An Array of Dishes of the Manchu and Han Can Take Three Days to Eat

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Perhaps no place in the world has as many first-rate meals as China.The highest achievement of the Lidea that”food is the first necessity of man”can be found in an array of dishes of the Manchu and Han-the finest expression of Chinese cuisine.

Dishes of the Manchu and Han nationalities，as the name suggests，is the combination of the classic dishes from the Manchu and Han nationalities.Stemming from the period of the Qing Dynasty（1644-1911），it originally referred to an official feast shared by both the Manchu people and Han people.The term”an array of dishesof the Manchu and Han”sounds as though it was the outcome of the arrival of northern nomadic tribes in thecentral plains，but actually it originated from the meals popular in the official circles in south China. It is said that the dishes of the Manchu and Han was, in the beginning, offered by the local officials of Yangzhou to entertain the senior officials from the imperial palace. Taking advantage of the beautiful scenery of Yangzhou from where many outstanding people came, including experiencedand knowledgeable Yangzhou chefs, the dishes of the Manchu and Han witnessed rapid, wide development.

Emperor Qianlong altogether visited south China sixtimes. Yangzhou officials and gentry greeted EmperorQianlong with the array of dishes of the Manchu and Han six times. Since then, the dishes have become known far and wide and was imitated everywhere. By and by, the region formed the established dishes and a protocol of its own.

The dishes were first used to treat the senior officials after the imperial examination ended. Just imagine the scene when the highest local official entertained the imperial commissioners. At the feast, all officials, regardlessof their ranks, were in their ceremonial robes and official hats. The dishes were abundant and exquisite, the protocol solemn and complicated. How grand and sumptuous the feast must have been! There are strict rules and regulations in respect of the spectacle and scale of the feast, of the official ranks and number of people who accompany them at the table, and of the variety and quantity of the dishes. The ceremonies such as the firing of guns, play-ing music, burning joss-sticks, welcoming and seeing off senior officials and the like are as meticulous as can be.

There are at least 108 dishes, soup, refreshments and fruit on the table, and it usually takes people three days to eat such an array of dishes.

It is by no means an overstatement to say that the dishes represent an encyclopedia of Chinese food. Included in these dishes are imperial delicacies and localsnacks, marked by features of two different nationalities and characteristics of the seasons. The array of dishes is all-embracing: cold dishes, cooked dishes, meat dishes and vegetable dishes. Some taste sour, some hot, some salty and some sweet; some are fried in shallow oil, some stir-fried, some quick-fried and some deep-fried. The dishes include birds, beasts, mountain delicacies and seafood delights. Though it might sound daunting to “read” this encyclopedia in just three days, the taste buds would surely shout”bravo!”if it could speak.

In order to restore the original elements of these dishes, the Imperial Dishes Restaurant of Beijing made extensive inquiries and conducted textual research all over China and re-wrote the menu, which included 196 cold and cooked dishes,124 refreshments and cookies. The array of dishes of the Manchu and Han was subdivided into”Banquet in Vassal States’ Honor,””Banquetin Honor of Courtiers,””Longevity Banquet,””Banquet in Honor of His Highness,””Nine-White Banquet”and “Seasonal Banquet.”As this array of dishes had done in the past, preparing them according to the original menu took people three days and six separate sessions to finish eating it. Pu Jie, the brother of the last emperor Pu Yi, described this in his own writing,”Authentic Food for the Emperor”after he had tasted the dishes. If you have the ambition and strength to acquire the heavy reinforcement of Chinese food and if you believe you have a large enough appetite, try it!