Different from the "three meals a day" system introduced to Western countries today, the ancient Chinese emperors, as rulers, paid attention to luxury, etiquette knowledge, and care in everything they did. "Four meals a day" became a special

Enjoy the rules and regulations of the king. Even in the ancient Zhou Dynasty, the king of Zhou needed to have a midnight snack in addition to four meals a day.

During the Zhou Dynasty, the Spring and Autumn Period, and the Warring States Period, the kings ate the "eight delicacies" (charcoal grilled meat, sashimi, etc.).

Later, during the Han and Tang dynasties, the emperors still implemented the "four meals a day" system, and the dishes they ate every time were many and good. They were all made of the top ingredients of that dynasty and the chefs' superb cooking skills.

Special delicacies made.

By the Song Dynasty, food culture was fashionable, and markets were emerging. Street pubs and restaurants successively released their own "special dishes."

During the Song Dynasty, the royal nobles also liked to look for delicacies that the common people liked to eat. Those special delicacies slowly evolved and became part of the emperor's dining table.

At this time, everyone had already called the dishes eaten by the emperor "imperial banquet".

In the Song Dynasty, General Zhang Jun hosted a banquet for Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty. A total of 196 dishes were arranged, and there were also processes such as "smelling the dishes" and "looking at the dishes", which brought the level of the royal banquet to a relatively high level.

Through the excitement and luxury of the Tang Dynasty, the types and exquisiteness of imperial banquets increased a lot.

By the Ming and Qing dynasties, the emperors preferred to eat food eaten by the common people, which was commonly known as "close to life".

But its level of luxury has not changed at all. Friends who have been to the Forbidden City in Beijing should be familiar with the "Imperial Restaurant" displayed there. The emperor only eats one meal with one chopstick, and there are hundreds of special delicacies on a table.

Leftovers.

Here comes the problem. The emperors of various dynasties, Yu Shan, had to cook a lot of dishes. The quantities varied, ranging from dozens of dishes to hundreds of dishes. There was no doubt that the emperor would have leftovers by himself, even with his concubines.

The concubines ate together and had leftovers. How should we deal with the endless dishes?

During the Zhou Dynasty, it was really not easy to obtain and cook ingredients, which mainly relied on grains.

The breakfast that King Zhou ate would be a little more exquisite. It was made by the chefs that day using fresh grains and meat. Lunch, dinner, and supper were all leftover meals from the morning. Once they were warmed up, the emperor's dining table was set.

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Until the Han Dynasty, meals were all provided by the kings themselves.

After all, the ingredients in ancient times were too precious, there were no refrigerators, and the storage standards were very crude. Therefore, the kings themselves adhered to the principle of "today's meal, today's meal". Even if there were occasional leftover meals, they were discarded as waste. Of course, this kind of

Condition is very minimal.

During the Song Dynasty, the emperor ate more food and it was easier to obtain food. Everyone also learned to harvest ice in winter and take out ice cubes from the ice cave in summer to make drinks and store food. Simple storage methods promoted the Song Dynasty.

The chefs were able to give full play to their abilities and prepare hundreds of dishes for the emperor.

The emperor could not finish the meal at all, and most of the remaining dishes were given to the royal ministers and concubines in the harem.

Ministers and concubines who can receive the gift will regard these meals as a great honor and even show off to each other. If they are unfavored ministers or concubines, they will only be envious.

During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the emperor ate even more food, hundreds of dishes every day, and the scene was very grand. Every dish was handmade by Yushanfang.

But most of the dishes are just fake, and the appearance is just fine. The emperor eats nothing more than the dishes closest to him. He still needs to eat four meals a day, and he will be full after just a few bites, so he also needs leftovers from one meal.

Ninety percent leftovers.

Some of the leftover dishes will be given to favored eunuchs, maids or important ministers. For example, the Empress Dowager Cixi loves sweets and often has iced drinks during afternoon tea time in hot summers. The Empress Dowager Cixi only eats one bowl at other tea times.

She will be assigned to the maids around her.

Other dishes can be sold by palace maids and eunuchs to eliminate ectopic pregnancy, and good quality dishes can be sold to restaurants, allowing restaurants to study how to turn them into their own special dishes.

Vegetables that are not of good quality and have long since rotted can only be sold to door-to-door vendors, spread into large iron pots, add other seasonings and sauces, and boil them into soups and batters for sale to ordinary people.

In fact, many of the foods eaten by the emperors of the Qing Dynasty were dishes that had been prepared the day before and were served hot and humid. They were not as delicious as the meals we cook today.

The emperor's extravagance and waste made the word Yu Shan not easy to hear.