As a representative of the aristocratic class in the history of Chinese cuisine, the vast variety of Food and Drink in Yansheng Gongfu and the complexity of the feast specifications are unmatched except for the royal family. According to the different functional attributes, the gongfu feast mode can be roughly divided into three categories: sacrifice banquet, Yanqing banquet, and house banquet, and each category has many different types.
Sacrificial feast
Sacrifice is one of the earliest forms of the initial culture of any nation in human society. The Book of Rites, the earliest document in Chinese history to record the culture of sacrifice, clearly records the rituals of sacrifice of the Chinese nation: "At the beginning of the ceremony, the food began, and its burnt porpoises, its honor and drinking, and its humility and earth drums, as if it could be made to worship ghosts and gods." "As a typical example of the implementation of the patriarchal system in ancient China, the sacrifice banquet of Qufu Yanshenggongfu is undoubtedly more concentrated and distinct in the ancient Chinese sacrifice culture.
Confucius cuisine of "fairy duck"
The sacrificial feast of the Yansheng Gongfu consists of two parts: the sacrifice and the feast with the sacrificant. These feasts mainly include: sacrifice to the ancestor Confucius, the Temple of the Ancestors (in the Temple of Confucius), the Hall of Sacrifice (the Ancestral Portrait of the Lord of the East Road of Confucius), the Hall of Sacrifice (the Seventy-second Generation of the Duke of Confucius On the East Road of Confucius), the Worship Hall (the 43rd Generation of Yan ShengGong on The East Road of Kong Fu, kong Renyu of the "Ancestor of Zhongxing"), the Hall of Sacrifice of the Buddha (the Seventy-two General Gods of the East Road of Kong Fu), and other various gods. Other ancestral sacrifices are generally sacrificed to the first three generations of the living Shenggong, and there are two kinds of "Ming Sacrifice (Birthday)" and "Death Sacrifice (Death Day)". In addition, various gods are sacrificed according to their "birthdays".
The source of the development of the sacrificial feast of the Yansheng Gongfu should be the regulation of the food of the Yuanqi Sacrifice. As far as the offerings are concerned, the main ones are: tai soup, hemi soup, rice rice, millet rice, rice rice, sorghum rice, black cake, white cake, hazelnut, lingshi rice, mustard rice, red dates, chestnuts, green fish, deer breasts, shaped salt, celery, leeks, jingjing, bamboo shoots, pickles, deer pickles, rabbits, fish sauce, porpoises, spleen analysis, sacrificial wine, butter candles, etc. However, due to the different types, times and places of sacrifices, the specifications and sacrifices of various sacrifice banquets are also different, such as Big Ding, Zhongding, Small Sacrifice, Winter Solstice, Ming Festival, Pawn Sacrifice, Big Buddha Hall, Mu'en Hall, Shadow Hall, Baoben Hall, God Sacrifice, etc. The sacrifices and specifications used in these sacrifice banquets are obviously different.
The second category of sacrificial feasts is the feast that is arranged for sacrifice with the feaster. This kind of banquet is very solemn in the Yansheng Gongfu, and at the same time, this kind of banquet is also the main part of the banquet enjoyed by the Yansheng Gongfu, and occupies a very important position in the food and life of the Yansheng Gongfu. On various festival days, "most of them are set up with hundreds of tables." Due to the wide variety of ritual activities in the Yansheng Gongfu, this type of sacrificial feast even reached the point where there was no end to the day. Among the complicated festivals in the gongfu, the most solemn and extravagant are various large festivals. Before the great festival, it is necessary to rehearse for three days in the front yard of the Kuiwen Pavilion of the Confucius Temple, which is called the "ritual". "During the three days of the ceremony, all the worshippers attended the feast, and the temple was very lively." The sacrificial feast includes a full table offering, a finned fish bone offering, a fin offering, a sea cucumber offering, a pot offering, a meat offering, a vegetarian offering, and so on.
The style of yansheng gongfu banquet, the development of yansheng gongfu food life and food culture, especially the existence and development of this unique sacrifice activity of "the first in the world", eventually contributed to the unique sacrifice banquet of Yansheng gongfu.
Yanbin Feast
Since Confucianism established its status as "exclusive" during the Western Han Dynasty, Qufu can be said to have become a symbolic landmark of Chinese culture. The Confucius Temple of Qufu, the Gongfu of KongLin and yanshenggong, which had been inhabited for generations, had some special symbolic significance for The Chinese readers and eunuchs of the time. Coupled with the special political functions and social status of the Yansheng Gongfu, the successive dynasties and dynasties have been able to distinguish eunuchs and celebrities to visit the Gongfu, which has contributed to the formation of the second component of the Gongfu Banquet- the Yanbin Banquet.
Confucius cuisine of "royal belt shrimp"
The Que Li Zhi contains some of the pilgrimages of Ming Dynasty dignitaries from Dagui to Qufu, and from its records, all of these people were warmly entertained by the owners of the gongfu. During the Qing Dynasty, due to the closer interaction between the Gongfu and the imperial court and the official stream, the scale of its welcome banquet was further expanded, and the Gongfu Yanbin Banquet also reached its heyday. It can be said that the typical style of the dietary life of the Yansheng Gongfu and the distinct private style of feasting were basically formed in the Qing Dynasty. At the same time, due to the ming and qing emperors driving in Queli, as well as various Qincha sacrifice Kong and imperial court officials to Qufu sacrifice Kong and the imperial court sacrifice Yan Sheng Gong and Yan Sheng Gong Lady, etc., further promoted the development and innovation of the Gongfu Yanbin Banquet. These activities are recorded in detail in the Archives of the Yansheng Gongfu, which allows us to get a glimpse of the Yanbin Banquet of the Gongfu. Yanbin banquet mainly has the following forms:
The first is the imperial banquet used to receive the emperor, that is, the "Holy House Manchu Banquet", which mainly existed in the Qing Dynasty, set up in the specifications of the Qing Dynasty state banquet, and was closely related to the later Manchu Han banquet. The royal banquet uses a full set of silver tableware 404 pieces, 196 dishes, raw materials to bird's nest, shark fin, sea cucumber and other mountain treasures and seafood, the main dishes are: a hatched double phoenix, royal shrimp, bamboo shadow sea cucumber, green dragon lying snow, snow sweeping plum blossoms, eight immortals across the sea, whole sheep belt barbecue, etc., the most famous is the Qianlong Emperor praised the glass apricot leaves, clove tofu, gold hook hanging silver strips, Shili ginkgo, pearl shoots and so on. This kind of banquet accounted for a relatively small proportion of the banquet in the government, so it was not often seen.
Confucius cuisine of "Shili Ginkgo Biloba"
Secondly, in order to welcome the hospitality "to the sacrifice" and "the imperial sacrifice", the various "full seats", "Han seats" and "upper seats" of Chincha are the highest-grade banquets of the government to welcome guests in addition to the imperial banquet, so it is called "distinguished guests on the table", which is the famous "Swallow Dish Table", commonly known as the "Four Great Pieces of The Swallow Seat". It is worth noting that the "high-lying wine banquet" in the Public House Yan cuisine table: "When entertaining distinguished guests, it is necessary to set up a 'high-swing banquet', put out the high-lying tableware of the Confucius House, and serve more than one hundred and thirty dishes." But out of etiquette, the younger brother (Kong Decheng) ate very little, often shouting that the guest was hungry as soon as he left, and immediately reopened the meal for him. "The famous dishes of the swallow table include fairy duck and so on.
The "Four Major Pieces of Bird's Nest" of Confucius Cuisine
Again, the "mid-seat" and "mid-seat" for the hospitality of high-class guests are passed by the "shark fin seat". "Shark fin soup mat" is commonly known as "shark fin four pieces", starting with eight plates (dried fruit, fresh fruit four each), and then on the first large piece of shark fin, followed by two stir-fried vegetable line pieces; the second large piece of duck and two seafood line pieces; the third large piece of salmon on the big piece, with two mussel line pieces; the fourth large piece of sweet and large pieces, such as apple jars, followed by two rows of dishes, such as: rock sugar silver fungus, sugar fried fish steak. Less, on two plates of dim sum, one sweet and one salty. Then four porcelain drums are served, and if you have a pot, you can replace four porcelain drums. Because there are four kinds of white grouse in the pot, nan fried balls and oiled vegetables, chestnut roasted cabbage, roasted assorted goose neck. In the last four vegetarian dishes, followed by four small dishes, and finally served on top.
The second is the "lower seat" that entertains ordinary guests, and the "next seat" is divided into the highest specification "sea cucumber seat" and the second "eight flavor dishes", "six flavor dishes" and "four flavor dishes". The "sea cucumber seat" is commonly known as the "three major pieces of sea cucumber", first on eight plates of dried fresh fruit, then Shanghai ginseng large pieces, the second and third large pieces are fairy duck, flower basket salmon (commonly known as seasonal flower fish) or Shili ginkgo biloba. Each large piece should also be accompanied by two rows of dishes, such as pure live shrimp, fried fish, three fresh soups, etc., and the meal is still four, such as yuanbao meat, yellow stewed chicken and so on. "Eight-flavored cuisine", "six-flavored cuisine", "four-flavored cuisine" and so on are generally used to entertain guests' attachés.
Confucius Cuisine of "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea to Haunt the Arhat"
In addition, there are many types of Yanbin banquets, such as south seats, north seats, full seats, and Han seats.
The Yansheng Gongfu Yanbin Banquet presents different banquet forms because of the different levels of guests, on the one hand, it is the embodiment of the hierarchical system of ancient Chinese society, which to a certain extent shows the cultural connotation of the Yansheng Gongfu banquet under the homogeneity of the home country; on the other hand, it also leaves a rich legacy for Chinese banquets and dishes.
House feast
The third part of the banquet of Yansheng Gongfu is not only a government banquet with local characteristics, but also a birthday banquet, a wedding banquet, a festival banquet, a regular banquet for Yansheng Gongju, a regular banquet for government affairs, a white wedding banquet, and other types and more feast modes, and its specific specifications are nearly 100 kinds.
Confucius Cuisine of the "Three Perfections of Wei Weaving"
The birthday feast in the Yansheng Gongfu mainly refers to the feast held for the birthdays of Mrs. Yansheng (Yansheng Gongmu), Yansheng Gong, Yansheng Gongfu (Yansheng Gong's wife and concubine) and others. Birthday celebration banquets are the most solemn banquets for Mrs. Yan, Yan Sheng Gong, and Yan Sheng Gong, of which the "whole birthday" of the tenth is particularly important, usually for about ten consecutive feasts, this kind of feast is generally the mansion and banquet, the whole family celebration, Qufu, Jining and other local officials, scholars, business and dignitaries to participate in the celebration. In addition, there is also the birthday feast of the young grandfather and the young lady, which is the three-day specification of "preparing two celebrations and one". The birthday feast feast mainly includes "four major pieces of shark fin soup", "three major pieces of sea cucumber", "four plates of ginseng and ten bowls", "eight flavor dishes", "six flavor dishes" and other forms. Interspersed with activities such as "red packets".
Yan Sheng Gong shouldered the function of breeding descendants for the saints, and was even jokingly called that the large households where he was located only existed for the reproduction of the population, and his wedding banquet was naturally very solemn and extravagant. Generally speaking, such a wedding banquet can only be held if the Duke of Yan and his sons marry their relatives and their young ladies. Yan Sheng Gong and his sons and ladies wedding objects are all the homes of the magnates and eminents, so the luxury of his feast is not ordinary, as far as the form of its feast is concerned, there are mainly three major feasts, two large feasts, four or four rice feasts, ten bowls of sea cucumbers, four plates and six bowls of feasts, eight flavors of dishes feast, six flavors of dishes and other forms. The wedding banquet of Yan Sheng Gong can take Kong Decheng's wedding banquet as a hole to get a glimpse of the whole picture.
The feast of the Yansheng Gongfu is mainly a banquet held to celebrate a series of festive events such as the yansheng gong's inscription, and the opposite is a white feast to mourn the death of his family. In addition, the most common banquet in the gongfu is the banquet held by the Yansheng Gongju Changjia banquet, and the regular banquet for the government affairs is the banquet held by the relevant personnel to discuss the public and private affairs of the Yansheng Gongfu.
Confucius Cuisine "Yangguan Three Stacks"
As a typical representative of the ancient Chinese aristocratic court, yansheng gongfu has all kinds of lower-level laborers engaged in chores in its palace, and they also participate in various banquets in various ceremonies and sacrifices in The Confucius Palace; these laborers have strict and clear dietary treatment in the daily life of the Gongfu, which constitutes the food activities of the middle and lower levels of the Gongfu, this type of banquet, food activities with obvious local characteristics of southwest Lu, but also an important part of the Yansheng Gongfu family banquet.
The sacrificial banquet and the Yanqing banquet are banquets with obvious aristocratic and official nature, which more reflect a procedural and ritualistic form; while the Yansheng Gongfu banquet is a banquet form with distinct local characteristics, such as eggs, brown sugar, noodles, rice candy, and special dim sum sent by the "Twelve Houses" when the children of the Yansheng Gongfu are born, which are representative foods of Southwest Lu. At the same time, the "Twelve Houses" and the Yansheng Gongfu have different banquet locations and food dishes when they participate in the banquet, which more clearly reflects the characteristics of the gongfu banquet under the influence of home-country isomorphism.