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【Introduction】What is the earliest spice in China? Whose table first appeared at the table? Can snake blood and bile be drunk in white wine? Walking into the wonderful Fujian, the British girl found countless mountain treasures and seafood, as well as strange original Hakka villages.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="25" > taste numb</h1>
Peppercorn is a generalist, in the hands of the chef it can be used to flavor, in the hands of Chinese medicine can be Chinese herbal medicine, at home can be used as an insect repellent, if accidentally fall into the hands of bad people, it is still a poison.
Sichuan peppercorns, also known as Shu peppers, Sichuan peppers, and peppercorns, are the earliest "peppers" in China - because they can produce a feeling of jumping crisp in the mouth, they are also known as the "jumping candy" in the spice world. As a native spice, it was used long before pepper entered China along the Silk Road. Peppercorns appear in the Book of Poetry, a collection of ancient Chinese poetry, and believe that the shiny and rich seed is a symbol of "many sons". Therefore, the han dynasty imperial concubines' dormitories were mixed with peppercorns in the mud used to paste the walls, called "pepper room", which means that the imperial heirs are long.
Peppercorns are still herbs. In the tombs of noble women in the Mawangdui Han Tomb, there are peppercorns unearthed, as well as prescriptions written on silk, describing the efficacy of peppercorns in treating ulcers. Folk remedies believe that peppercorns are a stimulant and diuretic, which is conducive to relieving flatulence and promoting digestion. Because of its strong taste, peppercorns are also often used as insect repellents, placed in wardrobes or barns, to drive away moths and pests. But if you ingest a large amount, it will be seriously poisoned, so in ancient times, there were also legends that forced people to ingest peppercorns to create the illusion of suicide. The grandmother in the village gave Fuxia some peppercorns and told her: "If your stomach hurts, grab ten peppercorns in your hand, rub them, and swallow them with cold water, which is very useful." ”
If you want to see peppercorn trees, you have to run to several places in the northwest of Sichuan and climb up the high slopes. The best peppercorns in all of China are in Sichuan, but the best peppercorns in All Sichuan Province are Hanyuan, a remote county in the southwest mountains eight hours away from Chengdu; and the best peppercorns in Hanyuan County come from the small town of Qingxi, and the peppercorns in Qingxi Town are still graded. The last perfect peppercorn at the tip of the pyramid was picked from the trees on the slope of the Niushi Slope in Jianli Township outside Qingxi Town, where the peppercorns had a particularly extravagant fragrance and were once sent to the imperial palace, so until now, the locals still called it "Qingxi Tribute Pepper".
Coming to the pepper garden in Qingxi, a group of children dressed in tattered clothes suddenly gathered around and exchanged with Fuxia, a foreigner who looked "strange", in an excited way. The children told Fuxia that in a month or two, the peppercorns on the trees would turn dark pink, and when exposed to the hot sun, the fruits would burst open, revealing the seeds that were black and shiny like bird eyes inside. After that, the young people in the village began to pick peppercorns and put them in the sun to dry. When the sun is dry, the village girls will put the pepper in the woven basket and shake it over and over, shaking out the tasteless seeds, leaving only the rich and fragrant shell.
There is a temple of literature opposite the pepper garden, and Fuxia first came and was followed and monitored by the local old police as a spy. After five years, Fuxia came for the second time, but was well received by the enthusiastic secretary of the town party committee. Not only did I receive genuine baby peppers, but I also enjoyed a foreign guest-style banquet at Qingxi Restaurant - this time the most delicious local dish That Fuxia has ever eaten in China: there are thinly sliced wind-blown sausages, and the stinging sensation of being hooked by peppercorns and peppers after eating a few slices; there are fragrant and fragrant red oil chicken nuggets; there are pork slices sandwiched between glutinous rice and sweet bean paste; there are tea pickle stir-fried meat; there are rotten bone and flesh separated fish fragrant elbows, there is Tianma stewed chicken soup, and there is a hearty braised carrot beef. Fu Xia felt that this meal was more wonderful than any meal she had eaten in a luxurious restaurant. She raised a glass of blessing: "May the outside world understand and love the peppercorns of Qingxi!" The officials looked happy and toasted together.
But this meal has a price, after eating this meal, Fu Xia learned from the accompanying sullen Chinese that the people here are not rich, the officials are entertained at public expense, the people are not happy, while good wine and good meat, she is equivalent to taking the money of poor peasants to eat and drink. Fu Xia, who learned the truth, was like a hard punch in the stomach, torn by feelings of gratitude and guilt at the same time. The next day, Fuxia caught the first bus to Ya'an, sat on the tattered car to buy tickets, and the conductor asked: Are you Miss Rose?
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="25" > bear paw ribs, sweet and bitter</h1>
In order to explore new cuisines in China, Fuxia has drifted to Fujian Province this time.
Fujian was once the forefront of China's international trade. During the Song Dynasty, Arab merchants exchanged a ship of East Indian spices and luxury goods for Chinese porcelain and silk at the ports of Quanzhou and Xiamen. From the sixteenth century to the middle of the eighteenth century, Europeans had been trading in Xiamen. China then briefly closed the port, and soon after the British artillery bombarded the treaty port. As an important exporter of Chinese tea, tea in English, as well as the pronunciation of almost all European variants, are derived from the Fujian accent. Fujian immigrants, although not as numerous and conspicuous as Guangdong people, are also an important economic force in the Western Chinese world.
Fujian, like most provinces in China, has its own unique style of cooking, which is what Chinese call "Fujian cuisine". Xiamen's oyster fried seafood is famous, the bamboo shoots and mushrooms in the northern mountains are also coveted, and the province produces the best oolong tea, such as Tieguanyin and Dahongpao, in addition to these famous tastes, Fuxia still longs for more exploration and experience, so she plans to go all the way south from Wuyi Mountain in northern Fujian, but unexpectedly just stepped on the bamboo raft of Jiuqu Creek, it was poured with a pouring rain. A long time ago, Fuxia had made up her mind to eat everything, and this time she had come to the right place, and on this night in northern Fujian, Fuxia tasted snake blood mixed with liquor.
The first time the restaurant owner opened the snake cage, the poisonous snake suddenly stood up in anger and made a terrible hissing sound. He closed the cage door and waited for it to calm down, and for the second time gently opened the cage door and clamped the snake's neck with a long fire tong. The snake swung violently and tumbled, and the boss quickly took scissors to cut off the snake's head, dripping the snake's blood into one of the two highly qualified glasses of liquor that had been prepared next to it, and then quickly cut the snake bile open so that the green juice inside flowed into another glass of wine. Then the boss said to Fuxia, "Drink it now." So Fu Xia tasted the two bright cocktails separately, one was the red that the snake's blood was still swirling, and the other was the bitter and refreshing green wine. The fiery heat of the spirit and the fishy smell of raw blood instantly made Fuxia's throat and stomach turn upside down, but it is said that this snake wine has an aphrodisiac effect. Later, Fuxia tasted the strange dragon's claw mushroom king mushroom, refreshing snake soup, and the strong taste of the original wild suede meat slices. (The elk is a second-class protected animal and is not allowed to eat, and later Fuxia learned about it and was stung by a strong sense of guilt in her heart.)
"Bear paws don't have any in any refrigerator, that's for sure, it's too dangerous." But if you really want it, you can't get anything. If any rich guest wants to eat bear paws, as long as they say hello in advance, they can generally eat it, and they may have to pay a deposit of one thousand yuan first, and then give a thousand yuan after eating. The restaurateur will find a middleman to take these things, so he doesn't have to save them here. "The hostess was fairly frank about her sale of these endangered animals. There is demand to buy and sell, and Chinese have always had an appetite for novelty. During the Warring States period, bear paws were a court delicacy that only emperors could eat. In the Han Dynasty, an article wrote about the original "braised bear paw" method: adding peony root, and then fermenting with sauce. Two thousand five hundred years ago, Mencius also wrote the bear paw into a famous quote discussing the nature of human nature: "Fish, I want it; bear paws, I want it." The two cannot be combined, and the one who gives up the fish and takes the bear's paw also. To be born is also what I want, and to be righteous is also what I want. The two cannot be combined, and the one who sacrifices his life for righteousness is also. ”
There are thousands of ancient delicacies, and bear paws are just one of them, as well as jackals, leopard fetuses and the like. Later, more modern rare and precious ingredients, such as shark fin soup and bird's nest, have always enjoyed a supreme position in the culinary world. Fuxia's collection of recipes, published in the mid-1980s, contains recipes for state banquets, and there are many famous dishes that are quite extravagant and flashy. There is also a book published in 2002 that records the legendary recipe of the Manchu Han feast, and the eyes of the Fuxia girl who looked at it exploded straight out. It not only tells the reader how to deal with rare ingredients such as lamb's hoof tendons, fish lips, humps, deer whips, bear paws and snow clams, but also has a recipe for scarlet lips. fortunately! The recipe says, don't really use scarlet lips, just replace them with deer lips; and bear paws can be replaced with lamb with skin. Because bears are national second-level protected animals, they cannot be used as food. The attraction of these rare ingredients, in addition to the theoretical nutritional value, is more of the value given by the world in the eyes of the world, because it is rare and expensive, but in the past it was something that the emperor ate!
In May 2007, a tattered wooden boat was spotted off the coast of Guangdong, somewhat reminiscent of a spooky version of Noah's Ark: stacked wooden boxes of dead wild animals, almost all dying of dehydration, totaling 31 pangolins, 44 leatherback turtles, 2,720 lizards, 1,130 Brazilian tortoises, and 21 bear paws wrapped in newspapers. These endangered animals set off from the jungles of Southeast Asia and are heading to the tables of the Cantonese people in the south. All the recognizable signs on the ship were torn off, the engines were out of power, and no one knew how to explain why the crew had abandoned the ship's valuable cargo.
When she came to southern Fujian, Fuxia did not find the farmhouses that she longed for, but only saw farms made of fairly industrial scale and techniques. What she wants to see is a more authentic and rustic countryside – the Hakka Tulou fulfills all her fantasies about original and unique architecture. Circular earthen buildings like Shakespeare's Globe Theatre were built very strongly, like fortresses to protect extended families from foreign tribes and bandits and thieves. The next day in Tulou, Fuxia got up early, ate breakfast to hang out nearby, some of the villages here were restored because of tourism, but most of them were in disrepair and crumbling, here, Fuxia drank Hakka glutinous rice wine every day, lingering in the wide courtyard, at night, the wine was slightly drunk, and the candles gradually burned out...
The sounds of food that once reverberated in those courtyards with more than a dozen large cauldrons of "grunting" and "nourishing", are now quiet and desolate. In a large, empty circular earthen building, a skinny old lady sat on a wooden chair. She was bending over to shell the dried beans, and she was muttering a thick dialect in her mouth...