Introduction: In TV dramas, ancient emperors often hosted banquets to entertain court officials. So what did emperors eat at banquets? What dishes were served at ancient banquets? According to rumors, Empress Dowager Cixi is a famous "foodie". What does she like to eat?
The emperor, the king of a country, often entertains guests in order to build a good relationship with his subordinates. However, the emperor's treat was called "giving food". The so-called "giving food" refers to a meal or food given by the emperor to win over or reward his subordinates. However, eating the meal invited by the emperor is not a comfortable thing.
"Historical Records" records that in the early Western Han Dynasty, there was a minister named Shi Fen, and his sister was Liu Bang's little wife. After Shi Fen retired, "When the emperor gives food to his family, he will bow down and eat it as if he came before him." The emperor invited Shi Fen to eat, and Shi Fen had to kneel on the ground to eat. "Giving food" is grace. The recipient must be respectful and kneel down, as eating will definitely be uncomfortable.
After Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty summoned Li Bai and read his article, "The emperor gave him food, he made the spoon himself, and there was an edict to enshrine it in the Imperial Academy." Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty invited Li Bai as a guest out of love, and it was also out of true love.
After Song Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty had a son, he was very happy and wanted to treat guests, and "the palace gave the ministers steamed stuffed buns, all of which were gold beads." When the emperor had a son, he rewarded the ministers with gold beads and talked with everyone. The same joy can also be regarded as true love. "Wanli Yehuobian" records the scene of the Ming Dynasty emperor entertaining guests:
"In the time of Taizu, when all the officials retired, they would give food to the court. Although the usage of Gai was strict, , and the ministers are courteous, and the gifts are given every day, even if they are tired, the gifts are gradually sparse, and only on the first day of the month, all the officials in the yamen and the big hall are supported by wine and food, and the records are written. It was the same in the three dynasties.
Until the seventh year of Zhengtong, Guanglu Qing Naiheng started to give up. Only the two major feasts, the New Year's Day and the Winter Solstice, were held by the Ministry of Rites. For example, spring cakes were eaten at the beginning of the first month. Eat Yuanxiao dumplings on the evening of the twelfth lunar month, rice dumplings on the eighth day of April, rice dumplings on the Dragon Boat Festival in May, cakes on the Double Ninth Festival in September, and wax noodles on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. On holy festivals and suburban sacrifices, there are birthdays for the Queen Mother and Qianqiu for the Queen Mother, but this is no longer the case."
Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang was a diligent emperor. He went to work every day to handle official duties, and his subordinates were busy with the work. Zhu Yuanzhang felt sorry for him. Treating guests was a common thing for him, and he ate and drank a lot of food.
During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor was away from work for a long time, so he did not often invite guests from his subordinates. The subordinates could only wait for the birthdays of the Queen Mother and the Prince to eat and drink. In addition, during the New Year and festivals, we make some Lantern Festivals, spring cakes, rice dumplings, etc. Therefore, it would be very unreliable for subordinates to blindly expect the emperor to treat guests to a feast.
Lin Zexu, a famous minister of the Qing Dynasty, was also given food by Emperor Daoguang. His diary records: "I sent Cao Zhengquan back to Chu for help, and he was rewarded with two imperial letters with the word "Fu" and the word "Shou". , a general seal of venison, set up an incense table to receive it." At that time, Lin Zexu was the governor of Huguang, and it was not easy for Emperor Daoguang, who was famous for his thrift, to invite him to eat venison.
What does the "foodie" Empress Dowager Cixi love most?
Yu Deling, a writer living in the United States who was once called into the palace by Cixi as the "imperial female official", recorded this in the book "Yu Xiang Piao Miao Lu": "The life of the Empress Dowager can be said to be Those who live for "eating"..." This is Zhen Huan's way of saying it. To use Internet language, Cixi is a "foodie"!
When Cixi was in power, her meals were similar to those of the emperor. There are two main meals a day, and 100 bowls of different dishes are required according to regulations. There are also two "snacks" with at least 20 bowls of dishes, usually around 40 to 50 bowls. With so many dishes, Cixi seldom touched them except for a few close ones. After she finished her meal, she took down the remaining dishes. These dishes are either thrown away immediately, or eaten in turn by female officials, palace maids, senior eunuchs, etc. Nine out of ten of them are still intact, just like the sacrificial dishes taken down for ancestors.
Cixi had a favorite dish called Tiger Pills in Clear Soup. The raw material was the testicles of Siberian tigers in the Xiaoxing'an Mountains. When making it, the tiger testicles were simmered in chicken soup for three hours, then taken out, peeled, and placed on the Soak in the seasoning for two hours and cut into very thin slices with a knife. The Siberian tiger's testicles have natural patterns, so they can be placed in the shape of a peony flower on the plate and then eaten with a dip. Since the smell of testicles is very strong, it is necessary to use onions, ginger, garlic, vinegar and other sauces to remove this smell. Now this dish has been lost because there are no raw materials.
Cixi, a foodie, also liked stewed fat duck. The method is to wash the wild duck, put it in an earthen jar filled with seasonings, and then seal it. After sealing, put the earthen jar in Place in an iron pot half filled with water, seal the pot and simmer for three days - because the meat of wild duck is very compact, it must be stewed for a long time. After three days, the duck meat was simmered until it was tender and melted in your mouth.
The watermelon cup that Cixi loved to eat is also a famous palace dish and a type of stuffed vegetable. The specific method is to cut the watermelon in half, then take out the flesh, stuff it with diced chicken, diced ham, fresh lotus seeds, longan, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, etc., and then stew the stuffed watermelon in a vessel with water. After simmering for four hours, the pure and delicious watermelon cup is ready to serve.
Cherry meat was a favorite dish of Cixi in his later years. The specific method is to cut the good pork into small pieces like chess pieces, add condiments, and then put it in a white porcelain jar with fresh cherries. In it, add water and simmer slowly over a warm fire. After about 10 hours, the meat becomes crispy, the cherries melt into the water, and the fragrance comes out, especially the soup, which is really beautiful.
In addition to being very particular about delicious food, Empress Dowager Cixi also loved drinking milk. However, the milk she drank was different from us normal people. She drank human milk. According to records, Cixi never stopped drinking human milk for nearly 50 years from the age of 26 until her death at the age of 75. Three wet nurses provided her with sufficient and healthy milk every day.
According to "Miscellaneous Notes of Wanshu": Outside Dong'an Gate, slightly to the north, there is a ceremonial room, where the Qing palace specially selected wet nurses to wait for the call from the inner court. The Qing Palace stipulated that for each season, 40 people would be selected to maintain their nipples, and a special room would be set up in the inner court to care for them, which was called sitting on the nipples. Another 80 people were selected, who were registered in the palace, and the inner government specially provided food and drinks. They were called Dianmao Naikou, which was intended to fill the gap in the event of an accident at Sixiu Naikou. Every season, change a batch.
The Qing Palace was very strict in choosing nipples: two counties in the suburbs of Beijing and major yamen searched extensively for dignified and good-natured women with living husbands. They chose healthy, aged over 15 and under 20 years old, and also had children. The surviving person must be a woman with no abnormality who is about 3 months old after giving birth to her third child. The two counties of Daxing and Wanping, as well as the military and horse departments of Wucheng, the various military offices and yamen, each select 20 candidates for the milk delivery port. They are selected every quarter and the midwife is determined by the inner government. After testing, there is indeed no disease or health. Only those in good condition will be sent to the palace.