1400 years ago, Qi Yao Min Shu, edited by Jia Sixie, a native of Shandong Province, described in detail the selection of materials, slaughtering and processing, barbecue and other matters, and called it "baking method". It can be seen from the 22 barbecue methods recorded in it that the barbecue production technology before the Southern and Northern Dynasties has reached a very high level.
Cantonese people are good at cooking and are very particular about raw materials. Zhang Hua's Natural History in the Western Jin Dynasty spoke highly of pigs produced in Guangdong. "The skin of Yanji is thick, the feet of Liang Yong are short, and the white fat of Lingnan is extremely fat." It is really unique to roast pigs with it.
With the rise of Cantonese cuisine in all parts of the country, the skill of cooking pigs, which began in the Central Plains and flourished in Guangdong, has also returned to its hometown to blossom and bear fruit.
Roast pig has a long history.
Not to mention Charles Lamb, a British writer, joked that roast pig originated from ancient fire, and its credible and recorded history can be traced back to the early Western Han Dynasty. A stove was unearthed from the tomb of Nanyue King excavated in Guangzhou. Four piglets were cast on both sides of the furnace wall, and the remains of suckling pigs were found in a nearby bronze tripod, which proved that the furnace was used to burn suckling pigs. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Jia Sixie recorded the method of roasting suckling pigs in Qi Yao Min Shu, describing the roast suckling pigs as "amber in color and real gold, but it disappears in the mouth, looks like it, contains cream and is moist, unique and ordinary". In the Qing Dynasty, roast suckling pig was an indispensable barbecue for the Manchu-Han banquet. After the Qing Dynasty, roast suckling pig seems to have disappeared in other places, but it is still popular in Guangdong, which is said to be related to the vigorous promotion of Xishi restaurant in Xiguan, Guangzhou in the 1920s. In order to enhance the competitiveness, the store specially set up a rectangular iron stove in front of the store, and invited two roast suckling pig chefs in public to serve the food immediately. At that time, diners scrambled to tell each other about the taste of Manchu cuisine. Later, restaurants followed suit, and roast suckling pig became the first dish of the "eight major dishes" of the Cantonese banquet in the early Republic of China and the first dish of the traditional Cantonese banquet, so that the first roast suckling pig could be officially represented.
In fact, there are deeper reasons why roast pigs can continue to dominate in Guangdong.
First, Guangdong pigs are suitable for barbecue. According to natural history, pigs born in Lingnan are "white and extremely obese". Lingnan Miscellanies in the Qing Dynasty said that the pigs produced by Nanxiong were "10-20 Jin" and "thin and tender, unlike regular pigs". Piglets produced in the Pearl River Delta now have short mouths, short ears, short feet, thin skin, easy to cook, tender and crisp, which are far behind in other places.
Second, Guangdong's pig-burning technology has been continuously improved. Roast suckling pig is regarded as the basic skill of Guangdong roast meat industry.
Guangdong roast suckling pig insisted on open-hearth baking, and made great efforts on crispy skin and colored skin. On the basis of the technology of "first roast the meat inside, let the ointment enter the skin, the skin will be crisp and the taste will not be scattered" and then "roast the skin", the baker tried to improve the coating. In addition to smearing wine and oil on pig skin, he also added maltose and Zhejiang vinegar as appropriate to make the skin brittle. The cavity is also coated with spiced powder, south milk, sauce, etc. Make it thick and fragrant. During combustion, micropores are intermittently drilled to exhaust air to prevent separation of skin and meat. As early as the end of the Qing Dynasty, the famous barbecue restaurant in Guangzhou could cook "glazed skin" crispy roast suckling pig. Before 1960s, Guangdong roasted a kind of "smooth-skinned suckling pig", whose skin was greatly sweetened with vinegar. When baking, the fire is light and the oil is light. After baking, the skin is bright red and shiny as a mirror, and the skin is crispy and crispy. In the 1970s, Hong Kong barbers created a "pockmarked suckling pig". Don't puncture the exhaust gas when firing, first sweep the oil and pay attention to the heavy oil, so that sesame-like bubbles (called "hemp" in the jargon) will burst out on the pigskin. "Hemp-skinned suckling pig" is more brittle and has longer embrittlement resistance than "smooth-skinned suckling pig". In the 1988 National Cooking Performance Competition, Feng Qiu, the barbecue chef of Panxi Restaurant in Guangzhou, made a dragon pattern on the basis of "smooth-skinned suckling pig", and since then, the skin of suckling pig has given people beautiful enjoyment with various patterns.
Third, and more importantly, roast pig is deeply rooted in Guangdong folk customs. Roast pig has placed the Guangdong people's feelings of being cautious and pursuing distance. Guangdong has always had the custom of ancestor worship, and the custom of ancestor worship with golden pigs has long been popular. The so-called golden pig is to put golden flowers (that is, hairpin flowers, sharp, made of gold paper) on the head of the roast pig as sacrifices. In Tomb-Sweeping Day, Guangdong people take the family as the unit, and their filial sons and grandsons carry golden pigs up the mountain to worship their ancestors. The golden pig symbolizes the prosperity of the family and the cause, comforting the ancestors' spirits in heaven and expressing their filial piety.
Roasting pigs also pinned the Guangdong people's desire to get rich and healthy. According to Professor Ye Chunsheng of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong has the birthday of the Dragon Mother in Yuecheng. According to legend, the dragon mother will "bless the golden pearl" when she eats the golden pig, and the golden pig who worships the dragon mother "has her wisdom of saliva and teeth". Eating golden pigs can not only make ordinary people "fat", but also make a fortune, so pilgrims will buy more golden pigs and eat them in the temple after worshipping God. According to statistics, 1946 sold 1. 10000 golden pigs during the dragon mother's birthday! By extension, no matter weddings, Dragon Boat Festival, Lantern Festival and sports competitions, there is no shortage of roast pigs. Especially in large-scale dragon boat races, dozens of pounds of roast pigs have become the most prominent prizes. In the "booth" where prizes are displayed, dozens of big roast pigs are hung in red, forming a beautiful landscape in rich rural areas.
In the ancient wedding custom in the Pearl River Delta, roast pig is also a symbol of the bride's chastity. In the old society, the bride went back to the province the next day. If someone sent a roast pig with her, it meant "a perfect wife". "If you are smashed, the woman will not be chaste." Yu Zeng, a poet in A Qing, once mocked this evil custom with a poem: "Whoever teaches the arm to print red in Luxiang, the shadow in the bridal chamber is always hazy, and whoever sets a ceremony and cooks pigs to keep the palace for three days." Although it was a roast pig, it would be a shame if my wife chopped off her tail or skinned the pig. This custom has been abolished today.
Guangdong people are very particular about eating roast pigs, which has been sublimated into a culture. For example, before eating "hemp-skinned suckling pig", the chef will cut the skin into 32 pieces according to certain procedures, cover it on the pork as it is, serve the whole pig, and let the guests eat the skin first. Guests usually pick up pigskin and dip it in sweet sauce, and then order fine sugar, so that the cooked pigskin can stick with fine sugar with the help of sweet sauce, which is particularly sweet and crisp and can relieve boredom. Only heard a "crack", the skin of the suckling pig cracked, as crisp as eating biscuits, and it is hard for foodies to think that the beauty of roast suckling pig lies in its skin. Then take the pig's body back, cut it into pieces the same size as the pig's skin, shovel out the pig's scalp (the skin with the word "Wang" on its forehead is arsenic) and cheek meat, cut the pig's kidney into thin slices, make it into the shape of a pig, and then serve it on the table. Milk pork is delicious, without dipping in sugar or sweet sauce. Mr. Zock, a famous food critic in Hong Kong, thinks that charcoal is better for roast suckling pigs, and there is a little charcoal smell between skin and meat. "Skin-smooth suckling pig" generally cuts the meat slices with distinct skin, cream and meat into pieces and eats them as a whole, and eats them immediately. The entrance is spicy and fragrant, and the taste is multi-layered. In recent years, the roast suckling pigs tend to be younger (one month after birth) and smaller (weighing about 2 kilograms), and the roast pigs are the so-called "BB pigs ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… There are also innovations in eating. For example, sliced suckling pigs, chopped on the top, fried and wrapped below, with preserved eggs in the middle, are fragrant and memorable. Another example is slicing the roast suckling pig, stuffing the rice into the suckling pig's stomach, sealing it with tin foil, and then roasting it with charcoal fire.
Fat paste from suckling pigs is soaked in rice with various spices, and the taste after roasting is too good to be described in words. And attach importance to decoration and beautification, such as the "golden red pigskin" made for Queen Elizabeth II, with a pair of small red light bulbs in her eyes, which adds style.
Golden hemp skin suckling pig
There are two ways to roast suckling pigs: open hearth barbecue and hanging oven barbecue. The roast suckling pig in Guangzhou restaurant insists on open-hearth barbecue, and the production method is as follows:
1. Cut off the back from the belly of the suckling pig with a knife; Split the pig head, take out the pig brain, take out the ribs and shoulder blades on both sides, wash and drain.
2. Put spiced salt on the inner cavity of the suckling pig, marinate it for about 30 minutes, lift it with an iron hook, drain the water, then put the suckling pig sauce on the inner cavity of the pig and marinate it for about 20 minutes, insert it from the hip with a special burning fork, cross it to the fan joint, and finally penetrate into the cheek. Rinse the greasy dirt on the pigskin with clear water, then drench the pigskin with boiling water, finally sweep away the sweet and sour water and dry it.
3. Bake the suckling pig in the oven until the pig cavity is cooked, and take it out.
4. Support the suckling pig with a wooden stick and tie your hands and feet. Brush pigskin with oil. Light the charcoal stove, first burn the head and tail, and then burn the pig's body until the skin is golden red.
Hongyun Zhu Jin
This is also a pockmarked suckling pig. Black pig was selected, with short legs, short body and fat body. Each one weighs about 10 kg and is barbecued with charcoal fire. The skin of hemp-skinned suckling pig bites loosely, a bit like wafer cake, while the skin of smooth-skinned suckling pig is simply crispy, so hemp-skinned suckling pig seems to be more popular with diners.
Manager Liang of Jinmancheng Restaurant said that Tomb-Sweeping Day's ancestor worship with suckling pigs was actually well-intentioned. The pigskin is red and the meat is white. It looks healthy and beautiful.
Straw grass roast suckling pig
The straw roast suckling pig in Nanle Legend Nine-piece restaurant is about 5 kg suckling pig. The burning process of suckling pigs uses straw grass, which burns for about half an hour. Because straw has a low ignition point, it is not easy to burn. The suckling pig cooked in this way has crispy skin and soft meat inside.