As the emperor of the dynasty, the emperor naturally has to pay attention to pomp and ceremony when eating, and there is a dedicated person in charge. It can be said that we don’t seek the best, but the most expensive. At the same time, in order to highlight the royal temperament, formalistic dining rules cannot be dispensed with. The knowledge here is naturally indispensable:
The emperor’s meal is called meal, and Guanglu Temple is responsible for it.
When we common people eat, we call it eating, while the emperor eats with meals. From Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, the palace catering was always the responsibility of Guanglu Temple.
The name Guanglu Temple first appeared in the Western Han Dynasty, and its function was to guard the palace. Starting from Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, the functions of Guanglu Temple changed and it began to be responsible for palace catering.
From cooking to tasting dishes to serving meals, Guanglu Temple is responsible for a series of tasks. The existence of this department made the emperor's diet more refined and luxurious.
The emperor’s meals were rich in variety and with many rules.
In the autobiography "My First Half of Life" written by Emperor Xun of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi once said: Whenever Puyi wanted to have a meal, he only needed to say "pass the meal", and the Yangxin Hall would be waiting for him. The little eunuch will pass the order to the eunuch on duty at the door, and then all the way to the eunuch in the imperial dining room outside Xichang Street, and finally the order will be given orally to the imperial dining room.
The dishes that had been prepared in the imperial dining room were finally processed and delivered to Pu Yi by rows of palace maids. A meal must have at least thirty dishes, and it would take seven dining tables to accommodate it.
So how much does such a luxurious dish cost?
The emperor’s food expenses were tens of thousands taels a year, enough for ordinary people to spend more than two thousand years.
Among the emperors of the Qing Dynasty, Kangxi was considered to be very frugal. In the forty-sixth year of Kangxi's reign, the imperial dining room reported accounts to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Accounts show that Kangxi's annual food expenditure required 3,781 taels of silver. Including the "outside dining room", "inside dining room" and other small kitchens for the empress dowager and concubines at all levels, the annual expenditure could reach more than 20,000 taels of silver.
According to research by scholars, the annual income of an ordinary family of four during the Qianlong period was approximately 32 taels of silver, and the average person only had 8 taels. In other words, the emperor's food expenses for one year were enough for a common person to spend more than two thousand years.
Spending more does not mean eating more, there are articles in the budget.
There are historical records that Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty wanted to eat pie and ordered the imperial kitchen to make a plate. As a result, the budget for the imperial dining room was 50 taels of silver per plate, while outside Donghua Gate, one could buy a large box for only 5 taels.
The same thing happened in the Qing Dynasty. It is said that once Emperor Qianlong had eggs for a meal, and the price for three eggs was thirty taels. He thought the price of eggs had increased.
Once Qianlong asked Wang Youdun, the military minister, what he ate in the morning. Wang Youdun replied: "My family is poor and only eats four eggs." ?
Qianlong replied: ?I only eat three eggs every morning and spend 30 taels of silver. Is your family very rich?
When Wang Youdun heard this, he immediately understood After reading the article inside, he hurriedly explained: "Your Majesty, you are using the best eggs. Thirty taels are naturally not expensive." Wei Chen eats free-range eggs laid by country chickens, and he can buy one for three cents. ?
It can be seen that it is not just that the food is expensive, but also that it is troublesome.