Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1262 The Princess's Pig Face
At 8:30 in the evening, the lights at Jinling Hotel were bright because it was time for the dinner. However, the impromptu midnight snack could not be considered a dinner, but just a gathering of princesses that Zhu Ling wanted to hold on a whim.

Of course, only the princesses of the Zhu family would order braised pig's face during dinner parties.

The kind-looking braised pig face was laid out on the plate, forming a small meat mountain. The whole pig face was neatly stacked inside - according to Zhu Ling's extra instructions, it was not kept intact before being served according to the banquet standards, but was cut into pieces before being served. Because this was a gathering of princesses, it was inconvenient to talk with outsiders.

The soup reached the standard of gelatinous consistency, which is the concentration of marinade for braised pig face, and it was soaked with the oily and shiny red pig skin. This concentration is just enough to hang on each piece of pork, and also on the lotus leaf pancake.

The lotus leaf pancakes were packed in a basket and placed on the side. There were not many in the basket, because only the hot lotus leaf pancakes were the most fluffy. After the basket was finished, there were still many lotus leaf pancakes waiting in the pot outside. There are kitchens on each floor of Jinling Hotel to ensure that these dishes that need to maintain temperature can meet the diners in the most appropriate conditions.

However, the dish is also insulated. There is a small candle under the pig face to keep it warm. Because once the pig face gets cold, the taste will change quickly. Although it can be eaten cold, it is better to eat it hot now that winter has arrived.

"Come on, everyone, don't be polite!" Zhu Ling, who was sitting at the main seat, introduced to everyone, "This is my favorite dish - braised pig's face! It's delicious whether you eat it hot or cold. This must be Victoria's first time eating it."

"Uh," Victoria looked at it, "this is indeed the first time."

"Are you used to eating this?"

"Yeah." Victoria nodded. "In Roman cuisine, we also believe that pork is the easiest to digest and the most nutritious meat. But this is really amazing."

Victoria could tell the difference of this dish at a glance because she ate it so often - a whole huge piece of meat was cooked at once. And it was not even meat, but a pig's head with a weird shape.

These pork heads, which melt in your mouth and vary in thickness, did not fall apart during the cooking process. Different parts of the pork heads were also cooked to perfection.

It was a miracle. Victoria had no idea how it was possible.

"Speaking of which," Zhu Ling asked, "how do people usually eat in Rome?"

"Roasted suckling pig." Victoria replied, "That's why I think this pig head is so amazing. When we roast suckling pig, if it's not a very small suckling pig, we usually have to wrap the pig's ears extra. Otherwise, these protruding parts of the pig will easily get burnt before other parts. I don't know if I can ask, but how is this pig's head cooked?"

"There is only one secret! I can tell you!" Zhu Ling answered proudly, "All you need is a 'big' pot." Zhu Ling emphasized the word "big".

"Big pot?" Victoria imitated Zhu Ling's pronunciation. "How big is it?"

"It's big enough to hold a whole pig. It's simple. The bigger the pot, the more stable it is inside."

"Would you cook in such a big pot?!"

"Because Jinling Hotel was opened by someone who knew how to cook in Guanglu Temple. In Guanglu Temple, in the place responsible for sacrifices, there was originally such a big pot used to cook sacrificial meat. The kitchen of Jinling Hotel now also has such a big pot - it's called a pot, but it's actually a big copper vat, the kind that can be used as a big bell when hung up. The big pot of Jinling Hotel is specially used to cook ingredients like braised pig's face."

"Eh? So how did they do that?" Victoria imagined for a moment, "Even if it's a pig's head, it will flip up and down if placed inside, right? Wouldn't that make the situation unstable?" "Two points." Zhu Ling answered without reservation, "First, you need a larger pot than the big pot, and put the big pot inside. In this way, you can heat it with water to ensure that the soup in the entire inner pot will hardly boil, and the liquid level is extremely stable and will be layered according to the temperature; second, you need a rack to fix the different parts of the pork on the rack, and then put the meat and the rack into the big pot to cook."

"So that's how it is! I was wondering why it was so hard to imagine this method, it turns out that such powerful cooking utensils are used. Aren't those two big pots very expensive?"

"Not really. The copper pot inside is indeed the treasure of Jinling Hotel. But the pot outside used for water bath heating is just an iron pot. That pot is smoky all day long and is replaced every once in a while."

"But this is also very troublesome. It is more troublesome than one can imagine. So are all the imperial court dishes of the Ming Dynasty like this?"

"Yes." Zhu Ling nodded. "Although not all dishes are like this, Huaiyang cuisine is like this. Huaiyang cuisine emphasizes the extraordinary in the ordinary and the elegance in the unusual. This pig's head looks strange, but it is actually very elegant. The big pot used to cook the pig's head is a ritual vessel. There is nothing more elegant than this."

"Can I take some home with me? I want to eat it when I get home, too."

"You haven't eaten yet."

“You can tell it’s delicious just by looking at it.”

"Wait a minute." Zhu Ling thought for a moment, "In fact, you don't need a big pot to make it. I say this because Jinling Hotel needs to produce a lot of dishes, so special cooking utensils are needed. If you only make one, then it can be made with a lot of manpower. Because when cooking, someone needs to watch it all the time. Huaiyang cuisine is very labor-intensive - of course, you haven't eaten Shandong cuisine yet. Shandong cuisine is very particular about all parts. Huaiyang cuisine is already very frugal and consumer-oriented."

"So how much does a pig's face like this cost?"

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"The price at Jinling Hotel is 2888."

"Oh, it's not expensive."

[2888 is your monthly meal expenses, Shangluo. These siblings may look stingy, but they are actually quite rich.]

"You think you are good? Actually, they are very frugal by using valuable things. Besides, this stuff is not eaten every day. Zhu Ling only eats it because he is greedy."

"So Victoria~" Zhu Ling smiled kindly, "I wonder if this makes you happy?"

"I'm so happy! This is the dish that should be served at a banquet. Just looking at it makes people feel happy and satisfied. This is a dish that symbolizes peace and prosperity for the country and the people."

"Well, this is very important." She continued, "This medicine I prepared can only be taken when you are in a good mood. You can't drink it when you are in a bad mood."

(End of this chapter)