金齏玉膾

Travelling through time is very popular nowadays and there are many novels， TV series and movies related to this topic.

But how can a taste pass through？

I want to know the flavor in the ancient kitchens， their cooking materials， and whether the smoke from the kitchen chimney smelt differently back then and what was the mood of people when cooking.

It has to come to a halt！ These ideas seem too reasonless. No matter how hard I try to imagine， I cannot go back. I wonder if “travelling through time” can only exist in literature.

It was until a book dispelled my concerns. It is called Arts for the People， and I couldn’t imagine I found hope in such an ancient book. I saw an ancient dish that made me feel a kind of taste travelling： weever slices. When Emperor Yang of Sui visited regions south of the Yangtze River， he praised the dish as “Golden Spices and Jade Flesh of Fish” since it was so delicious with jade like fish flesh and gold like spices.

I only know two Chinese characters of the four. With gold and jade， it must be a precious dish bedecked with jewels. So my curiosity pushed me into a study trip.

穿越，是時下最流行的一個詞，穿越小說、電視劇、電影層出不窮。

可是，如果味道可以穿越？

我想知道古代廚房里的味道，想知道他們做飯都用哪些食材，想知道那時的炊煙是否有不一樣的味道，想知道那時的人面對做一道菜是怎樣的心情。

這些想法似乎都太無厘頭。無論我用盡怎樣的想象，也無法真正回到過去。我好奇的“穿越”是否只存在于虛幻的文學世界里？

直到一本書的出現打消了我的顧慮。它是《齊民要術》，我都難以想象我居然在這樣一本古書里找到了希望。在這本書里看到了一道令我的味覺頓時有種穿越感的古菜：鱸魚膾。隋煬帝巡幸江南品嘗此菜時，因其味鮮美異常，魚肉潔白如玉，齏料色澤金黃，連聲贊曰“金齏玉膾！”

這四個字我只認識兩個，又有金又有玉，想必一定是道珠光寶氣的珍貴菜。于是好奇心加上幻想欲促使我開始了研究之旅。

When I searched the cooking method of this dish on Baidu， I found a paragraph in Tai Ping Guang Ji： the fish should be smaller than three chi. Put it in sauces and then dry it by a cloth. Put it into a plate with flowers and leaves in it. Cut it into pieces and mix it with spices. Then the fish would have snow like flesh with no fishy smell. It is so-called Golden Spices and Jade Flesh of Fish and a tasty food in southeast China.

But what are the exact food materials and cooking method of this in classical Chinese？

在百度上搜索這道古菜的做法時，我找到了這樣一段話，《太平廣記》卷二三四引舊題，唐顏師古《大業拾遺記·吳饌》：“收鱸魚三尺以下者作乾鱠，浸漬訖，布裹瀝水令盡，散置盤內，取香柔花葉，相間細切，和鱠撥令調勻，霜后鱸魚，肉白如雪，不腥，所謂金虀玉鱠，東南之佳味也。”

可這食材、做法在這文言文里究竟都是什么呢？

為了嘗試這道古菜穿越的味道，我決定親自試試。

第一步，準備食材，任性的品質就是要最大程度還原古菜的味道。本以為簡單的過程卻經過了復雜的搜索。

Golden spices actually have nothing to do with gold and the latter character pronounced as Ji meaning a kind of spice. It has 8 ingredients： garlic， ginger， salt， salted and dried plum， orange peel， soybean sauce， cooked chestnut and japonica rice， and is called eight-integrated spices. The pasty pattern of them is golden spices.

The salted and dried plum can be a spice？ Why it has this name？ These are my first curiosities.

Jade flesh of fish also has nothing to do with jade， but it must be weever. The material shows that “hui” means thin fillet.

It is just steamed weever， why called jade flesh？ This is my second curiosity.

金齏，原來跟金子無半毛錢關系，而后面那個字念做jī，這只是一種調料。金齏共有八種配料：蒜、姜、鹽、白梅、桔皮、醬油、熟栗子肉和粳米飯，叫做八和齏。把八種配料調成糊狀，就是金齏。

白梅還可以做料？為什么叫金齏？這是我產生的第一個好奇。

玉膾，也跟玉扯不上，強調了一種食材是鱸魚。據資料顯示，“膾”是切成薄的魚片。

這不就是蒸鱸魚么？為什么叫玉膾呢？ 這是我產生的第二個好奇。

In order to have a try of this ancient dish， I decided to do it by myself.

The first step is to prepare cooking materials. It has to restore the flavor of the ancient dish to the greatest degree. The considered simple process had complicated search work.

In the eight-integrated spices in historic materials， it is salted and dried plum that hard to find. It was one of the traditional foods of China. Before the invention of vinegar， it was the major sour spice and was essential for cooking soup. In the Gu Wen Shang Shu of Mei Yi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty， it was said， “if cooks soup， it should have salted plum”， which is what we called today.

Cooked chestnut is cooked millet， which is for the golden color. The original material said， it must be golden and that is why it is called golden spices.

When solved the golden thing， the leading actor should show up， which is jade flesh of fish.

It is said that when Emperor Yang of Sui visited regions south of the Yangtze River， he tasted the Songjiang four gill weever in Yangzhou， and praised the dish as “Golden Spices and Jade Flesh of Fish and the great taste on southeast”. So in ancient times， its delicious flavor and jade like flesh is loved by emperors and officers.

按照史料記載的八和齏配料里，比較難找到的就是白梅。原來白梅也是中國古老的傳統食物之一，在醋發明之前，它是主要的酸味調料，做羹湯時必不可少。東晉梅頤編造的《古文尚書》中有“若作和羹，爾惟鹽梅”，鹽梅就是白梅。

熟粟子就是弄熟的小米飯啦，是為了營造金黃的顏色。原來資料顯示，齏料必用黃色，故此謂金齏。

金齏的問題解決了，現在主角登場就是玉膾。

相傳隋煬帝下江南，在揚州品嘗了松江四鰓鱸魚后贊美說：“金齏玉膾，東南佳味也。”所以在古代，由于四腮鱸魚鮮美、不腥，白色如玉的肉香得到了帝王將相的喜愛。

But can the four gill weever be bought？ When looked up its information， it actual a VIP that it is a national secondary aquatic wild protected animal and the last rare nobility of mankind. It has the reputation of “the top one fish in Jiangnan”. This fish is very rare that it is hard to find in ordinary dishes.

When we planned to use ordinary weever， our willful leader said seriously that， “since we want to find the ancient taste， we should restore it as much as we can”. He found that if ordinary weever works， they would not only use four gill ones， which shows the difference. But what are the differences？ He found the answer through utmost investigation that， the ordinary ones have stronger smell and more parasites and cannot be eaten uncooked.

Then what shall be our substitute？ Lao Jue suggested using the bream， the material for Japanese sashimi. It can be eaten uncooked and is the best substitute.

可是這四鰓鱸魚到底能不能買到呢？不查不要緊，一查才知道，四鰓鱸魚來頭不小，它是中國國家二級水生野生保護動物，是人類最后的珍稀貴族。有著“江南第一名魚”之美稱。這種魚由于非常珍貴，現在在民間已經非常難吃到。

正在轉而準備用普通鱸魚代替之時，“任性”的領導老覺發揮了其認真、任性的品質說：“我們既然要穿越找到古菜的味道，就要盡可能還原。”他研究發現，如果用普通鱸魚就可以做到的話，那會兒就不會用四鰓鱸魚，說明其中有差別。可差別在哪兒呢？經他悉心調查發現，普通鱸魚相對比較腥，再加上寄生蟲比較多，不如四腮鱸魚可生食，新鮮。

那用什么來替代鱸魚呢，老覺建議用日式料理店里做生魚片的鯛魚，它可生食，新鮮不腥。是最好的替代品。

According to Tai Ping Guang Ji， there was a thing called leaves of Xiangrou flower for cooking sashimi. Li Shizhen proved it was just herba elsholtziae in Compendium of Materia Medica. The thing needs for the dish maybe the Haizhou one or purple flower one. But it cannot be found in winter at Beijing. When we felt it was hard to do the dish， Laojue again played his willful character and found the best substitute called perilla leaf. It is said that perilla leaf is the traditional plant for sashimi in Chinese history and has the same effects of herba elsholtziae. When he said this to us， we felt that we have completed half of the dish since the restoration of ancient dish lies mostly in finding the original materials.

But soon we came across another difficulty， the cooking method. The information online doesn’t show the specific matching. So we found other ancient materials and pictures and based on Tai Ping Guang Ji to get the method and try our best to reshow its golden and jade feature.

Do you want to travel back with us to have a taste of this expensive dish that served for emperor？ Do you want to know the natural beauty of golden spices and jade flesh？ Please come with us to discover its secret.

按照《太平廣記》記載，用來拌魚片的還有一種聞所未聞的材料名目，香柔花葉的東西。李時珍在《本草綱目》中考證其為中藥香薷，金齏玉膾所用的香柔花，可能是開紫花的海州香薷或紫花香薷。但是查了半天，這種東西在冬天的北京是找不到的。正在我們一籌莫展的時候，任性老覺又發揮了他“任性”的特質，發現了能夠最好替代的東西叫做紫蘇葉。經考據，紫蘇也是中國歷史上搭配魚生的傳統植物，與香薷有同效。最終，老覺笑著對我們說出紫蘇葉三個字時，頓時感覺金齏玉鱠這道菜已經成功了一半。因為想要還原古菜的味道，原汁原味的食材就是最關鍵的。

但是正在我們得意之時，又碰到了另一個難題，就是金齏玉鲙的具體做法。我們在網絡上查找資料，沒有看到具體的配比。于是我們根據《太平廣記》的記載，又配合其他史料和圖片大概找到了其烹飪方法，最大限度地再現料如金、魚如玉的本色。

想要跟我們一起穿越去品嘗這道皇帝吃的貴菜么？想要知道金齏與玉膾天然美妙的顏色么？那請跟我們一起去揭開它的秘密。

In order to restore the original taste and shape of the dish， we came to the Taimei diner at Hongkun Square and asked executive chef Song to be our adviser.

為了能更好地還原金齏玉鲙的本色與味道，這次我們特地來到了位于北京鴻坤廣場的泰美餐廳，請行政總廚宋師傅來做我們的顧問。

First step， prepare the material for sashimi.

第一步，備料生魚片。

I： This is a vivacious bream. Let’s mourn for its dedication for art， salute！

Song： It weights one jin and two liang， which has the best taste of flesh.

我：這是一條鮮活的鯛魚。向為藝術事業獻身的它默哀，致敬！

宋師傅：這條魚一斤二兩。這種分量的魚肉質感好。

I： How can we cut this when at home？

Song： Cut it into thin slices according to the lines slanting to the right. In fact there are many ways and this is an easy one.

我：這生魚片在家里大致怎么片呢？

宋師傅：斜刀向右按紋路切薄片。其實魚片有很多種切法，這種相對容易操作。

A master is a master. Just see the jade look of sashimi on the perilla leaf. The ancient book said that the combination of the two can increase the delicious flavor and remove the fishy smell.

The dish place is an art too. Let’s salute again to this fish for art.

Prepared sashimi， the second step is also the key part， which is to do the golden spices and decides the success of the dish.

There are eight ingredients. When I prepared to make them into powder， the chef’s words let me feel that cooking is so meaningful.

大師就是不一般，看看這切好的生魚片在紫蘇葉的襯托下顯得更加玉潤。按《太平廣記》記載，這紫蘇葉是要和魚肉裹在一起，起到增鮮去腥的效果。

擺盤也是一項藝術。再次向為藝術獻身的鯛魚致敬。

準備好生魚片后，第二步就是最關鍵的金齏的做法，成也由它，敗也由它。

這八和齏自然八種材料做成。當我準備將所有都切成粉末狀時，大廚的一番話讓我頓時覺得，做菜是如此有意味的一件事。

Let’s see the picture first.

先來看圖

These are the shreds of orange peel.

這是橘皮切絲

These are the dices of salted and dried plum.

白梅切塊

I： Why not in powder？

Song： Every material has its own feature and the shape of them should be cut according to it.

我：為什么不能都切成粉末呢

宋師傅：每種食材都有不同的個性，要根據它的品性切成不同的形狀。

Salted and dried plum plays a major role in this and it should be boiled for a long time becoming a sauce to add sour taste. This is a completed one.

白梅在這金齏里的作用功不可沒，它要熬制很長時間成為一種酸梅醬汁，替代醋增加酸度。這是熬制好的酸梅醬汁。

Others are in different shape according to their features. This is a family portrait of eight-integrated spices. From left to right： orange peel， millet， glutinous rice powder， ginger， salted and dried plum， sauce， salt， garlic.

I： Why use glutinous rice powder not polished round-grained rice？

Song： The function of the latter one is to increase the viscosity， and the former one has better effects.

其它的就是按照各自的品性做成不同形狀。這是一張八和齏的全家福。從左至右依次是橘皮、粟米、姜末、白梅、醬汁、糯米粉、鹽、蒜末。

我：咦，不應該是粳米么，怎么是糯米粉？

宋師傅：粳米在這里的作用就是為了增加粘稠度，用糯米粉比粳米效果更好。

This is the well-known golden spices in the legend.

The way is to put eight ingredients together.

I： What are the proportions of them？

Song： It can be decided by your taste. But the rules are， first： golden color should be realized by Millet， sauce and glutinous rice flour； second， the viscosity should be proper and the key is the use of glutinous rice flour.

這就是大名鼎鼎，金光熠熠的傳說中的金齏了。

做法就是八種料調和在一起。

我：可是這八種料的比例是多少啊？

宋師傅：這完全是根據個人口味來調制，但是原則是第一：金黃色，要靠粟米、醬汁和糯米粉的色度來完成；第二，粘稠度要把握好，不太稠不太稀，主要是糯米粉的掌握。

When it was done， sashimi can be tasted in the spices. When put them together， you will immediately know the meaning of its name.

Do you want to know the flavor of travelling through time？ You should do it by yourself！

金齏調好以后，就可以將生魚片放到醬汁里吃。它們擺在一起，你就會恍然大悟金齏玉膾四個字的含義。

想要知道吃在嘴里的那種穿越的味道么？那你只有自己親自做了才知道！