First of all, shark fin is expensive for three reasons. Nie Qiaofeng, an expert in diet research, said that the output is not high, the raw materials must be high-grade and the cooking process is complicated. Shark fin is taken from shark fin. In ancient times, primitive fishing methods made it difficult for people to catch sharks. Therefore, after this shark was "caught back to the shore" with great pains, its value was naturally extremely high. The so-called thing is rare. Sharks are difficult to catch and clean. Shark meat must be treated as soon as possible, otherwise high urea content will make some shark meat stink. The processing of shark fin is more complicated. First of all, the meat attached to the base of the fin should be removed, and then it should go through eight processes, such as soaking, heating, sand removal, bone removal, fin picking, limb removal, bleaching and drying. Shark fin can be cooked into dishes and sent to the mouth, but it must go through many complicated processes: soaking for a day or two or even longer to make it soft and swell, then heating in water, then boiling, peeling and simmering to remove the fishy smell. When cooking formally, you need to add all kinds of ingredients and soup to taste, and then either bake or soup. Such a complicated processing procedure is a test of the producer's technology. Lao Dian, a columnist who likes to eat, talked about his first experience in making shark fin. He said that the so-called "three-silk shark fin" was made because the shark fin was not thoroughly cleaned and drained when foaming, which was unbearable. In fact, shark fin is not cheaper than gold from the beginning, and few people even know about it. According to some historical records, it is said that Annan was in the south of China as early as the Tang and Song Dynasties? Now on the coast of Vietnam, shark fin has been made into food. Some neighboring countries also presented it as a tribute to Emperor China, but strangely, no shark fin was found in the royal feast. It turned out that after receiving the shark fin tribute, the emperor gave it to the chef. There is also a legend that when Zheng He went to the Western Ocean in the Ming Dynasty, when Zheng He's fleet passed through Southeast Asian waters, because of lack of food, the crew picked up shark fins discarded by local aborigines on the passing islands and cooked them to satisfy their hunger, which was quite refreshing. Since then, shark fin has entered the diet of China people. There is an exact historical record of China people eating shark's fin in the Ming Dynasty. The most frequently quoted is a sentence in Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica: "(Sharks) have rings on their backs and wings under their bellies, which are delicious and fat, and are cherished by southerners." If we pay attention, we can read such a description in Chapter 55 of Jin Ping Mei Hua Thorn. When the housekeeper of Cai Jing official residence entertained Ximen Qing, she said, "Everything is delicious. Bird's nest and shark's fin are excellent choices for dinner. Only there is no dragon liver and phoenix marrow. " In the history books, the common recipes of Ming Xizong (1621-kloc-0/627) were also found, including a "one-product pot" made of more than a dozen raw materials such as shark's fin, bird's nest, fresh shrimp and clams. Shark's fin, abalone and bird's nest are among the eight treasures. The theory of "eight treasures" began in the Zhou Dynasty, and then gradually evolved into a synonym for precious food. Its content also changed with the change of dynasties. Shark fin is listed as one of the eight treasures, which began in Ming and Qing Dynasties. The eight treasures of land and water in Ming and Qing Dynasties are: sea cucumber, shark's fin, fish crisp bone, fish belly, bird's nest, bear's paw, deer tendon and frog. Since it's listed as eight treasures, the value of shark fin must have doubled. It is recorded in the Notes of the Qing Dynasty that there is a kind of stewed shark's fin in Guangdong, and a bowl of ten pieces of gold can be seen as shark's fin. During the Qianlong period, people in China liked to eat shark fin. At that time, the country was prosperous and the people were safe, and there were many shark fin dishes at banquets of bureaucrats and wealthy families. Today, the famous "Tan Jiacai" in Beijing began in the late Qing Dynasty. Among nearly 200 kinds of dishes in Tan Jiacai, seafood is the most expensive, and shark's fin is the most famous one. If you want to eat Tan's shark fin, you must make a reservation. The delicacy of shark fin is all in the ingredients, and the price of shark fin has led to many misunderstandings. For example, almost everyone takes it for granted that shark fin is extremely nutritious and delicious. Shark's fin has always been a delicacy at court and official banquets. Is it nutritious and delicious? Mr. Liu Guangwei, Dean of Oriental Cuisine College, who has in-depth research on China's food culture, said: "Shark fin itself is tasteless, and its taste is brought by condiments. Strictly speaking, shark fin is not delicious, but the chef turned it into delicious. " Mr. Nie Qiaofeng also holds the same view: "(Shark's fin) itself has no obvious taste. If there is no fresh material, it tastes like chewing wax. " "People with taste make it, and people without taste make it." This is one of the characteristics of China cooking, which is fully reflected in shark fin cooking. In the Qing Dynasty, there was a menu called "Menu with Garden", which introduced the practice of shark fin. We might as well take a look. "Shark fin is hard to rot, and it takes two days to cook. There are two ways to use it: one is to use good ham and chicken soup, and add fresh bamboo shoots and rock sugar to stew slowly, which is also a method; One is to string shredded radish and chicken soup together, break fish scales and chicken wings, mix them together, and let the bowl surface float, so that people who eat them can't tell whether it is shredded radish or shark's fin. This is another way. " The mystery is all in the soup. However, these two ingredients are still very simple, and the author sees the complexity of a high-grade shark fin soup, which is shocking. There are old chicken, beef, trotters, pigskin, ham, chicken feet, water snake shells, scallops, frogs … and then it will take 5 or 6 hours! Gourmets say that shark fin is used as a dish, not because of its inconspicuous original taste, but because of its tender and soft taste. And taste is only an important factor in food. But to be honest, just to get this taste, it is necessary to put so many high-grade ingredients on it. I wonder if this is putting the cart before the horse. Of course, in people's impression, shark fin is still a high-grade nutrition. Compendium of Materia Medica records that shark fin can tonify five internal organs, strengthen waist, benefit qi and nourish essence, but according to modern nutritional analysis, every100g of dried shark fin contains 83.5g of protein and 0.3g of fat. If we only compare protein, shark fin is indeed higher than eggs 12.7.