Sea Cucumber-Venison Banquet
海參鹿鳴宴
In Qing Dynasty, the most famous gentleman in Lijiang was named He Gengji who had passed the highest imperial examination. Naturally he should have been lucky to be present on the “number one scholar” banquet held by the emperor where he could have a taste of many delicacies like sea cucumber and deer lip. Later he held office in Sichuan , the most gastronomic province in China, which greatly enriched his experiences and knowledge of food.
麗江當(dāng)時最有名的紳士老民和庚吉。和庚吉是清科進士,按例他中舉當(dāng)時應(yīng)該有幸出席過皇帝恩賜同年舉子們的“狀元”宴,在皇家宴會上,他吃到過海參和鹿唇之類的好東西也是自然的,后來他又宦游在四川這個能吃又會吃的地方,對吃他是有見識的。
The Chinese people have a strong sense of family consciousness which was the foundation of ideology from ancient times and produced great influences on the trend of Chinese history. Family status was always closely tied with one’s official position.
中國有很濃厚的家族意識,它是古代意識形態(tài)的基礎(chǔ)繼而影響了中國歷史的走向。做官是和家族地位緊密結(jié)合的。
It was a big event in China to have grandchildren, especially in those rich families. When He Gengji arranged a feast celebrating the first month of his grandson, he requested cooks to used sea cucumber and venison as major food material in the feast. Nobody in Lijiang had ever seen what sea cucumber looked like, but He Gengji knew how to do. According to his advice, the cooks first cut pig skin into pieces of two or three square inches and then made skew lattice slightly on the skins by knife. The latticed skins curled in hot water with many bulgy spinous shoots same as cucumber. After painting in brown sauce, it mixed with quick-fry lean venison. He Gengji named this dish as “ Sea cucumber and deer mince”, which became a famous course thereafter in Lijiang. Now, one harsh words in Lijiang to those who like to show off having delicacies is “ Can it be Sea cucumber and deer mince?”
傳說和進士得孫,孫以祖貴是他家的大事,也是麗江人的大事。在給孫兒辦滿月客時,和進士請廚師要辦一個有名的筵席,要用海參和鹿肉為主料。海參麗江是沒有的,但和進士是見過的,按他的主意,廚師把豬皮改成兩三寸見方的塊,再用輕快的刀法在豬皮上切下葵花子一樣的斜格紋路,下滾水焯氽讓豬皮卷曲葵子紋突起如海參狀,再著醬上色,豬皮便翻成了醬色的“海參”;配上鹿脯精肉過熘過燴成菜,和進士名之曰“海參鹿糜宴”。一菜成名,一宴傳后,后來的麗江人中有意欲賣弄自己吃過的美味佳肴時,刻薄的人就會用“難道你吃的是‘海參鹿糜宴’不成?”來刁難他揶揄他。