Yuan Mei, a gifted scholar in Qianlong period, had nine hobbies in his life. The first one is "eating" and the last one is reading. "Tofu is very good, much more delicious than bird's nest." His Menu with the Garden describes in detail 326 kinds of dishes and meals popular in China from14th century to18th century, from the selection of ingredients to tasting. Yuan Mei promoted diet to elegant knowledge, with fluent writing and brilliant literary talent, which was the most systematic and interesting comprehensive diet masterpiece in China before modern times.

By the way, there are many versions of Suiyuan Menu, among which the comic version of Random Talk Suiyuan Menu published by CITIC Publishing House is very interesting and suitable for young people to enjoy (this book is out of stock, the original price is 39 yuan, and it has been fried for several hundred yuan on Confucius' second-hand books online). Reading in Baidu a few days ago, I found that 1 penny can buy an electronic version, which is equivalent to giving it away for nothing. I bought a copy immediately, and interested friends can go to Baidu to read it again to see if it is still at this price.

Yuan Mei is a person who values the interest of life. He loves Jinling spirit. When he was appointed as the county magistrate of Jiangning, he bought the garden at the foot of Xiaocang Mountain in Jiangning with 300 gold. Suiyuan used to be a weaving garden (it is said that this is the prototype of the Grand View Garden written by Cao Xueqin). At that time, "the garden was tilted and decayed, ... flowers withered, and the spring breeze was inexhaustible." It has been abandoned for a long time. After it was purchased by Yuan Mei, it was rectified. Because it "killed countless barren land with it, it can take pictures", so it is called Suiyuan.

Yuan Mei has two books named after Suiyuan, one is Suiyuan Poetry and the other is Suiyuan Food List.

Yuan Mei traveled widely and learned a lot, and was not hindered by poverty like ordinary poor literati. As far as eating is concerned, Yuan Mei not only keeps several skilled chefs, but also often goes to various famous shops in the city to eat, and sometimes goes to other places to see local famous dishes and snacks. As a gourmet, Yuan Mei is still very reliable. He made friends by eating in Nanjing. Every time he eats delicious food, he will ask his host how to cook.

The menu with garden can be roughly divided into two parts. The first part is a general introduction, including preface, notice and warning list, which is a general summary of diet. The notice describes the precautions in the cooking process, from seasoning, heating and matching of food to cleaning and decorating dishes. What is mentioned in the "warning list" is the way to eat and drink. In the second section of Suiyuan Food List, the dishes are divided into twelve categories: seafood, seafood, feather family (chickens, ducks, geese and birds), special animals (pigs), miscellaneous animals (cattle, sheep and deer), scaly fish, vegetarian dishes and side dishes (cold salad, sauce, etc.). ), rice porridge, tea wine and snacks, and recorded the specific cooking methods of these different kinds of dishes.

There is a saying that "governing a big country is like cooking a little fresh". I like Yuan Mei's On the Way to Eat and Drink best. It's very enjoyable!

Please enjoy a few paragraphs:

"Everything has its innate, such as people have their endowments. Human nature is foolish. Although Confucius and Mencius taught it, it was useless. Poor physical properties, although cooked in Yiya, but tasteless.

Generally speaking, pigs should be thin-skinned and not smelly; Chicken should be tender, not old and childish; It is better for crucian carp to be flat and white-bellied, and those with black backs are stronger than the plate; Eels swim in lakes and streams, and eels born in rivers rub their joints; Valley-fed ducks are fat and white; Bamboo shoots buried in the soil are few and sweet; The same ham is good, but the ugly judgment is like a world; The same owl, but beauty and evil are divided into ice and charcoal. Other sundries can be analogized. Generally speaking, for a delicious food, the chef's job ranks sixth and the comprador's job ranks fourth. "

"One thing has its own flavor and cannot be confused. Just like a sage teaching, he is willing to teach because of his talent, and he is not eclectic. The so-called beauty of a gentleman as an adult is also. Today, I saw the tacky kitchen. When the chickens, ducks, pigs and geese moved, the soup rolled together, and thousands of hands were similar, and the taste was the same as chewing wax. I am afraid that chickens, pigs, geese and ducks have spirits, and I will complain in the city where I died in vain. People who are good at cooking must set up more pots, stoves, pots and bowls, so that everything has its own characteristics and each bowl has its own taste. The addict's tongue should be overwhelmed, and he feels his heart is blooming. "

"Don't let the seating banquet, also. However, once a dish is served, the reason should be that according to the chopsticks of the guests, each has its own advantages. It is reasonable to listen to the convenience of the guests. Why force it? It is very common for the host to hold it with chopsticks. Before stacking the guests, there is no bowl on the dirty plate, which is very annoying. You should know that guests are not people without hands and eyes, nor are they children or brides. He is shy and hungry. Why should he be treated with the opinion of a small family in the village? Its slow guests are here! Recently, advocating family, especially this bad habit, is abhorrent, taking food from chopsticks and forcing it into the population. Chang 'an is very good at entertaining guests, but the food is not delicious. A guest asked, "How are you and me?" The master said, "Love!" The guest asked, "Sure enough, if I want something, I will allow it to start later." The master asked in surprise, "What do you want?" ? "Yue:" After that, your family gave a banquet and begged for exemption. "Sit together and laugh."

Because "Suiyuan Food List" is rich in dishes, meticulous in practice, very close to life, and written by a genius like Yuan Mei, it is needless to say. "Suiyuan Food List" spread to later generations, and many people really cooked delicious dishes according to the recipes in it. A gifted scholar in Hong Kong once called his friend, the boss of Yongji, and made a "bacon braised meat" according to the "Suiyuan Food List". Diners enjoyed it and everyone applauded. Thus, Suiyuan Menu is a truly practical menu, and modern people can still make delicious dishes according to the above cooking methods. It's amazing that you can travel through ancient times and eat the dishes that ancient people often eat through the "garden menu"

Attachment: Legend of the Comic Edition of Suiyuan Food List