The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Professor Castro was about to get a knife and move the ladder, but Yun Ji had already climbed up the banana tree in a few steps. He took out a dagger from his pocket, and waved it to quickly cut off two large banana leaves.

The earl and the professors were all stunned, and the earl finally believed that Yun Ji's skills were really good.

Min Xi smiled and said, "Thank you, professor! What are you planting over there?" Min Xi noticed that there was a piece of land where something was planted, but it did not sprout.

Professor Castro said: "That's botato, from the New World. The local indigenous people call it papa. It has just been planted and has not yet sprouted. It is also a herb that can grow large tubers, very similar to batata, but the taste is not as good as batata."

When Min Xi heard this, he almost couldn't help laughing. Isn't this a potato? Batata is sweet potato. At first, people tended to confuse the two plants that both have tubers, but a botany professor would definitely not confuse them.

Min Xi deliberately asked: "Isn't it said that plants in the New World are only planted in summer?"

"Botato was only transplanted from the New World two years ago, so we don't know much about its growth habits. It's now in the experimental stage, and we're trying it in both summer and winter to see which climate it is suitable for," said Professor Castro.

Min Xi suppressed his inner excitement. This meant that Professor Castro must have kept the seeds and was waiting to plant them in the spring, but how could he ask him for the seeds?

When it was noon, Min Xi saw that it was getting late, so he took the initiative to say, "Thank you two professors for accompanying us for the whole morning. I will treat the professors to lunch."

The Count said: "I will treat you!"

Professor Silva said: "I have to treat you to this meal. I am very happy to meet two Chinese gentlemen today. I have learned about the profoundness of Chinese medicine, which has benefited me a lot. So I have to treat you to this meal today, don't argue with me!"

Professor Castro said humorously: "It seems that I am very lucky today, as so many people are rushing to treat me to a meal."

In the end, Professor Silva won. As the host, he had to show his hospitality and treat the guests to a meal: "Isn't it said that Mr. Min's cooking skills are very good? This meal is mine. I hope to eat the meal you cook next time."

Min Xi smiled and said, "Okay, next time I'll treat you all. Come to the Count's villa and I'll cook Chinese food for you. Let's do it tomorrow. Professor Silva and Professor Castro must come. Are you free at noon or in the evening?"

The two professors did not expect that Min Xi would invite them as soon as he said so. The time was already confirmed. After discussing it, the two decided to go to the Earl's house for dinner tomorrow night, with Min Xi being the chef.

Professor Castro asked Min Xi, "Do you need more banana leaves?"

"Then give me two more slices." Seeing that the other party asked the question, Min Xi naturally became impolite.

Yun Ji then climbed up another banana tree and cut off two large leaves. He carried four large banana leaves and paraded through the University of Valencia, attracting many people's attention. He was even stopped by security guards. In the end, Professor Castro came forward and said that he had given them to him, and he was allowed to pass.

Min Xi almost died of laughter. They were thought to be thieves.

At noon, Professor Silva invited them to have lunch at a restaurant outside the school. They had paella again. After all, apart from paella and ham, it seemed that Spanish cuisine didn't have any other outstanding delicacies.

Fortunately, the food in this restaurant is delicious and more cost-effective than the paella that the Earl treated me to last night.

At the table, the Count said, "You will never know who made the best paella I have ever eaten."

Professor Silva was very polite: "Who is it?"

The Earl looked at Min Xi with a smile and said, "Mr. Min, I invited him to have a seafood paella last night, and he made it at home this morning. It tasted great. I have never eaten such a delicious seafood paella."

Professor Castro asked in surprise: "Mr. Min can also make paella?"

Min Xi said: "I learn and do it now."

The Count added: "He said he could make anything he had ever eaten, as long as the recipe was not particularly complicated. He only had paella twice, but he could make it so delicious. This culinary talent is really enviable."

With the Earl's tireless promotion, the two professors were full of curiosity and wanted to know what level Min Xi's cooking skills had reached. Especially Castro, he was also a fan of food and had eaten at all the restaurants in Valencia. Now that he heard that Min Xi could cook, he couldn't wait to try his cooking skills.

When they returned to the Earl's villa and were alone with Yun Ji, Min Xi grabbed Yun Ji's arm and shook it violently: "Seventh Brother, we found the potatoes!"

Yun Ji thought for a moment and said, "Are they the ones that haven't sprouted yet?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Min Xi nodded vigorously, "That's it."

Yun Ji said: "But those haven't sprouted yet, so how can we get them? Should we come back next time?"

"I don't think so. Aren't they doing an experiment? To see if they can plant in winter. I think they must have saved the seeds to plant in spring. Let's get familiar with him first, and then ask him for some potato seeds. We can plant them ourselves when we go back." Min Xi was very excited. This time, he collected everything he wanted. It was not a wasted trip.

Yun Ji asked, "When is the best time to plant potatoes?"

Min Xi said: "In the south, potatoes are planted in winter. But in the north, they are planted in spring. The summer in Lisbon is not hot, so I think it is suitable to plant potatoes and they should be able to grow well."

"That's good. Our trip was not in vain. Then we don't have to get anything?" Yun Ji said.

"Yes, we don't have to go to Barcelona anymore. Once we get the potato seeds, we can return to Lisbon." Min Xi was in high spirits, not to mention how happy he was. "Let's go out for a walk."

"where to?"

"I want to go to a nearby village and reserve some seafood from the fishermen. I want them to go out to sea to catch fish tomorrow and deliver it to us in the afternoon. As for seafood, the fresher it is, the better it tastes," said Min Xi.

"Okay, I'll go with you."

So the two walked out of the count's villa and wandered around the nearby fishing village. Valencia lives by the sea, and the villages near the sea all make a living by fishing. Living here, you can eat the freshest seafood.

Due to the sparse population and abundant resources in this era, the fishery resources in the sea are extremely abundant. I deeply experienced this when I was in Lisbon. Seafood is much cheaper than meat. The situation in Valencia is similar.

Two foreigners went to hang out in a Spanish fishing village and really attracted the attention of the villagers.

Min Xi said generously: "I want to buy fish and shrimp."

"There are no fresh fish and shrimp at this time. Those that have not been sold have been dried. Only dried goods are left. If you want fresh fish and shrimp, you have to come tomorrow morning." said an old man.

"Not now, I want it tomorrow afternoon. Is there anyone willing to help me go fishing tomorrow? The price is negotiable."

The same old man said, "It's not easy to catch fish and shrimp in the sea during the day."

“Can you get it?”

"Yes, I can, but there aren't many of them."

"It doesn't matter if there are a lot or a little. I'll take all the catches as long as I go to the sea. The price is twice the market price." Min Xi went to the market to buy shrimps in the morning. The price was a bit higher than that in Lisbon, mainly due to inflation in Spain. Even if it was twice as expensive, Min Xi was willing to buy it. He wanted to exchange it for potato seeds from Professor Castro, so he was willing to spend this little investment.

When they heard that the price was twice as high, someone immediately stepped forward and said, “I’ll help you catch fish tomorrow!”

"I'll go too!" another person immediately expressed his opinion.

Min Xi asked: "How many fish do you think you can catch if you go fishing during the day?"

The old man said: "It's hard to say. If you're lucky, you can get dozens of pounds. If you're unlucky, you can get only a few pounds."

“Is it possible that there is no way to get it?”

"Of course not!" everyone said.

Yes, with such fishery resources, the Air Force’s words are really unacceptable.

Min Xi said: "Then I only need one person to catch them. There won't be enough if there are too many. Shrimp is a must." The reason why he mentioned this is because the methods of catching fish and shrimp are different.

Min Xi also gave the other party 1 peso as a deposit and asked him to deliver the catch to the count's villa tomorrow afternoon.

When the fishermen knew that it was the Earl's family who wanted to buy fish, their attitude immediately became much more respectful and they did not dare to fool him at all. After all, in Europe, the status of nobles and common people was very different.

The next morning, Min Xi and Yun Ji went to the market to buy vegetables. The fish had already been reserved, but they also needed to buy chickens, geese, beef, mutton and vegetables.

In addition to beggar's chicken, chicken can also be made into roast chicken, goose can be made into roast goose, braised beef can be made into stewed beef, and mutton can be made into fish and mutton. Other dishes will be determined after the fishermen deliver their catch.

The staple food is seafood rice, the dessert is custard buns, and then steamed double skin milk.

Around three o'clock in the afternoon, the fishermen delivered their catch, which included the prawns that Min Xi needed, and even lobsters.

The ingredients for the paella are ready. Min Xi plans to make a garlic lobster and a braised fish.

Including staple food, desserts, and vegetables, there were more than ten dishes in total. This was a high-standard banquet. Neither the count nor the two professors had ever eaten such a sumptuous meal. After all, Spanish cuisine could not have so many dishes.