Mantra

Chapter 124

In fact, different from our general understanding, kitchen knives are very particular about knives. It is even no exaggeration to say that the use, opening, transportation and sealing of kitchen knives have strict regulations and even ceremonies in the past. The harshness is comparable to the oriental knives of the Japanese devils.

The doorway on this kitchen knife can be seen from the imperial gift kitchen knife in front of me.

To the uninitiated, this linen wrapping is just a "clod of mud".But the cooks of the Wuzang Temple can tell at a glance that this mud embryo is a very special and professional Tibetan knife method, called 'sleeping with mud on top'.

That precious knife was sealed in this piece of sludge.

Wrapped in mud to sleep, it is very easy to understand literally, that is, to sleep wrapped in mud.

Does the knife also sleep?certainly!

Because the chefs in the past were very superstitious, they believed that the knife had a soul, and if there was a soul, they would sleep naturally, and if the "sword spirit" was present, it would bless the food made by the knife user to be sweet and delicious without the smell of iron. If it is not there, then this kitchen knife is useless, and it is no different from ordinary iron.

Therefore, in ancient times, after a kitchen knife was bought by a good cook, it was often not in a hurry to start. It had to be pasted with yellow paper first, and then the knife body was wiped with lard, performing a ceremony of "inviting the knife spirit". Dao Ling "please" enter the kitchen knife, so that you can use it with peace of mind.

Corresponding to the "invite the sword spirit" ceremony, once a kitchen knife is not used for some reason, it must be "wrapped in mud to sleep" to let the knife spirit sleep.

Why do you want the sword spirit to sleep?Because the ancient people were superstitious, thinking that Dao Ling is a naughty elf, unwilling to be lonely and greedy and active. If you don’t use it to chop vegetables, it will naturally not be able to eat good things. After a long time, it will inevitably run out to "leave run away from home".

In order to prevent Dao Ling from escaping, he had to find a way to seal the Dao with mud and let Dao Ling sleep peacefully.

Hearing this, little Ah Si looked at the knife wrapped in mud, shook his head repeatedly and said, "You cooks from the Wu Zang Temple are too superstitious! A kitchen knife is so magical."

Facing little Ah Si's doubts, I smiled slightly and said, "Ah Si, this is not superstition, it's science."

"Science?!" Ah Si scratched his head and said, "Does science prove that there is a 'knife spirit' in this kitchen knife?"

I patted his head, smiled, and told him the scientific principle of the Tibetan knife craft of "wrapping mud to sleep".

Through this, I also want to express my inner opinion and the true meaning of this knife.

Zhao Shuihe said the way of "wrapping mud to sleep" to hide the knife is very mysterious, but this is not only a superstition, but also a science.

In this regard, I have my own unique understanding.

Let me first tell you that the biggest difference between a kitchen knife and a war knife is the strength and method of use.

Kitchen knives are used to cut vegetables, at least three times a day, and war knives are used to kill people, not necessarily once every three days.

Therefore, kitchen knives have been used for a long time in kitchens that are smoked by knives and fires, and they are generally oily, so they are not easy to rust. Therefore, after using the knives, you only need to wipe them clean and hang them up.

This is the advantage that it is easy to use and store.

However, once the kitchen knife is left unused for a long time, its advantage in maintenance will turn into a disadvantage in maintenance.

Because kitchen knives are often in contact with ingredients such as fruits and vegetables, these foods often contain trace elements such as acid salts that corrode iron, which cannot be seen on weekdays, but once left unused for a long time, the kitchen knife will accelerate corrosion and damage the knife body.

Those acid-base substances accumulated over the years are very stubborn, and it is very troublesome to remove them. Rinse with water is not clean, the knife retains moisture, and it is easy to rust. It is good to wipe it with oil, but another series of problems will follow. coming.

The biggest difference between a kitchen knife and a war knife is the difference in cutting objects. The things cut by a kitchen knife must be eaten, so edible oil can only be used to infect the knife and seal it.

But edible oil has a disadvantage, that is, its chemical structure is not as good as that of tree oil, and the oil is stable, affected by temperature, etc., and it is easy to expire.Once it expires, it will produce a moldy smell, and it may even eat dead people. In this way, the knife will be completely useless.

Therefore, hundreds of years ago, in order to solve this problem, the ancestors of our Wuzang Temple came up with the method of "sleeping with mud on top" to store the knife.

The so-called "sleep wrapped in mud" is to follow the general steps to clean the surface of the knife with water mixed with iron sand, add saponin to remove oil stains, and then quickly seal the knife with yellow glue.

This has two advantages. First, the yellow mud is alkaline soil, which can neutralize the acid preserved in the blade.Second, the clay is fine and fine, which can isolate the air and prevent oxidation.

Afterwards, in order to remove the water stored in the soil, it is necessary to bake the mud embryo in a charcoal fire, so that the mud embryo can be shaped and tightened.

And charcoal baking has become the most difficult step in the process of Tibetan knives.

In the last step, the baking time must be precisely and accurately.If the baking time is short, the water in the mud embryo will not be removed cleanly, and the knife body will rust easily.After baking for a long time, the knife body will "anneal", which will destroy the strength and toughness of the knife body.

This kind of technical work is quite difficult.

After refining the mud embryo that wraps the blade, the blade can be put away for storage.

In addition, when the general exquisite master hides the knife, he will wrap the knife in linen, put it in a jar, fill the gap with tea leaves, and then put it in a cool and dry place.

In this way, the knife is considered to be "sleeping".

When you want to use it, you can take it at any time, just smash the mud embryo, so that the preserved knife will not have the smell of iron, and the blade is as new as it is, and it will not stick to water.

In all fairness, this method of storing knives is time-consuming and laborious, so it is not common. Generally, famous knives or very commemorative knives are preserved in this way for a long time.

From this, it is enough to see the "exquisiteness" of the Zhao family's ancestral sword.

As the saying goes, "a good horse matches a good saddle", the knives that can be sealed with this exquisite skill must be unmistakable.

I couldn't wait, I was a little greedy, I really wanted to let Zhao Haikun break the mud seal immediately, and see the true face of this precious sword.

Moreover, under the detailed introduction by Zhao Shuihe and I, everyone present was also eager to try, looking forward to the exciting moment when Zhao Haikun unsealed and took the knife.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhao Haikun gently cracked the sealing mud with the fragrance of tea, and after a slight sigh, he turned over the precious knife wrapped in the mud embryo, and suddenly knocked the spine of the knife on the leg of the table beside him!
After a crisp sound of "啪啦", the mud slab fell down in an instant like a butterfly's cocoon.

Amidst the dusty, dark tea fragrance, a dark black ancient knife immediately appeared in front of us.

That knife made my heart throb!
(End of this chapter)