Ming Zuo

Chapter 763 Commander's Mansion (3)

The unique restaurant makes everyone look forward to the unknown food.

Soon, the first course was served.

But looking at the food on the plate, everyone was a little confused.

The items on the plate were cut into filaments, but they were as crystal clear as jade, exuding a textured luster.It seems that it is not food, but a peerless treasure.

Finely chopped minced garlic is sprinkled on top, and chili oil is poured on it. The red, green and white colors complement each other, making it very refreshing.

"Zhongheng, what is this?"

Zuo Menggeng didn't answer immediately, but took a bite with his chopsticks first.

"Everyone try."

When everyone saw him eating, they followed him one after another.

The food entered the mouth, and everyone chewed carefully.

I just feel that this product is quite tough, and at the same time has a slightly astringent salty taste, but because the various seasonings are mixed just right, it has a particularly thorough and refreshing feeling.

It can be said that this first appetizing cold dish conquered everyone.

It wasn't until then that Zuo Menggeng revealed the mystery.

"The name of this thing is kelp, and it can be found everywhere in Sakhalin Island. The local aborigines eat it a lot. Wu Jiang, Liang Fa and others saw it and sent some back. This thing can not only be eaten cold, but also can be used to cook soup, Stir-fried vegetables. I have asked the Ministry of Agriculture to organize personnel to study breeding in the coastal waters of Shandong, hoping to benefit the public in the future.”

There has always been a misunderstanding in later generations, thinking that the wide cloth mentioned in ancient books is kelp.

Actually not.

The broadcloth mentioned in ancient books is actually eel algae, but it is not algae, but a plant.

The kelp is a eukaryotic organism of the class Phaeaceae and the family Variegated Flagellate.

That said, kelp is not actually a plant.

In this era, China's coast does not produce kelp.

Some sporadic ones are also imported from North Korea, and are only eaten by the royal family and a few ministers, and are not popular among the people at all.

In modern times, domestic kelp is basically imported from Japan.

A considerable part of the main sponsorship funds for the Meiji Restoration in Japan came from the accumulation of kelp smuggled by businessmen to China.

It was not until 1927, when Japanese scholar Yoshiro Otsuki began to breed in Dalian, that kelp gradually adapted to the coastal environment of China and spread gradually, becoming a household food on the table.

In the late Ming Dynasty, kelp was undoubtedly a novel food.

"Don't underestimate this thing. This thing grows extremely fast, the yield is very considerable, and it is very easy to harvest. If it can be cultivated in the coastal area, it will greatly make up for the shortage of food. And this thing is rich in nutrients, It is of great benefit to the human body, especially for pregnant women after giving birth, it can play a very good nourishing role.”

Everyone was amazed when they heard this, and they were even more looking forward to the following dishes.

The next dish was something they had never seen before.

The ordinary rice is not served in a bowl, but wrapped in seaweed, with carrots, cucumbers, ham, meat floss, and salmon mixed in the middle, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and drizzled with sesame oil.

"This is Dongying's sushi, and it is the daily food of Dongying people."

Everyone followed Zuo Menggeng to taste it again.

"Well, this thing is light, and it suits the old man's appetite."

Everyone didn't like the bland taste of the sushi, but Hou Xun, Li Banghua and other older people ate a few more.

Huang Zongxi is indeed a soldier.

"This sushi is made into a shape and is easy to store. It is very convenient to carry out. If you go to work in the fields or go on a long trip, you can take some with you to satisfy your hunger on the road."

Zuo Menggeng clapped his hands and laughed.

"It's really what you said. The children of Dongying go to school to study, and they can't go home at noon, so they eat this food."

Zuo Xianmei is compassionate.

"The children in Dongying are so pitiful. They just eat such things. What's the use of making them look good?"

"The resources in Dongying are scarce, and the people are often hungry, so they can only carve out food and do some superficial work."

Zuo Menggeng talked about the situation in Dongying, and also exposed the hypocrisy of Dongying people.

No matter how boastful Dongying fans of later generations are, as a country living on an island, it is inevitable that everything in Dongying will seem petty.

I ate two oriental food in a row. Although it was novel, it obviously couldn't satisfy everyone's appetite.

Whether it is cold seaweed shreds or sushi, they are too bland and do not conform to the eating habits of Chinese people.

And the next dish will be much more fragrant and bright.

It is a hot dish served on shallow plates.

Looking at it with the naked eye, you can see some boneless chicken pieces and some potatoes, other than that is a rich vegetable soup.

The color of this soup is golden and brilliant, as if the gilt is dazzling, which is very gratifying.

Zuo Menggeng introduced: "This dish is called curry chicken nuggets. The so-called curry is made by mixing various spices together by the Indians. They rely on this to season their daily meals. We trade with the Dutch I got some from time to time, and I taught the cook to make this dish. Everyone can try it, and even mix rice into it, which has a special flavor.”

Everyone did not eat bibimbap, but tasted a few mouthfuls.

The strong spice smell of curry is very offensive, but the taste is very novel.

Older people don't like this dish very much, but young people like Huang Zongxi, Zhang Haogu, Wang Siyi, Zuo Xianmei eat it with gusto.

After that, delicacies from various provinces in the Ming Dynasty began to be delivered one by one.

In this era of inconvenient transportation, even people like Hou Xun and Li Banghua have never eaten such a complete range of Chinese food.Moreover, some dishes were taught by Zuo Menggeng, and the outside world could not see them at all.

Sweet and sour carp, double-cooked pork, braised pork with preserved vegetables, stewed lion head with crab powder, sliced ​​conch conch, Longjing shrimp, Dong'an chicken, etc., can be said to gather food heritage from all over the world.

Although there is no title of eight major cuisines in this era, but with these representative dishes, everyone is like traveling around the world.

The final staple, also a novelty.

Seeing a thick and large round cake served, covered with onions, ham and other ingredients, baked golden, everyone was waiting for Zuo Menggeng's explanation.

Zuo Menggeng picked up the table knife and cut the round cake into several equal parts, exactly one piece for each person.

"This thing is called pizza, and it was taught by Sister Cheslet, the daughter of Mr. Galileo. This delicacy takes into account both staple food and side dishes. It can be eaten alone without being boring."

Zuo Menggeng didn't expect Cheslet to be a master of Italian food either.

After coming to Shandong, apart from working in the church, Cheslet actually made a lot of delicacies in his spare time.

Zuo Menggeng tasted it when he visited Galileo, so he asked the chef of the Commander's Mansion to learn from him, and also brought European delicacies into the Commander's Mansion.

The only regret is that when Zuo Menggeng tried to propose adding pineapple to the pizza, Cheslet actually wanted to fight him.

Alas, obstinate Italians!
(End of this chapter)