Ann can follow the grasshoppers and jump in the mud. —— "White Sparrow Flock Flying High" Ming Chen Xianzhang
In the ancient society of our country, agriculture has always been established. Agricultural production is a major event for the country and the people, if the wind and rain are smooth in the middle of the year, if there is no disaster, then the grain harvest, everyone can eat a full meal, wear a warm clothes, this is the best thing, the monarch is happy, the people are happy. However, if there is a disaster, then the lives of ordinary people will suffer.
There were many agricultural disasters in ancient times, and some of them were also brought about by animals, such as locusts. Locusts were a very serious disaster in ancient societies, and unlike floods and droughts in natural disasters, locusts would directly wipe out the crops that people planted. People can only watch the locusts cross the border and eat all the food rations of the people, but there is no way.
When we watch ancient TV dramas now, especially when interpreting locust plagues, in the face of the overwhelming number of locusts, many people can't help but have a question in their hearts, that is, why would the victims rather starve to death than eat locusts?
Everyone has this kind of question is actually very simple, that is, in modern life, people can often see the appearance of roast locusts on roadside stalls, and the taste is very delicious. However, in ancient times, locusts were not actually able to be used as food as they are now. In this regard, experts explain: want to, but can not eat.
First, locusts that dare not eat
Locust plagues generally occur with drought because of the habit of locusts, and locust eggs hatch on a large scale during dry years, resulting in drought and locust plagues coming at the same time. These two kinds of disasters come together, and the people's lives are naturally extremely difficult.
The ancient people were not scientifically developed, and it was very difficult for them to explain such a phenomenon, so they were generally superstitious in their thinking, and they regarded these two disasters as the punishment of heaven. Especially the locusts, they even deduced the locust god, whenever the locust plague broke out, the local people did not actively protect their farmland, but would work with the magistrates and the respected elderly in the village to carry the gifts used to sacrifice the locust god to the roadside to sacrifice the locust god.
Since even the locusts have evolved into a dominant deity, the common people naturally do not dare to have any crooked ideas about the locusts and catch the locusts to eat, which is naturally even more unimaginable. Originally, everyone had worshipped the locust god, and maybe the locust god would not let the locusts wreak havoc in this area once they were happy. But if someone had to catch the locusts and eat them, and then bring the locusts over, the people would not have eaten the locusts alive.
Therefore, this is why the common people dare not eat locusts, because they are very superstitious, thinking that there is a locust god behind the locusts, and it is under such a superstitious thought that they do not dare to move the idea of eating locusts, in case they anger the locust god behind them, and it is not the common people who suffer in the end.
In addition to not being afraid to eat, there are other reasons, do you know what it is?
The second is that they cannot eat, and the ancient people were not only superstitious in their thinking, but also had no desire to eat for locusts.
Second, the locusts that cannot be eaten
The adult locust is very large, and more importantly, the locust does not have any flesh like the flesh of the animals such as the chickens, ducks and sheep raised by everyone, and the locust can now see in addition to a hard shell, that is, the internal organs and its tail, since there is no place to eat, why do the people bother to catch and eat it?
The locusts we eat now are the kind of roasted locusts that can be seen everywhere in street stalls, if you look closely, you will find that the locusts they roast are very small, in fact, this locust still has a lot of protein, its shell is not very hard, and it can be very crispy when roasted. This small locust is a locust that grows for a few days after the locust hatches, which is very different from the adult locust that occurs when the locust plague occurs.
This is why the people feel that locusts cannot be eaten, because it really has nothing to eat. Not only that, but the people also believe that the locusts may cause damage to the human body after eating.
Once, when Tang Taizong Li Shimin went to the imperial garden to admire the flowers and relieve his boredom, he once saw that there were a lot of locusts in the garden, so the angry Li Shimin grabbed a locust casually and then stuffed it into his mouth without hesitation.
When the ministers around them saw this scene, they were all shocked into a cold sweat, and they rushed forward to stop Li Shimin, and they advised Li Shimin that eating locusts might be detrimental to his body. However, Li Shimin said coldly to these gods, he knew that the locusts might damage his dragon body if they ate it, but he just hoped that the phantom day would not bother the people of data again, and he hoped that disasters could befall him Li Shimin alone, and not let the people bear too many disasters.
Whether it was a show or not, Li Shimin's remarks were supported by many ministers. However, this also exposed a problem, that is, people at that time generally believed that locusts would cause damage to people's bodies if they were eaten. In fact, this can also be understood, after all, the locust is a hard armor, if you eat it like this, it is not only difficult to swallow, but whether it will cause harm to the throat and stomach when swallowed into the stomach is actually an unknown.
Therefore, the common people generally believe that the locust is an inedible insect. Moreover, locusts are generally overwhelmed when they cross the border, and if people stand on the passage of locusts, I am afraid that even people may be injured by locusts. It is not easy to catch, it is not easy to eat, and if it is not desperate, basically there will be no locusts to eat.
In addition to not daring to eat, can not eat, in fact, the ancient people also have a reason not to know the locusts, what is this?
This reason is also related to modern cooking technology, and the ancient people did not actually eat locusts.
Third, locusts that cannot eat
What is our general practice of locusts now? If it is not used as animal feed, locusts are generally only visible at barbecue stalls. This kind of animal barbecue is still relatively expensive, but there is actually a message that modern people's practice of locusts is actually only roasted and fried.
If you roast locusts, you can roast one or two, but if you want to catch so many locusts as a daily ration, how many locusts must be stored, ordinary people only have a pot for cooking, who would think of roasting a hundred or ten locusts every day to eat as food.
And even if they are roasted, what do they use as a seasoning? Do you just eat it? How is that possible? We now eat roasted locusts with paprika as a condiment, plus a little cumin, that taste, even the roast meat can be compared. Where there are so many condiments, the taste of baking is naturally extremely unpalatable.
And frying is even more impossible, the ancient people originally lacked cooking oil, every day to use these oil to fry locusts? It sounds feasible, but it doesn't have to be so smooth to do.
Therefore, in addition to not daring to eat or not eating, the people also have a problem of not eating, even if the locusts cross the border, they cannot catch the locusts to eat, after all, they will not take care of the locusts at all. If modern people travel through the past, they may also be able to teach ordinary people how to cook locusts, which may be a merit in the era of famine.
brief summary
When the locust plague is rampant, the people have no way to use the locusts as a source of food, and if the locusts eat up the rations they plant in the field, then the people will only wander around and beg for food from people in other areas.
If the locust plague disappears the following year, these ordinary people may be able to return to their hometowns and replant them through grain seeds borrowed from official uniforms or landlords, but all this depends on Providence. The life of the ancient people was so painful, although they once created a splendid culture, and their life was not as good as everyone imagined.
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