【Gancai Story】Tai and Black Chicken

In order to dig deep and sort out the history and culture of Gancai cuisine, strengthen the publicity of historical allusions behind Gancai cuisine, carry forward gancai culture, and make the Gancai industry bigger, the Provincial Department of Commerce will carry out the "Gancai Story" collection activity and will successively publish relevant essays (this publication is not used as the basis for follow-up review). The call for papers will close on June 30, and all you are welcome to submit papers.

Tai and black chicken

Tang Ming

Taihe black chicken, commonly known as Wushan chicken, scientific name silk feather black bone chicken, originated from the top of Wushan Mountain in Taihe County, Jiangxi Province, has a history of more than 2200 years. Taihe nourishing black chicken soup is made by using local original black chicken, the whole black chicken is put into a sand pot together with goji berries, ginseng, red dates, guiyuan and other ingredients, simmered for 3 hours on a low heat, the chicken is stewed for a long time, the meat is crisp, the soup is sweet, and the taste is endless.

As early as 2,000 years ago, the medicinal value of Taihe black chicken was explained in the Shennong Materia Medica. In the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen systematically summarized the medicinal value of Taihe black chicken, and he wrote in the "Compendium of Materia Medica": Black chicken is used to make up for weakness and weakness, can cure stroke, fire, chest and abdomen pain, and food is beneficial to mothers. It can treat women under the collapsed belt, a variety of weakness and miscellaneous diseases, and diarrhea and confinement in adults and young children. For any condition, the black chicken can be boiled and drunk in soup and meat. Mash and stir its internal organs to make a pill and eat it. In contemporary times, black chicken is written into Chinese medicine textbooks and dictionaries, and is an important chinese medicine or raw material for Chinese medicine.

According to legend, Lü Dongbin and other "eight immortals" traveled to Wushan, coinciding with the Chongyang Festival, full of dangui fragrance and golden chrysanthemums, a peaceful scene. The beauty of Wushan made the "Eight Immortals" deeply intoxicated, and they visited Wushan again on the Chongyang Festival about 500 years later. However, after 500 years, the "Eight Immortals" revisited the homeland, but saw the demons in the Wushan area, the plague was prevalent, and the people were not happy. The "Eight Immortals" chose WuShan Wu Diefeng Beiyan to open an altar to refine Dan in order to save Cangsheng. After 7749 days of dan medicine refining, it was waiting to be baked, when suddenly the sky was dark, the demon wind was great, and the elixir was in danger. The "Eight Immortals" joined forces to fight with the demons while rushing to the Queen Mother's mother for help. The Queen Mother's mother quickly sent the maids by her side, the two White Phoenix Immortals, to carry the Yaochi Qiong Pulp Jade Liquid under the Fan Guardian Dan. At that time, the "Eight Immortals" and the demons were fighting bitterly, and it was difficult to distinguish between them. The two White Phoenix Immortals poured the Qiong Pulp Jade Liquid into the alchemy furnace, and the "Eight Immortals" suddenly increased their power and lowered the demons. The two White Phoenix Immortals were swept into the alchemy pool by the demon wind, and were quenched by the flames, and the skin, flesh, internal organs, and bones were burned black. After the Dan medicine came out, the "Eight Immortals" hanging pot Ji Shi, Pudu sentient beings, and the Wushan area was too peaceful. After the white phoenix fairy attained nirvana, it transformed into a white phoenix black chicken with "a bush crown, a tassel head, green ears, beard, silk hair, hairy feet, five claws, upi, black meat, and black bones".

During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Tu Wenxuan, a native of Wangpi Village in Taihe Wushan, paid tribute to the imperial court in his hometown of Wuji. The Qianlong Emperor marveled at the delicious meat and strange appearance of the black chicken, and if he had obtained a treasure, he appointed Tu Wenxuan as an official of Emperor Wenzong of the two provinces, and gave Tai and wu chicken the name of "Wushan Chicken".