Cracking a classic culinary code
Food historian attempts to re-create old recipes described in Cao Xueqin's book, only to discover that there is more to the story, Xu Fan reports.
The recreated dishes are mostly sourced from pivotal or cozy scenes from the novel. For example, the protagonist, Jia Baoyu, craves one dish while recuperating from a severe beating by his father — a delicate soup made of water shield and lotus leaf-shaped dough slices simmered in chicken broth. Another was a simple snack he was longing for during a conversation with his maid, Qingwen — steamed buns wrapped in tofu skin. The menu also features a hearty dish of ham-stewed pork hock, given by the character of Wang to her husband Jia Lian's wet nurse.
There is one dish, however, that is unrelated to the novel but rooted in Cao Yin's real-life experience: pickled reeves shad fish (also known as shiyu). As an official responsible for procuring items for the imperial palace, Cao was tasked with transporting reeves shad fish to Emperor Kangxi.
Although the fish's flesh is exceptionally tender and delicious, it dies almost immediately after leaving the water. Therefore, it either had to be preserved before being shipped to Beijing or sealed in water-filled containers and rushed along the Grand Canal to the capital within a week.
