In "The Style of Daming", Zhu Qizhen, the Ming Emperor who was captured by The Transformation of Tumu Fort and was captured by The Wallachians, finally returned to his homeland. In order to save his son to come back, empress dowager Sun, who had worked hard and gave up her life savings, said all the good things in front of Emperor Zhu Qiyu of the Ming Dynasty, held a grand family banquet for him and welcomed his most beloved baby son's family. At this banquet, Empress Sun brought out a large pot of lettuce soup, personally served soup for her son and daughter-in-law's family, and personally opened Yukou to explain the origin of this dish to her daughter-in-law who came from afar. Ming Yingzong did not want to be followed, detailing the benefits of this dish. This Sister of Vala also ate with relish, even calling "delicious" and leaving a bowl for their best friend.
What kind of dish is this, worthy of empress dowager Sun as the finale of the banquet, to entertain his reborn emperor's son and daughter-in-law? Now let me take a look at the past and present lives of this dish and lift its mystery.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > lettuce is an ancient tribute to today's cuisine</h1>
Lettuce, a tribute in ancient times, has a history of more than 1600 years. Lettuce, also known as horseshoe grass and water lotus leaves, which are mainly produced in the West Lake, has long been a precious aquatic food in China. One of the "three famous dishes" in Jiangnan (Rhombus white, perch, and lettuce).
According to legend, the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty inspected Jiangnan and had to eat with lettuce every time he went to Hangzhou. The saying of "lettuce perch" that mentions lettuce and Songjiang perch together has appeared in the Book of Jin: "Lettuce perch, Wang Jue Muzhi". "Jin Shu Zhang Han Biography": "Han Yin saw the autumn wind, nai si Wuzhong lettuce, lettuce soup, perch. It is said that Zhang Han of the Jin Dynasty was an official in Luoyang, because he saw the autumn wind, he missed the delicious "lettuce perch" in his hometown, so he resolutely abandoned the official and returned to his hometown, and posterity called homesickness "the thought of the lettuce", which shows the charm of lettuce.
Fishermen in Hangzhou's West Lake have a long history of growing lettuce. According to the Ming Dynasty's "West Lake Tour", lettuce was planted on the Wangshan Bridge of the Su Causeway of the West Lake. Locally, lettuce can be grown throughout the year except for the big volt day and the ice period. Generally, it is necessary to choose ponds or inner lakes with a water depth of about one meter, fertile water quality, and convenient drainage and irrigation. Due to the low germination rate of lettuce seeds, the stems are generally used for cuttings. Dig up the overwintering underground stems in the mud or the aboveground parts of the growth period for cuttings. There are two kinds of planting methods: oblique cutting and flat cutting, and the water should be shallow before planting. From the beginning of May to the end of October every year, it is the picking period of lettuce, especially from mid-May to mid-July, with fat stems and leaves, fresh and tender, rich protein and the best quality. Picked lettuce, after processing, can be stored for a long time. With fresh lettuce, you can make "West Lake lettuce soup", "lettuce yellow fish soup", "shrimp mixed with lettuce", "lotus canopy tofu" and other famous dishes in Hangzhou. The cooking of lettuce is also very exquisite. Take the West Lake lettuce soup as an example, first put the fresh lettuce into boiling water, quickly fish it out, put it into the soup bowl, and then put the chicken, ham soup and salt together in the pot to boil, add MSG, pour on the dish, and then sprinkle with shredded chicken, shredded ham, drizzled with cooked chicken oil, the soup of lettuce emerald green, chicken white legs red, bright colors, flavorful.
At present, in the world, in addition to china's Shizhu Huangshui, Hangzhou West Lake, Lichuan Fobaoshan three major lettuce bases, only Japan still has a small amount of cultivation.
Why is lettuce called lettuce? He has a beautiful legend.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > beautiful legend about lettuce</h1>
Once upon a time, there was a Shilong Mountain on the south side of the West Lake, and there was a Tongjian Lake under the mountain, and there was a golden bull in the Tongjian Lake. Since having this golden bull, the wind and rain here are smooth every year, and when there is a big drought, the lake does not dry, and when it encounters rising water, the Tongjian Lake will not be full.
There was a rich man in the village who became greedy and bent on taking the golden bull for himself. He ordered Jia Ding to drain the lake water and carry away the golden bull, and the dried cow was present, and the family Ding carried the golden bull without moving, so he personally went down to the lake to help. Suddenly, the taurus sneezed like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, and suddenly the rain poured down, the lake soared, and the rich man and his family members all drowned.
Since then, the taurus has never appeared again, but a kind of aquatic grass has grown in the lake, the vine is like old ginger, the leaves are like duck eggs, and the body is slippery. In autumn, this aquatic plant blooms small golden flowers and densely coveres the water. Ordinary people eat it with its stems and leaves to cook soup, and the taste is particularly delicious.
In May of that year, the Emperor issued a holy decree asking the people to pay tribute. The people then picked two buckets of this water and grass to send, and also wrote a detailed and detailed description of the eating method. The emperor tasted it, the taste was fresher than chicken soup, and drank it. But no one knows what the name is, and a minister thought that the dishes produced by Renqiao would be called "Ren Cuisine". The Emperor issued a holy decree to make the dish a tribute. However, when the emperor wrote down, he wrote the word "Ren" as the word "莼". Since then, this aquatic plant has been called "lettuce".
In the Ming Dynasty, the lettuce of Tongjian Lake was transplanted to the West Lake, and lettuce became a specialty of the West Lake.
Historically, the record of lettuce first appeared in the Spring and Autumn Period, and he was praised by literati and inkers of all generations.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > historical lettuce</h1>
Lettuce is sensitive to water environment responses. Historically, the production area of Jiangnan lettuce has changed with changes in the water environment. High-quality lettuce first appeared in the Wusongjiang area. During the Six Dynasties and the Tang and Song dynasties, lettuce was combined with Songjiang sea bass to form the most representative flavor with Jiangnan characteristics. With the change of water quality after the Song Dynasty, the delicious lettuce in the Wusongjiang area was greatly reduced, and in places such as Jianhu, Xianghu and West Lake, excellent water quality produced delicious lettuce. In modern times, due to changes in the water environment, Xianghu lettuce has almost disappeared, and only the cultivation of Lettuce and Taihu Lettuce in The West Lake has been maintained to a certain extent.
Lettuce has been recorded as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. In the "Book of Poetry, Lu Song", there is "Si Le Pan Shui, Thin Harvest of Its Mao". "Poetry Biography" Yun: "Mao, Kai Kui also." After Lu Ji examined it, he said: "Lettuce is similar to lettuce, and the people of Jiangdong call it lettuce." "Lettuce is commonly known as water lotus leaf, lake vegetable, the ancient name of dew sunflower, mao, and horseshoe grass, brocade, missing pot grass, water sunflower, sunflower, screen, tiller, pure vegetable, silk pure and other names.
"Qi Min Zhi Shu" Yun: "Pure and easy to grow, the seed is shallow and deep, the water depth is fattened and the leaves are few, and the shallow water is thin and the leaves are more." Its sex is slippery by water, so it is called lettuce. ”
Early lettuce was mostly produced in the Wusongjiang area in the east of Taihu Lake, which is connected to Taihu Lake, where the water flows slowly and the water flow environment is very suitable for the growth of lettuce. During the Three Kingdoms period, the most famous lettuce seems to be in the Huating area.
"Youdi Zhi" Yun: "Emperor Wu made Lu Xun the Marquis of Huating in Han Jian'an, that is, he took his residence as his title. The valley is full of good fish, lettuce, and many white cranes, so Lu Ji sighed: "Thousands of miles of lettuce, not salted soy sauce."
During the Six Dynasties period, the water flow of Taihu Lake was stable, the ecological damage in the mountainous areas was lighter, and the water quality was cleaner. Gangnam lettuce is paired with Matsue perch to form a famous delicacy. During the Jin Dynasty, Zhang Han mentioned that lettuce perch was distributed in the Wuzhong area. "Han yin saw the autumn wind rising, nai si Wuzhong lettuce, lettuce soup, perch." , indicating that the leaves of early lettuce can be harvested until autumn. The "Lefu Poetry Collection" records the Nursery Rhymes of Jin Wu: "I would rather eat the lake hydrangea than eat the lake lettuce." "It shows that the water quality downstream is better than that upstream, and the quality of lettuce is also better."
In the Tang Dynasty, lettuce around the Wusong River was still very famous. The sea bass lettuce in the Kunshan area was most famous in the Tang Dynasty. "The valley water of the plains, the Kunshan sea bass lettuce, the sea and the land, who does not know." In the Tang Dynasty, in order to ensure that the silk lettuce was not washed away by the water or damaged by other animals, they planted grass belts around the lettuce, so that it became a landscape on the water. Yan Weiyan: "In the spring of jiangnan season, the leaves are as thin as strings. The grass by the pool is a path, and the leaves on the lake are like boats. "The excellent water environment makes Tang Dynasty lettuce a famous taste in Jiangnan in the spring and summer season.
The lettuce market in the Song Dynasty was strengthened by the central role of the Grand Canal in the Wujiang area, and when literati crossed the canal, they often stopped to taste it because of the name of lettuce perch, thus forming a large demand for lettuce. After the construction of the Wujiang Long Bridge, the Long Bridge area has a narrow water flow and the growth rate of the water flow, and the quality of lettuce decreases as the sediment of the water increases. By the Time of the Southern Song Dynasty, the finest lettuce had been transferred to a fixed area of ClearWater, which was the lettuce of The Lake of Yuechi Mountain. There is basically no sediment accumulation in the territory of this small life.
Habitat refers to the environment of the individual, population or community living area of the organism, including the necessary living conditions and other ecological factors that act on the organism. Habitat refers to the concept of the environment in ecology, and habitat is also known as habitat.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the water flow further deteriorated, and the quality of the silk in most areas declined, and the excellent silk was often concentrated in a narrow small territory. In Huating, due to the changes in the lower reaches of the Wusong River, the water environment began to be relatively rich, the water flow was relatively clear, and lettuce was once revived.
Before the Tang Dynasty, the West Lake and XiangHu Lake were not famous, and the water environment in the Jian Lake and Wujiang Changqiao areas was even more famous. "People above the six dynasties, do not smell the West Lake." After the disappearance of JianHu Lake, Xianghu lettuce began to become famous during the Song Dynasty. In the Ming Dynasty, Xianghu lettuce was still the best lettuce, at this time, there were few high-quality water areas suitable for the growth conditions of lettuce, and lettuce could not be collected in autumn as in the early days, mostly the leaves of lettuce picked in spring. In modern times, lettuce in Xianghu Lake is almost extinct, and the direct cause is due to changes in the water environment during the great drought. Compared with Xianghu Lake, lettuce in West Lake has been relatively stable due to the cultural and market demand of the West Lake since the Ming and Qing dynasties, and its cultivation has been relatively maintained.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the literati sentiment embodied in lettuce</h1>
Lettuce tastes between the two and the other, and it is one of the best in the light ingredients. Can taste this kind of taste between the existence and the absence, only a few literati inkers, so lettuce is also mostly for the literati to serve.
The most touching thing about lettuce is a passage of "thoughts of lettuce" left by the Jin Dynasty. According to the "Biography of The Book of Jin and Wen Yuan", "Zhang Han had a Qingcai, a good subordinate to Wen, and the King of Qi was set up as the Great Sima Dong Cao Seal, because he saw the autumn wind, nai Si WuZhong lettuce and lettuce soup soup, said: 'Life is precious, how can you be bound for thousands of miles, so as to be famous?'" 'And he returned home'. Zhang Han resigned his official post and returned to his hometown for the delicacy of his hometown, and since then, lettuce has become synonymous with wanderers' homesickness and return to nature. Among them, the Tang poet Zhang Zhihe's "Fisherman's Words" "The owner of the Crab House in Songjiang rejoices, and the soup of the rice and the soup also eats together." Maple leaves fall, hagi flowers dried, drunk fishing boats do not feel cold. And five other homesick poems are even more popular.
Poets throughout the ages have pinned their endless nostalgia on this small plant, and the wisps of nostalgia are as clear as the smooth and soft of lettuce, like the autumn water eyes of a lover; the long thoughts are like the indifference in the green water of lettuce, like the long family affection of hometown. "Three thousand miles from the road, two sideburns in the west wind." Greedy name laughed at Wu Qi, saying that the country sighed Su Qin. Toxing is not a drunken wine, but a family thinker. Poor tonight moon, alone with a stranger. "Isn't it time to go back, wanderer from afar?"
The Ming Dynasty scholar Li Liufang wrote the "Song of Boiling Lettuce", and wrote the lettuce as Wei MiaoWei Xiao: "Once you can make a thousand miles of lettuce, you will make my disciples shake their index fingers." The glass bowl is filled with jasper light, and the five flavors are full of sweet fragrance. The four seats on the plate have been amazed, and they dare not compete to taste it first. Shallow and delicate chewing is not enough, pointing to the cup and plate to love Yufu. ..."It is still mouth-watering and mouth-watering to read.
From ancient times to the present, there are many poems that sing about lettuce. The Tang poet Tortoise Meng has: "Tingzhou moon under the ling boat disease, willow wind high wine light." How many days to live in Matsue, to taste the sea bass and lettuce soup. The Tang poet Pi Rixiu has: "The rain comes to lettuce and the boat slips, and after the spring, the perch falls to catch fat." In front of the Xisai Mountain, all day long, the waves of envy are all dependent. Lu You's "evening flute comes with the wind to wear pillows, and the spring tide brings rain to send lonely boats." The restaurant's rice is fragrant and the city is silky and slippery. ”。 There is also such as the great poet Du Fu's "soup boiled autumn lettuce slippery, cup ying lu ju new." The Song poet Dong Siguo's "Wild Bridge Flowing Water Xianghu Road, Wanting to Pick Up Silk Rice Before Noon"; Bai Juyi's "There are still sea bass lettuce, coming to spring or planning to go to Jiangdong"; Su Dongpo's "If you win things to Sanwu, not only a thousand miles of soup"; Yuan poet Huang Fusheng's "Ice silk is cold and green, and cuidian is embellished with jade silk fragrance." "It's widely sung.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > concluding remarks</h1>
Empress Sun entertained her son and daughter-in-law with lettuce, which not only had the delicacy and scarcity of the dish itself, but also expressed the empress's longing for her son who was exiled to a foreign land. Due to the sensitivity of lettuce to the water environment, the planting and production area of lettuce is constantly changing with the changes in the water environment in various parts of Jiangnan. The first thriving lettuce producing areas are the Wujiang and Wusongjiang regions, and lettuce around Suzhou is a special flavor of the Six Dynasties Jiangnan. Lettuce combined with Matsue perch has long been a representative of Jiangnan characteristics. During the Tang and Song dynasties, lettuce from Jinghu Lake, Xianghu Lake and West Lake became the most famous lettuce in Jiangnan. Due to siltation and changes in water flow, the flavor of lettuce in the Wusongjiang area is no longer as attractive as before, and the degree of cultivation has greatly declined. During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, Taihu lettuce and West Lake lettuce were almost the last remaining lettuce flavors. As traditional flavors were valued in the 21st century, various parts of Gangnam began to restore lettuce flavor through water environment maintenance and scientific research. The emergence of lettuce flavor is not only a nutritious flavor, but also condenses the humanistic complex of traditional Jiangnan. The light beauty of the taste of lettuce is in line with the literati's pursuit of elegance. Poetry and paintings with the theme of caijing women are also a kind of cultural landscape in Jiangnan. Although it is a vegetable, the cultural connotation of lettuce is far more than other vegetables. In the first half of the 20th century, traditional culture was snubbed, lettuce also had a crisis of disappearance, and now the vigorous development of the three major lettuce bases of Shizhu Huangshui, Hangzhou West Lake and Lichuan Fobaoshan is obviously related to the return of traditional culture and tourism fever.