The Chinese people have a characteristic since ancient times. They can organize various customary activities into gourmet banquets, and the result is to have a good meal. People pay attention to food when they are alive, and they also pay attention to offering sacrifices after death. No wonder the writer Xia Zun once said wittily: The ghosts of his nation are satisfied with fragrant flowers; but the ghosts of China still insist on eating. No. The job after death is as important as the one in life, or even more important. ?

The Chinese nation, which is said to be able to eat a species from overpopulation to endangered, has been in the same line of food creativity since ancient times. This ability is estimated to be difficult for other nations to match. No wonder there is a species overpopulation in foreign countries. , the first thing that comes to mind is the Chinese.

What best represents the achievements of food culture is often the various banquet activities, ranging from family dinners to state banquets, all of which are the most appropriate portrayal of it. This has been the case since ancient times. in this way.

When it comes to which dynasty had the most banquets in ancient times, the Tang and Song dynasties are both on the list, and many banquets originated from the Tang Dynasty. As a unified dynasty, the Tang Dynasty made great achievements in economic development, its national power was strong, and its food culture also developed. There were many kinds of public and private banquets, some of which were even unprecedented in scale, leaving a strong mark on the history of food culture. scene. Since the Tang Dynasty, the following banquet activities have had outstanding characteristics, great influence, and wide coverage.

Qujiang Banquet

The imperial examination system began in the Sui Dynasty and was carried forward in the Tang Dynasty. Since its birth, it has been valued by all walks of life. There were many banquets of various sizes held around the imperial examination. There were a series of congratulatory activities from the central to local governments, which were major events in social life at that time. The most important one was the "Qujiang Banquet" for the new imperial examination.

Qujiang is a scenic spot on the outskirts of Chang'an. The emperor of the Tang Dynasty would give a banquet to new scholars here every year. The banquet was large in scale and attended by many people. It was a major banquet event at that time. On this day, not only the princes and ministers participated, but the emperor sometimes also visited the scene in person. Many wealthy businessmen, ordinary people, and ladies of Chang'an gathered here. It can be said that the occasion was unprecedented. When we arrived at the Qujiang Conference, we first sent a message to the Jiaofang and invited the emperor to visit Ziyun Tower. The ladies of Chang'an were all looking around, their carriages and horses were filling their throats, and the family of the ministers took the lead in choosing their son-in-law. ?Ming Dynasty Metabolism Zhaozhe (zh?) "Wuzazu"

The Qujiang Banquet was originally set up for candidates who failed the exam, and it had the meaning of a comfort banquet. During the Shenlong period of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty, the Qujiang Banquet became a banquet for new scholars, and the time was once extended from spring to summer, which encouraged the trend of new scholars competing to boast their wealth. During the Qianfu period of Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty, this banquet was suspended due to Huang Chao's uprising. Later, during the Five Dynasties period, the government funded the reconstruction, and the Song Dynasty became more prosperous. It was not until the Qing Dynasty that it gradually disappeared.

Tail-burning feast

It is said that a carp must jump over the dragon gate to become a real dragon. However, the water in the dragon gate is tight and the carp cannot jump. If a carp really jumps over the dragon gate, its tail must be burned by heavenly fire. Therefore, in ancient times, being promoted to an official position was like a carp jumping over a dragon's gate, hence the name "Shaking Tail Feast" came from this.

The "New Book of Tang Su Huan Zhuan" records: When the minister first paid his respects to the official, he offered food to the emperor, which was called "Shaowei". ?

If you are promoted to a high position, you have to entertain the emperor, so this roast tail banquet has to be carefully prepared, from the selection of raw materials to the cooking of the dishes, not only expensive ingredients, but also It is necessary to innovate in new ways to achieve a surprising and winning effect.

When Wei Juyuan was an official in the Tang Dynasty, he hosted a banquet for Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty and left the famous "Shaowei Banquet List". Tao Gu of the Five Dynasties had seen this list and wrote it in his book " There are 58 kinds selected in "Qing Yi Lu".

These 58 dishes only have their names, but not their cooking methods. Ancient literati were very particular about the naming of dishes. It is often difficult for future generations to judge what ingredients are used in the dishes based on the dish names, such as This tail-burning banquet includes: Ju Sheng Nu, Imperial Concubine Red, Qifu Paste, Royal Yellow Queen Mother Rice, Tongxinshengjie Breasts, Jade Dew Group, Smallpox Complete Gong, White Dragon Cake, Phoenix Fetus, Eight Immortals Plate and so on... Are you dazzled after reading it and don't know what it means?

Shangsi? Banquet?

In the Tang Dynasty, people would swim along the water and have a feast on the Shangsi Festival on March 3 every year, especially the upper class of society. Such banquets were very popular. Popularity.

On this day, the emperors of the Tang Dynasty often held banquets with their ministers in Qujiang Garden, and it developed into a system.

Shangsi banquets lasted for more than a hundred years in the Tang Dynasty, and were particularly popular during the Kaiyuan and Tianbao years. This was also the time when the Tang Dynasty's national power was at its peak. Not only were the dishes exquisite, but also the tableware was expensive, capturing all the treasures and flavors of the Tang Dynasty. The level of food was extremely high, and the scenery was prosperous. Therefore, the scale of banquets during this period was the largest in the entire Tang Dynasty. It was not until the Anshi Rebellion that this banquet became increasingly neglected.