Historical stories about food

On January 3rd, the 4th year of Song Zhezong Yuan You (1089), Su Shi came to Hangzhou after fifteen years' absence. During May and June of the fifth year of Yuan You, heavy rain fell in western Zhejiang, Taihu Lake flooded and a large area of crops were flooded. Because Su Shi took effective measures as early as possible, the people in western Zhejiang passed through the most difficult period. He organized migrant workers to dredge the West Lake and build dikes and bridges to make it look brand-new.

The people of Hangzhou are very grateful to Su Shi for this kind act. Everyone praised him as a clever official. I heard that he liked pork best when he was in Xuzhou and Huangzhou, so everyone carried pigs and wine to pay New Year greetings to him during the Chinese New Year.

After receiving it, Su Shi instructed his family to cut the meat into cubes, burn it red and crisp, and then distribute it to the migrant workers who took part in dredging the West Lake. Everyone was surprised after eating it, and they affectionately called the meat he sent "Dongpo Meat".

2. Taibai Duck and Li Bai

Li Bai, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, lived in Sichuan with his father when he was a child and didn't leave Sichuan until he was 25 years old. When he was in Sichuan, he liked to eat the local famous stewed duck. Later, Li Bai was favored by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and was named a bachelor of Hanlin in Beijing. He made a steamed fat duck for Xuanzong according to the stewed duck he had eaten when he was young. Xuanzong appreciated it very much and named it "Taibai Duck", which has continued to this day.

3. Shi Tongue and Xi Shi

According to legend, in the Spring and Autumn Period, Gou Jian, the King of Yue, destroyed the State of Wu with the help of the beauty of the stone. Later, the King of Yue wanted to take the stone back to China, but the Queen of Yue was jealous of the beauty of the stone and was afraid that she would be favored when she went back, so she found someone to sink the stone in the bottom of the river. After her death, the stone turned into this shellfish "sand clam", hoping that someone could find her. She spat out a clove uvula and complained of grievances. People make this kind of shellfish into dishes and name it Stone Tongue.

4. Jiaozi and Zhang Zhongjing

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the famous doctor Zhang Zhongjing retired in his later years and went to his hometown of Baihe. He saw that many poor people were hungry and cold, and their ears were frozen. He told his disciples to set up a medical shed and a cauldron in an open space in Dongguan, Nanyang, to give medicine to the poor and treat their injuries. His medicine is called "Joule Soup for Eliminating Cold", which is to boil mutton, pepper and some herbs for eliminating cold together, chop them up, and wrap them into ear-shaped Joule with flour bags.

After the pot is cooked, give each patient two charming ears and a bowl of soup. After eating Quhan decoction, people will have fever all over, blood will flow freely, and their ears will be hot. It will be fine to eat rotten ears for a while. Zhang Zhongjing didn't give up taking medicine until New Year's Eve.

On the first day of New Year's Day, people celebrate the New Year and the recovery of rotten ears. They cook food for the New Year like burnt ears and eat it on the first morning. People call this kind of food "jiaozi's Ear", "jiaozi" or partial eclipse, and eat it on the winter solstice and the first day of the New Year to commemorate the day when Zhang Zhongjing opened the shed to give medicine and cure patients.

5. Light Cake and Qi Jiguang

Fu 'an, Fujian has a famous local food called Guang-bing. Speaking of the history of Guangbing, we have to start from War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Qi Jiguang. At that time, the Japanese pirates were rampant and their whereabouts were uncertain. Suddenly they flocked ashore and roared away. They attack at night from time to time, killing people and setting fires. Qi Jiguang led the militia to hunt down and suppress, and it cost a lot. He always puts off cooking, but he can't think of any other way.

Once, when Qi Jiguang was marching, an old farmer sent many salty cakes with a small hole in the middle and sesame seeds outside as comfort. He said, "Don't look at this naked cake. You can wear it with a rope and carry it with you. When you are hungry, you can tear it off to satisfy your hunger. " Qi Jiguang praised again and again and said, "Uncle, you are so thoughtful. Thank you very much. With this light cake, the March will not be delayed in the future. "

The news spread, and people from all over the country rushed to make light cakes for the army, and the name of "light cakes" was handed down from then on. Later generations sympathized with Qigong and called this biscuit "Jiguang Cake", which is still used in Fu 'an and other places.

6. Princess Chicken and Yang Guifei

One day, Tang and Yang Guifei had a drink for fun. Yang Guifei was as drunk as a fiddler and suddenly said, I want to fly to heaven! Xuanzong thought that she wanted to eat "flying" food, so she ordered the chef to cook a "flying" dish, which made the chefs very helpless.

Suddenly, a chef said in a hurry, "Isn't it just' flying to heaven' to buy some chickens and chop off their wings and stew them?" When this dish was served, Yang Guifei took a bite and praised it again and again: delicious, delicious! Because this dish is very popular with the imperial concubine, it has the reputation of "princess chicken".

Baidu encyclopedia-Dongpo meat

Baidu encyclopedia-Taibai duck

Baidu Encyclopedia-Xi Shi Tongue

Baidu Encyclopedia-jiaozi

Baidu encyclopedia-light cake

Baidu encyclopedia-princess chicken