People in the Tang Dynasty ""lived on flowers"", but their lives could still be so elegant.

In "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an", I noticed an interesting little detail. In addition to strategizing in the mansion, Right Prime Minister Lin Jiulang also took up a little personal hobby, that is, "flower cultivation". Stills of "Chang'an Twelve Hours" There is a lot of knowledge in flower cultivation, watering, fertilizing, sowing, temperature , humidity and other processes and conditions are indispensable, but in addition to the "" ornamental function" that we are familiar with, flower cultivation also had another very special purpose in the Tang Dynasty. It can be summarized in four words: using flowers as food . In the Tang Dynasty, flowers from China were not only pleasing in appearance, but also regarded as rare and delicious ingredients by literati. However, it is well known that not all flowers can be eaten. Some flowers are both health-promoting. The flowers are poisonous if eaten. For example, narcissus is beautiful to look at, but it contains a variety of alkaloids. Direct consumption of it can cause a series of uncomfortable symptoms such as dizziness and diarrhea. However, narcissus is also used as an analgesic in surgery. Basic raw materials. Narcissus is another example of tuberose. You won’t feel any discomfort when you first smell it. The aroma is refreshing, but you will feel dizzy after smelling it for a long time. Therefore, not all flowers are suitable for eating flowers. If you eat them directly, you need to carefully select them. So the question is, since flowers can be divided into "poisonous" and "non-toxic", how did the literati and elegant guests in the Tang Dynasty eat flowers? If divided by dishes, There are two types: First, cold dishes. Maybe when you go to eat in many big hotels now, there will be several appetizers before the hot dishes are officially served, and it is not difficult to see flowers decorating the dishes. In the Tang Dynasty, the role of flowers was not limited to decoration, but often served as the main ingredient in cold dishes. For example, the great poet Liu Yuxi once loved a cold dish called: Ju Miao and Lu Fu (齑: jī, 蔔: fú). The name of the dish seems very literary, but in fact the ingredients required are very simple. Chrysanthemum sprouts are naturally the young leaves of chrysanthemums. As for the radish, they are what we now call chrysanthemums. So this cold dish actually uses chopped chrysanthemum sprouts. Mixed with shredded radish, the current name is ""Chrysanthemum shredded radish"~ I think it must be very refreshing with the crispness of radish and the refreshing taste of chrysanthemum seedlings. Chrysanthemum shredded radish (reference picture) because radish usually refers to white radish As for why this dish was the favorite of literati in the Tang Dynasty, it comes from a novel in the Later Tang Dynasty called "Yunxian Sanlu", which was written by Feng Zhi (zhì), a literati in the Later Tang Dynasty, in which the great poet Liu Yuxi was vividly described. An interesting story about using a plate of "" chrysanthemum seedlings and reeds" in exchange for Bai Juyi's bowl of "" six classes of tea". "Yunxian Sanlu·Changing tea to sober up": Lotte Fang entered the customs, and Liu Yuxi recovered from his illness. Yu Xi then presented chrysanthemum seedlings. The "Liuban Tea" is a famous tea created by Bai Juyi. Drinking it has the effect of relieving hangover. Therefore, after drinking too much the night before, Liu Yuxi drank a lot. The next morning, he went to see Bai Juyi. The two brothers met with each other very warmly. In order to sober up, Liu Yuxi took out his favorite - "Chrysanthemum Miao Lufen" and exchanged it for a bowl of Bai Juyi's "Liuban Tea". This leaves behind an eternal anecdote between the two great poets. This story is enough to show that at least the literati in the Tang Dynasty actually loved cold dishes made of flowers, especially chrysanthemum sprouts. Lu Lian is an indispensable appetizer on the table. It is said that the "Chrysanthemum seedlings and radish" were restored by modern people. The chrysanthemum seedlings and radish were cut into thin strips. I can't see it. Can anyone else see it? Speaking of cold dishes made with flowers as ingredients, There is also a famous dish in history, which is the "Jin Yu Yu" that was very popular during the Tang and Song Dynasties. (齑: jī, 鲲: kuài) Pi Rixiu, a great writer in the late Tang Dynasty, once wrote a poem praising Jin Yu. Guo: It’s time to congratulate Mr. *** for having nothing to do, and it’s time for the golden and jade carp again - "Three Poems for New Autumn Events" And this delicacy made of flowers and seabass is the favorite meal of the people in the south of the Yangtze River. One of the delicacies. For example, Bai Juyi's "Salt Merchant's Woman" vividly describes the scene of fishermen along the river eating fish: What's more, the fish and rice in Jiangtou are cheap, and the rice with red spinach, yellow orange and fragrant rice is cheap.

"Summer": There is no mention of piling up jade dumplings, but watching the mortar pounding gold dumplings. "Da Ye Supplementary Notes": Wujun offered the sea and four bottles of dried beauties... and also described the method of making dry beakers. The emperor told his ministers: "In the past, the magician Jie Xiang caught a sea fish in the palace, and this illusion turned into an ear." Why is it so different? Today's fish is made by real sea fish, coming from thousands of miles away, and it is also a temporary flavor. ""Bitter Rain in Wuzhong Sends a Book of One Hundred Rhymes to Lu Wang": Either steam a cohosh, or boil two handfuls of chrysanthemum. It is used to read the wonders, but it can't be used to satisfy the appetite. "Book of Rites·Nei Principles": Chunbo, decoction "Chun Nao" is one of the eight delicacies. Chun means "fertile", so it is fertilized with ointment. Ye. Boiling means frying, so upland rice is called rice from the land. It means cooking the rice into rice and then adding it to the rice to avoid losing its taste. When fertilized with ointment, the taste will be pure, and it is called Chunbo. "For the Governor of the Bing Dynasty, Zhang Renquan entered the Jiuding Mingbiao": The peony is Chunbo, and the purification and paste are used to control the beauty of Jiuzhou and the harmony of the four seasons.