Early spicy seasoning in Sichuan
According to relevant data, the earliest record of pepper in China comes from the famous dramatist Gao Lian's Eight Chapters of Respect for Life: "Pepper is in full bloom. The fruit is like a bald pen, and it tastes hot and red, which is impressive. " It can be seen that the earliest pepper in China was introduced in the Ming Dynasty, and its original function was for viewing, not eating. However, Sichuanese have been "spicy" since ancient times, and the special geographical environment also makes them like to eat spicy food to expel moisture from their bodies. What spicy food did Sichuanese eat before the Ming Dynasty?
Sichuan pepper
Through the study of ancient recipes in China, it can be found that pepper entered China two thousand years ago, and the ancient people in China used three kinds of spicy spices: pepper, ginger and dogwood. Pepper, in particular, is widely planted in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. In the wealthy Tang Dynasty, the proportion of foods that used pepper in recipes actually accounted for 37%. In other words, before the appearance of pepper, pepper once dominated the spicy spices.
How did the former Chili King lose to his younger brother Chili? This has to start with Guizhou people and salt. Pepper originated in the United States and was originally eaten by local aborigines. In the process of opening up a new air route, Columbus accidentally discovered the existence of American pepper and shipped it back to Europe as a spice. Of course, Columbus took a fancy to pepper because he regarded it as Indian pepper. Pepper is a seasoning that European aristocrats can afford, and its price is high. Columbus thought it was profitable, so he rolled around the United States.
Soon, Europe is full of peppers. During the Qin Long period of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court lifted the ban on maritime trade, and Ming businessmen who were doing business in the Straits of Malacca smelled business opportunities and introduced them to China. But like tomatoes, people didn't dare to eat them at first, just regarded them as ornamental plants. According to the Ming Dynasty's Caohuapu, pepper was first introduced from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong, but people in these areas did not use it, but allowed it to flood in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and southwest China.
Sichuanese eat Chili, but it is influenced by Guizhou people. Salt is the most important condiment in human life, and it can be called "the king of all kinds of flavors". However, due to the underdeveloped salt-making technology and inconvenient transportation in ancient times, salt shortage often occurs in inland areas. Guizhou is located in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and has long been short of salt. In order to solve this problem, Zhang Guangsi, the governor of Guizhou during the Qianlong period, even opened up the Chishui River to transport salt.
Introduction of pepper
Although salt has come in, things are scarce, and the salt in Guizhou market is still very expensive. People at the bottom can't afford it, so they can only find substitutes. At this time, the pepper entered the vision of this group of people at the bottom. According to the book Qian Shu written by Tian Wen, a writer in Qing Dynasty, "When the salt is insufficient, use dog pepper instead. Pepper is spicy and tastes wrong. " The dog pepper here is not pepper, but a traditional pepper in China. After the introduction of Zanthoxylum bungeanum, economic Zanthoxylum bungeanum quickly replaced its position.
The dominant position of Zanthoxylum bungeanum in Sichuan
Pepper entered Sichuan during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. According to the county records of Dayi County, a suburb of Chengdu, in the 14th year of Qianlong, there was the first record about peppers in Sichuan: "Meat dishes: Qin peppers, also known as sea peppers." In several major wars, the original inhabitants of Sichuan never existed, and the rulers adopted the immigration policy in order to maintain social stability. Residents from Huguang and Yunnan-Guizhou regions moved to Sichuan.
These "new Sichuanese" have brought new eating habits. While maintaining their traditional habit of eating hemp, they also added spicy taste to it. According to the Qing Dynasty Notes, "People in Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan and Sichuan like spicy food ... there is no pepper and mustard, but there are many soups." Calling sea pepper "hot pepper" or "red pepper" is the contribution of Hunan people. Because pepper is eaten by the poor at the bottom of Guizhou, it was initially prejudiced by the upper class when it was introduced to Sichuan.
Chili hotpot
Until the whole Sichuan formed a social atmosphere of eating spicy food, the talents of the upper class chose to accept it. So Sichuanese have been eating spicy food for only 400 years. And spicy, has become the most important element in Sichuan cuisine. After the founding of New China, with the flow of migrant workers in various provinces, peppers became popular in China.