Cantonese cuisine is delicious, and seafood is rare

When we talk about Cantonese cuisine now, the first reaction is "fresh seafood", because today's people's memory of Cantonese cuisine is mostly based on the history after the reform and opening up - after the reform and opening up, Guangzhou goods were sold in the north, Cantonese cuisine gradually became northward, and fresh seafood was the main thing, in fact, it still depends on the Hong Kong flavor to go north; Before that, it was not easy for Cantonese people to eat seafood in restaurants. Because the freshness of seafood is so important, how can coastal fishermen deliver it to the city in time after it is caught, and how can the restaurants in the city maintain the seafood? If these problems are not solved, the seafood will be difficult to eat. Therefore, we see that the two most famous gourmets in Guangdong in the early days, Jiang Kongyin's Taishi cuisine and Tan Yaoqing's Tan family cuisine, have inherent seafood in them, but there is no seafood. Representatives of seafood such as abalone, ginseng, wings, and belly are all dry goods. Of course, how to make a delicious dish from dry goods may be more about cooking skills, but after all, it is not seafood.

Although the aerobic seafood pool solves the problem of preservation, and you can eat seafood in the restaurant at ordinary times, if you want to be more vigorous, you still have to try to be as close as possible to the supply point, or the supply is more convenient, so in the eighties and nineties, Guangzhou first had a popular seafood restaurant on the Pearl River, and then concentrated in the Saigon fishing port along the Dashatou River;

Eat seafood nearby, as it is now, and even more so in the past. Jin Wuxiang, who visited Guangzhou in the Qing Dynasty, said: "Yu is in Xijiang, Mr. Feng Ziliang is a fan of Yu Shufan, recording his "Pearl River Summer Bamboo Branches" cloud: "Xingle urges people to be a cup, and the restaurant by the Zhuzhu Bridge is opened." The seafood market is competing for the second time. (Jin Wuxiang's "Su Xiang Essays" Volume 6, Phoenix Publishing House, 2017 edition, p. 152) Shuzhu Bridge, at the junction of Nanhua Middle Road and Nanhua West Road in Haizhu District, across Shuzhu Chung, was built by Pan Zhencheng, the general merchant of the thirteen banks in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty and the richest man in Guangzhou. Haizhu was an island on the other side of Guangzhou City at that time, it was still a rural tea garden, and the fishermen of the Pearl River lived here, such as the "Yangcheng Bamboo Branch Words" of the South China Sea Zhiguitang said: "Lang fished and shrimp from under the bridge, and the concubine went out of the bridge to pick tea." Coming and going does not leave the bridge up and down, and under the Shuzhu Bridge is Nong's house. (Continuation of Yangcheng Bamboo Branches, Vol. 1, Guangzhou Science Book Company, 1921 edition, p. 22)

Then the question arises, was the so-called seafood at that time the so-called seafood obtained by these pearls "fishing shrimp under the bridge", that is, the fish caught nearby? If so, is this considered seafood? However, historical data and facts show that according to the ability at that time, they could only fish nearby, otherwise, who had the ability to go to the real sea to fish? What ability did they have to protect the fish and transport them back when they caught the fish? Therefore, in 1877, Deng Xian's "Yangcheng Bamboo Branches" said: "Cast the net and throw it all with great force, and the fishermen will be in Baietan." "White Goose Pond, the diversion of the front and rear channels of the Pearl River, the water is deep and the river is wide, and it is also not far from the diagonal opposite of the Shuzhu Bridge. Zuo Yiheng's "Yangcheng Bamboo Branches" also said: "The moon on the Shuzhu Bridge is like a hook, and the fishermen are seen releasing the stream." How many aunts and sisters-in-law, the whole family's livelihood is in Qingzhou. (Gong Bohong, Selected Words of Ancient and Modern Bamboo Branches in Guangzhou, Guangdong People's Publishing House, 2017 edition, pp. 43 and 89)

Of course, even if the Pearl River is fresh, it can also be called seafood, because the people of Guangzhou have always called the Pearl River the sea, and until the Republic of China, they often called the river as the sea. For example, Tan Yanmin, a Waijiang Yanyan, said in his diary on July 9, 1923: "After going to the sea, to the base camp, and getting Yinbo and Beijie electricity, Yun Shaoji decided to cancel Yang Chisheng as the commander-in-chief of the third division of vigilance, and wanted to go as generalissimo." ("Tan Yanhong's Diary", Zhonghua Book Company, 2018 edition) At that time, Sun Yat-sen's base camp was also the Generalissimo's Mansion, that is, the former site of the Generalissimo's Mansion in Haizhu District. In the past, "crossing the sea" was the "patent" of the Tan people: "You see, 'crossing the sea' (as the people of Guangzhou call it, but in fact they cross the river) already have cross-sea electric boats undertaken by merchants, and there is also a so-called "cross-water crossing", how can they compete with it? Since the right road is impassable, they have no choice but to take the wrong path!" (Jingguan, "Spring Bright and Charming Words of Zhu Niang: More Enough to Make You Linger and Can't Bear to Go", "Xinsheng Weekly", Vol. 1, No. 16, 1934) The reason why crossing the river is called "crossing the sea" It is also a source of origin, because when the early Pearl River Delta was not yet alluvial formed, Guangzhou was indeed facing the mountains and the sea, which from the famous Bodhidharma Dongdu landed in Guangzhou's "West to the Beginning" site, you can know that the "coastline" of the year is several miles away from today's river shoreline, which shows the vastness of the coastline at that time. Therefore, Han Yu ate a lot of fresh seafood in Guangzhou's "Chunan Food", which is recorded in "Chunan Food Yiyuan Eighteen Laws":

The horseshoe crab is as good as Huiwen, and the bones and eyes are negative. Oysters are sticky to each other, and one hundred and ten are born separately.

The tail of the catfish is like a snake, and the mouth and eyes do not match. The clam is the shrimp toad, which has the same name as the real wave.

The chapter lifts the vest pillar, and the fight is self-presented. The rest of the dozens are amazing.

I'm here to taste the charm of the south. Mix salty and sour, pepper and orange.

The more fishy the first to start, chewing and swallowing the sweat. But what the snake knew in the old was really cruel.

Open the cage and listen to it, Yu Qu is still uneven. It is not my sin to sell you, and it is not merciful not to slaughter.

Don't pray for the spirit bead to repay, fortunately, there is no resentment. Talk about songs to remember, and tell them to go together.

But this poem is only related to Teochew - it was written on the way to Teochew, and it has nothing to do with Teochew food. The poem should have been written after he entered the Pearl River Delta and before he arrived in Guangzhou; Mr. Qian Zhonglian's "Interpretation of the Han Changli Poetry Yearbook" said: "Wei Ben quoted Fan Rulin and said: 'Yuan He arrived in Chaozhou in the fourteenth year. 'Supplementary interpretation: the former "Farewell Yuan Eighteen Poems", looking for its narrative, covering the way to part. These poems should not be written after arriving in Chaozhou. According to the "Farewell to the Six Songs of the Yuan Eighteen Concords" and Qian Zhonglian's interpretation, the Yuan Eighteenth was ordered by his lord Guiguan to observe Pei Xingli, to greet Han Yu on the way to depreciate and give books and medicines; when he came to Liuzhou, Longcheng, he also brought Liu Zongyuan's concern and greetings, and Liu Zongyuan wrote "The Preface to the Southern Tour of the Eighteen Mountain People of the Yuan Dynasty". According to the "Farewell Yuan Eighteen Concordia Six Songs", the sixth of them shook hands and said goodbye in the area of Fuxu, that is, the southeast of Guangzhou, and the Nanhai Temple, and greeted Liu Zongyuan: "Send a book to the dragon city guard, when will Jun Ji be there." Hurricanes hit the gorges, and thunder and lightning collided. Ride the tide to help Xu, and the shore refers to a shot. Although the two rocks are cloudy, the water and stones fly each other. Although the clouds in Tuen Mun are high, they also reflect the waves. The remaining sins are not to be regretted, and the children should not be neglected. Hu Wei couldn't bear to say goodbye, and he was grateful to the bone. (Commentary on the Annals of Han Changli's Poems, pp. 1123-1132)

In fact, in the Song Dynasty, the water of the Pearl River was still bitter and salty. For example, Su Shi said in a letter to Wang Minzhong, the prefect of Guangzhou: "The people of Guangzhou are good at drinking salty and bitter water, and when there is a disease in spring and summer, they suffer a lot of damage. However, officials and powerful people have to drink the water of Liu Wangshan's well, and the poor have no reason to get it. However, there is a drip rock in Pujian Mountain, and the water has never been there, and it can be introduced into the city. Then he elaborates on the method of quotation, and asks for good deeds without leaving a name—"Be careful not to let people know that they are not guilty." This water project, which was later called China's No. 1 water project, was completed soon after: "Wen Sui is very good at leading Pujian water. He also instructed the method of conservation, hoping to "never give up." If you say anything, you will not be surprised." (Su Shi's "Eighteen Poems with Wang Minzhong", No. 11 and Fifteen, edited by Kong Fanli, Su Shi's Collected Works, Zhonghua Book Company, 1986 edition, pp. 1692-1693) In other words, in the era of the Su and Song dynasties, seafood could still be eaten, but it is a pity that this great gourmand did not leave a record.

Okay, let's go back to the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Minchu. By this time, the land area of the Pearl River Delta had increased greatly, the Shatian had been greatly reclaimed, the coastline had receded greatly, and most of the water in Guangzhou City was not salty, and Su Dongpo's "tap water project" was abolished at some point, but in fact it should have been used for a long time; as early as the 19th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, the great dramatist Tang Xianzu degraded Guangzhou to the south and wrote one of the best chapters in the history of singing about Guangzhou, "Two Songs of Guangcheng," which said: "There are thousands of wells near the river, and thousands of ships are rushing in the river." Qi pulse is like this, the origin is Guangzhou. "The well near the river can be drunk, and it is sweeter to retreat a little. It's just that in this way, it is not so easy to eat seafood in Guangzhou.

From the historical materials of the diet such as bamboo branch words left by the people of the time, we can only see shellfish and seafood that can survive and rarely marine fish. Such as the history of the lotus girl "Yangcheng Bamboo Branch Words": "The snail is not as crisp as the oyster, and it is best to fish in February." The winter solstice fish is born and the summer solstice dog is born, and the taste of the year is several feasts. (Shu Jin, ed., "Continuation of Yangcheng Bamboo Branches", Volume 1, Guangzhou Science Book Company, 1921 edition, p. 24) snails and oyster shellfish seafood, Jiayu is fresh from the Xijiang River, and freshwater grass carp is mostly used for fish sheng. Chen Mianxiang sang the beauty of Zhuqiao's seafood "Yangcheng Bamboo Branch Words": "Catch up with the fresh fish to sell in the market, and go through the waves and waves." The west wind reported that the prawns were beautiful, and the cream crab was better. "Summer peaches and autumn oranges are also invited, and oyster bream is more delicious. laughed at Su Yuju back then, and only knew about Meal Li and Jiang Yao. (Gong Bohong, "Selected Words of Ancient and Modern Bamboo Branches in Guangzhou", Guangdong People's Publishing House, 2017 edition, p. 55) There are shrimp and crabs, but saltwater or fresh water, oysters are oysters, and bream is light. It is not easy to eat seafood in Guangzhou.

Even in the coastal area of Guangzhou, such as Chaozhou, we can see from the "Chaozhou Miscellaneous Songs" written by Fang Shu, a descendant of Fang Bao, the originator of the Tongcheng School, when he visited Chaozhou in 1892 (later published in the "Youth Magazine" Vol. 1, No. 4, 1915, edited by his friend Chen Duxiu), in which it is written that there are more seafood than the poets in Guangzhou, but there are also more shellfish, and the excerpts about seafood are as follows:

Flying flounder like a swallow, high against the sea and sky wind - flounder flies out of the sea like a swallow. The meat of flounder is delicate and white, delicious and fat, and it replenishes deficiency and qi.

Cockle tiles, lotus shovels to plant oyster fields - cockle tiles, that is, commonly known as tile ridges or corrugated seeds of a kind of small shells, live in shallow sea sediment, the meat is delicious. In the Tang Dynasty, Liu Sui's "Difference in the Records of the Mountains" said: "The people of the Guang Dynasty are especially important, and they burn more to recommend wine, which is commonly called the heavenly burning." The famous writer Gao Yang believes that it is a blood cockle, "blanched and half-cooked, with green onion and ginger soy sauce, or red bean curd marinated and cold salad", which is very beautiful. Planting oyster fields, that is, stocking oysters in the seaside tidal flats. ）

Haiyue picks up the bird list, and the clams split the white fat - "Dietary Therapy Materia Medica" says that Haiyue, a very thin chitinous and translucent shell: "The main one eliminates phlegm and uses raw pepper sauce to reconcile the good food." It can consume food, and make people hungry. Cui Yuxi's "Food Classic" said: "The main benefit of the large and small intestines, in addition to the guange, jaundice, thirst." "Clams are also a kind of shells, the best ones are called Shih Tzu tongues, the meat is delicious, and it is called "the first freshness in the world" and "the crown of all flavors".

After the gray count, Zhang Guan was at the beginning of the tide. The Ming Dynasty Huang Zhen's "Sea Language" describes in detail how the moray eels are planted with grass ash traps to catch the moray eels on the way to the mountains to graze with the tide: "The eel is big, the body diameter is like a mill, the plate is six or seven feet long, the eel is sawy, encounters people and fights, dozens of teams, towards the tide of the mountain and grass-fed, the road gradually like a ditch, the night is salty saliva and glowing." The foreign people thought that they knew that the eel was also gathered, and the ash was burned in the thick cloth, and the ash was astringent, and it was difficult to move when it moved. The sea people killed and ate it, and its skin was nearly an inch thick, and the meat was very beautiful. "An eel can be caught in the mountains just like an eel can be caught in a tree.

Cockroach is a kind of small crab, which is generally considered to be poisonous, "eating more and vomiting diarrhea", so some Cantonese people use it to feed ducks and fat fields. But after being cooked by Teochew people, it is already a delicious non-toxic seafood. The explanation of Qu Dajun's "Cantonese New Language" is: "Put it in salt water, after two months, boil the water as a liquid, and put it into the peel of citrus, which tastes good." And the poem praised: "The customs are like vegetables in the garden, and they are white and sticky face down." It is difficult to fish because of fresh water, and it is easy to cook for more salt. ”

People call his book "Lingnan Yong" "write about the scenery of Guangdong", "Chaozhou Miscellaneous Song" can be one of the representatives, he himself said in the second half of the poem: "Erya reading is not sick, people should laugh at the gluttony." "That statement should be credible, then the Chaozhou seafood of the day is not enough.

Of course, with the use of steamboats, fishing boats can go out to sea a little, and the return journey is accelerated, and people's seafood appetite is gradually satisfied. Even in the Republic of China period, Hong Kong, where the fishery was more advanced and developed than the mainland, was still the first choice for eating seafood in the area of Aberdeen and typhoon shelter on Hong Kong Island, which was also a traditional area for water residents, that is, fishermen; Before Hong Kong was ceded to the British, it was thought that it was a market, and the locals lived there, all of them took fishing as their business, and the fishing boats on the other side of the river were still in the same style. Yuanzhang about to Zhenhailou to eat fresh fish, all kinds of to the complex, inquire about all the seafood items in the store today, cite dozens of kinds to the right, about to remember, such as the so-called seven days of fresh, grouper, Fang Li, fine scales, red oil, fire point, even occupy, Tsing Yi, mud yellow, three knives, raw scallops, Huamei, Fu Cao, Jin Gu, three whiskers, corpses, chicken fish, stone beams, tigers, can not be remembered, also have the name of the land, not detailed its real name also. Ordered to take a few kinds to view, then the five colors are colorful, many leaps have not been seen, with a few kinds of food, the taste is fragrant and delicious. (Yu Shao Song Collection, Zhejiang People's Fine Arts Publishing House, 2019 edition, p. 1241) In the city, there is not so much exquisite seafood. On the eve of liberation, Ye Shengtao went north to Jinghua via Hong Kong, and the rare seafood he ate was still in Aberdeen: "(January 21, 1949) I took a car to Aberdeen and visited Pragmatic Middle School. Jiang Zhongren and Zhu Guangxi were hospitable and hired small boats to the near side. Climb a hill and there is a Catholic monastery. Yang Jun of Yunnan took a photo for Mr. and Mrs. Yu. After an hour of boating, still returning to school, the banquet will be held. Aberdeen is a fishermen's gathering place and is prolific with seafood, including lobster plates, which are treasures. (Ye Shengtao's "Five Kinds of Travel Diaries", "Diary of the North", Joint Publishing Co., Ltd., 2002, p. 128)

For example, the famous owner of the Taiping Theatre asked the master of Cantonese opera Ma Shi to eat seafood, that is, in Aberdeen: "(March 8, 1937) At about 4 o'clock, Ma Shi and Tan Lanqing went to Aberdeen to eat seafood together. (Cheng Meibao, ed., Chronicle of the Taiping Theatre: Selected Diaries of the Theatre Owner Yuan Zhan Xun (1926-1949), Joint Publishing Hong Kong, 2022 edition, p. 600)

But back in the mainland, it was not until the late 1980s that Cantonese people could really enter the seafood era, and when I first came to Guangzhou in 1987, marine fish was still difficult to eat or affordable, except for shellfish. Later, not only the seafood pond technology, but also various other preservation technologies changed with each passing day, and the extreme Arctic West also had raw seafood eaten, although it was still better to be close to the place of origin.

(The author is a doctor of literature from Sun Yat-sen University)

The columns in this newspaper represent the author's personal views only.