The emperor of a country often treats guests in order to have a good relationship with his subordinates. However, the emperor's treat is called "giving food". The so-called "giving food" is a meal won by the emperor or something that rewards his subordinates. However, eating the meal invited by the emperor is not a comfortable thing.
According to Historical Records, there was a minister named Shi Fan in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, and his sister was Liu Bang's little wife. After Shi Fen retired, "when he was given food at home, he would bow his head and eat, as if he were moving forward." The emperor invited the stone powder to eat, and the stone powder should kneel on the ground to eat. "Giving food" is a boon. The giver must be respectful, kneeling and prone, and must eat uncomfortable.
Tang Xuanzong summoned Li Bai. After reading his article, he said, "The emperor gave food, relatives made spoons, and there was a letter to the Hanlin." Tang Xuanzong invited Li Bai's guests out of love and truth.
After Song Zhenzong had a son in the Northern Song Dynasty, he was very happy and wanted to treat him well. Moreover, "the steamed stuffed bun was given to the courtiers in the palace, all of which were golden beads." The emperor had a son, and it was also out of true feelings that he gave his minister Kim Chu. In Wanli Wild Collection, the way that Ming Chengzu treated his guests was recorded:
"Mao, the retreat, will give food to the court. Although the cover is strict, the ruler is polite. And give it proper warmth and cold protection every day, that is, take care of it. By the end of the year, gifts are becoming scarce and only available every month. All yamen halls have their own matching wine bowls, which are the same in the three dynasties.
It was not until the seventh year of orthodoxy that Guanglu Qing Naiheng began to play. However, New Year's Day and Winter Solstice are two major festivals, and the Ministry of Rites invited them to hold them. Others, such as beginning of spring eating spring cakes, Zi Yuan on the first day of the first lunar month, not dropping pods on April 8, eating zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival in May, eating cakes on Chongyang in September, and eating preserved noodles on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, are all heard in advance.
If you celebrate the longevity festival and the suburban sacrifice, there will be a big swallow. The queen mother's Christmas, the queen's orders, and the prince's Millennium are all given birthday noodles, which is no longer the case. "
Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of Ming Dynasty, was a diligent emperor. He goes to work every day to deal with official business, and his subordinates are busy. Zhu Yuanzhang is very sorry. It is common for him to treat guests, and he is rich in food and drink.
During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor was in office for a short time and did not often invite his subordinates. Subordinates can only wait for the queen mother and the prince to have a few bites and drinks on their birthdays. Another thing is to get some Yuanxiao, spring cakes and jiaozi on holidays. Therefore, it is very unreliable for subordinates to blindly expect the emperor to treat them to a big meal.
Lin Zexu, a famous minister in Qing Dynasty, was also given food by Daoguang Emperor. His diary records: "I helped Cao regime return to Chu, gave two letters of' blessing' and' longevity', and sealed a venison." At that time, Lin Zexu was the governor of Huguang, and it was not easy for Daoguang Emperor, who was famous for his frugality, to invite him to eat venison.
What does Empress Dowager Cixi like best?
Yu Deling, an American writer who was once called into the palace by Cixi as a "female imperial official", wrote in the book "Imperial Incense": "Empress Dowager Cixi's life can be said to be for" eating "..." This is a statement in Zhen Xuan style. In terms of online language, Cixi is a "foodie"!
When Cixi was in power, the meal was similar to that of the emperor. Two meals a day, as required 100 bowls of different dishes. There are two other "snacks" with at least 20 bowls of dishes, usually around 40 to 50 bowls. There are so many dishes, except for the ones near, other dishes rarely move, and the rest are all withdrawn together after she finishes eating. These dishes are either thrown away immediately, or eaten by female officials, maids, senior eunuchs, etc. Nine times out of ten, it is still intact, just like a sacrificial plate for ancestors to take away.
Cixi's favorite dish is clear soup and tiger gall. The raw material is testicles of Siberian tiger in Xiaoxing 'anling. When cooking, the tiger's testicles are stewed in chicken soup for three hours, then peeled, soaked in seasoning for two hours and cut into very thin slices with a knife. There are natural patterns on the testicles of the Siberian tiger, so you can put it in a dish and make it into the shape of a peony flower, and then dip it in the dish to eat. Because the testicles are full of gas, it is necessary to remove this smell with juice such as onion, ginger, garlic and vinegar. Now this dish has been lost because there is no raw material.
Another favorite dish of gourmet Cixi is stewed fat duck. The practice is to wash the wild ducks, put them in a crock filled with spices, then seal them, put them in an iron pot half filled with water, then seal the iron pot and stew them slowly for three days-because the meat of the wild ducks is very tight, it must be stewed for a long time. After three days, the duck becomes tender and melts in the mouth.
Watermelon cup, which Cixi loves to eat, is also a famous court dish and a kind of fermented dish. The specific method is to cut the watermelon in half, then dig out the pulp and brew diced chicken, diced ham, fresh lotus seeds, longan, pine nuts, almonds and walnuts. Then put the soaked watermelon in a vessel and stew it with water. Simmer for four hours on low heat, and the pure and delicious watermelon cup can be served.
Cherry meat is a favorite dish of Cixi in her later years. The specific method is to cut the best pork into small pieces like chess pieces, add seasoning, put it in a white magnetic cylinder with fresh cherries, add clear water, and simmer on a warm fire for about 10 hour. The meat is crisp. When the cherry is dissolved in water, the fragrance comes out, especially its soup, which is really beautiful.
Empress Dowager Cixi is very particular about food, but she likes to drink milk, but the milk she drinks is different from that we normal people drink. She drinks human milk. According to records, Cixi died from the age of 26 to 75 and never stopped drinking human milk for nearly 50 years. Every day, three wet nurses provide her with enough healthy milk.
According to "Miscellaneous Notes of Wanbu", outside Dong 'anmen, just north, there is a etiquette room, which is the place where the Qing Palace specially selects pacifiers (wet nurses) to wait for the imperial edict. According to the regulations of the Qing Dynasty, 40 milkmen are selected every season, and special rooms are set up in the palace for maintenance, which is called sitting milkmen. Another 80 people, born in the palace, were specially supplied with food by the inner government, called milk mouth, in order to fill the gap when something happened to the milk mouth. Change a batch every season.
The selection of milk source shops in Qing Palace is very strict: two counties and major yamen in Beijing suburbs extensively look for dignified and virtuous women whose husbands are still alive, and choose those who are in good health, above the age of 15, under the age of 20, and still have children; It must be a woman who has no disease for about 3 months after giving birth to the third child. In Daxing and Wanping counties, as well as the Military Forces Division, Daweifu and Yamen in five cities, 20 people will be sent each, and they will be selected every season. Only those who are determined by the inner government to be stable midwives-those who are disease-free and healthy-are selected to be sent to the palace.