Chapter 17 The scholar-official temperament of rice wine

I love all fermented foods, from cheese to fermented bean curd, from kimchi to soy sauce. Fermentation is a kind of magic from the hand of nature. It can use time, temperature and air as props to change the appearance and flavor of the original ingredients, and change the deliciousness beyond nature.In theory, all alcohol should be a boon after fermentation, but straight distilled alcohol (whether it is white wine, vodka, tequila, or rum), I am not familiar with them, because they are easy to drink Feeling dizzy and blinded.The beauty of fermented Chinese alcoholic beverages, I think it is yellow rice wine, which tastes like nine bends and eighteen bends.

The biggest charm of rice wine is the "gentleness" that seems to have no characteristics.A glass of rice wine, regardless of whether it is warm or cold, has no stimulation of alcohol, no acidity of tannins, and only a warmth that fits perfectly with the mouth.Then, the aroma of caramel and grain will continue to linger on the tip of the tongue, and the slight acidity will spread slightly on both sides of the tongue, making the sweetness in the aftertaste more defined.No matter when you drink rice wine, you will not feel cold, the warm breath will hug your whole body and help you relieve all worries.Therefore, I really don't understand how rice wine, which has such charm and sentimentality, can be defeated by something as thick as baijiu. It's okay, let the "cousins" of business banquets go to dry baijiu.

The center of the rice wine map is undoubtedly Shaoxing.In the Qing Dynasty, Shaoxing rice wine formed a very fine product link that was popularized throughout the country.The master craftsmen of the winery are wise men who hold the secret of distiller's yeast. Under their command, the grains are turned into wine, and then distributed to all parts of the country.According to the time and conditions of transportation, the master craftsmen will also adjust the formula. For example, the rice wine traveling south tastes slightly different from the wine transported north. Rice wine is suitable for drinking, not toasting, which also affects the traditional Chinese drinking etiquette.Among the literati and bureaucrats, drinking is mostly done in this way—before drinking, raise the cup first, give way to the people present, say "please" or "please use", take a sip and then put it down, chat a few words, Eat two bites of food.In the Republic of China, this elegance was still preserved by Hu Shizhi and Cai Yuanpei.But now, on the wine table, there are only "not doing it is not a friend" and "emotional iron, drinking blood".

Literati and bureaucrats drink elegantly, and porters are also somewhat particular about drinking hard.On the streets of old Beijing, there are many wine shops, which are generally called "big wine tanks". In fact, a wooden board is laid on the wine tanks, which is not only a table, but also can replace the lid of the wine tanks.When the neighbors in the neighborhood are tired from walking, they will go to the "big wine vat" to rest on the vat, and then ask the store to bring two spoonfuls of rice wine with a spoon made of bamboo joints, and pour them into their own wine pouches.The wine sac is the same as the ones we see in TV movies, made of gourds and leather.

There are historical reasons as well as congenital deficiencies for the interruption of rice wine culture.The congenital deficiency is that the brewing of rice wine does not have low requirements on the weather. It cannot be like beer, and it is highly reproducible. It can be brewed from Northeast China to Hainan.However, in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, rice wine has never been cut off. Some old people can brew rice wine by themselves, and the winery occasionally produces excellent products. It is a status symbol to drink real daughter red.In the past two years, with the popularity of hairy crabs, rice wine has gradually gained momentum. Some people began to say "rice wine revival".Although I love rice wine, I don't think there will be a revival.Without literati and masters, who can I find to drink rice wine?

It is not uncommon for rice wine to be used in dishes. For lazy housewives, they have to know a few superficial skills of using rice wine skillfully. I once ate a lotus leaf flower carved Huajia pot at Dongbao Restaurant in North Point, Hong Kong, and I never forget it.Healthy sixties are shellfish that are difficult to make unpalatable. I have always wondered why there are so many green peppers, red peppers, tempeh, and scallions in the food stalls in the market. That’s right. Sixtieth blasphemy!But think about it, the 60-year-old meat that adopts this "busy market" method is really poor. If you don't add more messy ingredients, how can you cover up the shortcomings.First of all, this Dongbao restaurant is serious enough in getting the goods, and all the sixties are plump and plump, which is already a grace.Pour over Huadiao wine, wrap it in lotus leaves and steam it. When you puncture the lotus leaves when serving, you will immediately smell the delicious smell of Huajiao and the mellow aroma of Huadiao. There are no added ingredients in it. Fortunately, it is so delicious. A good 60th birthday falls into their hands and dies a worthy death!

Huadiao and stewed meat are also very delicious. In the family banquet of Mr. Zhang Xinmin, a gourmet in Shantou, a famous "Huadiao marinated pigeon" often makes the guests lose their composure and eat it cleanly, even gnawing the bones.In addition, another way to use rice wine skillfully is to make Huadiao eggs.This is a practice learned from my Shanghai friend Qiu Dawang, because the process is too simple and the taste is so delicious, it is unreasonable not to share it with everyone.The method is: peel the hard-boiled eggs, mix Huadiao and tou jiang one by one, and soak them in.Eggs are perfect food on their own, and are delicious with just a little saltiness.The same method is also delicious for quail eggs. When you are lazy, soak a few and eat for fun.But egg yolk cholesterol is very high, so it needs to be controlled.