Original title: The Royal Cuisine of the Tang Dynasty: Tang Xuanzong was also a foodie, and he was a knowledgeable foodie
The Royal Cuisine of the Tang Dynasty: Tang Xuanzong was also a foodie, and He is a knowledgeable foodie
Speaking of imperial delicacies during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, we have to mention Tang Xuanzong’s dining table. The delicacies on it could not only tie up Tang Xuanzong’s stomach, but also capture Concubine Yang. heart.
The imperial meals of the emperors of the Tang Dynasty were in charge of the Shangshi Bureau. In addition to Fengyu and other management personnel, there were sixteen people who were responsible for the main dishes, and as many as 840 people were responsible for the main meals. The food gods recruited from all over the country worked hard to serve their masters with exquisite meals, ensuring that the dietary restrictions of spring liver, summer heart, autumn lung and winter kidney were observed.
The eating habits of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty were consistent with his ruling style. He would eat well in the early period and eat randomly in the later period. During the Kaiyuan period, he was more disciplined, and during the Tianbao period, he tended to be extravagant. In the seventh year of Kaiyuan (AD 719), he saw a guard pouring leftover food into the sewer and almost killed him with a stick. During the Tianbao period, he rewarded Anlushan with delicacies, but they could not be measured in money. However, regardless of whether it is traditional or simple, his taste is still mainly based on barbaric food. He eats more bread for pasta and deer and sheep for meat.
The "Old Book of Tang" records: "The nobles serve all kinds of food to the barbarians." Hu cakes are an indispensable table food for Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. This kind of food with flour, sesame and onions as the main ingredients was a fashion on the dining table at that time, and Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty even loved it. In June of the fifteenth year of Tianbao (AD 756), Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty fled to Jixian Palace in Xianyang. He had nothing to eat, so he ate "Hu cakes" to satisfy his hunger. "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" records: "In the middle of the day, there was still no food, so Yang Guozhong went to the market to offer Hu cakes." It seems that Yang Guozhong was very aware of his master's dietary preferences. Although the conditions were difficult during the escape, he still found several store and got the food that the master liked.
Speaking of Hu cakes, people are reminded of the story of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty drinking with the disciples of a wealthy family in Chang'an when he was leaving Luzhou. "Tang Yulin" records that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty drank three silver boats in a row at that time, "all A huge stuffing, ride away on horseback." What kind of food this giant stuffing is is difficult to understand for a while. Later, it was discovered that the key to this giant stuffing is "giant". Among the Hu Shi series, only "Bi Luo" recorded in "Youyang Zazu" matches it. "Youyang Zazu" describes this kind of food using the three words "big and thick in shape", and what stands out is "giant". This kind of food was a very popular snack in Chang'an at that time. It was introduced from Persia. It has stuffing inside and can be steamed or baked. The varieties include "Cherry Biluo", "Smallpox Biluo" and "Crab Roe Biluo". If you look at what Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was eating at that time, you will definitely not abandon this food that he has already fallen in love with on his dining table.
Depending on the season, the cooks in Emperor Xuanzong’s harem would also adjust their pasta recipes. Especially during holidays, all kinds of delicious pasta would be served on the dining room table of the imperial dining room. August 5th every year is the birthday of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, which was called the "Qianqiu Festival" at that time. At the celebration banquet, a bowl of noodles is indispensable. This is the "birthday soup cake" that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty loved to eat, and it is now known as Talk about longevity noodles. This bowl of noodles hides a sad past event and reveals the bad habits of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty who were empathic and ungrateful. In the late Kaiyuan period, Queen Wang's favor gradually declined and she felt uneasy. She cried to her husband that her father had exchanged a short-sleeved top for a bucket of flour to make soup cakes for his birthday, but Emperor Xuanzong had long forgotten this bowl of noodles. Later, he still found some trouble and deposed the queen as a commoner.
"The Legacy of Kaiyuan Tianbao" records many special snacks during the holidays of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. Every year during the Dragon Boat Festival, the palace "makes flour balls and horned millet and stores them in gold plates. Use small horns to make bows, which are delicate and cute. Use arrows to shoot the flour balls in the plate. The ones who hit the ball will be eaten. The flour balls on top are slippery and difficult to shoot." ". Noodles are made from glutinous rice, wrapped in sesame seeds, and deep-fried in oil, just like sesame balls. Jiao millet is the current rice dumpling. On the 15th day of the first lunar month, during the Lantern Festival, the palace will make "noodles", "cocoon", which is a kind of stuffed steamed buns.
From the analysis of the "Gold and Silver Flat Wonton Plate" awarded to Anlu Mountain by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, wontons were also a daily meal of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. It is also a good choice to have a bowl when you want to improve the taste. Du Fu's poem records another popular palace food at that time, "Lengtao with locust leaves". "Liu Dian of the Tang Dynasty" records this kind of cold noodles, "The Taiguan ordered locust leaves to be eaten cold in the summer. In every court meeting with Yan Cuisine, the ninth grade and above were also provided as meals.
"This kind of thin noodles is made by pounding the young leaves of Sophora japonica and adding flour. After cooking, it is soaked in cold water, seasoned and eaten. It can be said to be the best way to relieve summer heat. Du Fu, who lived in the era of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, had the saying "The King Enjoys the Coolness" It can be seen that when the weather is unbearably hot, sometimes a large bowl of "Sophora japonica Lengtao" will be on the dinner table of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
Of course, Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was not A vegetarian, he was more interested in meat, especially venison, mutton, and wild boar meat. In addition to court purchases and presentations from various places, Emperor Xuanzong also had the habit of hunting, and deer and wild boars were often harvested. "Taiping Guangji" records two painters who sketched for Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. One was Chen Hong, who was ordered to paint the appearance of "shooting pigs, deer and rabbits" by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty; the other, Wei Wuyi, painted The "Old Book of Tang Dynasty" also records that in the autumn of the 23rd year of Kaiyuan (AD 735), Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty hunted on the Xianyang Plain of Jinxiao. A big deer appeared in front of him. Its body was quite different from ordinary ones. He ordered his bow to shoot it, and it hit the target with one shot. He also ordered the kitchen officials to fry it. "Hunt first, then barbecue. This kind of game may be Tang Xuanzong's favorite. After all, the prey caught by one's own hands will taste more delicious.
Cooked mutton legs are made into biscuits, which is another favorite of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. My favorite. "Old News of the Ciliu Family" records that when Li Heng was still the prince, he had a meal with Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. The imperial kitchen prepared a "lamb gizzard" and a plate of biscuits, and Li Heng used a knife to cut open the leg of the mutton. At that time, his hands were stained with mutton fat. After wiping his hands clean, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty said with satisfaction: "A happy life should be cherished." It is said to be the front legs of sheep. Although the meat here is not as fat as the hind legs, it has more refined meat and gum, making it more chewy. It is worth noting that during this meal, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty did not use chopsticks to pick up the vegetables. , but eating meat with a knife, which further demonstrates the strong Hu Feng on the dining table of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
As a super foodie, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was not superstitious about the skills of the harem cooks. Sometimes, he also changed his cooking methods. There are some new ways to eat. Lu Yan's "Miscellaneous Notes of the Lu Family" of the Tang Dynasty records a new recipe invented by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty: Xuanzong ordered the shooting official to shoot fresh deer and eat the deer intestines with their blood, which is called Reluohe. This kind of food is made from deer blood and deer intestines. It is very strong in nourishing the kidneys. If you eat too much, you will definitely get nosebleeds. However, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was very proud of this patent. He once gave it as a reward to An Lushan, Ge Shuhan and others. For generals in the army, this is not only to appease people's hearts, but also to show off their skills.
In ancient times, cutting sashimi was called "sashimi". Carp, although Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty liked this dish, he did not eat carp because his surname was Li, and the word "carp" was a homophone to the word "Li". In 731), he twice ordered a ban on carp fishing. In order to avoid the taboo, he switched to eating crucian carp. "Chief Yang Zazu" records that among the items he rewarded Anlu Mountain were "crucian carp and a hand knife". The painting catalog "Xuanhe Painting Book" contains the "Ming Emperor's Cutting of Squid". It is an indisputable fact that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty loved to eat sashimi.
A table of delicacies without soup is like a mountain. Without water, it loses its spiritual energy. Naturally, high-quality and delicious soups are indispensable in Tang Xuanzong's diet. It is worth noting that the soups that Tang Xuanzong loved to drink were not pure soups like spicy and sour belly soup. It inherits the tradition of not distinguishing between medicine and food in ancient cooking. Every bowl of soup on the table is mostly a good way to replenish the body and eliminate diseases, which reflects the desire of everyone to live a long life in the peaceful and prosperous times.
Li Linfu's son-in-law Zheng Ping was born with bald hair at an early age. Li Linfu loved him and gave Zheng Ping the "manna soup" given by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty to drink. When "Hai Lu Sui Shi" recorded the efficacy of this bowl of soup, it said that after Zheng Ping drank it, "a With this bowl of soup, I believe that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, who liked health care, definitely had black hair that fascinated the imperial concubine. Later generations discovered the preparation method of this soup, saying that it was made with Polygonum multiflorum, deer blood, and deer sinew. Perhaps it is just the tip of the iceberg of the secret recipe for this bowl of soup, because no matter how advanced the chef prepares the "manna soup", no one can prepare the soup that will make all the gray hair disappear tomorrow morning if you drink it tonight.
"Youyang Zazu" records that the list of foods given to Anlu Mountain by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty also included several secret decoctions made by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. Among them, "Jinshi Ling Decoction" was used to reduce heat and relieve internal heat. "Qianjinyi" records the preparation of this prescription; and Wushu Decoction seems to be a decoction related to Taoist health preservation, and its formula is unknown. From this list, we can also get a glimpse of Tang Xuanzong's eating habits at that time.
Indispensable foods on his table include: a kind of dried meat called "Broad-tailed Sheep Kuli", horse cheese, steamed pears, fresh wild boar and pheasant. No party is complete without wine. The wines that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty loved to drink were mulberry wine and sake.
If these scattered recipes that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty loved to eat were put together, and they were entitled to be named the "Hu-Han Banquet" in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, then the following would appear on Emperor Xuanzong's dining table: First, pasta: there are Hu pancakes, Biluo, flour dumplings, corn millet, noodles and wontons. When celebrating a birthday, a bowl of birthday soup cake is also included. In summer, a large bowl of cold sophora leaves is indispensable; secondly, meat: there are lamb gizzards, Jeluohe, Raw crucian carp fillet, stir-fried pheasant, braised wild boar, broad-tailed sheep's ribs, etc.; third, soup: nectar soup, Wushu soup, Jinshi Ling soup, etc.; fourth, others: horse cheese and steamed pears; fifth, wine: Mulberry wine and sake, etc.; sixth is the fruit plate. If Concubine Yang is accompanying her, of course a large plate of delicious lychees will be included.
With this table of delicious food and the beauty accompanying him, Tang Xuanzong's life was considered happy. But in his later years, he loved beauties and food, but he didn't love the country. He gave delicacies to Li Linfu, who, with his head full of black hair, tried his best to disrupt the government; Lushan's belly was full and his body was replenished, which in turn caused him to lose his country and hang his beauty. Finally, when he returned to Chang'an from Sichuan, he had to give up delicious food and practiced inedia without eating or drinking. , Died into illness, fate returned to the West.
In layman's terms, Tang Xuanzong's life was like a bowl of hard-earned pulled beef noodles, with meat, noodles and soup, it was perfect. If he knows how to cherish it, chew it evenly and savor it slowly, he can have soup, noodles and meat all his life. But this man, when the bowl was served, he finished the beef first, and in the end, he could only drink some clear soup. In one's life, one can only decide whether to eat meat or drink soup.
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