Although the Republic of China only existed for 38 years, it left many memorable people and events for future generations. Occasionally turning over the picture of the Republic of China, I find that besides politics, the food culture in the history of the Republic of China is also gratifying.
The author believes that if we analyze the cuisines of the Republic of China from a historical perspective, it is not difficult to find that almost all the cuisines favored by people at that time contained the charm of the combination of Manchu and Chinese and the combination of Chinese and Western. In fact, this is closely related to historical inheritance and social changes. Although the Revolution of 1911 overthrew the feudal ruling system, it could not completely eliminate the China culture that lasted for thousands of years.
This kind of culture not only includes all kinds of customs in people's daily life, but also includes humanities, clothing and food culture. It is no exaggeration to say that the history of China can be passed down for thousands of years, and one of the most important factors is the inheritance of dietary customs. Although dynasties changed frequently in ancient history, the food culture precipitated in people's lives came down in one continuous line.
From the germination and development of farming civilization to the mature stage, people's diet structure and daily diet customs have also changed with the constant changes of society. When material resources are scarce, the diet structure will be relatively simple, but when the social economy develops to a certain height, the diet will not only develop towards diversification, but also start a cultural journey.
After thousands of years of vicissitudes, the food culture in the Republic of China was actually closely related to the social environment at that time. There is not only the inheritance and innovation of ancient food culture, but also the phenomenon of the integration of Chinese and western food culture. However, there are many street snacks with China cultural charm, but they always maintain the original flavor.
Street snacks with unique charm of diet culture in the Republic of China
1. The cultural charm of street snacks in the Republic of China
As the name implies, "street snacks" are folk foods that can be seen everywhere in the streets, but they can't be elegant. If we look at it from this angle, the main target of "street snacks" is actually ordinary people wandering in the streets. The author thinks that although this kind of food can't be served on the table, it can win with low price and unique taste.
In fact, under the influence of the idea that "food is the most important thing for the people and taste is the most important thing", most of the "street snacks" in the Republic of China followed the practice of the Qing Dynasty. The most important task in daily life is to fill the stomach, whether it is the dignitaries in the upper class or the people at the bottom of the society. Although there are essential differences between food culture and food eaten, the ultimate goal is to maintain life.
In fact, no matter in the Qing Dynasty or the Republic of China, the commonness of "street snacks" is to set up stalls everywhere, or to walk around the street shouting. People who have a soft spot for street snacks are generally ordinary people's families or people who are engaged in heavy physical labor. Because "street snacks" are not only cheap but also full of flavor.
The author thinks that the cultural attributes of street snacks in the Republic of China not only inherit and develop the special snacks in the Qing Dynasty, but also have unique innovative ideas in the Republic of China.
When these two kinds of food cultures are merged, snack culture with the characteristics of the Republic of China and various street snacks of the Republic of China are produced.
2. Street snacks of the Republic of China with historical charm.
During the Republic of China, Beiping was its political, economic and cultural center, so Beiping was also the most famous street snack. At that time, most street snacks were handed down from the late Qing Dynasty, as well as candied haws, bean juice, cut cakes, scones, bean jelly, yellow peas, sugar people, enemas and cheese in old Beijing. Until the modern society.
(1) Old Beijing sugar-coated haws
"Sugar-coated haws" is one of the special snacks in winter in northern China. After winter, vendors selling candied haws will sell them along the street. The loud sound of "candied haws" resounded through the streets and lanes. After hearing the shouts, children would run out of their homes and buy a bunch of candied haws to eat while walking. This phenomenon is still very popular in the northeast.
"Sugar-coated haws are sweet and sweet, and Hongshan hawthorn is round and round, strung together in rows. Try it, squinting. You don't have to speak and nod first. Do you like it or not? "
This familiar and warm nursery rhyme has accompanied generation after generation. Even many adults in modern society still have a soft spot for candied haws, a street snack.
According to legend, Sugar-Coated Berry originated in Shao Xi period of Southern Song Dynasty, and Song Guangzong's favorite concubine was about to die of illness. The imperial doctor in the palace could do nothing about it. A Taoist priest traveling in the countryside felt the princess's pulse and prescribed a prescription for her. The main medicinal material in this prescription is hawthorn, so you can decoct 5- 10 tablets with water and crystal sugar every day after meals, then drink hawthorn water and eat cooked hawthorn.
Unexpectedly, the princess really recovered after treatment according to this prescription. Since then, candied haws have become the royal food in the palace. And gradually spread to the people, becoming a street snack "honey bomb", which is made of a single hawthorn dipped in sugar. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, people had pitted hawthorn, put it on with bamboo sticks, and then hung sugar on it to become sugar-coated haws.
In fact, there is another saying about the origin of candied haws as a street snack, that is, in the Ming Dynasty, there was a single red fruit dipped in sugar, that is, "sugar pile". Whether it is "honey bomb" or "sugar pile", the main raw materials are hawthorn and rock sugar, which is actually a very common sugar gourd in modern society.
During the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, someone once wrote a poem specifically for sugar-coated haws: "The road is full of muddy ponds, and it is sunny after the snow, and the car is not busy. Three feet swaying, a string of gourds dipped in rock sugar. " In fact, this poem is a vivid description of sugar-coated haws, which not only vividly reflects the appearance of sugar-coated haws, but also writes the flavor of sugar-coated haws.
② bean juice
"Bean juice" is actually a famous soybean milk, but this ordinary drink originated in the streets and lanes of Beiping during the Republic of China is not soybean milk made by grinding and boiling soybeans. It is a beverage fermented from mung bean residue. It is said that the history of soybean juice has been recorded in writing for 300 years.
From this point of view, "bean juice" should be formed in the late Ming Dynasty and is one of the essential drinks for ordinary people every morning. It is said that "bean juice" was once the royal food during the Qianlong period, which can be confirmed by a passage in "The Memorial", "I collected two or three bean juice makers and sent them to the royal chef."
I believe many people who have drunk soybean juice love and hate it. What they like is its fresh nutrition and nourishing body, but what they hate is that its swill-like smell makes it difficult to swallow. People who have just come into contact with soybean milk will have an impulse to stay at a respectful distance from others at first, but after holding their noses and drinking twice, they will feel different. Some people even have to drink because they are addicted.
③ Pea yellow
"Pea yellow" was originally just a popular street snack. Later, because Cixi especially liked this kind of food, "pea yellow" became more and more famous and eventually became a mouth-watering court snack. During the Republic of China, this snack was basically immersed in the streets of the people, and it was very popular among both adults and children.
"Pea yellow" is made of fine white peas by peeling, washing, grinding, boiling, sugar frying, solidification and dicing. It can be said that as a snack that best represents the food culture of the Republic of China, it not only condenses the wisdom of countless working people, but also is an indispensable representative food in China food culture.
The poem "Hundred Songs of Gourmet in the Old Capital" once said: "Gourmet has always belonged to Yanjing, and pea yellow has long enjoyed a good reputation. Red dates are embedded in gold scraps, and ten of them were bought in Huang Qiong. " .
This poem describes the origin, production method, raw materials and price of pea yellow, and "Huang Qiong" truly expresses the color and shape of pea yellow.
According to the Beiping custom in the Republic of China, every household should eat pea yellow on the third day of the third lunar month. Therefore, every spring, when pea yellow goes on the market, it will be snapped up by everyone. In order to satisfy people's love for pea yellow, there were many large-scale pastry shops at that time, and they were busy making this snack and supplying it until the end of spring.
Judging from the types of "pea yellow children" in the Republic of China, one is a court snack made of "imitation food"; The other is the rough pea yellow sold by street vendors. These two kinds of snacks were both called pea yellow at that time, but they were quite different in materials, techniques and prices.
Tangren
During the Republic of China, people's lives were relatively difficult because of the constant wars, but in order to make life interesting, many people at the bottom of society took to the streets to "pinch sugar people." Although this ancient traditional skill is rare in modern society, in the Republic of China, hawkers carrying the burden of pinching sugar people can be seen everywhere.
As the name implies, "sugar man" is a figure made of sugar. As an ancient and traditional handicraft, it was widely spread in the Republic of China. Vendors who pinch sugar people will run all over the street with their burdens. At one end of the burden is a small stove for heating syrup, and at the other end are sugar materials and tools for making sugar people.
Sugar is made by heating sucrose and maltose. Under normal circumstances, the color of syrup is mostly brown. However, some ingenious vendors will add pigments to the syrup, so that the original brown sugar color will turn red or green. When making sugar people, put the syrup in a copper spoon, and then keep the temperature with a carbon plate, so that the syrup will not solidify.
Vendors will pinch out different images according to customers' wishes, and then use figures or animal images made of sugar to blow sugar with bamboo tubes or reed sticks. In this way, according to the image of sugar man you want to pinch, you can make it up at will and finalize it. Tangren was the favorite of children in the Republic of China, and various lifelike figures or animals would make many children reluctant to eat.
④ enema
"Enema" is not a real animal fat sausage, but a kind of food similar to pig intestines made of dough powder and red yeast. When selling "enema", vendors will cut it into thin slices, then fry it in a pot with pigs, and add garlic juice and salt water to bowls or plates, which tastes a bit like pancake fruit in modern society.
Vendors selling "enemas" also walk along the street with their burdens. At one end of the burden is a shallow pot stove, and there is always a fire under it to ensure that food can be fried quickly. During the Republic of China, many rickshaws or coolies with big bags on their backs also bought some steamed buns and ate enemas.
conclusion
Although the Republic of China has been submerged in the torrent of history, street snacks at that time have spread to modern society over time. Sugar-coated haws, bean juice, pea yellow, enema and other snacks with the flavor of the Republic of China are still the favorite in people's daily life in the northern region. Although the taste may no longer be authentic or lose the charm of the Republic of China, the author believes that people are actually eating feelings.
As a special historical stage in the history of China, the Republic of China, although it lasted for a relatively short time, left many memorable cultural customs for future generations.
In fact, Manchu adherents in the Republic of China are faithful inheritors of street snacks in the Republic of China. Today, many snacks with the color of the Republic of China are still in night markets in various cities.