The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Min Xi felt a little regretful after hearing this, but he was not in a hurry. The Baron's greenhouse would not run away. As long as he had a good relationship with the Baron, was he afraid that he would not have the opportunity to visit?

Min Xi followed him to the kitchen. The kitchen in the Baron's mansion was very spacious, with several cooks. The kitchen utensils and tableware were very complete, with an oven, a frying pan, a soup pot, and more than one pot. The tableware included not only silverware, but also exquisite porcelain, which were obviously imported from the Ming Dynasty.

The housekeeper stopped the busy cooks and said, "This is Mr. Min, who was invited by His Excellency the Baron to cook. He will be in charge of the kitchen today, and you all have to listen to him."

It was the first time for several of the cooks to see Oriental people. They were very curious to see Min Xi and Yun Ji wearing Western clothes but with their hair tied up. They all looked at them with wide eyes, without any shyness at all.

It was the first time that Yun Ji was stared at so blatantly by a woman. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, he turned his head to look at Min Xi.

Min Xi calmly checked the kitchen utensils and ingredients in the kitchen and asked the butler: "Does the Baron and the guests have any preferences or taboos?"

The butler was stunned for a moment, then said, "His Excellency the Baron has said that you can do whatever you want."

Min Xi nodded: "I see. How many guests are dining tonight?"

The housekeeper said, "There are seven in total."

Min Xi said, "Then let's cook it the way we Chinese eat it. Do you think it's feasible?"

"Of course, Your Excellency the Baron, the theme of today's banquet is exotic flavors," said the butler.

After the housekeeper left, Yun Ji asked, "Have you figured out what to do?"

Min Xi nodded: "I've roughly thought about it. Come and help me knead the dough first."

Yun Ji rolled up his sleeves and said, "Okay."

Min Xi estimated the number of people eating and decided to have dumplings as the main course and bake some small cookies for dessert.

In order to entertain his guests, the baron slaughtered a sheep, chickens, geese, and even pork. Of course, seafood was also indispensable. The ingredients prepared were quite rich.

Min Xi decided to make full use of everything here and make a grilled lamb chops, a fish and mutton dish, and a Kung Pao Chicken for the chicken. As for the goose, Min Xi only knew how to stew and braising in an iron pot, but there was no braising sauce, so he stewed the goose. The mutton smell of pork was really hard to remove, but there were enough spices, so he made a modified version of braised pork. Since there was no soy sauce for coloring, he used sugar instead. If there were oysters, he would make an oyster omelette, and the dumplings would still be filled with shrimps. Add a dessert and some fruit, and that would be nine dishes, which should be enough, in line with the Chinese custom of having more dishes than people to entertain.

Min Xi only let the cook help wash vegetables, dishes, pots and plates, and didn't let them do anything else. The rest was done by him and Yun Ji. For example, killing fish, chopping lamb chops, and dismembering geese were all done by Yun Ji. Although he couldn't cut vegetables, he knew martial arts and was strong, so he could do these things with ease.

The cooks all looked at Min Xi busying around with curiosity. This Chinese man's way of cooking was so different from theirs. Although he also used frying, roasting and stewing methods, the dishes he made were much richer than theirs, and they smelled more fragrant, making people drool.

While Min Xi was busy, the Baron came by and saw him opening the oven door to check the temperature of the lamb chops. He was instantly overwhelmed by the strong aroma: "It smells so good! Min, when can we have dinner?"

Min Xi said, "We can eat now. I will serve the dishes one by one."

The baron rubbed his hands together and said, "Great! Then I'll go and ask everyone to come to the table and wait for dinner!"

The first dish was oyster omelette, which is considered a snack in China and is quite greasy, almost fried in oil. No one has started eating yet, so it doesn't matter if it's a little greasy. High-calorie foods are the most delicious, and Europeans and Americans love fried foods. In addition to the aroma of fried food, oyster omelette also has the deliciousness of seafood, which is sure to impress hungry people.

As expected, the first dish successfully captured all the nobles at the table, and everyone praised it highly: "You can eat oysters like this. The Chinese are really good at eating. This is really the heritage of a great oriental country."

The oyster omelette was too greasy, so Min Xi only prepared a small portion for each person, not too much, so as not to fill their stomachs and leave them unable to eat the rest. This amount was just right to whet people's appetites and make everyone feel unsatisfied.

The second dish was fish and mutton. The oyster omelette was greasy, so the clear soup was added to relieve the greasiness. The two words "fish and mutton" together form the word "fresh", which shows how delicious the fish and mutton soup is. It was really so delicious that it made people's eyebrows drop.

"It's really eye-opening that fish and mutton can be stewed together and the taste is so delicious," the guest exclaimed.

The baron was beaming with pride: "Everyone, take your time to eat. There are still several dishes to come."

The next few dishes were served one after another, each one was amazing. When the last biscuit came, they were already very full, but still could not resist the temptation and tasted one. The thin biscuit was crispy and sweet, completely different from what they usually ate.

It can be said that this meal is definitely the most delicious meal the seven people at the table have ever had. As nobles, they feel that they usually eat delicacies from land and sea, but compared with today's meal, what have they eaten in the first half of their lives? It can only be considered to fill their stomachs!

"Pedro, where did you find the cook? This is really unexpected." Colonel Ed, the most distinguished guest today, asked. Although Colonel Ed did not have a title, he was a naval colonel with real power. The baron's merchant ship needed to rely on the protection of the navy, and the two were classmates, so they had close contacts and would call each other by their names.

The baron smiled proudly, "He was a Chinese who was shipwrecked. He was rescued by Captain Reis's Shark and brought back to Lisbon. He is not a full-time cook, but he is good at cooking. I asked him to help."

"Chinese? Can we call him to talk?" asked Colonel Ed.

"Of course!" The Baron signaled to the butler serving on the side and asked him to invite Min Xi.

Min Xi had finished his meal and was wondering when to go check out the greenhouse. He was not surprised to hear the housekeeper come to invite him, and said to Yun Ji, "Wait for me here, I'll be back soon."

Yun Ji nodded: "Okay."

Min Xi followed him to the restaurant. A group of noble lords had already eaten and drunk their fill and had moved to the sofa in the living room to rest. Judging from the way they were leaning on the sofa, they were all full.

Min Xi entered the living room and bowed to the only person he knew: "Greetings, His Excellency the Baron."

Baron Fernando said, "Min, let me introduce you. This is Captain Ed of the Navy. He is very interested in your cooking skills and background, so he wants to meet you."

Min Xi saluted to a middle-sized man with black hair and black eyes: "Hello, Colonel!"

Colonel Ed looked at Min Xi curiously and found that he was a slender oriental boy of medium height, with delicate features, gentle temperament, bright black eyes, and a respectful but not humble attitude. Colonel Ed also had oriental ancestry, and he couldn't help but like Min Xi: "Where are you from in China?"

Min Xi said: "I am from Yingtianfu in China, which was the imperial capital before the Ming Dynasty."

"Your Ming Dynasty has always implemented a maritime ban. How did you end up at sea?" asked Colonel Ed.

Min Xi said, "Sir, we in the Ming Dynasty have opened customs and no longer prohibit overseas trade. We are merchants who went to sea to do business. We encountered a hurricane on the way and our ship capsized. We were rescued by Captain Reis of the Shark and came here."

"It turns out that the Ming Dynasty has lifted the maritime ban. It seems that we can do business with the Ming Dynasty." Baron Fernando was eager to do something.

Of course Min Xi was eager for him to do business with the Ming Dynasty so that he could get a ride back home.

"Do you still want to go back? Do you think Ming Dynasty is better or our Fulangji is better?" asked the colonel's wife.

"Madam, I am from the Ming Dynasty, so of course I have to go back. If you ask me whether the Ming Dynasty is better or Fulanji is better, I will definitely say that the Ming Dynasty is better. After all, it is my motherland and my home. Just like if a foreigner asks you, Madam, they will definitely think that Fulanji is the best." Min Xi said.

Colonel Ed was a soldier, and soldiers were the ones who had the strongest sense of national identity. He was very satisfied with Min Xi's answer: "Well said! Are all the dishes you cooked today from the Ming Dynasty?"

"Yes, Colonel. I hope you all like it." Min Xi said.

The baron said, "We all like your cooking. The colonel hopes to have the opportunity to eat your cooking again in the future. When do you plan to return to Daming?"

"We will board a ship to Asia whenever we have the chance," Min Si said.

"So what have you been doing in Lisbon all this time?" asked the colonel.

"My friends and I will do some business to make a living until we can return to Ming Dynasty," said Min Xi.

"what kind of business?"

"As for food, I'm good at it after all." Min Xi smiled slightly.

The colonel asked: "Would you like to come to my house and be a cook? I can pay you 40 reais a year." This amount of money is considered high among chefs.

Min Xi smiled politely and said, "Thank you for your appreciation, Colonel. We are not sure when we will return to Ming Dynasty, so we do not plan to accept any job invitations for the time being."

The baron raised his eyebrows proudly: "I didn't lie to you, did I? He rejected my invitation before."