The origin of Manchu-Han banquet
Manchu-Han banquet originated in Qing Dynasty, and it is the most famous Chinese banquet in history, which combines the essence of Manchu-Han banquet. During the reign of Qianlong and Shen Jia, Li Dou wrote "Yangzhou Fang Shu", which recorded the menu of Manchu-Chinese banquet, which was the earliest record of Manchu-Chinese banquet.
Man-Han Banquet is a large-scale banquet with national characteristics in China. It not only has the characteristics of court dishes, but also has the essence of local flavor. Exquisite dishes and exquisite manners have formed a striking and unique style. Man-Han banquet was originally a banquet where two people sat together in officialdom. Generally, there are at least 108 kinds of dishes at the Manchu-Han banquet, and they are all finished in three days. The Manchu-Han banquet has a wide range of materials, fine materials and all-inclusive food. Exquisite cooking skills and strong local characteristics. To highlight the special flavor of Manchu dishes, barbecue, hot pot and shabu-shabu are almost indispensable dishes; At the same time, it also shows the characteristics of Han cooking, which is a treasure of Chinese food culture.
(Beijing Imperial Hotel divides Manchu-Chinese banquet into six kinds and gives them different names. )
Brief introduction of six kinds of banquets
Man-Han Banquet (1) Mongolian Pan Banquet
This banquet is a royal banquet hosted by the Qing emperor for Mongolian relatives who married into the royal family. Generally, a banquet is held in an aboveboard hall, accompanied by the first and second ministers of the Qing Dynasty. Emperors of all dynasties attached great importance to this feast and held it every year according to the rules. Mongolian relatives who accepted the banquet regarded the banquet as a great blessing and cherished the food given by the emperor at the banquet. The article "Qing Yuan banknotes * Mongolian banquet brings blessings" said: "When Prince Meng and others enter Beijing to give food, they will definitely go, saying that they bring blessings to their families. If you don't have tableware, you should wear it outside. Ping Jin embroidered pythons, which are often stained with soup, are dripping with nothing.
Man-Han Banquet (II) Courtier Banquet
The courtier banquet was held on the 16th day of the first month at the end of Yuan Dynasty. At that time, the emperor personally ordered the university students, and those who made meritorious deeds in the Nine big noble attended, and those who gave a banquet were honored. The banquet is held in Fengsan Selfless Hall, and the banquet follows the imperial banquet ceremony. They all use high chairs, write poems and drink alcohol every year. Mongolian princes and others also participated. The emperor used this kindness to win over his courtiers, and it was also a symbolic form of their contribution.
Manhan Banquet (III) Wanshou Banquet
The longevity banquet is the birthday banquet of the Qing emperor and one of the grand banquets of the imperial court. Empresses and princes, civil and military officials, are proud of providing birthday gifts. In the meantime, there are countless delicious foods. In case of a major birthday, the celebration will be more grand and grand, and the department will send someone to take charge of it. Clothing and jewelry, decoration and furnishings, music and dance banquets are all available. On the 10th day of October in the 20th year of Guangxu, Cixi celebrated her 60th birthday. In the eighteenth year of Guangxu, the imperial edict was issued, and a banquet was held about two months before her birthday. There are more than 29 170 pieces of glazed bowls, plates and saucers painted with longevity words and auspicious and festive patterns in Jiangxi. The whole celebration cost nearly12 million taels of silver, which is unprecedented in the history of China.
Man-Han Banquet (4) Thousand Banquets
Thousands of banquets began in Kangxi and flourished in Qianlong. It is the largest royal banquet with the largest number of diners in the Qing Palace. In the fifty-second year of Kangxi, a banquet for thousands of people was held in Yangchun Garden for the first time. Michelle Ye wrote a poem "Thousand Banquets" and won the banquet title. In the fifty years of Qianlong, a banquet was held in Gan Qing Palace for 3,000 people, and hundreds of white couplets were improvised. In the first month of the first year of Jiaqing, the imperial court of Ningshou Palace hosted a banquet for more than 1,000 people, including 3,566 people, and composed more than three impromptu poems. Later generations called the Thousand Banquets "an unprecedented act of grace".
Man-Han Banquet (5) Nine White Banquets
The Nine Hundred Banquets began in the reign of Kangxi. In the early years of Kangxi, Mongolian Wesak and other four tribes paid tribute to nine white horses every year, namely, a white camel and eight white horses. Think of this as a letter. After the Mongolian tribe presented a tribute, the emperor held a grand royal banquet to entertain the envoys, which was called the Nine White Banquet. Obey the rules every year. Later, Daoguang wrote a poem about it: "Four pairs of silver flowers and a jade camel, Xiqiang Lao and Xian Di Luo Jing.
Man-Han Banquet (VI) Festival Banquet
Festival banquet refers to the banquet held by the Qing court according to the fixed holiday season every year. Such as: Yuan Day Banquet, Banquet, Spring Farming Banquet, End Lunch Banquet, Beggar Banquet, Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet, Double Ninth Festival Banquet, Winter Banquet, New Year's Eve Banquet, etc. Everything is in accordance with the rules and regulations of the festival. Although Manchu has its own dietary customs, after entering the Central Plains, it accepted the dietary customs of the Han nationality in large quantities under the needs of the integration and rule of Manchu and Han cultures. Due to the special position of the imperial court, the rules of food customs are all detailed one by one. Its diet style is closely related to folk customs and regions, so there are all kinds of utensils such as Laba porridge, Yuanxiao, Zongzi, ice bowl, realgar wine, Chongyang cake, Qiao Qi cake and moon cakes in the Qing Palace.
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The origin of Manchu-Han banquet
● During the reign of Empress Dowager Cixi in the Qing Dynasty, she was regent for more than 40 years in the dynasties of two cowardly emperors, Tongzhi and Guangxu. She not only monopolizes power, kills dissidents, but also enjoys luxury.
In life, for example, one hundred kinds of dishes should be served at the top of the table for them to choose and taste. They like to use long colored glass nails and wear ten fingers to show their elegance. Five ladies-in-waiting waited on bathing, combing their hair, dressing, wearing shoes and making up. The eunuch Li (Little Plum) specially combed their hair and presented them with a tobacco pouch. ...
Once, a maid-in-waiting didn't know the habit of Lafayette and gave it to the Queen Mother when combing her hair. The Queen Mother was very angry and executed her on the spot.
Therefore, although Li lost his hair while combing his hair, he stuffed it into his clothes, which made Lafayette younger and younger, and made her smile, showing that Cixi was fatuous and overbearing.
Due to the bureaucratic corruption of Empress Dowager Cixi, a Manchu-Chinese banquet was founded.
As for the origin of the Manchu-Han banquet, according to the official records of the Qing Palace, it was invented by Prime Minister Li Hongzhang to please Empress Dowager Cixi. When I traveled to Beijing, I listened to Mr. He, manager of Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant, and now I transcribe it as follows:
First, Manchu-Chinese banquet: As the name implies, the dishes contain the taste of Manchu-Chinese banquet, and the menu is: twelve cold dishes (six kinds of vegetarian dishes). There are 30 kinds of main dishes, such as chicken, duck, cow, sheep and pork. Twenty kinds of seafood. Ten kinds of game, 28 kinds of sweet, sour, salty and spicy noodles and soups make up a hundred kinds. In principle, Empress Dowager Cixi has to change the menu every month. So the chef had a headache and took pains to cater to the empress dowager. At that time, according to statistics, Cixi's monthly food expenses were about five million and two thousand.
Manchu and Han banquet utensils are quite elegant. Royal celadon flower bowl, silver chopsticks, celadon spoon, wine bottle, wine glass, etc. They are all dragon-shaped coils, and the royal tableware has a special style, which can't be copied by the people.
Second, cooking skills: Empress Dowager Cixi's taste is different from others, neither too salty nor too sweet, and snacks must be soft and crisp. Therefore, the royal chef is extremely cautious when selecting chefs. The eunuch in Neigong stipulates that the selected chefs should be tried for three months before they can be formally hired after passing the examination. Sometimes the cook accidentally served the dishes, which didn't suit the queen mother's appetite, annoyed her and got spanked by the board. All those who serve Lafaille are in fear.
Third, procurement corruption: Li, the great eunuch in charge of the harem, is the originator of corruption. All the procurement he handles is self-enrichment, while the little eunuch is insatiable, which leads to insatiable greed from top to bottom, and the loss of the state treasury is self-evident.
Fourth, the appetite is limited: everyone's appetite is limited. Man-Han banquet is just ostentation and extravagance. How much empress dowager cixi can eat alone is obviously bureaucratic corruption and a waste of public funds, so the last dynasty died, which makes people laugh and cry.
To sum up, the manager added that when Eight-Nation Alliance occupied Beijing, Cixi led all the people in the palace to xi 'an, and they were hungry on the way. Some rural farmers cooked a pot of wild vegetable rice for them to eat. Cixi wolfed down a bowl of rice and praised it greatly, calling it a fairy product on earth and rewarding it with four questions. Obviously, if you are hungry, you will have a good meal. If you are pampered, you will lose your appetite and eat bird's nest and shark's fin for a long time
Modern humans grow up in a rich environment. They eat a lot of fish and meat. When I visited my relatives in Chinese mainland for the first time, there were many dishes left in the restaurant. My relatives and friends discouraged me from packing, and they all said they were embarrassed. But recently I went to the mainland, my style changed and packing became popular. This is indeed a good phenomenon. There is an old saying in China, "A porridge and a meal are hard to think about, and the extremes meet." Everyone should develop a frugal lifestyle, which is the right way.