Food starts with Mapo Tofu

Chapter 865 Step by step
"reward!"

"This time, everyone who made the Luming Banquet will be rewarded!"

"Promote Song Qingzhou to be in charge of the third-rank imperial chef, promote Chen Nian to be the fourth-rank deputy imperial chef, and reward a hundred taels of silver."

After the Luming Banquet, Li Xu was very satisfied.

The next day, the officials were arranged to reward everyone, some with silver, some with silk, and some with jewelry.

Song Qingzhou and Chen Nian were promoted and also received real gold and silver rewards.

Song Qingzhou has since entered the ranks of the third rank, and Chen Nian has officially entered the fourth rank.

If things go on like this, it's only a matter of time before Chen Nian becomes the main chef of the fourth grade.

And the chief chef of the fourth grade was Song Qingzhou's position before.

It's just that after Chen Nian was promoted, his job responsibilities didn't change much. In the imperial dining room, he mainly obeyed Song Qingzhou's arrangements and was responsible for making desserts every day.

During the remodeling of the laboratory, Chen Nian took out the pepper seeds and solemnly handed them over to Hai Shaowen, who then handed over the seeds to the farmers in the household department for planting.

In addition, Chen Nian also studied cocoa beans.

It is not too difficult to make chocolate from cocoa beans. First, the cocoa beans must be cleaned and then roasted.

During the baking process, the aroma of chocolate is also released, which is similar to the taste of chocolate in the impression of aging.

But then it has to be processed again to fully release the flavor of the cocoa beans when they are crushed, and finally grind them into powder.

Then it is mixed with milk and sugar, and the initial chocolate is made in this way.

I tasted a piece of it when it was old, and the aroma is very strong, and because of the addition of milk and sugar, although it still tastes a little bit bitter of cocoa itself, but mixed with this sweet taste, it looks exactly like chocolate.

This made Chen Nian very happy. He didn't know if chocolate was made in foreign countries, but at least he was the first to make chocolate in China.

However, aging is not very useful, because the number of cocoa beans is limited, and it will be useless after killing chickens and eggs.

So the best way is to let the emperor taste the chocolate first, and then, with the support of the other party, plant these cocoa beans.

Although the process may take several years, after a few years they will gradually have more and more cocoa beans to make chocolate.

However, it is a pity that the cocoa beans found in the warehouse this time are all of the same variety, which means that there is no way to use different varieties of cocoa beans to make different flavors of chocolate.

On this day, Chen Nian took a small piece of chocolate and put it next to the dessert after making the dessert.

"Wang Gonggong, there are two kinds of dim sum sent today, one is the same as before, and the other is my new one, please taste it first, Your Majesty."

"Master Chen, what is this? Why does it look so inconspicuous?"

Chen Nian really wanted to give chocolate a localized name, but after much deliberation, he couldn't think of anything suitable, so he had no choice but to use the previous name.

"chocolate."

"Chocolate? What does that mean? Why does it sound so strange?"

Chen Nian smiled: "This is what I thought casually. You don't have to be too entangled, but I will ask you to help me to say more. If your majesty doesn't like it, then I won't do it in the future."

"Alright Mr. Chen, then our house will go there first."

"Wang Gonggong, go slowly."

Then Wang Jin came to the Imperial Study Room with today's dessert.

This is Li Xu's favorite place to stay.

Her bedroom is too big, and it feels empty when she stays there.

There are too many people in the court, and every time they go to court, they face various headaches.

Although in the imperial study room, I am also reviewing the memorials, but at least the space here is just right, no one will disturb me, and there are some books I like to read around.

"Your Majesty, today's dessert is here."

Suddenly, the prince's soft voice sounded from outside the royal study.

"Send it in." Li Xu said.

She just finished her lunch here, and she just waited for a short rest here after having snacks, and continued to review the memorial in the afternoon.

After Wang Jin heard the voice, he came in lightly and put the food box on the table.

"Your Majesty, besides dim sum, Mrs. Chen made another snack today. He said that I want you to try it and see if it suits your appetite."

Li Xu nodded and watched Wang Jin take out the snacks from the food box.

Today's dim sum is matcha-flavored mille-feuille, which he specially asked for aged to make yesterday.

But Li Xu's eyes just glanced at the layer of matcha and then passed over. She looked at the small brown object next to it: "This is it?"

"Your Majesty, this is it. Earlier, the servant asked Mr. Chen what it was, and Mr. Chen said it was called chocolate."

"Chocolate? What does that mean?"

"Your Majesty, Mr. Chen said that he came up with the name casually, and the servants don't know what it means."

Then Li Xu let Wang Jin go out first.

She poked the chocolate with a spoon first, and found that the chocolate itself was quite hard, but it didn't look like it was frozen, so she ate the matcha mille-feuille before continuing to observe this small piece of food called chocolate .

"The name is so weird, and I don't know how it tastes."

Li Xu put the chocolate in the spoon while talking, and then put the whole thing into his mouth.

This piece of thumb-knuckle-sized chocolate exudes a unique taste after entering the mouth.

"The taste is also very strange, and it tastes a bit bitter, but the taste is very smooth and delicate, and the fragrance is also very strong."

Li Xu was not used to it at first, but after holding this piece of chocolate in her mouth for a while, the outer layer gradually melted away, and the velvety smooth taste inside gave her a strange feeling.

"I can't say it. Let's say it's delicious, but I don't feel very used to eating it. But let's say it's not delicious. It tastes really good."

Li Xu was a little bit reluctant to bite it open with his teeth, and kept holding it like this until it completely melted away.

"I still want to eat, this piece is too small."

Li Xu thought so in his heart.

Most of the pastries she made in the past can tell what they are made of, but she really didn't taste this chocolate. Although there is milk and sweetness in it, it is obvious that these two flavors do not constitute chocolate. main raw material.

So she called Wang Jin in again.

"Go and ask Chen Nian what kind of ingredients are used to make this chocolate, and by the way, ask him if there are any, and if so, bring me a few more pieces."

Wang Jin was overjoyed. It seems that His Majesty really likes chocolate, otherwise he would not want to eat it after eating it.

When he returned to the imperial dining room again and told the story, Chen Nian thought that his plan had succeeded.

"My lord, chocolate is made from cocoa beans, which is a crop that was discovered at the same time as potatoes and sweet potatoes. Although I still make a lot here, the stock is really limited. Eunuch, please bring these three pieces to Your Majesty first." , By the way, I would like to help convey a word to His Majesty, there are not many cocoa beans in stock, if all the cocoa beans are finished, I am afraid there will be nothing to eat in the future, unless I go to the West again to bring more back.

But that is still a drop in the bucket after all, it is better to plant all these cocoa, and there will be a steady stream of chocolate to eat in the future. "

Wang Jin once again returned to the imperial study with the three pieces of chocolate made in the past to spread the word.

Li Xu nodded after hearing this: "I'm sure, I'll make an open space in the palace later, and plant cocoa beans there."

Wang Jin went back to pass on the message again.

"My lord, please tell your Majesty again, the cocoa beans are very picky about the growing environment..."

When Wang Jin heard this, he thought to himself what happened to these two people?

Why don't you finish talking at once, causing yourself to run back and forth.

After running so many times, he was sweating all over his body: "Master Chen, how about this? Let's go back and tell His Majesty first. If there is something, Mr. Chen will tell His Majesty directly. Our family is passing messages back and forth like this. It’s okay if there’s something wrong in the middle.”

"That's fine, the father-in-law will help you to ask first, and I will prepare a drink for His Majesty."

Wang Jin is no longer surprised by the new tricks that Chen Nian said. Anyway, Chen Nian has a lot of experience, and he has never heard of any of the things he made.

After about ten minutes, Wang Jin trotted over: "Master Chen, His Majesty asked you to come over."

"it is good."

Chen Nian nodded, and brought a teacup.

"Eunuch, what's in this cup is the drink I prepared for His Majesty."

"Then I'll serve it."

Wang Jin reached out and picked up the glass of drink.

When the two came to the imperial study, Wang Jin complained incessantly.

How many times have you come here today?

"Oh, what a crime." Wang Jin secretly sighed.

However, the moment he entered the imperial study room, he turned into a smiling face again.

"Your Majesty, Mr. Chen is here, and Mr. Chen has made you a new drink, please try it."

"let it go."

Li Xu then beckoned to let Wang Jin go out.

Soon, only Chen Nian and Li Xu were left in the imperial study.

"Why did you make another drink today?"

Chen Nian thought for a while: "Your Majesty, this was also found in the warehouse that day, but I have been busy with the imperial dining room and laboratory a few days ago, so I didn't take care of it."

"Your Majesty, this drink is called coffee. It is made from coffee beans. If you drink it directly, it may be very bitter, but I have added milk and sugar to it, so it will taste wonderful. However, I don't know if Your Majesty likes it or not." I love to drink, so I invite Your Majesty to have a taste first.

Moreover, this product also has a certain refreshing effect. If His Majesty likes to drink, you can drink a small cup when you are sleepy in the afternoon. "

Li Xu nodded and looked at the coffee in front of him. The color of the coffee looked similar to chocolate, but it smelled completely different.

Stir lightly with a small teaspoon, then scoop up a spoonful and put it in your mouth.

"It's really different. Although it also has a bitter taste, the taste of this coffee is more obvious, but the aroma is also very special."

I can't tell if it tastes good or not, anyway, as far as he is concerned now, he feels a little unaccustomed to it.

In comparison, he thinks tea is better.

"This is just as good as drinking, so you don't have to do it again." Li Xu said bluntly.

"According to the order."

Chen Nian knows that not everyone can get used to drinking coffee, and most people who drink coffee at the beginning will think it is not good, that is, they only start to drink coffee after they gradually get used to it.

And coffee itself contains caffeine, which is both refreshing and addictive.

"Your Majesty, the remaining coffee beans..."

"You can dispose of it yourself. If you like to drink this thing, you can cook it yourself."

The implication is that the remaining coffee beans are rewarded to the aged.

However, aged individuals are not too used to drinking coffee.

But even if Chen Nian doesn't drink it himself, it doesn't mean it's useless.

There are reasons why this kind of drink that can be popular in later generations is popular. On the one hand, some people really like this taste. On the other hand, under the market economy, some people package it as a representative of high-end petty bourgeoisie. .

Although coffee became more and more popular later, this thing is not as exaggerated as so many people exaggerate, but it is undeniable that people who drink coffee when they go to school before old age can indeed be associated with trendy fashion.

Since the emperor doesn't want it, he can take all the coffee back later.

My sister is going to marry Hai Mingxian soon, and I will be regarded as Hai Mingxian's brother-in-law by then.

With the current strength of the Hai family, it is not difficult to find a place suitable for coffee bean cultivation in the Great Xia Dynasty.

In terms of climate humidity and temperature, the most suitable places for growing coffee are Yunnan and Hainan.

But now Yunnan and Hainan are both barren lands, and Yunnan may be slightly better in comparison.

"If it really doesn't work, let my brother-in-law send some people to Yunnan to have a look and find a suitable place to plant it. If this thing can grow, I will bring it back to the capital and sell it at that time, using a little modern marketing methods Pack it up, and don't worry about those nobles and ladies from aristocratic families not buying it."

Having experienced all kinds of modern advertising bombardment, in this era, just taking something out can set off a wave.

Of course, there are restrictions on advertising laws in modern times, and there were also many taboos in ancient times. As long as you don't violate those taboos, everything is not a problem.

……

After another half a month, the reconstruction of the laboratory was completed, and Chen Nian officially began to conduct experiments.

The content of this experiment is to detoxify potatoes and sweet potatoes.

After the poison has been removed, it can be taken out in the experimental field for the next planting experiment.

So Chen Nian has one more job every day.

Make snacks from morning to noon, soak in the laboratory in the afternoon, and teach his three assistants relevant knowledge while doing experiments.

After midnight, Chen Nian went back to the imperial dining room to cook again.

After cooking and eating, Chen Nian returned to work in the laboratory again.

Live here directly after work.

It's just that the experiment didn't go very smoothly at first, and they encountered various problems, but these problems were finally solved one by one by Chen Nian.

Everything is starting to look good.

Until more than a month later, Chen Nian asked Wang Jin to ask for leave, saying that his sister was getting married soon, and he wanted to help.

(End of this chapter)