Yuan Mei, a talented scholar in Qianlong, had nine hobbies in his life. The first one is "eating" and the last one is reading. "Tofu is very good, far more delicious than bird's nest." His Menu with the Garden describes in detail 326 kinds of dishes and meals popular in China from14th century to18th century, from material selection to tasting. Yuan Mei promoted diet to elegant knowledge, with fluent writing and flying literary talent, which was the most systematic and interesting comprehensive diet masterpiece in China before modern times.

By the way, there are many versions of Suiyuan Menu, among which the comic book Manhua Suiyuan Menu published by CITIC Publishing House is very interesting and suitable for young people to enjoy (this book is out of stock, the original price is 39 yuan, and it has been fried to several hundred yuan on Confucius' second-hand book online). I read a book in Baidu a few days ago and found that 1 can buy an electronic version for a penny, which is equivalent to giving it away. I bought a copy immediately, and interested friends can go to Baidu to read it again to see if it is still at this price.

Yuan Mei is a person who values the interest of life. He loves Jinling spirit. When he was appointed as the county magistrate of Jiangning, he bought the garden at the foot of Xiaocang Mountain in Jiangning with 300 gold. Suiyuan used to be a weaving garden (it is said that this is the prototype of the Grand View Garden written by Cao Xueqin). At that time, "the garden was tilted and decadent, ... flowers withered and the spring breeze was inexhaustible." It has been abandoned for a long time. After being purchased by Yuanmei, it was rectified. Because it is "killing countless barren land with it, it will take a photo", so it is called "Suiyuan".

Yuan Mei has two collections named after Suiyuan, one is Suiyuan Poetry and the other is Suiyuan Food List.

Yuan Mei traveled widely and learned a lot. Unlike ordinary poor literati, he was hindered by poverty. As far as eating is concerned, Yuan Mei not only keeps a few skilled chefs, but also often goes to various famous restaurants in the city, and sometimes goes to other places to see local famous dishes and snacks. As a gourmet, Yuan Mei is still very reliable. He makes friends by eating in Nanjing. Every time he eats delicious food, he will ask the host family how to cook.

The menu with garden can be roughly divided into two parts. The first section is a general introduction, including preface, precautions and warnings, which is a general summary of diet. The notes list describes the notes in the cooking process, from seasoning, heating and collocation of food to cleaning and decorating dishes. What is said in the "warning list" is the way to eat and drink. In the second section of Suiyuan Food List, the dishes are divided into twelve categories: seafood, fresh river, feather family (chickens, ducks, geese and birds), special animals (pigs), miscellaneous animals (cattle, sheep and deer), scaly fish, vegetarian dishes, side dishes (cold salad, sauce and so on. ), rice porridge, tea wine, snacks, the specific cooking methods of these different kinds of dishes are recorded.

There is a saying that "governing a big country is like cooking a little fresh". I like to watch Yuan Mei's Talk about Eating and Drinking, which is very enjoyable!

Please enjoy a few paragraphs:

"Everything has its own innate, such as people's own endowment. Human nature is stupid, although Confucius and Mencius teach, it is useless; Poor physical properties, although cooked in Yiya, but tasteless.

Generally speaking, pigs should be thin-skinned and not smelly; Chickens should be tender and not childish; Crucian carp is better with a flat body and a white belly, and the black back will rise stronger than the plate; Eels swim in lakes and streams, and those born in rivers rub their joints; Valley-fed ducks are fat and white; Bamboo shoots buried in the soil are few and sweet; The same ham is good, but ugly; The same owl, but beauty and evil are divided into ice and charcoal. Other sundries can be analogized. Generally speaking, the chef's job ranks sixth and the comprador's job ranks fourth in a delicacy. "

"A thing has its own flavor and cannot be confused. Just like a saint teaching, teaching students in accordance with their aptitude is fun, not eclectic. The so-called beauty of a gentleman as an adult is also. Today, when I saw the tacky kitchen, I moved chickens, ducks, pigs and geese, and the soup was rolled together, making it look like chewing wax. I am afraid that chickens, pigs, geese and ducks have spirits, and I will complain in the city where I died in vain. People who are good at cooking must set up more pots, stoves, pots and bowls, so that everything has its own characteristics and each bowl has its own taste. The addict's tongue should be overwhelmed, and he feels his heart is blooming. "

"Don't let the seating banquet, also. But once a dish is served, the reason depends on the chopsticks of the guests, thin and fat, each with its own merits. It is reasonable to listen to the convenience of the guests. Why force it? It is common for the host to pick it up with chopsticks, and there is no bowl in the dirty plate before folding the guests, which is very annoying. You know, guests are not people without hands and eyes, nor are they children or brides. He is shy and hungry. Why should he be treated with the opinion of a small family in the village? Its slow guest is here! Recently, I advocate family, especially this bad habit, which is extremely hateful. I take food from chopsticks and force it into the population. Chang 'an is good at entertaining guests, but the food is not good. A guest asked, "How are you and me?" The master said, "Love!" The guest asked, "Sure enough, if I want something, I will allow it to start later." The master asked in surprise, "What do you want?" ? Yue said, "After that, your family will hold a banquet and beg for exemption. "Sit together and laugh."

Because "Suiyuan Food List" is rich in dishes, meticulous in practice, very close to life, and written by a genius like Yuan Mei, it is needless to say. The menu with the garden spread to later generations, and many people really cooked delicious dishes according to the recipes inside. A gifted scholar from Hong Kong once asked a friend to do it, and the boss of Yongji made a "smoked stew" according to the "Suiyuan Food List". Diners enjoyed themselves and everyone applauded. It can be seen that Suiyuan Cuisine List is a truly practical menu, and modern people can still make delicious dishes according to the above cooking methods. It's really amazing. You can travel to ancient times and eat the dishes that the ancients used to eat through a "menu with garden"

Attachment: Legend of the comic version of Suiyuan Food List