1 kg of jerky. Finished dried meat is not easy to breed bacteria, can be stored for a long time, and the volume of dried meat is significantly reduced, easy to carry.
In ancient times, productivity was low, meat supplies were insufficient, and people did not eat meat every day. Dried meat made with a large amount of fresh meat condenses the essence of time, materials and money, achieves the unity of deliciousness and quality, and invisibly raises the value of jerky. It can be said that eating jerky in ancient times was tantamount to properly showing off wealth.
The delicacies enjoyed by the royal family
Eating jerky meat is also a symbol of noble status in ancient times. As early as the Zhou Dynasty, jerky was a valuable tribute to the royal family. The Zhou Li Tianguan Shanfu says: "The king's gift, eat the six grains, drink the six Qing, shame with one hundred and twenty products, and cherish the eight things." Among the eight treasures, there is a delicacy called "boiling treasures", which refers to the use of fresh meat of cattle, deer, roe deer, elk and other animals to make jerky.
When making boiling treasures, first remove the skin film that affects the taste of fresh meat pieces, then beat them repeatedly, then lay flat on the reeds, sprinkle with salt, ginger and other seasonings, and finally dry the moisture in the meat pieces over low heat. In fact, boiling zhen is similar to today's meat. There are two ways to eat it, dry and wet, and the wet method is to put the boiled treasure into the meat sauce and cook it. The dry method is to chew it directly after hammering and boiling. Small jerky is a food that satisfies the appetite and is an unattainable royal consumer product.
High-quality military food with sufficient heat
The use of dried meat as military food is another important reason why the ancients looked at it differently. Among the jerky meats, air-dried beef is the most famous. At the end of the twelfth century, The Mongol tribes gradually rose. Unlike the Han diet, the Mongols air-dried slaughtered beef, crushed it into minced meat, and bagged it on its back. When eating, just drink with water or milk.
Modern medical research shows that each 100 grams of beef jerky contains 307 kcal of energy, 55.6 grams of protein, 8 grams of fat, 15 grams of carbohydrates, in addition, it also includes calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, sodium and other minerals, as well as amino acids, niacin, thiamine, riboflavin and other ingredients. Chinese medicine also believes that beef has the effect of tonifying qi, nourishing the spleen and stomach, and strengthening the muscles and bones. The Mongol army, with the help of air-dried beef, was able to make long-distance raids and unexpectedly hit opponents, so air-dried beef was known as "Genghis Khan's marching food".
The Southern Song Dynasty army, which was contemporaneous with the Mongol army, also had jerky meat to help. Compared with air-dried beef, the southern Song Dynasty used pork for military food. After the victory of the famous general Zong Ze against Jin, the local people treated the Song army with salted and dried pig legs. After Zong Ze returned to Beijing, he dedicated the "pickled legs" to the imperial court. Emperor Gaozong of Song saw that the pickled legs were red like fire and gave them the name "ham". Ham only solved the temporary military supply, in terms of quantity and quality of supply is far less than air-dried beef, the Mongol army relies on air-dried beef to fill the hunger, swept through Europe and Asia, and created a miracle in the world's military history.
The celebrity effect infuses cultural connotations
Delicious jerky also has the function of inheriting the ancient ceremonial culture. In ancient times, jerky had another name. The Shuowen says: "Xiū (脩), 脩也." In other words, "脩" means jerky. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the people formed ten pieces of dried meat into a bunch, with the "bundle of meat" as a thin gift, often used as a gift to superiors and subordinates, relatives and friends. The Book of Rites and Shaoyi has a cloud: "He gives people by multiplying pots of wine, bundles, and a dog." "It seems that the ancient folk exchanges are also inseparable from eating.
In the spring and autumn, the bundle has a new connotation. Confucius founded the earliest private school in history, and students should be honored with the gift of teachers. The Analects of Shu'er records: "The Son: 'I have not tasted nothing but bound myself.' Ten pieces of dried meat seem to be a lot, but in fact, it is not difficult for poor people to actively raise them. Confucius's use of the shackle as a tuition fee not only reflects his pursuit of etiquette, but also sets the minimum threshold of "the thin person of etiquette", from which it can be interpreted Confucius's good intentions of "teaching without class".
The Western Han Dynasty philosopher Dong Zhongshu put forward to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty the idea of "deposing hundreds of families and respecting Confucianism alone", which invisibly raised the status of Confucius. Confucian students have followed the example of their predecessors, and the ritual bundle has become synonymous with the respect for the teacher. The Book of Jin and Murong Shu zai ji (慕容廆載記) says: "Liu Zan of the Plains learned Confucianism and was cited as the Eastern Confucian Sacrifice Wine, and his son, The Emperor of the Jin Dynasty, led the state to be bound by karma. Wang Dingbao, a five-generation literary scholar, in his book "Tang Shuyan and Two Prisons", also said: "When you first enter school, you all perform the ritual of restraint." According to this, the ritual of bondage was very popular in ancient times.
It depends on gender
Give away jerky, and there is also an unknown elegance. The "Zuo Biao" clearly records: "Male squire, the big one jade, the small bird, and the chapter thing." Female, but hazel chestnut jujube, to sue pious also. This means that the first time you meet a male elder, you should hold a jade veil or a bird, and if you are a female elder, hazelnuts, chestnuts, dates, and bunches are the protagonists.
The ancient ceremonial system focused on the "difference between men and women". Men and women have different physiological structures and psychological states, and they should be cautious and respectful in their interactions. Guests give different gifts for different genders to show the difference. In addition, from the nobility of gifts, it reflects the social phenomenon of "male superiority and female inferiority" at that time. A handful of jerky meat throws bricks and jade, spying on the reality of ancient society.
The marriage of dried meat has made a good story through the ages
Delicious and valuable jerky, but also achieved a special marriage. During the reign of Wu Zetian, Pei Kuan served as a member of the army in Runzhou, loyal and upright, and honest as an official. Once, someone quietly sent him a piece of venison jerky, and immediately left after delivering it. Pei Kuan could not return it, and in desperation, he had to bury the dried venison in the backyard.
Pei Kuan's neighbor, Runzhou Lashi Weijie, was looking out over the small building in his home, and found that Pei Kuan had dug a pit to bury the meat, which was quite puzzled and asked the servants for reasons. After the servants revealed their original commissions, Wei Yi was particularly appreciative of Pei Kuan's character of "righteousness does not defile the family with buds". Struggling to find a son-in-law, he decided to give his daughter Xu to Pei Kuan. During the Tianbao period, Pei Kuanguan was appointed to the Rebbe Shangshu. In the fourteenth year of Tianbao (755 AD), Wei Xie died of illness at the age of 75. The Old Book of Tang commented that "leniency is based on simplicity, so everyone loves it." "A piece of dried venison not only shows Pei Kuan's noble character, but also promotes a beautiful marriage." Pei Kuan buried venison "enriched the epitaxy of the jerky."
In summary, jerky can be eaten and beaten, nutritious and high-end. Under the background of the celebrity effect, dried meat has got rid of the image of a single consumer product, expanded its connotation, expanded its extension, and occupied a place in traditional Chinese culture.
Although the jerky is delicious, its dietary fiber is coarse, not easy to digest, and the cholesterol content in the jerky is high, and the elderly, children, and people with weak digestion should not be gluttonous.
Text: Count white as black
Reference: What is "Bondage"? Ma Lianxiang, Nie Hongying -- Journal of Eastern Xinjiang Studies, 1995
The text was created by the History University Hall team, and the picture originated from the Internet and the copyright belongs to the original author