Volume 2: The King's Way Chapter 122: White Pork
Bai Tu felt that he was quite generous by using a large pot to cook the braised pork, but most people present thought it was a waste and even a bit against etiquette.
But at this moment, no one would be so blind as to say these things.
Moreover, Bai Tu’s braised pork is not the bold and unrestrained method described in “Qimin Yaoshu”. Instead, he selected the first batch of castrated pigs and used the first batch of soy sauce brewed using the ancient method. Of course, although it is called the ancient method, it was actually a new method in the Eastern Han Dynasty!
However, compared with the braised pork in later generations, it definitely lacks some seasonings. After all, Bai Tu can teach them how to brew soy sauce, but he can't create something out of nothing.
The current recipe for braised pork was taught by Bai Tu to the three chefs sent by the Lu, Yu, and Zhang families respectively, and he let them figure it out on their own.
After all, the braised pork in Bai Tu's recipe has several condiments that are either not available in Han territory or have not yet been popularized as spices. Bai Tu can't send people to search all over the mountains for this braised pork...
In this case, it would be better to leave the recipes to these professional chefs.
In addition to the fragrant braised pork in the pot, the kitchen also prepared "Dongpo pork" and pork ribs soup.
The so-called Dongpo pork is a dish invented by Su Shi in Hangzhou. It is a pork dish with good color, aroma and taste. It should be noted that there was no castration technique for pigs in the Song Dynasty. Su Shi's Dongpo pork also relied on rice wine to remove the fishy smell. With today's craftsmanship, Dongpo pork is undoubtedly a more mature dish.
But of course it can’t be called “Dongpo Pork” now, but is called “Bai Gong Pork”.
Soon, a waiter placed a miniature casserole in front of everyone - the final step in cooking Dongpo pork is steaming, so it was served in a casserole.
Seeing this exquisite clay pot, some of the scholars present who originally thought that Bai Tu wanted to use "eating cheap meat" to express his sentiment of sharing happiness with the people were confused as to why it had to be made so exquisite!
"Everyone, let's start the banquet!" Bai Tu announced.
As soon as the voice fell, everyone looked around and opened the casserole in front of them. The big guys in front had waiters serving them at the counter...
The aroma of the braised pork softened some of the psychological resistance, and when I saw the color of the Dongpo pork, I was even more surprised!
Of course, basic common sense still applies - cheap meat is cheap meat.
But Bai Tu had already taken the lead in demonstrating by eating a large piece of pork that looked incredibly fat in one bite. What else could others do?
Diao Chan, who was beside Lu Bu, had been attracted by the aroma and color, but... after seeing Bai Tu pick up the thick fat, she suddenly felt uncomfortable.
But except for Lu Bu, no one else could tell that her smile was forced.
Lu Bu secretly held Diao Chan's hand below and signaled: Don't worry, I'm here!
Whether they were willing or not, everyone started eating. Even Xun You, the "angel", had to eat.
If you observe carefully, you can find that before eating the "Dongpo Pork", the military generals seemed the most calm - although many of them were not born in poverty, they were usually on the march and in battle, and any game they could get was considered a meat treat, so why couldn't they eat cheap meat?
After all, people like Gan Ning who have endured the character setting are only a minority.
Just don’t think about how delicious the food they eat is. At least before they put it in their mouths, although they don’t show as much disgust as Gan Ning, the word "endurance" is written on many people's faces.
On the contrary, the aristocratic families, or even the counselors and staff from humble backgrounds, would never eat this kind of food. But now it was time to show their acting skills. They all smiled so sweetly, as if they were not picking up pork, but tasting some treasure...
But after taking a bite, everyone was stunned - is this pork?
This thin-skinned, tender meat, mellow flavor and rich juice, without any fishy smell at all... is it pork?
Bai Tu was also very surprised. He had to admit that the chefs employed by these wealthy families were quite skilled. It was just that they were limited by the raw materials... Bai Tu really couldn't appreciate the fermented beef and soy sauce mixed with cow's blood.
Lu Bu, who originally wanted to finish the two cans in front of Diao Chan, also whispered to Diao Chan, urging her to try it...
After being surprised, everyone, especially the counselors, also thought about the effect that the pork could have!
The water buffaloes in Jiangdong were originally pure beef cattle, so they were cheap. However, the appearance of the Baigonghuan not only made the water buffaloes join the ranks of draft cattle, but also disrupted the price of meat.
It’s just that because of the current weather, ordinary people’s meat expenses have been greatly reduced, so there is not much reaction.
If all pork could be like this...
Of course, they have not yet thought about the real changes that this "pig" can bring. After all, pigs at that time were too wild and difficult to raise on a large scale, and no one had thought about popularizing it among the people.
At this time, Hua Xin was the first to stand up and said, "My lord, you are enjoying the people today... and you can turn decay into magic, which makes me very excited. I have written a poem called "Ode to the Pig" to cheer you up, my lord, my colleagues, and all the people in the world!"
Everyone looked at Hua Xin with complicated eyes, listening to him recite the "Tun Fu" that he had "just composed"...
In short, the main purpose was to boast about Bai Tu, who was able to understand the sufferings of the people, so he invited his staff to a banquet to eat pork.
And it can be seen that there are several places where Hua Xin pauses for a moment, as if he is making changes on the spot - Hua Xin originally wanted to say that the pork doesn't taste that good, but it is full of Bai Tu's consideration for the people...
But this does not conform to the actual situation now, so it was changed to Bai Tu who turned decay into magic. It was Bai Tu's idea that moved God and made pork delicious.
After all, "fu" itself emphasizes exaggeration, which is appropriate for the occasion...
This also shows the difference between the military generals who came from humble backgrounds or even common people, the counselors who came from aristocratic families, and the famous and noble scholars!
Although the rough men could not be picky about food when marching and fighting, they still looked horrified when eating pork at a banquet, but they were not too resistant. The staff members from aristocratic families might , but they looked more natural than each other. And Hua Xin, a representative of celebrities, went a step further - not only did he not look horrified, he also wrote poems in advance to praise his lord and himself, taking the opportunity to improve his reputation...
The only one who was reluctant was Gan Ning. Color, aroma and taste were not important to him, and his only criterion for judging the quality of food was "whether other people think it is high-end" - in later generations, he would be like a rich second-generation who had to go to star-rated restaurants for every meal and take photos of them on WeChat Moments.
Pork, obviously, does not meet this standard!
Jiang Qin beside him seemed to notice something and whispered , "We are probably the first group of people to eat such delicious pork, right?"
When Gan Ning heard the phrase “first batch”, his face suddenly brightened…
With this Dongpo pork, or "Bai Gong meat" as the base, others felt assured about the braised pork and pork rib soup that would follow, and even began to look forward to it.
Xun You, the envoy who sat closest to the main seat, also saw the potential value of the pork, so he asked, "I wonder what is so special about Mr. Bai's pork that it has no smell at all? When I return, I will present this treasure to the emperor!"
Some of the staff and generals around also became quiet at this time and looked at Xun You, but Xun You seemed not to notice anything strange in everyone's eyes and still looked at Bai Tu with a smile.
Because he represented the imperial court, he could "pretend" to ask some questions without any scruples...
