When people mention Zhu Yuanzhang, they will definitely think that he is the founder of the Ming Dynasty. In fact, this Ming Taizu not only goes to court, but also goes to the kitchen. Now many diets around us are related to this emperor.

For example, Zhu Yuanzhang personally invented a drink, which is the "sour plum soup" that we like to drink and often drink in summer. At the end of Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang used to be a peddler selling ebony. At that time, the plague was rampant, and Zhu Yuanzhang was unfortunately ill. When he struggled to take ebony out of the warehouse, he suddenly smelled the sour taste of ebony and was refreshed. So, he took ebony as the main ingredient, with hawthorn and licorice as the soup, and took it every day. A few days later, his plague miraculously recovered. Since then, Zhu Yuanzhang has changed to selling sour plum soup that can dispel the plague. People bought it one after another, and Zhu Yuanzhang became rich quickly, which laid the economic foundation for his later rebellion against Yuan.

After Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor, he still had a soft spot for Sour Plum Soup. Drinking Sour Plum Soup often can remove body fat, benefit qi and soothe the nerves, so Sour Plum Soup became a daily health drink in the Ming Dynasty. Soon, folk shops specializing in sour plum soup appeared. The time-honored Beijing "Jiulong Zhai" is the most famous, and it is known as "the first sour plum soup in Kyoto". The sour plum soup industry is based on Zhu Yuanzhang, and it is not difficult to find Zhu Yuanzhang's portrait in many sour plum soup shops.

Now Beijing roast duck is famous all over the world, and foreigners will try this famous dish when they come to Beijing. In fact, roast duck originally originated in Nanjing and was also related to Zhu Yuanzhang. It is said that after Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself emperor, Nanjing was designated as the capital. He likes to eat duck, but when he eats too many boiled, braised and steamed ducks, he feels bored and mopes all day. The court chefs racked their brains to change the traditional cooking methods, and roasted the duck with fruit and wood on charcoal fire to make it tender, fat but not greasy, and was named "roast duck" by Zhu Yuanzhang. After Zhu Yuanzhang's death, his son Judy, the prince of Yan, seized the throne by force and moved to Beijing. Roast duck technology also spread to Beijing and was further developed. The famous "Quanjude" roast duck restaurant in Beijing, which was opened in Tongzhi period of Qing Dynasty, is still popular today, thanks to Zhu Yuanzhang, who loves roast duck.

Zhu Yuanzhang