Royal Diet in the Prosperous Tang Dynasty: Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty was also a foodie and a knowledgeable foodie.
Speaking of the royal cuisine in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, we have to mention the dining table of Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty. The food above can not only hold the stomach of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, but also capture the heart of Yang Guifei.
In the Tang Dynasty, the Imperial Grain Bureau was responsible for the imperial meals of the emperor. In addition to Feng Yu and other management personnel, there are 16 people who cook staple food alone, and there are as many as 840 main meal service personnel. These gourmets recruited from all over the country try their best to provide their hosts with exquisite meals and ensure that the food ban on spring liver, summer heart, autumn lung and winter kidney is observed.
Tang Xuanzong's eating habits are consistent with his ruling style. He ate in the early stage and ate recklessly in the later stage. Thrift in Kaiyuan years, extravagance in Tianbao years. In the seventh year of Kaiyuan (AD 7 19), he saw a guard pour leftovers into the sewer, which was similar to that in "Stick Kill". However, during the Tianbao period, the food he gave to An Lushan could not be measured by money. However, regardless of complexity and simplicity, his taste is mainly Hu cuisine, with pasta eating more cakes and meat eating more deer and sheep.
The Book of the Old Tang Dynasty records that "the nobles prepared Hu", and Hu cake was an indispensable table food in Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. This kind of food with flour, sesame and onion as the main raw materials was the fashion on the table at that time, and Tang Xuanzong couldn't put it down. In June of the fifteenth year of Tianbao (AD 756), Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty fled to Jixian Palace in Xianyang, and when he had nothing to eat, he used "Hu cake" to satisfy his hunger. "Zi Jian" records: "When Sun went to China, there was no food in the world, and Yang offered cakes from the market." It seems that Yang is very clear about his master's diet. Although it was difficult to escape, he found several stores and got the owner's favorite food.
Speaking of Hu cake, it reminds people of the story of drinking wine with Chang 'an disciples while driving in Luzhou. According to Tang Yulin, at that time, Tang Xuanzong drank three silver boats and "made a big stuffing and rode away". What kind of food is this giant stuffing? It's hard to understand at the moment. Later, it was found that the key to this huge stuffing was "giant", and in Hu Shi Series, only "Robbie" recorded in Youyang Za matched it. "Youyang Zaju" uses the word "heavy" to describe this kind of food, and the outstanding one is "giant". This kind of food was a very popular snack in Chang 'an at that time, which was introduced from Persia. It is full of stuffing and can be steamed and baked. These varieties are Cherry Biro, Smallpox Biro and Crab Biro. If you look at Tang Xuanzong's diet at that time, I don't think he would ever give up the food he had fallen in love with.
In different seasons, the chefs of Emperor Xuanzong's harem will adjust the pattern of pasta, especially on holidays, and various delicious pasta will be placed on the table of the imperial chef. August 5th every year is the birthday of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, which was called "Qian Qiu Festival" at that time. At the celebration dinner, a bowl of noodles is essential. This is the "longevity soup cake" that Tang Xuanzong liked to eat, and now it is called longevity noodles. This bowl of noodles hides the sad past and reveals the bad habit of empathy and ingratitude in Tang Xuanzong. In the late kaiyuan period, the favor of the queen Wang gradually declined, and she was quite uneasy. She cried to her husband that his father had changed a short-sleeved coat for a bucket of flour and made him a birthday soup cake, but Tang Xuanzong had already forgotten this bowl of noodles. Later, she nitpicked the queen as Shu Ren.
"Kaiyuan Tianbao Legacy" recorded many special snacks of Xuanzong Festival in Tang Dynasty. Every Dragon Boat Festival, the palace will "make dumplings" and put them in a golden plate. Make a bow with a small angle, which is wonderful and lovely. If you shoot the pink ball on the plate with an arrow, the winner will get food. The pink ball will be greasy and difficult to shoot. "Powder balls, made of glutinous rice, wrapped in sesame seeds, fried, like hemp balls. Corner millet is now zongzi. On the fifteenth day of the first month of the Lantern Festival, the palace will make "noodles" and "cocoons", which is a kind of steamed bread with stuffing.
It is also a common practice of Tang Xuanzong to analyze the "gold and silver wonton" given to An Lushan by Tang Xuanzong. It is also a good choice to have a bowl when you want to improve your taste. In Du Fu's poems, another popular court food, "Huai Ye Han Tao", was recorded. "Six Classics of Tang Dynasty" recorded this kind of cold noodles, saying, "The official ordered the leaves of Sophora japonica to be washed in summer. I will eat more than nine things every morning and provide them with meals. " This kind of fine noodles is made by mashing the tender leaves of Sophora japonica and adding flour. After cooking, soak in cold water and season with seasoning, which can be described as a good summer solution. Du Fu, who lived in the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, said, "You can enjoy a cool night, and the taste is timely." It can be seen that when the weather is unbearable, Tang Xuanzong sometimes puts a big bowl of "Huai Ye Han Tao" on the dining table.
Of course, Tang Xuanzong was not a vegetarian. He is more interested in meat food, especially venison, mutton and wild boar. Because, in addition to court purchases and gifts from all over the country, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty also had the habit of hunting, and deer and wild boar were common prey. Tai Ping Guang Ji records two painters who sketched for Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. One is Chen Hong, who once wrote a script for Shooting a Pig, a Deer and a Rabbit by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. The other is Wei, which depicts the heroic spirit of "kill two birds with one stone" of Xuanzong in Tang Dynasty. "Old Tang Shu" and "Records of Imperial Clans" also recorded that in the autumn of the 23rd year of Kaiyuan (AD 735), Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty hunted in the near-effect Xianyang Plain. "There is a thriving deer in its front body, which is very different from usual. Tell someone to shoot it with a bow, shoot it at once, and the chef will cook it. " Hunting first, then barbecue, this kind of game may be the favorite of Tang Xuanzong. After all, the prey you catch will taste better.
Cooked leg of lamb is another favorite of Tang Xuanzong. When Old News of Liu's Family was recorded as a prince, he had dinner with Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty. The chef prepared a "lamb arm" and a plate of Hu cakes. When Hengli cut the leg of lamb with a knife, sheep oil stained his hands. He wiped his hands with Hu Bing and began to eat. Tang Xuanzong said with satisfaction: "A happy life should be cherished". Sheep's arm is actually a boiled leg of lamb. Technically, it's a sheep's front leg. Although not as fat as hind legs, there are more lean meat and gum, which are more chewy. It is worth noting that this time, Tang Xuanzong did not politely use chopsticks to pick up vegetables, but used a knife to eat meat, which further demonstrated the strength of Hu Feng at the table of Tang Xuanzong.
As a super gourmet, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty was not superstitious about the skills of harem chefs. Sometimes, he will cook some new food in a different way. Yan Lu's Miscellaneous Notes in the Tang Dynasty recorded a new recipe invented by Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty: Xuanzong ordered an official to shoot fresh deer and fry the deer intestines in blood, which was called "warm collaterals and harmony". This kind of food made of deer blood and deer intestines is strong in tonifying kidney, and if you eat too much, you will definitely have nosebleeds. However, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was very proud of this patent and once gave it to military generals such as An Lushan and Ge Shuhan as a reward. On the one hand, it is to appease people's hearts, and more to show off his craftsmanship.
In ancient times, it was called "cutting sashimi", and the first good material for cutting sashimi was carp. Although he likes this dish, he doesn't eat carp because his surname is Li, and "carp" is homophonic with "Li". In the third year of Kaiyuan (AD 7 15), he changed to eat crucian carp to avoid it. According to the records in Emirates Miscellany, among the items he gave to An Lushan were "Carassius auratus with a knife", while in the Catalogue of Paintings by Xuanhe Huapu in the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a picture of Ming Taizu. It is an indisputable fact that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty loved sashimi.
A table of delicious food, without soup, is like a mountain without water, losing its aura. In Tang Xuanzong's diet, there is naturally a delicious soup. It is worth noting that Tang Xuanzong's favorite soup is not pure soup such as hot and sour pork belly, but inherits the tradition of ancient cooking. Every bowl of soup on the dining table is mostly a good way to nourish the body and get rid of diseases. It can be seen that everyone wants to live a long life in times of peace and prosperity.
Li's son-in-law, Zheng Ping, was born early. Li loved him so much that he gave Zheng Ping the "nectar soup" given by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. "Hai Lu Bao Shi" recorded the efficacy of this bowl of soup, saying that after Zheng Ping drank it, his temples would "disappear overnight". With this bowl of soup, I believe that Tang Xuanzong, who likes keeping in good health, must have a black hair that fascinates the imperial concubine. Later generations discovered the preparation method of this soup, saying that it was made of Polygonum Multiflori Radix, deer blood and deer tendon. Maybe it's just the tip of the iceberg of the secret recipe of this bowl of soup, because no matter how advanced the "manna soup" prepared by the chef is, it can't compare with the soup drunk tonight and all the soup with white hair disappearing tomorrow morning.
According to Youyang Miscellanies, there are several secret recipes of Tang Xuanzong in the food list given to An Lushan by Tang Xuanzong. Among them, "Jinshiling Decoction" is used to clear away heat and fire, and "Qianjin Wing" records the preparation of this prescription; Wushu soup seems to be a Taoist health-preserving soup, and its formula is unknown. From this list, we can also get a glimpse of Tang Xuanzong's diet hobbies. Other indispensable foods on his table are: a kind of dried meat called "wide-tailed sheep cave", horse cheese, steamed pears, fresh wild boar and pheasant. Without wine, there would be no table. The favorite wines of Xuanzong people in Tang Dynasty are mulberry wine and sake.
If we integrate these scattered recipes that Xuanzong loved in Tang Dynasty, we can call them "Hu" in the prosperous Tang Dynasty. As a result, Tang Xuanzong appeared on the dining table: 1. Pasta: Hu Bing, Robbie, rice balls, millet, noodles, wonton, a bowl of birthday soup cake on birthday, and a big bowl of Sophora japonica leaves in summer; Second, meat: there are sheep arms, Jehol, raw crucian carp slices, fried pheasants, braised wild boar, wide-tailed sheep caves, etc. The third is soup: Ganlu soup, Wushu soup, Jinshiling soup and so on. Fourth, others: horse cheese, steamed pears; Fifth, drinks: mulberry wine and sake; The sixth is a fruit bowl. If Yang Guifei eats with her, there will certainly be a big plate of delicious lychee.
With this table of delicious food and beautiful women, Tang Xuanzong's life is happy. But in his later years, he loved beauty and food, but he didn't like Jiangshan at all. He gave delicious food to Li, and Li, with black hair, changed his way to confuse the political affairs; He gave delicacies to An Lushan. An Lushan had a full stomach and mended his body. On the other hand, he lost his country and lost his beauty. Finally, he returned to Chang 'an from Sichuan and had to give up delicacies. He even tried to get rich without eating or drinking.
In layman's terms, the life of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty is like a hard-won bowl of beef noodles, with meat, noodles and soup, which is perfect. If he knows how to cherish, chew evenly and taste slowly, he can eat soup, noodles and meat all his life. But this man, when the bowl is served, eats beef first and only drinks clear soup at last. Whether to eat meat or soup in one's life can only be grasped by oneself.
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