So, Tutu is so cute, was it secret or spicy in ancient times? Before answering this question, let's talk about the history of the ancients eating rabbits. Ancient people ate rabbits for a long time. As early as the Book of Songs, it was recorded that a fat but not greasy roast rabbit was the most suitable appetizer when entertaining guests from afar.
In various sacrificial ceremonies in the Zhou Dynasty, the rabbit was one of the essential sacrifices, and it was called "Shi Ming".
Sacrifice ceremony to the ancestral temple: the cow said "the hero of one yuan" ... and the rabbit said "bright vision". -Book of Rites? Qu Lixia "
Chickens and rabbits, shooting, cooking and barbecue, are extremely happy. -"Fu Lun Tu Yuan Ji"
In the Western Han Dynasty, there even appeared a fanatical rabbit control-Liang Xiaowang Liu Wu (the second son of Wendi). He specially contracted a big garden for raising rabbits and named it "Rabbit Garden". Rabbits living in this garden, in addition to eating, drinking and having fun happily, of course become frequent visitors to hunting grounds and dining tables.
Rabbits are so cute, why did ancient people eat rabbits?
In the dietary etiquette system of the Zhou Dynasty, there were detailed regulations on the diets of emperors, princes and other classes. Among them, the son of heaven ate "Jiuding Eighty". However, it should be noted that the "nine strings and eighty" here actually belongs to ritual vessels, that is, they are not used at ordinary times and will only be used for sacrifice or entertainment.
Weijidou, system chapter, ritual vessel. -Book of Rites Music Notes
What does Tianzi usually eat? Liugu, Liu Sheng and Liu Qing. Corresponding to food, animals and drinks respectively.
Where the king eats, he eats six kinds of grains, six kinds of animals and six kinds of wine. -Zhou Li? Nakazawa Tomohide, the celestial official? Gong Zheng/Waiyang "
But this does not refer to the specific six foods, but among many foods! Just pick six. Ensure that it is not repeated every day and fresh every day. In the list of six animals, it can be divided into six animals, six animals and six birds in detail. The rabbit is one of six kinds of animals.
Take care of six animals, six beasts and six birds and identify their names. -Zhou Li? Nakazawa Tomohide, the celestial official? Outside the palace is/gluttonous "
Zheng Sinong said, "Six beasts, elk, deer, bear, raccoon, tapir and rabbit." -"Li Zhouzhu Book"
So grab it! Under the influence of Zhou's popularity, rabbits slowly entered the menu of ordinary people. As a result, it also successfully entered the "victim list".
And under the influence of the habit of "doing what you can" for thousands of years, the way rabbits eat has been constantly innovating, which can be said to be fancy! Even in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the method of cooking rabbits was still in the primitive stage, with a layer of mud coated on it, roasted in the fire, or boiled in water, and then made into meat paste, which is "sugar".
Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, there have been "rabbit fiber" and "rabbit breast". These two methods are similar to today's meat floss. After the rabbit meat is cooked, it is pressed into slender strips and dipped in vinegar, which makes the flavor more unique.
Cut the chicken, blanch it with wax, and then dip it with vinegar. The same is true of rabbit hair fiber. -"Interpretation? Interpretation of diet
During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, due to the development of cooking theory and skills, the practice of rabbit meat began to have great innovation.
Jia Sixie's Book of Qi Yaomin introduces various new cooking methods of rabbit meat, which is a complete collection of rabbit food. What is recorded in the book is that in addition to the traditional meat sauce method, there are new methods, such as meat sauce method, five-flavored wax method, rabbit sauce method, honey fried fish method and so on.
Rabbit's method: a rabbit's head is broken, as big as dates. Three liters of water, one liter of wine, five cents of magnolia, three liters of onion, and a mixture of rice, salt, black beans and bitter wine. -Qi "Yao Min Shu"
Among them, "rabbit stuffing method" is the earliest recorded cooking method about rabbit head in ancient times. So friends in Sichuan, do you know who to thank?
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, due to the full maturity of various cooking techniques, the cooking methods of rabbits were naturally burning, roasting, frying, frying, steaming, stewing and boiling. Even in the menu of the Tang Dynasty's "Roast Tail Banquet" (similar to the Manchu-Han banquet), rabbits have a place, such as "Mao Tang" and other famous dishes.
In the Song Dynasty food book "A Dream in Tokyo", dishes such as rabbit signing, fried rabbit and scallion were also recorded. Boiled rabbits can be said to be varied and convincing.
But in the Ming Dynasty, the appearance of a man completely subverted people's stereotype of rabbit dishes. He is Li Shizhen. According to Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica, rabbit meat is sweet in taste and cold in nature, which can tonify middle energizer, quench thirst and strengthen spleen.
Cooling blood, clearing away heat and toxic materials, and benefiting large intestine. -Compendium of Materia Medica? Animal department? rabbit
But if rabbits are only used as medicine, how can they be called "subversion"? You really underestimate Li Shizhen. What Li Shizhen subverted was actually the discovery of full moon sand, that is, rabbit shit. This can't help but make me deeply understand what it means to be a master only after suffering.
Mingmusha, indications: floating clouds in the eyes, fatigue, scabies, hemorrhoids, disinfestation and detoxification. -Compendium of Materia Medica? The second beast
Later, until the1980s, rabbits and Sichuanese met in the century and finally had the most delicious love spark, spicy rabbit head!
Finally, I want to say that rabbits have had such a miserable life. Please don't ask the ancients whether rabbits are secret or spicy, because baking with honey juice is the best way to eat! ! !