Collect the past events of Zhangqiu Old City and awaken the memory of Xiuhui Ancient City. Hello everyone, the theme of this issue: ancient city, food legend.
The ancient city of Zhangqiu is the birthplace of Longshan culture and the childhood of Chinese history. In this land with rich culture, not only the prehistoric culture of world civilization was created, but also many famous delicacies passed down from generation to generation were created. Among these famous foods, some have been popularized, while others have been lost, leaving only a legend about them.
As we all know, the most representative local delicacy in Zhangqiu Xiuhui Ancient City is Huangjia Barbecue. Related to this, another famous dish with Zhangqiu local characteristics has emerged - roasted meat and stewed tofu. Speaking of roasted meat and stewed tofu, there is another beautiful legend.
Legend has it that in the Ming Dynasty, there was a man in the ancient city of Zhangqiu who was very lazy and too lazy to cook. He put the washed rice in a bowl, then put the chicken, onions, ginger, and salt on the plate, put them in the same pot, and cooked them all in one pot.
Later, an imperial chef surnamed Yu who returned to his hometown to visit his relatives accidentally tasted it and felt it was very good. The rice had the flavor of chicken and the chicken had the fragrance of rice. The royal chef had a sudden idea, and after years of improvement and innovation, it finally became a famous dish. He selects fragrant rice, local chicken, green onions and other local ingredients from the Baimai Spring Area in Zhangqiu. With many years of experience, he carefully prepares the secret recipe and steams it with slow fire. It is light and simple, leaving a fragrant taste on your lips and teeth.
In order to please the emperor, the container was specially designed to be in the shape of the sun and the moon, and purple sand was used as the container.
The bottom is hollow, with a soup pot underneath, and a round sun and a crescent moon cleverly combined. Together, the "day" contains rice, the "month" contains chicken, the meat and rice are steamed together, and the chicken is crispy and the rice is delicious.
Using indirect heating to achieve beautiful appearance and edible quality, it is also called "the sun and the moon shine together". The emperor was overjoyed and awarded the royal chef a title. This dish became a famous dish in the palace.
In the Qing Dynasty, "the sun and the moon shine together" became a forbidden dish, and the sun and the moon being "Ming" was a taboo in the Qing Dynasty. Some changed its shape to a round shape and only cooked chicken, which became Crock Pot Chicken. Some only make rice. Some also steam them in the same pot, but the charm of "the sun and the moon shine together" is completely lost. Over time, this Ming Dynasty dish was lost in the Qing Dynasty due to the political sensitivity caused by its name. No one mentioned it anymore, and only this legend has been passed down.
The ancient city of Zhangqiu Xiuhui was rebuilt in 2018. During the relocation, legends related to it were heard again.
The crock pot chicken evolved from "the sun and the moon shine together" has not been lost. It turns out that the descendant of the imperial chef hid his life experience and lived in Zhangqiu for a long time. He passed down his secret recipe from generation to generation, but did not dare to tell the outside world.
The Ming Dynasty fell and the princess fled. One day when I came to the ancient city of Zhangqiu, I was hungry and afraid of exposing my identity, so I begged for food from the locals.
It is a coincidence that I happened to meet the descendant of the imperial chef. Mr. Yu often heard his ancestors talk about some of the living customs of high-ranking officials. Although he didn't know that the beggar was a princess, he could tell from his temperament that the person who came was either rich or noble. He might be someone from the palace, so he specially made her a specialty. Roast pork, stewed tofu, and crock pot chicken. The princess felt very fragrant after eating, which made her taste the food in the palace. She was very moved, so she took out the gold and silver jewelry she had hidden with her and gave them to the family as a reward. Mr. Yu saw the beggar's elegant appearance and jewelry, and confirmed that he was from the palace. Because of the current situation, he did not retain the princess. The princess then went south to Wenzu and was married in Wanghei Village.
Mr. Yu’s success in cooking has spread like wildfire. After this incident spread, people from four villages and eight townships would ask Mr. Yu to cook when guests came. Roast meat, stewed tofu and crock pot chicken were must-have dishes. Over time, Mr. Yu became a famous chef in the ancient city, and the roasted meat, stewed tofu and crock pot chicken became famous dishes for entertaining guests and friends.
During the Qianlong period, Emperor Qianlong visited the south and passed through Zhangqiu City. The county magistrate went out of his way to please the Long Live Lord and carefully selected Zhangqiu snacks to entertain him. The descendants of the Yu family, who have been cooks for generations, made the famous roasted pork, stewed tofu and earthen pot chicken for Emperor Qianlong, cooked Longshan millet porridge, and other famous delicacies for Long Live to taste.
Emperor Qianlong was very pleased with the product. After returning to the palace, he gave Longshan millet as tribute rice and wanted to recruit Yu, who made roasted pork, stewed tofu and earthen pot chicken, to serve in the imperial kitchen. At this time, a minister suggested that the ancestors of the Yu family had cooked this crock pot chicken for the distressed princess of the previous dynasty. Yu's entry into the palace was abandoned. Longshan millet has become tribute rice in the past dynasties, while roasted pork, stewed tofu and clay pot chicken have become famous folk dishes.
It is understood that the roasted pork and tofu are cooked in an iron pot from the famous Huangjia roasted pork and Longshan tofu in Zhangqiu. Huang's barbecue is made from medium-thin pigs that grew up that year. After slaughtering them, use a knife to make small openings in the meat. Use a recipe of seasonings such as peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, amomum villosum, fennel, cardamom, grass fruit powder, and salt. , feed and knead. After being braised in a special high-temperature oven, the skin is crispy and the meat is tender, fat but not greasy. It is famous both inside and outside the province for its rich flavor. After stewing, the moisture content is reduced, the fat is reduced, the protein content is relatively increased, and it is sterile. Its protein content is 23.4%, fat content is 43.1%, salt content is 1.3%, and moisture content is 31.6% (data from Shandong Provincial Food Hygiene Supervision and Inspection Institute). The Longshan tofu used has fine pulp, high water content, tender texture, not runny, white as snow, rich in elasticity, and leaves a fragrant fragrance on the lips and teeth after eating. It is rich in nutrients and contains iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and other trace elements necessary for the human body.
According to a study in the authoritative British medical journal "The Lancet", the most common method to treat anemia is iron supplements, but using an iron pot may be a simpler and more effective method. Research results show that compared with other cooking tools such as aluminum pots, cooking in iron pots can help children develop better and have more hemoglobin in their blood. Therefore, adding seasonings to roasted pork and tofu and stewing it in an iron pot will present you with not only a delicious dish, but also a healthy way to eat it.
Cooking chicken in a crock pot is not new. As early as the Longshan Culture period, ancestors used pottery to boil water and cook, and their habits have been followed. It is said that the crock pot chicken has been tempered over the years and has a more unique flavor and is more in line with the current food fashion concepts. There is also a nice name called "Guifei Jar Chicken". Can steaming chicken in a crock pot really combine delicious food and nutrition to achieve healthy eating?
Purple sand is a kind of iron-containing clay siltstone, rich in trace amounts of iron, iodine, copper, manganese, zinc, cobalt, chromium, selenium, fluorine, silicon, tin, vanadium and other substances needed by the human body. Element, has health care function. Using purple sand as a container takes advantage of the yin and yang properties without damaging the nutritional structure of the food. In addition, purple sand has good thermal and cold change properties and will not burst due to sudden temperature changes. The earthen jar fully melts the flavor and nutrients of the raw materials, ensuring that the natural nutrients of the food are not lost. If combined with precious medicinal materials, it achieves nutritional compounding and dietary effects, and has a unique taste.
Perhaps the ancients did not know that purple sand contains so many beneficial ingredients for people. The experience they gained based on practical operations is really impressive to future generations. The wisdom of the ancients cannot be underestimated.
Many excellent and classic Chinese traditional cultures, crafts, snacks, etc. are passed down from family to family. Things that are passed down from family are generally passed down from within to outside, and from male to female. In this land with rich culture, there are many family cultural heritages, such as the Huang Family Barbecue, which have been carried forward, while some have gone extinct. Closed thinking has ruined many traditional good things. Fortunately, the crock pot chicken that has been passed down for more than 300 years has not been lost, which is a blessing!
If you are destined, you will definitely find its inheritor and talk to him, and have a deeper understanding of the history and origins of the ancient city snacks. Of course, it is better to taste the delicious food.
Inherit the culture of Zhangqiu Old City and pay attention to the benefits of embroidery in the here and now. See you next time.