On the evening of December 30, a Cantonese banquet called "Disappearing Famous Dishes" reproduced the Cantonese banquet on the old menu of the Republic of China at the China Hotel. The "Disappearing Famous Dishes" project is jointly curated by the Guangzhou Museum and the China Hotel.
This is the first cross-border cooperation between the Guangzhou Museum and the catering industry, realizing the mutual integration of culture, tourism and cuisine, and the team recreates the old menu of the Republic of China with "embroidery kung fu" to bring the public a taste of the historical flavor of the Republic of China.
"Disappearing Famous Dishes" feast menu
"The original intention of planning this project began with our research on the old menu of the Republic of China in the collection." Zhu Xiaoqiu, deputy director of the Guangzhou Museum, told reporters that although other museums in China have also tried to reproduce the banquets of the Han and Tang Dynasties, it is difficult to reproduce because of their age. In contrast, the menu of the Republic of China period can find more historical support.
Through its collection of menus from the early Republic of China in the 1920s, it can be found that the dishes and prices on the menu at that time were very different from those of today. Usually, restaurants at that time would offer two different menus, one for the ordinary diners to order, and the other for the banquet.
During the Republic of China period, the local restaurant in Guangzhou was the old menu of the South China restaurant
In order to more realistically restore the flavor of the dishes of that year, the project team sought advice from a number of Cantonese food giants and other authorities in the catering industry, and extensively collected historical documents and excavated the allusions behind the dishes. In addition, the team also interviewed Cantonese celebrities many times to sort out their valuable oral materials.
"In the course of our oral history collection, we interviewed a 98-year-old Cantonese master. He used to make dishes from similar menus, so he felt good when he saw the menus in our collection. Zhu Xiaoqiu said that with the help of oral transmission to obtain a more authentic restoration, so that the cultural relics in the collection are truly alive, so that the public can personally taste the cuisine of the Republic of China period, rather than just a menu displayed in the museum, so that history can really "live".
Executive Chef Xu Jinhui of Chinese Cuisine introduced the creative process of "Disappearing Famous Dishes"
Xu Jinhui, executive chef of Chinese cuisine, introduced to reporters that the restored banquet was conceived in the format of the Full Han Dynasty, and after continuous research and attempts by the team, it tried to restore the prosperity of Cantonese cuisine in the Republic of China period.
Through this project, many of the lesser-known traditional production processes have been passed on. "In the case of fried shrimp, for example, many young chefs are now unaware that there are seven processes involved in the early stages." Xu Jinhui said.
The method of making "Jiangnan Hundred Flowers Chicken" in the old recipes of the Republic of China
In addition, China Hotel is even more ingenious, combining Guangcai, a local traditional intangible cultural heritage skill, with the "disappearing famous dish" banquet menu, and ingeniously designing the cultural and creative work "Guangcai Dish Menu" to create a new cultural creation with Lingnan characteristics.
Four hot meats
On the banquet menu, during the Republic of China period, guangzhou's four major restaurants Wenyuan famous yangcheng's signature dish "Jiangnan Hundred Flowers Chicken", "Gold and Silver Chicken Cake" that concentrated on the "embroidery" kung fu of Cantonese cuisine, "Pineapple Bath Day", which means one of the eight scenic spots of Yangcheng in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and "Erjingguo", "Four Hot Meat", "Six Bowls", "Seven Inches" and "Nine Inches" and other Cantonese feast rules and procedures of the Republic of China, all reflect the cultural meaning of traditional Cantonese cuisine.
Collector Zhang Zhi donated catering materials of the Republic of China to the Guangzhou Museum
At the event, collector Zhang Zhi donated precious catering materials of the Republic of China to the Guangzhou Museum, providing valuable clues and references for the study and restoration of the cuisine system at that time.
It is reported that the "disappearing famous dishes" that have been developed will be launched in China hotels for a long time, and the dishes will continue to be introduced. Special discounts are available at The China Hotel with your Guangzhou Museum tickets. At the same time, the Guangzhou Museum will also set up a promotion point for "disappearing famous dishes" at the same time, and regularly carry out on-site tasting activities.
The menu of the Elegant Cantonese Banquet
[Trainee reporter] Wang Xintong
【Photo】 Qiu Minye / Part provided by the organizer
【Author】 Wang Xintong; Qiu Minye
【Source】 Southern Press Media Group South + client
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