The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Wanli had originally come out to have fun, but he encountered such a frustrating thing just after he set out, so much so that he lost all expectations for the rest of his trip.

Min Xi originally wanted him to come out and relax, and at the same time understand the sufferings of the people and know how heavy the burden on his shoulders is. However, he did not expect that the medicine came so quickly and strongly, and the little emperor was completely silent.

Min Xi tried to make the little emperor happier and planned to cook him something delicious to distract him. After leaving the town, Min Xi bought three chickens from a roadside family, killed them on the spot, cleaned them, and then marinated the chickens with various spices he brought with him.

Wanli sat next to Min Xi and asked, "Would you like to eat chicken tonight?"

"Yes, I will make a kiln chicken for you tonight." I met so many beggars when I went out today, I must not call it beggar's chicken anymore.

"When can we eat?" Wanli didn't have enough for lunch and was angry all the way, so he was a little hungry now.

Min Xi smiled and said, "We'll have to wait for a while. If you're hungry, have some dried meat and candied fruit." He took out some beef jerky, candied dates and dried fruits from the lunch box.

Wanli looked at Min Xi curiously: "Why do you carry everything with you?"

Min Xi smiled: "I have been your cook all this time, responsible for your diet. Of course I can't let you starve, so I prepared a lot of food."

Wanli took a piece of beef jerky from Min Xi's food box and asked, "What is this?"

Min Xi said, "Beef jerky."

Wanli looked a little strange: "Where did the beef come from?"

Min Xi smiled and said, "Please feel free to eat them, sir. These are beef cattle shipped from outside the Great Wall. They are used for meat, not for farming."

Wanli then took one and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly. He ate the one with a sauce flavor, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and it tasted salty and delicious.

"It tastes good!" Wanli commented, "Where is this way of eating?"

"I came up with the taste myself. When I was in Europe, they raised more cattle and sheep. In some countries, beef was more common than pork. When they sailed on the ocean, they would bring dried meat on board because it was easier to store. I marinated them using the Ming Dynasty cooking method, and after they were cooked, I slowly fried them in oil. The spicy one in my hand is dried." Min Xi took a piece of spicy beef jerky and started chewing it.

Wanli said: "It would be even better if this could be served with a little wine."

"Sir, you'd better not drink alcohol. Drinking is harmful to your health. Drink some tea instead." Min Xi poured him a cup of hot tea.

They were now sitting in Min Xi's own car, which was not only comfortably furnished, but also had a small fixed stove and a small teapot, so that they could drink hot tea at any time.

Wanli thought his carriage was comfortable enough, until he saw Min Xi and Yun Ji's carriage, he realized what comfort was, it was simply a small mobile house. So he was no longer willing to ride in his own carriage, and instead got on Min Xi and Yun Ji's carriage.

Wanli drank a sip of hot tea and said, "You guys really know how to enjoy yourself. It's obviously a carriage, but it looks like a treasure chest with everything in it."

Min Xi smiled and said, "This is the experience we have accumulated from many trips."

"Did you drive around in a carriage like this before?" Wanli asked.

Min Xi said: "When we were in Europe, we traveled several times. At that time, we carried tents with us. When it got dark, we would set up tents in the wild and camp. We rarely stayed in hotels."

"Why? Is staying in a hotel expensive?" Wanli asked.

Min Xi shook his head: "It's not that we can't afford it, but Europeans don't take baths. They think taking baths is bad for the body and will make them sick, so they may not take a bath more than once or twice a year. The key is that they have a strong odor, so we don't like to sleep in their hotels. Even if we stay in a hotel, we will change our own bedding."

When Wanli heard this, he felt very curious: "Is that so? Your friend also has a smell?"

Min Xi knew he was talking about Diego: "He's fine. He lives with us. I ask him to take a bath and change clothes frequently. Now he has developed the habit of changing clothes. Besides, the food he eats is our food, so he doesn't smell much."

"I didn't expect they looked different from us, and even tasted different." Wanli found it amusing.

"Young master, you don't know how many times my seventh brother and I vomited on the ship when we were first rescued by the Fulanji ship. The Fulanji crew thought we were seasick, but they didn't know we were vomiting due to the fumes." Min Xi still felt a lingering fear when he recalled that period of time.

Wanli couldn't imagine what the smell was. After all, the worst smell he had ever smelled in his life was the stench of his own toilet, and he even changed the toilet bowl after each use.

They stayed at the inn at night, and the eunuch Fang Yuan also changed the bedding brought from the carriage for Wanli. Others could not change their bedding, but the emperor's bedding could not be changed, he had to use his own.

Min Xi and his friends also brought bedding, but if the sanitary conditions of the inn were acceptable, they would not change them. If they were too dirty, they would change with their own.

After arriving at the posthouse, it was not yet dark, so Min Xi borrowed the kitchen of the posthouse to cook dinner, while Yun Ji led Wanli and others to build an earthen kiln to roast chicken.

It was Wanli's first time to have a picnic in the wild. He found it extremely novel and even grabbed some soil to help build the kiln.

The emperor, who had been feeling depressed since he left home in the morning, finally experienced the joy of traveling at this moment. After all, he was just a teenager and was in a good mood to play.

By the time Min Xi had prepared the meals for everyone, the kiln chicken was almost done and it was already completely dark. Everyone ate together under the light of oil lamps and candles.

At this time, there was no distinction between rank and inferiority. There were eight people at each table. Wanli sat in the seat of honor, while the eunuch Fang Yuan stood aside and ate, not daring to sit down because the others did not dare to sit on the same level as the emperor.

After the roasted chicken is cooked, the outer layer of dirt is removed to reveal the lotus leaves wrapped inside. The aroma is so fragrant that it makes you salivate.

Yunji tore off the first chicken leg and put it in Wanli's bowl: "Sir, this is cooked by you yourself, come and taste it and see how it tastes."

Wanli tried to pick up the chicken leg with chopsticks, but found it difficult to hold, and hesitated whether to grab it with his hands.

Min Xi smiled and said, "Sir, you have to eat the kiln chicken with your hands to make it taste better."

When Wanli heard this, he put down his chopsticks, reached out and grabbed the chicken. He took a bite of the chicken. It was smooth, juicy, fresh and refreshing. He had tasted so many delicacies from land and sea, but he felt that this was the best chicken he had ever eaten: "It's so delicious!"

"Then you should eat more!" Min Xi said with a smile.

Yun Ji put the second chicken leg he had torn off into his bowl, and then tore off the other parts for the rest of the people.

The deliciousness of the kiln chicken captured everyone in the group. Even the postmaster couldn't resist the temptation and came to ask for some to try. There were three chickens, and Wanli ate two chicken legs and one chicken wing. The rest was shared by everyone, and everyone was still not satisfied.

There was nothing left over from the other dishes made by Min Xi, but the baked chicken was the first to be finished.

After the meal, Min Xi took out the teapot to make tea to relieve his greasiness, and the postmaster also came over to ask for a cup of tea. So Min Xi kept him to chat with everyone and talk about what fun places and new things are nearby.

The postmaster had seen a lot of people coming and going from the north and south, and he knew a lot of new things, which broadened the horizons and enriched the experience for Wanli and everyone else.

What they had were official documents. The postmaster was knowledgeable and spoke in moderation. He did not say anything to upset Wanli. That night, Wanli finally slept well.

Eight people booked four rooms. Zhao Yu made a bed with wooden boards in Wanli's room and kept watch for the emperor.

Min Xi and Yun Ji slept in the room to the left of the emperor, the other two bodyguards slept in the room to the right of the emperor, and the imperial physician and the eunuch lived in one room.

Due to the tiring journey, Wanli had a dreamless night and slept soundly as never before.

When we woke up in the morning, Min Xi had already prepared breakfast. He made a simple bowl of noodles with pork sauce and fried an egg for everyone.

The inn provided breakfast, but Min Xi said that his son had a weak stomach and needed to be extra careful about his diet, so he cooked everything himself. He gave a lot of money for firewood, so the cooks at the inn naturally had no objection.

After breakfast, everyone packed up and set off.

Wanli and Minxi were still in the same car. After the car started, Wanli sniffed and said, "Why do I smell a fragrance? Did you bring any food?"

Min Xi patted the food box beside him and said, "Here are the pancakes I made this morning. We may have dry food for lunch. Let's find a place to make a fire, heat up the pancakes and eat."

Wanli asked curiously, "What kind of cake?"

Min Xi said, "You can have either green onion pork pie or pickled cabbage pork pie, sir."

"So when you go out, everyone's food is so simple?" Wanli asked.

Min Xi smiled and said, "Of course we can eat exquisitely. If you are not going out incognito but on a formal tour, then you must bring the imperial chef and the kitchen with you, and cook and eat as you go, which is not much different from home. Some dignitaries are particular about appearances when they go out. We are going out incognito, and we try to be low-key, so naturally we keep everything simple. But ours is not the most rudimentary. Most people who go out bring some dry food such as pancakes and steamed buns, and eat a few bites at random, as long as they don't go hungry."

Wanli suddenly remembered something: "You are sailing to Europe. It will take several months on the sea. What will you eat? Fish?"

Min Xi smiled and said, "Fishing is one way, but fish can't be caught easily at sea. People mainly eat dry food, such as flatbread, bread, fried rice, dried meat, and salted fish. There is very little fresh food." He talked about the terrible diet at sea. When encountering an accident and unable to replenish supplies in time, the water will stink, and the bread and dried meat will grow mold and insects, but they have to eat in order to survive.

Wanli nodded after listening: "It seems that what we have now is very good."

"Compared to the situation at sea, the situation on land is indeed much better," said Min Xi.

At noon, Wanli had his first dry food. They found a place to stop on the side of the road, made a fire, heated up the cakes baked in the morning, and had a simple lunch with hot tea.

Wanli found this meal particularly interesting because he also truly experienced the life of poor people.

Min Xi didn't know that he was thinking this way, because the truly poor people couldn't eat meat every meal, and they might not be able to eat as much meat as he did in one day in a year.