Luoyang water mat is one of the most distinctive dishes in Luoyang, and it is also called Luoyang three wonders with Luoyang Peony and Longmen Grottoes. The so-called "water mat" has two meanings: one is good at making soup; The second is to eat one by one, one after another, like running water, hence the name "water mat".
Luoyang water mat was only popular among the people at first. It was not until the Tang Dynasty that Wu Zetian introduced Luoyang water mat into the palace and made it into a palace banquet with other delicacies. Later, its law spread to the people, forming today's characteristics. Luoyang water mat consists of 24 pieces, referred to as "38 seats". At the beginning of the banquet, eight cold dishes were served with wine, divided into four kinds of meat dishes and four kinds of vegetarian dishes, followed by 16 hot dishes, all of which were served in different types of blue and white sea bowls. One of the most famous dishes, which is also the first dish on the table, is the famous peony swallow: a pot of peony soup made of eggs surrounded by thin white radish, which tastes crisp and refreshing.
Water cushion pays attention to 8 big bowls and 8 small bowls, because it is served bowl after bowl like running water, and most dishes are soup and water, so it is named water cushion. The format of Luoyang water mat is very particular, with 24 dishes no more or less, 8 cold dishes and 16 hot dishes without any deviation. 16 hot dishes are divided into large, medium and pressed dishes, with exquisite names and strict serving order. Cold dishes are served only after the guests are seated. Eight cold dishes are divided into four kinds of meat and four kinds of vegetables. The flower-and-bird patterns made of cold dishes are colorful and unique in conception. The water mat wins first, and you can see the attendance at a glance. You don't have to move chopsticks to get an appetite.
Serve 16 hot dishes once after cold dishes. When hot dishes are served, Chinese food and Chinese food are paired together, that is, one big dish and two slightly smaller Chinese food are paired together. Said, "Take it to the imperial court." On the water table, people who love cold food can find cold dishes that suit them, and people who love hot and sour vegetables can make you sweat. Some people like sweets, and the fourth group of beets is enough to make people eat fragrant and comfortable. If someone likes to eat meat dishes, there are all kinds of delicacies, birds and animals on the mat. I don't want to eat meat, but I want to eat vegetarian dishes. Vegetarian dishes with ordinary vegetables as raw materials are carefully cooked and refreshing.
Soup is the characteristic of water mats. People who go to eat alternately eat soup and vegetables, which can make people feel comfortable in their stomachs. Anyone who knows the local customs knows that all 24 dishes are served. This bowl of Fujian soup shows that the water mat has come to an end, and the host and guest are all happy, and they all get up and leave.
Because Luoyang water mat is rich in content and complete in taste, its application scope is wider than that of ordinary banquets. The nobles who entered the palace frightened the people, and people ordered food according to their own economic strength, which was generous and affordable. It is said that Wu Zetian tasted Luoyang water mat in the Tang Dynasty and was full of praise after eating it. Nowadays, many foreign heads of state and Chinese and foreign guests who have tasted Luoyang water mat also praise Luoyang water mat. Premier Zhou once said that "Luoyang peony is the best in the world, and peony flowers are reborn in vegetables."