The Ming Gentleman's Table, Part One

Teas, porridges, soothing drinks and cured meats from the table of a Ming dynasty connoisseur. In 1591 Gao Lian 高濂, a wealthy man of letters from Hangzhou and author of the Kunqu play The Jade Hairpin, published the Zunsheng Bajian 遵生八牋, Eight Discourses on Following the Principles of Life, a guide to the art of living well and living long. One of its eight parts, the Yinzhuan Fushi Jian 飲饌服食箋, "Discourse on Food, Drink and Elixirs," is one of the richest records of what a well-to-do household of the lower Yangzi ate and drank at the end of the sixteenth century. This volume presents the first chapter of that discourse in full, 163 entries: teas and the spring waters to brew them; fragrant soothing drinks of jasmine, osmanthus and plum; scented herbal waters; dozens of porridges, from lotus seed and goji to chestnut and milk; starches, flours and noodles made from roots and seeds; and cured meats and fish, from Thousand-Mile Jerky and red-braised pork to steamed shad, oven-crisped chicken and sugar-glazed pork. This edition includes: The complete original Chinese text of the first chapter, with a faithful new English translation Modern Kitchen notes for every entry, clearly marked Cook it today, Needs a substitute, or Read, don't cook, with honest food-safety advice Color paintings and food photographs of dishes you can make today An introduction to Gao Lian and the culture of nourishing life in late Ming Hangzhou For food historians, home cooks, lovers of Chinese culture, and anyone curious about the history of the Chinese table. The Imperial Kitchen Library brings the forgotten cookbooks of imperial China to English readers, one complete text at a time. Continued in Book 7, The Ming Gentleman's Table, Part Two.