There were ten emperors in Qing Dynasty, namely Shunzhi, Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, Xianfeng, Tongzhi, Guangxu and Xuan Tong. Among the ten emperors, Emperor Qianlong was the most enjoyable. When Qianlong was in power, it was the "prosperous time of Kangxi and Qianlong" and the national strength was strong. Therefore, Emperor Qianlong attached great importance to the enjoyment of life. His New Year's Eve dinner is also the richest among many emperors. So what did he eat?
According to the records of the Qing Palace, on December 29th of the forty-eighth year of Qianlong (when there was no thirty), that is, on the New Year's Eve of that year, Emperor Qianlong got up at the beginning of Mao and had breakfast with his concubine Jin Zhaoyucui at the beginning of Chen. Breakfast consists of "five kinds of meat, one onion chicken soup, one mushroom roast chicken, one bird's nest duck and one apple yam wine".
In addition, there are "steamed duck tail, steamed bread, rice cake, sweet potato and raw shredded pork noodles". There are also various side dishes, a table of cakes, * * *, several bowls of vegetables, a table of dry and wet snacks and two tables of meat. Of course, this is just the emperor's breakfast. At noon, the banquet was more abundant.
At noon, there will be a big banquet in Gan Qing Palace. Emperor Qianlong will call all the concubines and princesses to have dinner together, which is equivalent to a family dinner. Princes are not allowed to attend. The banquet was grand and the dishes were rich. There are as many as 40 meals for the emperor, not including all kinds of cakes, and the meals for the concubines in the harem are also 15. In the meantime, the emperor will give his royal meals to his concubines.
The emperor's royal meal is so rich that the emperor can't eat much at all. Why do you want to put so much? Because this is the royal ostentation and extravagance. During the Daoguang period, the country was weak, and the Qing Dynasty lost its former glory. Daoguang was frugal and the grade of New Year's Eve dinner plummeted. Daoguang's New Year's Eve dinner is not even as good as ordinary people's, so what does Daoguang eat?
According to the records in the archives of the Qing Palace, Daoguang Emperor's diet is limited to "five products" all year round, which means that there are only five dishes in the morning and evening, even during the New Year. For example, on the seventh New Year's Eve of Daoguang, Daoguang's breakfast was "a duck and cabbage pot, a sea cucumber sliding the spinal cord, a pheasant ball, a small fried meat and a mutton stewed spinach".
Emperor Daoguang's New Year's Eve dinner can't compare with that of Emperor Qianlong. Even from today's perspective, this menu is all ordinary dishes, and even ordinary people are much richer than Daoguang Emperor's New Year's Eve dinner. From the New Year's Eve, we can see the epitome of an era. From Daoguang Emperor, the Qing Dynasty declined completely, and the national strength was weak, followed by western powers.