What are the famous "foodies" of the Song Dynasty and why did they appear?

Zhao Xinfang, pen name Zhao style, was engaged in a variety of types of work and business management. In recent years, he has published a variety of genres of text on the Internet and in local newspapers and magazines. He is a member of the Chongqing Nanan Writers Association.

There are a lot of literati in the world, and even more foodies. But in ancient China, those who are known as both literati and foodies are indeed rare. Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty Yuan Mei happen to account for both, the two of them together, can be doubly interesting to carry on.

(a) two people are obsessed with eating, are eating as one of life's great joys

Su Dongpo has a mouthful of good fortune, since childhood, love to eat. Entering the political world after a lifetime of three ups and three downs, first was relegated to Huangzhou, then banished to Huizhou, and ultimately exiled to Hainan Island. China is a vast country, and the eating habits, cooking techniques, and types of fruits and vegetables are very different in each place.

Su Dongpo every place, in addition to the name of political achievements and poetry, there is also the name of food. Delicate delicacies like taste, known as a bowl of white rice, a dish of white radish, a spoonful of white salt "three white" plain rice can also eat, but also find pleasure in it, such as "Mouthful of lychee three hundred, not to be long as the Lingnan people", is really a food is not tired of the fine and not too coarse name! The

Yuan Mei is not like Su Dongpo danfang and dipper like sea food, the pursuit of color and flavor. He once wrote in the "taste" poem:

People's tastes like poetry, there are other sour and salty world does not know.

The first thing to look at is the color and aroma, when the pearl is on the plate.

He resigned and settled with the garden, in addition to eating a variety of food cooked by the family kitchen, but also take a lot of time to go out to play, looking for their own do not know the delicious food. After inquiring indeed, in addition to tasting, but also try to ask for recipes.

On one occasion, a friend surnamed Jiang invited him to eat a fragrant, beautiful color and taste of tofu. Yuan Mei ate it, and immediately asked for the recipe, Jiang was silent. Yuan Mei was anxious, said he would like to buy it, Jiang still did not show. Yuan Mei anxious for a while after a round and round, on the spot respectfully bowed three times to Jiang. Chiang saw the situation, said: Zi Cai (Yuan Mei word) has not bent over for power and wealth, but now bent over for tofu! After that, he gave him the recipe. In the crowd couldn't hold back, laughed out loud.

(2) two people for food labor, made a great contribution

In terms of eating, Su Dongpo not only good mouth, but also very diligent brain hands. It looks like in addition to being a gourmet, or at least a 3A or above level cook. Yuanfeng three years, Su Dongpo relegated to Hubei Huangzhou. At that time, the local pig meat cheap. Su Dongpo after some observation and practice, figured out a set of cooking methods, so he made a "pork poetry" to the people as an introduction: Huangzhou good pork, low price and other dung. The rich won't eat it, and the poor don't know how to cook it. Slow fire, less water, when the fire is enough, it is beautiful. Every day, I get up and play a bowl of it, so I don't care if I'm full.

(Dongpo elbow)

Yuanfeng eight years, Su Dongpo from Huangzhou comeback, but not long after the ostracism, Yuanyou four years was transferred to Hangzhou as governor. During his tenure in Hangzhou, Su Dongpo personally planned the dredging of West Lake and led the people to build the famous Su Causeway. The people of Hangzhou were grateful for his kindness and sent him a lot of pork and wine. He instructed the cook to cut the pork into large pieces, add onions, ginger, soy sauce, cooking wine and other condiments, stewed over a slow fire, simmered into a crispy flavor, fat but not greasy braised pork, everyone tasted it and praised it. From then on, the people named this braised meat as Dongpo meat, which became a traditional famous dish and was passed down to the future generations together with his character and poems.

Su Dongpo's poems and writings that have been handed down to us contain not only records of the unique cooking methods of pork, but also records of the practices of many kinds of vegetables.

For example, he wrote three kinds of vegetables: one is cranberry, also known as turnip, can be eaten fresh or salt pickle; two is the fragrant caper is the caper, caper steamed white fish; three is the artemisia, also known as artemisia, can be used as medicine, and the surface made of artemisia cold cake, smooth and delicious. And then wrote about the practice of Dongpo bean seedling, the bean seedling young leaves picked and cleaned, fried in sesame oil, put salt, sauce, orange peel, ginger and scallions, is a good dish for wine. In addition, there are Dongpo fish, Dongpo tofu, Dongpo jade grits soup ......

Su Dongpo described the food has a significant feature, that is, the use of popular materials, processing is not complicated, coarse in the see delicate, vulgar for elegant, coupled with his beautiful poetic narrative, that is to add interest miles.

Yuan Mei and Su Dongpo is different, he does not personally operate, but when the Bole, write a masterpiece of food. With the garden there is a chef called Wang Xiaoyu, cooking needless to say, Yuan Mei especially love to eat his dishes. No matter how high the price of others to dig Wang Xiaoyu, he was not willing to leave the garden.

Some people asked why, Wang Xiaoyu replied, there are very few people who can understand themselves, and even fewer who know the taste. That meant that Yuan Mei understood him very well and would savor the food he cooked. The deeper meaning can only be understood, Yuan Mei is a man of backbone, in the past when he was an official, he did not bow down for five and a half meters. Though I am a craftsman, I will not leave my confidant for greedy money now!

(Tea Eggs)

Yuan Mei spent a lot of effort to edit the famous gourmet food collected over the years into a book, named "Suiyuan Food List".

There are as many as 326 kinds of dishes, meals, and teas and wines described in "Suiyuan Food List". Eaters carefully study a deep understanding, will be able to enhance the self-cultivation in taste, at least to obtain a college diploma in food, from pure foodie gorgeous butterfly into a gourmet.

However, in order to say that they can make food according to the operation method described in the book, they still need to be willing to use their brains and hands as Su Dongpo did, at least to obtain a college diploma in culinary arts or above. To civilian food tea eggs, for example. The book says that the processing time required "two incense sticks". Just read the book must be confused.

(salted duck eggs)

Then there were good scholars repeatedly speculated after inquiries, only to know that the time to burn two incense in the temple is about four hours. Good scholars according to the law, the tea eggs cooked solidly for 4 hours before that book described taste.

(C) two eaters, in addition to natural hobbies, the important thing is due to the attitude towards life

Su Shi word Zizhan, also known as the word and Zhong, the number of Dongpo Jushi, Meishan, Meizhou (now Meishan County, Sichuan Province) people. He and his father Su Xun, brother Su Zhe are known for their literature, known as the "three Su"; their prose and Ouyang Xiu and called "Ou Su"; poetry and Huang Tingjian and called "Su Huang"; words and Xin Qiji and called "Su Huang"; and Xin Qiji and called "Su Huang"; the words and Xin Qiji and called "Su Huang". His prose, together with Ouyang Xiu, was called "Ou-Su"; his poetry, together with Huang Tingjian, was called "Su-Huang"; his lyrics, together with Xin Qiji, was called "Su-Hsin"; his calligraphy, together with "Su, Huang, Mi, Cai", was one of the four major calligraphers of the Northern Song Dynasty; and his paintings, together with Xin Qiji, was the founder of the Huzhou School of painting. In a word, Su Dongpo is a multi-talented person, in the history of mankind belongs to the wind hair rare. But he has a characteristic, although the eunuch sea sinking and floating, but a life of hard work, unwilling to go ashore.

,

(Muffin)

How to solve the depression? Then start with your hobbies. In addition to writing and painting, you can also be a gourmet and cook. In layman's terms, he is mainly trying to "relieve boredom"!

Yuan Mei is a child prodigy, from a young age, smart, quite negative talent. 23 years old, the gold list, high school, was selected as a scholar. It was a promising political star. During the Qianlong period, there was the saying of North Ji and South Yuan, North Ji refers to Ji Xiaolan, the editor-in-chief of the Siku Quanshu; South Yuan refers to Yuan Mei.

Because of Yuan Mei's arrogance and inability to integrate into the corrupt officialdom, so that his official fortune is not prosperous, when three years as a concubine, sent out to Jiangsu, has served as Lishui, Jiangning (now Nanjing), Shuyang and other prefectures, are seven sesame officials. Yuan Mei was 33 years old when his father died of illness, and he followed the rules of mourning.

(Water Dumplings)

After his return at the end of the period, he went to Shaanxi to work as a minor official. He knew that he could not stay in the officialdom due to his character. "Can't afford to avoid" well, less than 40 years old, on the grounds of support for his mother, resigned and returned home, and never again as an official. In addition to writing books and making speeches, he tried to improve his quality of life. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that, but I think I'm going to be able to do it!

Su Dongpo lived to be 64 years old, and Yuan Mei gave birth to his youngest son at the age of 63, and died at the age of 82. From all aspects of achievement comparison, certainly Su Dongpo big. But only from the enjoyment of years to see, Yuan Mei chess high. Regardless of how to analyze, I believe that the two are people in the dragon and phoenix, worthy of future generations to learn.