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From Qin dynasty to Qing dynasty, it spanned more than 2 100 years. Although almost every dynasty set up another capital, in this long time, there were only two largest and most important political centers in the Central Plains, namely Chang 'an and later Beijing. Since the Liao Dynasty established Beijing as its capital, the five dynasties of Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing all established their capitals here. When the Qing Dynasty established its capital, there was the Forbidden City in Beijing, and Beijing had a complete plan.
Spending the Spring Festival in Beijing is not only a time to prepare good wine and food, but also a time to pay attention to the elderly. "Children, children, don't be greedy. It is a year after Laba. " From a pot of delicious Laba porridge, the Spring Festival began and lasted until the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. The honeydew melon was sticky, the house was cleaned, and the tofu was fried ... All these dishes were delicious food with the characteristics of old Beijing. In addition to these, there is also a snack called "Stewed Mustard", which can remove fire and resolve phlegm, just suitable for people who are bored in the New Year.
It was not until New Year's Eve that the most exquisite New Year's Eve dinner came. Beijing naturally has its own "menu". The New Year's Eve dinner in Beijing consists of four parts, commonly known as "four cold dishes, four hot fried dishes, four big meats and four fresh soups". This is a grand banquet of 16 dishes, which is better than the "eight bowls in Shanxi", "ten bowls in Hubei" and "Changsha" in other cities. Peace and happiness are the good colors.
Next, we will introduce these four dishes respectively. The first course is naturally four cold dishes. The first dish must be shredded radish. Old Beijingers call it "vegetable head", which means "Ma Lian meat". This is also a Beijing dish, which is made of lotus grass and tied with meat, so the dish has a unique Ma Lian flavor, and the rest is the sauce beef and mustard mound introduced before.
Then four hot dishes were served, mostly fried dishes and fish. The first course is sweet and sour carp. Why does it have to be carp It turns out that this carp has the meaning that "the advantages outweigh the disadvantages". If you switch to other fish, although the taste may get better, the sense of concern will be gone. The next three dishes are braised pork, fried shrimps with asparagus and fried lilies. Each dish contains the meaning of good luck, eternal smile, family and beauty.
Now halfway through the banquet and halfway through the wine, it's time to serve hard dishes. The four major meat dishes, first of all, braised prawns, are bright red in color after cooking, and the shrimp meat is white and moving, prosperous and clean as jade. The second course is the four-happiness ball, which means simple, four-happiness. However, the Meetballs of Sixi are also exquisite, and they should be large enough to ensure the same size, otherwise the four joys will be different and will not have any good meaning. Finally, serve four fresh soups. The first course is the golden soup doll dish. Although this dish is vegetarian, on New Year's Eve, big fish and big meat are indispensable, but the materials are very scarce. It can be said that the doll dishes at this time are only greasy dishes, and then marinated tofu. Tofu must be "north tofu". Pickled in Beijing, very tender, leaving two.
With the development of the times, the New Year's Eve in Beijing has also changed a little, such as adding "fruit before meals" at the beginning and "dessert after meals" at the end. However, no matter how the outside world changes, the essence of Beijing New Year's Eve has not changed, and the meaning of harmony and beauty has been deeply rooted in the hearts of every old Beijinger. Beijing is a happy year, a year of China, and a better year.