gourmet food

Chapter 449 The Magical Style of Painting

The first place Mu Qing brought Chu Yunfeng to was a reformist restaurant. It was still early for dinner, but there were still many people eating in the restaurant.

Moreover, Chu Yunfeng observed that almost every table ordered a portion of Mapo Tofu.

Yes, it’s Mapo Tofu. The red color is so bright that you can see it clearly just by scanning it.

"Welcome, what do you two want to eat?"

After the two sat down, a waiter immediately came up to ask. Although Chu Yunfeng didn't understand, he probably knew what she meant.

"Have one mapo tofu, just one, thank you!"

Ordering was naturally done by Mu Qing. Chu Yunfeng only understood the pronunciation of the four words Mapo Tofu, and the rest was like listening to heavenly scriptures.

Looking around, Chu Yunfeng found that the customers in the store seemed to like this Mapo Tofu very much.

There seems to be a kind of belief in it. When everyone eats it, Chu Yunfeng feels very pious, as if this is a mysterious delicacy.

And the way to eat it is very strange. Some people scoop up a spoonful, pour it on the rice, then mix the rice and tofu together, and eat it one spoonful at a time.

There are also people who scoop mapo tofu into sandwiches, just like meat sandwiches, and eat them with relish.

What's more, he just put it into his mouth one spoon at a time, without adding rice or other staple foods, and just ate it slowly.

After taking a bite, you look up with tears in your eyes, making you look like you are praying sincerely. It is incredible to be able to eat such wonderful food.

But in Chu Yunfeng's opinion, this man was probably being stung.
Tears were brought out
If everyone in China saw this way of eating, they would definitely laugh. Is there such a way of eating?
"Do you think it's weird?" Mu Qing saw the confusion in Chu Yunfeng's eyes. She also found it interesting at first, but after some inquiries, Mu Qing felt relieved.

"It's true. Does this have anything to do with local customs and eating habits?"

Chu Yunfeng could only explain it from these aspects.

"I'm only partly right. In fact, tofu originated in China, but it is also one of the most representative foods of RB.

You know the reason why tofu is pronounced "tofu" instead of "doufu" in modern English is because it was first widely introduced to the West via RB. "

Mu Qing's previous information was not in vain. She had a detailed understanding of Tofu's development in RB.

"It turns out that many of the cultural essences in China are promoted by others for us, but sometimes we don't pay attention to them at all. Only when something "abnormal" occurs does we know how to argue."

Chu Yunfeng shook his head, feeling a little helpless about this phenomenon. There were too many good things passed down by his ancestors, and no one paid enough attention to them.

"You must be curious about why this Mapo Tofu is so popular in RB, right?" Mu Qing asked with a smile. Before the dish made in this restaurant is served, she can give him a good science education.

Seeing Chu Yunfeng nod curiously, Mu Qing continued: "Do you know what the most popular Chinese food abroad is now?"

Chu Yunfeng continued to shake his head, and then guessed: "Zuo Zongtang's chicken? Li Hongzhang's offal?"

I seem to have heard people talking about these two dishes before. It is said that they are very popular abroad. I don’t know whether it is true or not.

"Not at all, but this mapo tofu dish.

You can find this dish in the alleys of the Left Bank in Paris, in the artistic neighborhood of Kanda in Tokyo, or in the neon-lit Chinese restaurants of New York.

No matter where he is, he is like a god!

These foreigners are just like them, mixing rice with rice, putting it in bags, and adding it to pasta when they eat it.”

As soon as Mu Qing finished speaking, Chu Yunfeng laughed. You can imagine eating a spoonful of mapo tofu while eating pasta. The style of the painting is really interesting.

"Why are you laughing? Is what people say really good?"

Mu Qing rolled her eyes at Chu Yunfeng and continued: "The legend and development of RB Mapo Tofu all stem from one person, and he is Chen Jianmin.

The Sichuan cuisine master was born in 1919. He started working as a waiter in a restaurant at the age of 11. He learned the art of cooking by secretly swiping his fingers on the dishes to taste them while washing dishes.

Then, he became the chef of Zhang Daqian's family, who loved painting, women and food.

In 1952, because Zhang Daqian went abroad, Chen Jianmin worked in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and finally landed in Yokohama Port, Japan.

In the autumn of 1958, Chen Jianmin opened "Sichuan Restaurant" with his Taiwanese friend Huang Changquan who came to Japan, specializing in spicy Sichuan cuisine.

At that time, NHK was not far from the Sichuan Hotel, and it became a "high-end canteen" for the cast and crew.

At that time, Japan was in the post-war recovery stage and was lacking supplies.Statistics show that one in every four people suffers from malnutrition.

In order to teach housewives "how to let their children eat cheap but nutritious food", NHK produced a program called "Today's Cooking", and they also invited Chen Jianmin to participate.

Since 1959, Chen Jianmin has participated in this program many times, and it was with the help of it that he truly turned "Ma Po Tofu" into Japan's national cuisine.

Chen Jianmin’s Mapo Tofu is not static. Mapo Tofu is spicy and spicy. Sichuan peppercorns and bean paste can even be regarded as the soul of Mapo Tofu.

However, it is difficult for the Japanese with light taste to accept this heavy taste. When Chen Jianmin first recommended Mapo Tofu, he made improvements in the taste. Even he himself admitted: "My Sichuan cuisine has been slightly modified, but it is still authentic. ,taste good.

Because doubanjiang is difficult to buy in Japan, he even modified the doubanjiang, which is important in Mapo tofu, into soybean paste and chili pepper.

Use chili pepper instead of Sichuan peppercorns, and use Hatcho miso instead of bean paste to reduce the spicy taste and make it easier for RB people to accept.

In this way, Mapo Tofu, which is suitable for RB people's tastes, was born and began its career of conquering RB people's taste buds.

In this way, it slowly became a national dish, just like what you see now. "

Mu Qing told Chu Yunfeng all the information she had learned. It did sound a bit magical. This dish could become so famous by chance.

"So that's it. I think not only the Mapo Tofu has been improved, but many other dishes have also been improved, right? Just like the twice-cooked pork dish made by Master Mi at noon?"

Chu Yunfeng recalled some of the dishes at noon. The twice-cooked pork was somewhat acceptable to him, but the sweet and sour pork loin was absolutely unacceptable.

“Yes, when making twice-cooked pork, cabbage, which is more commonly eaten by RB people, is used instead of garlic sprouts, and when making dry-roasted shrimps, tomato sauce is added to make the taste softer.

Dandan noodles do not have soup in the SC area, but in order to suit the way RB people eat it, soup is added. "

Mu Qing also felt a little numb on her scalp. How could she eat the dandan noodles after adding soup?

Chu Yunfeng shook his head and smiled bitterly. Just as he was about to express his opinion, the waiter had already brought the prepared Mapo Tofu.

(End of this chapter)