In fact, concubines were not allowed to eat before the ancient kings ate, and they were also used as scapegoats. The son of heaven is most afraid of death. The chefs and eunuchs used are repeatedly selected and unreliable. In order to prevent food poisoning, the emperor often adopts the methods of "appreciating food" and "tasting food", that is, before eating, the emperor gives a part to his empresses, or lets his personal eunuchs taste it before eating. When eating, he also has to check whether it is poisonous with silver plates and ivory chopsticks before he dares to go in. Moreover, the ingredients of imperial meals are not available to ordinary people. Including drinking water, we specially drink the water from Yuquan Mountain in the west of Beijing.
In the Qing Dynasty, Yuquan Mountain almost became a royal water. Every day from Yuquan Mountain to the Forbidden City, wagons carrying water keep going along the road! The rice eaten by these kings is yellow, white and red, some from Gong Mi and some from Jingxi Nanyuan. The Qing Palace Interior Office set up a "Qingfeng Division" to raise cattle and sheep for the emperor and supply food such as milk, beef and mutton. Imagination is curious, and rice is divided into colors!
Countless delicacies and precious dried and fresh fruits paid tribute to the emperor from all directions. According to reports, on February 1 1 day and 26th, Qianlong served 19 varieties of dishes such as "bird's nest stewed with rock sugar", "duck in a hanging furnace", "fat duck in a hanging furnace" and "game hot pot" and a product of "duck porridge". At the dinner, there were 37 dishes including "Steamed Duck with Bird's Nest", "Fried Meat with Salt", "Dongpo Meat" and "Shredded Mountain Vegetables with Meat" and the dishes of empresses. Only 1 1 serves 76 courses in two meals a day, and if you add two snacks, it will be more.
When I arrived at Empress Dowager Cixi, I paid more attention to ostentation and extravagance when eating. The chef collects delicacies, diving and plants every day, and cooks them carefully, with endless patterns. At least three assembled dining tables should be filled with the dishes used by Cixi for each meal. There are often more than 100 kinds of dishes, including cold cuts, hot dishes, stove dishes and side dishes. The biggest banquet in the Qing Palace is the "Manchu-Han Banquet". Beginning in the Qianlong period, Cixi was even more luxurious when she was alive.
Let's imagine that these royal banquets are rich in delicious food, rare birds and animals, fresh vegetables and famous fruits. We ordinary people really just imagine, of course, resist this largest ostentation and extravagance phenomenon, which is luxury, luxury!