Chinese food is culture, the inheritance and inheritance of history. Behind almost every famous dish there is a very interesting historical story. Here we mainly talk about some local specialties and delicacies that are related to the emperors or are famous all over the world because of their favorites.
■The most famous dish in the world - Shrimp Crispy Rice Dish made famous by Emperor Qianlong
According to legend, Emperor Qianlong paid a private visit in Wuxi city incognito during his three visits to the south of the Yangtze River. One day, after noon, the hungry Emperor Qianlong walked into a small restaurant and urged the store to serve food. Because it was past the dining period, the food in the store had already been sold out. The owner was so anxious that he took out the remaining crispy rice in the pot, fried it in boiling oil until golden and crispy, then added it with shrimps, shredded cooked chicken, stock, etc., and served it to the table. The fragrant broth was poured on the crispy rice cakes, and a wisp of white smoke came out with a hissing sound. The aroma was fragrant and crispy with a fresh aroma. Emperor Qianlong was very satisfied after tasting it. He was so happy that he immediately named it - "The best dish in the world".
In fact, the so-called "No. 1 dish in the world" is a home-cooked dish of deep-fried rice dumplings topped with shrimp, shredded chicken, and mushroom stock. However, once Emperor Qianlong Yuzui ate it, this dish became a famous local specialty in Huaiyang cuisine, well-known at home and abroad.
■ Two famous dishes that the Empress Dowager Cixi liked to eat - the Empress Dowager's hot pot and the matchmaker's own dish. It is said that when the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded Beijing, the Empress Dowager Cixi and the Emperor Guangxu fled to Xi'an in a hurry. One night, the Empress Dowager Cixi felt cold and hungry after watching a play, so she hurriedly ordered the imperial chef to prepare a midnight snack. In order to please the master, the imperial chef used the breast meat of a young chicken to make stuffing and made a bunch of dumplings as big as apricot kernels. Then he set up a single-wind copper hot pot, put the chicken and duck stock that had been boiled in advance into the pot, and poured the dumplings into the pot. At this time, the dumplings in the pot are like crystal clear pearls, rolling with the waves of the soup. Outside the pot, blue flames flickered and danced in the night, like blooming chrysanthemums. The Queen Mother was very happy when she saw this and praised her repeatedly while eating the dumplings. From then on, the "Queen Mother Hot Pot" dumplings became famous all over the world. Because the flames of the hot pot when cooking dumplings resemble blooming chrysanthemums, this dish is also known as "Chrysanthemum Hot Pot".
The dish "matchmaker's own match" is related to the maids in the Qing palace. It is said that the Qing court recruited a group of new palace maids every ten years and repatriated a group of overage old palace maids. At that time, there were four over-aged palace maids who had reached the age of repatriation, but the Empress Dowager Cixi did not want to let them go home because she was using them more satisfactorily. One of the palace maids was the niece of the imperial cook. The cook wanted his niece to go home and reunite with her family as soon as possible, but he didn't dare to tell Empress Dowager Cixi, so he used his brains and made a dish called "The Matchmaker's Own Pairing", which he wanted to use. The story of "The Romance of the West Chamber" moved the Queen Mother. When the Queen Mother ate this dish, she immediately understood the meaning of the imperial chef, but she still deliberately called four palace ladies to ask what the metaphor of the dish "matchmaker's own match" was, but the palace ladies were too afraid to answer. At this time, Cixi was quite satisfied with the dishes, enjoyed eating, and was in a good mood, so she did not embarrass them and let them go back. Since then, the dish "matchmaker's own match" has become a famous palace dish and has been widely spread among the people.
This dish is actually very simple to make. It is to peel the prawns and leave the tails, pickle them with refined salt, monosodium glutamate, pepper, shaoxing wine, roll them with meat filling, hang them with egg paste, fry them until cooked, and assemble them. Arrange in a circle on the plate and place smooth tomato tenderloin slices in the middle. Ordinary families can also learn to do it if they like it.
■ The emperor of the Han Dynasty Liu Bang is famous all over the world - Turtle Juice and Dog Meat
According to legend, Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, was idle and had nothing to do when he was young. He often went to the house of his uncle who was a dog-slaughtering business to "take advantage" and eat and drink. The petty aunt tried to drive him away but couldn't, and was very disgusted. One time, my aunt saw Liu Bang going out to wander around, so she pulled up the suspension bridge to prevent him from entering again. Unexpectedly, Liu Bang, who only wanted to have fun, rode a big turtle and swam across the river and came again. In a rage, her aunt killed the big turtle Liu Bang used for swimming and threw it into the cooking pot of dog meat.Unexpectedly, the dog meat with turtle juice was extremely fragrant and delicious when it came out of the pot. It spread from one person to another, and the neighbors came to buy it after smelling the aroma. From then on, "dog meat in turtle juice" was also known as "Turtle Juice Dog Meat". Hear the world.
■ Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang liked a royal dish - Hongwu tofu
According to legend, Zhu Yuanzhang's family was poor when he was young and he often relied on begging to survive. Once he begged for a piece of tofu in a restaurant in the city. After eating it, he thought it tasted very good, so he often went to that restaurant to beg for it. The chef of that restaurant is a kind-hearted and compassionate person. He saw that Zhu Yuanzhang was as skinny as a stick and pitiful and lonely, so he often gave him the leftover tofu. Zhu Yuanzhang was very grateful and always kept the cook's kindness in his heart. After he became the emperor, he summoned the chef into the palace to serve as the royal chef and specially cooked this dish for him. This dish was often served at banquets in the palace. Since then, "Hongwu Tofu" has become a famous royal dish and has been passed down to this day.
Hongwu tofu is a classic dish in Jianghuai cuisine. It is golden in color, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, delicious and fragrant, and rich in nutrients. But the method is a bit cumbersome. In fact, today's Hongwu tofu is no longer the tofu that Zhu Yuanzhang ate when he was a beggar. The main ingredients of this dish are tofu, meat, shrimp, hawthorn cake, etc. The method is to use meat and shrimp as filling Put it in tofu and fry it. Hawthorn dices, vinegar and sugar are made into sweet and sour sauce and poured on the tofu. Ordinary families can learn how to make it by looking at the recipe, which is not too complicated.
■ Named after Emperor Wu of Wei Cao Cao - Hefei Cao Cao Chicken
In 208 AD, Cao Cao led an army of 800,000 people to conquer Sun Wu south, which was the famous Battle of Chibi in history. While marching to Luzhou (now Hefei, Anhui), Cao Cao suffered from a headache and was bedridden. Following the doctor's advice, the kitchen chef selected the best local chicken, mixed with Chinese herbal medicine and good wine, and carefully cooked it into a medicated chicken for Cao Cao to eat. Cao Cao tasted this dish and liked it very much, so he ordered the chef to cook it often. Over time, the reputation of " Cao Cao Chicken " spread like wildfire and became a local specialty dish in Hefei that has been passed down to this day.
After several generations of chefs' improvements, today's "Cao Cao Chicken" still uses chicken as raw material, but the ingredients are richer, including gastrodia , eucommia, shiitake mushrooms, winter bamboo shoots, pepper, aniseed, honey and other 18 kinds of precious ingredients. Made with Chinese herbs and spices, this dish is not only delicious and nutritious, but also has special therapeutic effects.
■A traditional delicacy named after Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty - mutton-boiled
"Shabu-boiled mutton" is the most common home-cooked dish among citizens. Ordinary families can buy an induction cooker, buy a few bags of mutton slices from the supermarket, and eat them with homemade seasonings. Even though it is an ordinary home-cooked dish, it is also related to the emperor. It is said that 700 years ago, Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, suddenly wanted to eat the original stewed mutton while he was leading his army on an expedition. The chef accompanying the army immediately slaughtered the sheep, trimmed the meat, and made preparations. Unexpectedly, the military situation broke out and there was no time to make "mutton stew". The chef was so anxious that he cut the mutton into thin slices, boiled it in a pot, took it out, and mixed some seasonings for Kublai Khan to eat. After the hungry Kublai Khan ate it, he felt that the thin slices of mutton were extremely tender, authentic and not greasy. He praised the taste and immediately named it "shabu-shabu mutton". Later, when he was marching and fighting, he often ordered the chef to make this dish. Over time, the delicacy of "shabu-shabu mutton" spread to the people and became a classic home-cooked dish.
