First, shark fin is expensive for three reasons. Nie, a food research expert, said that the output is not high, the ingredients must be high-grade and the cooking process is complicated. Shark fin is taken from shark fin. In ancient times, primitive fishing methods made it difficult for people to catch sharks. Therefore, after the shark has been painstakingly "caught back to the shore", its value is naturally extremely high. The so-called thing is rare. Sharks are difficult to catch and clean. Shark meat must be treated as soon as possible, otherwise high urea content will make some shark meat stink. The processing of shark fin is more complicated. First, the meat attached to the base of the fin should be removed, and then it should go through eight processes, such as soaking, heating, sand removal, bone removal, fin picking, limb removal, bleaching and drying. Shark fin can be made into a dish and sent to the mouth, but it has to go through many complicated processes: soaking it for a day or two or even longer to make it soft and swollen, then heating it in water, then boiling it in water, peeling it and simmering it with slow fire to remove the fishy smell. When cooking formally, you need to add various ingredients and soup to taste, and then either bake or make soup. Such a complicated processing procedure is a test of the producer's technology. Lao Dian, a columnist who likes to eat, talked about his first experience of making shark's fin, saying that the so-called "three-silk shark's fin" was made because the shark's fin was not thoroughly washed and drained when foaming, which was unbearable. In fact, shark fin is not cheaper than gold from the beginning, and even few people know it. According to some historical records, it is said that as early as the Tang and Song Dynasties, Annan was in the south of China? Now on the coast of Vietnam, shark fin has been made into food. Some neighboring countries also presented it as a tribute to Emperor China, but strangely, shark fin was not found in the royal feast. It turned out that the emperor received the shark fin tribute and gave it to the cook. There is also a legend that when Zheng He went to the Western Ocean in the Ming Dynasty, when Zheng He's fleet passed through Southeast Asian waters, because of lack of food, the crew picked up shark fins discarded by local natives on the passing islands and cooked them to satisfy their hunger, which was quite refreshing. Since then, shark fin has entered the diet of China people. China people ate shark's fin in the Ming Dynasty. The most frequently quoted is a sentence in Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica: "(Sharks) have rings on their backs and wings under their bellies, which are delicious and fat, and are treasured by southerners." If we pay attention, we can read such a description in Chapter 55 of Jin Ping Mei Hua Ci. When the housekeeper of Cai Jing official residence entertained Ximen Qing, she said, "Everything is delicious. Bird's nest and shark's fin are excellent choices for dinner. Only there is no dragon liver and phoenix marrow. " The recipes commonly used by Ming Xizong (1621-kloc-0/627) were also found in the history books, including a "one-pot" made of more than a dozen raw materials such as shark's fin, bird's nest, fresh shrimp and clams. Shark fin, abalone and bird's nest are among the eight treasures. The theory of "eight treasures" began in the Zhou Dynasty, and then gradually evolved into a synonym for precious food. Its content also changed with the change of dynasties. Shark fin is listed as one of the eight treasures, which began in Ming and Qing Dynasties. The eight treasures of land and water in Ming and Qing dynasties are: sea cucumber, shark's fin, fish crisp bone, fish belly, bird's nest, bear's paw, deer tendon and frog. Since it is listed as a treasure, shark's fin is certainly worth more. It is recorded in the Notes of the Qing Dynasty that there is a kind of stewed shark's fin in Guangdong, with a bowl of more than ten pieces of gold, which shows the grade of shark's fin. During the Qianlong period, people in China liked to eat shark fin. At that time, the country was rich and the people were safe, and there were also many shark fin dishes at banquets of officials' homes and wealthy families. Today, the famous "Tan Jiacai" in Beijing began in the late Qing Dynasty. Among nearly 200 kinds of dishes in Tan Jiacai, seafood is the most expensive, and shark's fin is the most famous one. If you want to eat Tan's shark fin, you must make a reservation. The delicacy of shark fin is all in the ingredients, and the price of shark fin has led to many misunderstandings. For example, almost everyone takes it for granted that shark fin is extremely nutritious and delicious. Shark's fin, which has always been a fine dish at court and official banquets, is nutritious and delicious? Mr. Liu Guangwei, Dean of Oriental Cuisine College, who has in-depth research on China's food culture, said: "Shark fin itself is tasteless, and its taste is all brought by condiments. Strictly speaking, shark fin is not delicious, but the chef turned it into delicious. " Mr. Nie Qiaofeng also holds the same view: "(Shark's fin) itself has no obvious taste. If there is no fresh material, it tastes like chewing wax. " "People with taste make it, and people without taste do it." This is one of the characteristics of China cooking, which is fully reflected in shark fin cooking. In Qing dynasty, there was a menu called Suiyuan menu, which introduced the practice of shark fin. We might as well have a look. "Shark's fin is hard to rot, and it will take two days to cook. There are two ways to use it: one is to simmer with good ham and chicken soup, adding fresh bamboo shoots and rock sugar, which is also a method; One is to string shredded radish with chicken soup, break the scales and wings, mix them in, and let the bowl surface float so that people who eat it can't tell whether it is shredded radish or shark's fin. This is another way. " -All the secrets are in the soup. However, these two ingredients are relatively simple, and the author sees the complexity of a high-grade shark fin soup, which is staggering. There are old hens, beef, trotters, pigskin, ham, chicken feet, water snake shells, scallops, frogs … and then it will take 5 or 6 hours! Gourmets say that shark fin is a dish, not because of its humble original flavor, but because of its tender, smooth and soft taste. And taste is only an important factor in food. But to be honest, just to get this taste, you need to put so many high-end ingredients on it. I don't know if the cart before the horse. Of course, in people's impression, shark fin is still a kind of advanced nutrition. Compendium of Materia Medica records that shark fin can tonify five internal organs, strengthen waist, replenish qi and nourish essence, but according to modern nutritional analysis, every 100g of dried shark fin contains 83.5g of protein and 0.3g of fat. If we only compare protein, shark fin is indeed higher than eggs 12.7.