Since ancient times, China has had the phrase "the people take food as the sky", so it is very important and very particular about "eating", not only paying attention to eating well, but also eating abundantly, which can also be seen from our traditional eight major cuisines. Compared with Western countries, we have a wide variety of food and methods, so in recent years, many foreign friends have fallen in love with Chinese food. Moreover, China has a vast territory, a large population, and relatively rich products, and has experienced five thousand years of research and development, making "food" in our country no longer a simple material need, but transformed into a unique art.
Most of these delicious delicacies on our tables today also existed in the feudal era, and the ancients integrated feelings into the cuisine, so that food could be sublimated, so that every cell of the tip of the tongue was awakened. "I am a chef in the palace" as a palace food culture program, can be described as a favorite of foodies, especially the star lineup is strong, coupled with highly restored dishes, these dishes can now be eaten in restaurants, from the taste of imperial food to learn the food culture of the Qing court, understand a different history.
The Qing court was time-consuming and laborious
The vast territory of China has made the demand for food preferences and tastes in each different region very different, thus forming different cuisines with unique styles. Based on the background of feudal society, everyone served the ruler, so the cuisine enjoyed by the royal family was also of the highest order, and the food that could be eaten all over the world could be eaten in the imperial palace. The most famous is the Manchu Han full seat during the Qing Dynasty, the ruler of the Qing Dynasty was not Han, but in order to integrate the culture of the Han people, so the Manchu Han full seat was introduced.
The Qing Dynasty is also the most exquisite noodle and form in history of a dynasty, it is said that the emperor's every meal must be served with nearly a hundred dishes, but it is impossible to eat every dish, usually just smell, pick one or two to taste, the rest is left untouched and served back, and in order to make the emperor feel fresh every day, not to be tired, the imperial chef often has to rack his brains to change the pattern of cooking. Such a formalism, such a large battle is not only time-consuming but also laborious, because the number of dishes that need to be prepared is large, in order to allow the emperor to eat on time, so the imperial dining room must start preparing every day before dawn, even so, the serving is also very time-consuming.
Legend has it that Empress Dowager Cixi at that time had a hobby, she liked to watch the rain on the Jingfu Pavilion on the shore of the Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace, and often stayed for a morning or even a whole day, so every time it came to the point of opening the meal, she was tired of the eunuchs who served food. In order to allow Cixi to eat while watching the scenery, nearly two hundred eunuchs began to line up from Jingfu Pavilion and lined up to the imperial dining room, and then the imperial dining room manually transmitted the number of dishes up to 128 dishes to Cixi through a pair of hands, just like the assembly line in the factory now, and the speed must be guaranteed, otherwise the food will anger Cixi when it is cold.
When the dishes arrived in front of Cixi, they basically smelled and did not eat, so the eunuchs did not have time to rest and were busy passing back these hundred and ten dishes one by one. By the time Cixi's meal was finished, the eunuchs' hands were basically "wasted" and they lost consciousness for a time. Therefore, from the dining habits of the royal family at that time, it can be known that the slaves were oppressed, in fact, there was no need to be so troublesome, but in that era, it was necessary to abide by these red tape, even if it was time-consuming and laborious, in order to show the status of the royal family, it was still necessary to do so.
In fact, under the gorgeous appearance, the Qing Dynasty royals prefer some simple foods, including "snacks", "drinks", etc., which have passed through the smoke clouds of history and have been passed down to this day, so why do the Qing Royals like these simple foods? The answer is simple, that is, this kind of food is delicious, time-saving and labor-saving, does not require cumbersome procedures, and can be eaten at any time.
Qing Dynasty court drink - sour plum soup
Sour plum soup as we all know, not only simple to make, the material is ordinary and has appetizing spleen, quenching thirst, in addition to heat and cooling effect, is such an inconspicuous snack, but at that time it was once popular throughout the Qing Palace. During the Qing Dynasty, sour plum soup was also a special summer quenching drink for the royal family, compared to this pro-people name, it also has a relatively tall name, that is, "Qing Palace Exotic Treasure Imperial Ume Soup", the name is beautiful enough, but it is not a bowl of sour plum soup.
It is also easy to remember, just soak the umebu, add rock sugar honey and osmanthus flowers together, and then add ice cubes to chill. Before western soda was introduced to China, this should be the earliest summer drink. Everyone in the Qing Palace loved to drink, especially the Qianlong Emperor. In addition to the Qianlong Emperor, Empress Dowager Cixi was also a loyal fan of sour plum soup, and she not only loved to drink, but also regarded sour plum soup as a health drink to maintain her figure and beauty, and sure enough, women wanted to come up with anything for beauty.
Cixi should be the most typical royal family member who is interested in snacks, perhaps because he is tired of eating and afraid of facing the Manchu han all day long, and he is willing to accept fresh tricks. At the same time, the slaves around her are also extremely aware of the color of speech, can always observe Cixi's emotions, capture her favorites, and collect all kinds of tricks and delicacies for her happiness.
Qing Dynasty court snack - door nail meat cake
"Door nail meatloaf" is a traditional dish of old Beijing, which belongs to halal food, with a browned skin, fragrant soup, and extremely delicious taste. At first, this snack was not famous, but it was made by the cooks in the palace to wrap their stomachs, and then spread to the people.
Nowadays, this dish has been included in the "Thirteen Best Snacks" in Beijing, and it is also closely related to Empress Dowager Cixi, and even the name is taken by Empress Dowager Cixi herself, because the shape of this cake is very similar to the door nail of the ancient city gate, so it was given such a popular name by Empress Dowager Cixi.
Speaking of its origins, it is also quite content. Legend has it that Empress Dowager Cixi at that time had already bowed to the government and grasped the actual power of the Qing Dynasty, and one day suddenly became upset because of government affairs and could not eat. Li Lianying, who was the most considerate of Cixi, saw this scene and rushed to find a way to tease her, cixi was really happy by her, and when she was in a good mood, she wanted to eat some pastries, so she ordered the imperial dining room to prepare.
This is completely difficult for the cooks, to know that Cixi's taste is extremely picky, usually tired of eating mountain treasures and seafood must think of some novel food, and they also know that the empress dowager has been in a bad mood recently, if one accidentally angers her, she will be killed at any time, so after hearing that she wants to eat pastries, everyone has made trouble.
Just when all the imperial chefs were anxious to turn around, there was a turnaround, and a small cook secretly made a snack to eat for himself, this snack was not made for the empress dowager at first glance, just from the appearance it was very rude. The most exquisite thing about cooking in the palace is the color and aroma, and it must have a hue to get on the royal table, so the clear-eyed people can see at a glance that this is not something for Cixi to eat.
But it was not a coincidence that the little cook who made this dim sum just happened to be absent and put the dim sum on the table, and at this time, the little eunuch who passed the meal just came over, I don't know if it was a bad look or too bold, and directly brought this very poorly sold dim sum to Cixi.
I thought that this little eunuch who was passing on the meal was going to move his head, but the result was a big surprise. Perhaps accustomed to decorating exquisite dishes, this contrasting cake was just served, which aroused Cixi's interest and did not hesitate to eat it. After tasting it, he kept praising its delicious taste, and then asked the name of the cake, and the little eunuch who passed the meal had taken it by mistake, he had never seen this dish before, and he suddenly panicked.
Cixi was suddenly a little unhappy when she saw this, and the people on the side rushed to the round field and said, This cake is round and full, it is a symbol of consummation and abundance, and many blessings, which suddenly reached Cixi's heart, and after being happy, she gave the name "Door Nail Meat Cake", and this name has been passed down to this day. Later, this cake became Cixi's favorite snack, and after the late Qing Dynasty, it was spread to the people and developed into a flavor snack in Beijing today.
Royal people fall in love with simple and ordinary food, in fact, it is understandable, after all, these royals eat all day long, and it is inevitable that there will be a day of eating tiredness, so it is natural to have a unique feeling when they accidentally try to eat clear soup and water. Everyone loves good food, especially royals. The deliciousness of food has little to do with the process of making it, the preciousness of ingredients, and many of the foods that people love are simple and pure, without any gorgeous appearance and picky and exquisite. Instead of the flashy, it is those that look high-class food, so that the royals who eat too much mountain and sea flavors have slowly developed a strong interest in simple and simple food.
bibliography:
"A Complete Book of Chinese Cuisine Cooking Methods"
The Forbidden City
"Mystery Of Beijing"
Customs of Old Beijing