The autumn wind sounds, and the crab feet itch. As soon as the cold dew passed, the crabs in the north and south of the river were fresh, and the crabs that had been brewing for a year quickly seized the limelight of crayfish and became regular customers on the table, supper food stalls and so on.
China is rich in land and food, and few delicacies can dominate the whole people and dominate the gastronomic rivers and lakes. Crab is a special case, it is a rare food for all ages, literati and gourmets. As Mr. Liang Shiqiu said, crab is delicious, loved by everyone, and there is no distinction between north and south, regardless of elegance.
Whether it is the shell of jin chengcheng after steaming or the crab yellow fat paste after gently prying open, it makes people's taste buds open and salivate.
Since ancient times, crabs have made many literati and merchants and politicians flourish and splash ink. Whether it is Su Dongpo and Li Bai in ancient times, or Wang Zengqi, Cai Lan and other people in modern times, they are willing to bow down to it.
But among these poets and gourmets, the most memorable thing about the writing of crabs is Cao Xueqin, who in the book "Dream of the Red Chamber", uses crabs as an introduction, yang a few chapters, that is, writes a big article on crabs, such as what crabs to eat, how to eat crabs, how to match crabs to eat delicious, etc. In addition, he shows the sophistication of the friends of the enemy family through crabs.
In the book "Dream of the Red Chamber", Shi Xiangyun knotted the Begonia Society as a guest of the Eastern Feast, suffering from not being too considerate of himself, Bao Chao offered a plan to make the fat crab sent by the pawnshop guys at home to the east, and invited the old ladies and ladies to participate in the crab feast.
First, this crab is loved by more than half of the old and young, and second, the crab is produced with high quality, the price is not low, and it is also the favorite of the literati and scholars of the past generations, and it can also be used for banqueting.
<h1>What kind of crab was eaten in the dream of the Red Chamber</h1>
One side raises crabs in the soil and water, and as the food offered by Baochao, it must be of high quality so as not to lose etiquette.
According to the data, there are more than 6,000 kinds of crabs in the world today, and more than 500 kinds of crab species in China. Among these crabs, according to the geographical location and living conditions of crabs, they are divided into "three, five, nine and so on".
Shi Jinmo, the four famous doctors of the Republic of China, once drew a "crab class theory", dividing crabs into three, five, nine and three, the first class is lake crab, the second class is river crab, the third class is river crab, the fourth class is a stream crab, the fifth class is a ditch crab, and the sixth class is a sea crab. Among these six crabs, the first four crabs are of the same category, all of which are river crabs, also known as Chinese crabs.
River crabs like to live in caves on the banks of rivers and lakes with fresh water quality and abundant aquatic grass, green back and white belly, golden claw yellow hair, delicious and nutritious flesh, and also have full crab yellow and fat crab paste, which is deeply loved by the people in the north and south of the river, and is firmly at the head of the crab feast.
The fat crab in the box of "Dream of the Red Chamber" originates from the river crab on the bank of the field bank of Baochao's own pawnshop, growing between the fields and banks in the Jinling area, the water quality of the field bank is clear, and there are many nutrients in the water, so breeding in such an environment should be regarded as the best choice.
In recent years, the question of who is more delicious about sea crabs and river crabs has even been more difficult to answer than whether rice dumplings are salty or sweet, and whether tofu brains are sweet or salty.
People who love sea crabs, hungry for the fat and rich crab meat of sea crabs, deeply dislike the thin body of river crabs. And the diners who love river crabs love the delicate and delicate meat of river crabs, as well as the delicious taste produced by the season - crab yellow crab paste, they avoid sea crabs, deeply aware that sea crab meat is rough and chai, and the sea fishy taste is less fresh and sweet.
Each has its own opinions and debates.
Leaving aside the river crab and sea crab dispute, all that remains is the selection of the crab itself.
Chinese cuisine pays attention to the seasons and caters to the seasons in order to enjoy the gifts of nature and time. Eating crabs, pay attention to the September umbilicus and October tip.
In "Dream of the Red Chamber", the association banquet coincides with the Ninth Yang Festival in September, and people who know how to eat will deliberately pick a group. Wang Xifeng loved this crab full of yellow crabs, but she had to follow the footsteps of the old lady and go home first. When I arrived home, I hurriedly let Ping'er go to get crabs to eat, and Ping'er specially instructed that she should take a few more navels, knowing that this season's umbilicus is the right time, and it is the supreme delicacy.
<h1>How crabs are cooked is more delicious</h1>
Steaming crab is one of the best ways to lock in the umami flavor of crab.
The crab feast has just begun, Sister Feng shouted, crabs should not be taken more, still placed on the steamer, take ten on the table first, and then take it after eating. As soon as the steamed crabs came to the table, each of them broke off the crab yellow fat paste, white jade tender meat, and then bumped some hot wine to drink. The masters are slow and methodical, and the movements are decent, and the meat is removed, without losing everyone's demeanor.
The maids helped to pick a shell of crab yellow, drizzled with ginger vinegar, and handed it to the master. Just a few words of description, let people feel that this crab feast is hot and the umami aroma fills the whole room, which makes people hungry.
Steamed crab, coupled with a little ginger vinegar, the simple way to eat is the most able to feel the delicious charm of crab, which is also the most basic standard for eating crab, and it is a must for gourmets.
That said, the controversy over crabs is no less intense than the ratio of river crabs to sea crabs. Yuan Mei said that crabs should be eaten alone, not with other things. It is best to cook it in a light salt soup and eat it yourself. Although the steamed taste is complete, it is too faint to lose.
In my opinion, the crab is delicious, it has a uniquely boiled sweetness when it is cooked alone, steamed with steamed incense, integrated into all parts of the country, under the cooking of people in all walks of life, it changes into a different taste with local characteristics. Just like cooking alone is a classic, basic model, and in various places, there will be customized models from various places, each with its own love.
Drunken crabs in Shanghai, spicy crabs in Sichuan, shrimp and crab porridge in Chaoshan Province, typhoon shelter crabs in Hong Kong, Amami crabs in Macau, steamed rice with red flies in Tainan, baked crabs in Dongguan, etc., the eating habits and living environment of people in each region affect people's treatment of crabs, which is enough to make people fascinated.
<h1>Crab wine was not originally intended for deliciousness</h1>
Nowadays, crab with shochu, like Korean fried chicken with Coke, is a perfect match. But initially, crab with wine, but not entirely for the sake of delicious.
Bao Yu wrote a drooling poem that was not on the table, and hid the crab's eating guide and habits, etc., all in it.
Holding the claw is more like the shade of the cinnamon, and the vinegar is poured to beat the ginger.
The gluttonous king and grandson should have wine, but the rampaging prince has no intestines.
The umbilicus is cold and undesirable, and the fingers are stained with fishy wash and fragrant.
Originally a beautiful mouth for the world, Po Xian once laughed and was busy all his life.
Crab has always been regarded as a cold food, eating too much hurts the body, while eating with some shochu to drink, in order to suppress the cold. The old lady prefers crabs, but she knows that this crab is not a "good thing", because eating too much body can not offset, eating and leaving also special instructions to the frail Lin Daiyu and the heart liver baby Jia Baoyu, can not be gluttonous, greedy stomach pain.
Lin Daiyu only ate some crab sandwich meat and did not dare to eat more, but after a moment, she felt a slight pain in her heart, and asked herself to drink a piece of heying soju to ease the cold of the crab.
<h1>A meal of crab costs ordinary people a year</h1>
Crabs were not ordinary people's food at first, and fat crabs were especially especially fat, and their crab feast was not vain at all.
In the words of Grandma Liu: "Such a crab is worth five points and a pound this year." Ten pounds and five dollars, five five two two five, three five one fifteen, and then put on wine and vegetables, a total of more than twenty two silver. Amitabha! The money for this meal is enough for our family to live for a year. ”
The crab feast is the east made by Shi Xiangyun, but it is Baochao who is funded, which is not a secret help, but a human feeling on the door, Baochao kills two eagles with one stone, does Shi Xiangyun's human affection, and gets the praise of the old lady.
From the old lady's praise for Baochao and Baochao's ingenious suggestions, it is not difficult to see that the people in the large families of equal opponents are sophisticated, coming and going, like a dark surge, but they are invisibly changing the direction of the sea.
<h1>How exquisite can you be at eating crabs</h1>
Although the crab is delicious, it is inconvenient to eat, and even after steaming, people are often stabbed by its sharp claws. Therefore, people invented special tools for eating crabs.
Since the Ming Dynasty, it has invented the "eight pieces of crabs" specially used to eat crabs, such as hammers, upsets, tongs, shovels, spoons, forks, scrapes, needles, and has now developed to dozens of species.
The book does not describe in detail the pomp and circumstance of eating crabs, but in the 86th edition of the serial "Dream of the Red Chamber", Zhen Shiyin invited Jia Yucun, who was suffering from not being entangled in Beijing, to drink together, and in just a few minutes of footage, it perfectly reproduced the pomp and circumstance of eating crabs, which was eye-opening.
Under the golden autumn moon, the osmanthus flowers are fragrant, the clouds are light and the wind is light, and this poor scholar in Jia Yu Village is treated by Zhen Shiyin with fat crabs and good wine.
The child took out the crab from the steaming steamer, and the two guests took out the needle without hurry, pried open the crab, used chopsticks to clip a piece of yellow paste white meat, dipped a mouthful of vinegar ginger, and then gently tapped the crab's foot with a hammer.
In just a few minutes of footage, it shows the exquisiteness of the literati yake eating crabs, and the screen also makes people salivate.
<h1>Eating crab slowly and leisurely is sophisticated</h1>
For the love of crabs, whether it is Cao Xueqin or the literati yake, it should not only be obsessed with a paste and a yellow, but in the change of seasons, golden autumn holding wine, with slow and leisurely movements, to open a crab, and then use slow and leisurely movements to wait for the growth of a crab, once a year, the autumn wind rises, and there is less loneliness.
Some people say that crabs are useless, the content that can be eaten is limited, and it is extremely difficult to remove the carapace, if it is only for a full stomach, it is not as good as swallowing a bowl of braised meat, but the exquisite trouble makes the crab eater have a slow leisure and elegance.
Cao Xueqin put the crab on the table, slowly tasting, chanting poems, not only secretly pinching her own hobbies, telling the world about the delicacies of crabs, as well as large families, paying attention to food, knowing how to eat, will eat, and not violently destroy natural objects. In addition, it also falls together with the crabs, hiding that the opponents are evenly matched and sophisticated, which makes people not to clap their hands.
<h1>Resources</h1>
Zhu Jinrong, Gu Jilin, Hu Huigen, "Characteristics and Propagation Technology of Crab in Yangcheng Lake", Modern Agricultural Science and Technology, No. 8, 2012
Cao Xueqin: Dream of the Red Chamber, New World Press, September 2011
Yuan Ming: "Suiyuan Food List", Tianjin People's Publishing, August 2017
Cai Lan: "Eat Well today", Beijing Times Chinese Literature Bureau, January 2016
Liang Shiqiu: "Yashe Talks About Eating", Beijing Literature and Art Publishing House, January 2018