Shortcake,Little Snack of Big Use
3 min read
It is commonly seen in Xi’an,a city with long-standing history where the stalls and shops across the streets selling shortcakes are always lined with countless patrons rushing to buy the shortcakes.How could the average shortcakes attract so much patronage?As explained by the story,the shortcakes are appealing because they enjoy an ancient yet meaningful origin in addition to their wonderful taste.
It is said that after coming back from pilgrimage to obtain Buddhist scriptures, Master Xuanzang(the eminent monk of Tang Dynasty)had been immersed in translating the Buddhist dharma,seldom eating or sleeping at the Daci’en Temple, dedicated to carrying forward Chinese Buddhism regardless of his health status. When the translated volumes placed on the desk were overtopped his height,Master Xuanzang would then move the Buddhist volumes to Giant Wild Goose Pagoda for reservation.
One day when Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty was idle,he paid a visit to Daci’en Temple followed by the courtiers.As he was entering a penetralium,the first sight he caught was that an aging monk was dedicated to translating the Buddhist dharma,unaware of the arrival of his Majesty.The eunuch following Emperor Gaozong was just about to rebuke the monk before his Majesty shook his hand to stop the eunuch.Master Kuiji,the abbot of the Daci’en Temple just arrived upon hearing about the visit of the Emperor,and Emperor Gao whispered to him,”who is this Master concentrating on translation of scripture?”Kuiji put his palms together devoutly,answering,”Your Majesty,this is Master Xuanzang.”Emperor Gaozong nodded”Ah,I have met Master Xuanzang before,when he carried the bricks and stones himself to build the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.But today l could not recognize him because he was too haggard.It must because he has overworked himsels translating scripture day and night!”Therefore,the Emperor ordered Kuiji to preparo some nice meals to nourish Master Xuanzang’s body.Pointing to the piling-up Buddhist volumes and the fancy vegetarian food,Kuiji answered,”Master Xuanzang was so abandoned in translating the scripture that he always forgot to have the meals.Even the meals were heated several times later,yet he still could not have time to eat them.”
When hearing this,Emperor Gaozong was deeply moved by the spirit of perseverance and meticulosity,and consequently thought to himself how to ensure Master Xuanzang could have some meals no matter the food was hot or cold. When Emperor Gaozong returned to the lmperial Palace,he called up the court chets to offer suggestions.After taking the imperial edict,the court chefs brain-stormed to come up with an idea:they used the light oil to make a precious”multi-layer cake”-the color appeared golden yellow,layered-distinctly,oily but not greasy,and tasted crispy and palatable even when the cake became cold.Emperor Gaozong greatly rejoiced at this food and awarded
Master Xuanzang a box of”multi-layered cakes”on the day when Master Xuanzang translated the scripture as many as 1000 volumes. Master Xuanzang satisfied his hunger with these cakes while not delaying the translation of the scripture.As a result,not only his appetite gradually improved but also his complexion appeared rosy,enabling his translation work to become more efficient.Afterwards,the story and cooking method of”multi-layered cake”were known to the folks,driving most people to make the shortcakes in order to honor Monk Xuanzang and his fellow masters who joined him in the scripture translation.
