Datang First Chef

There are two ways of "import" in the Tang Dynasty, one is private import and the other is official import.Needless to say, private imports, merchants from the Western Regions or foreign countries came from afar with local goods and sold them in the Western Market. Chang'an people often bought high-quality and cheap imported products.

There are also official imports, which are purchased by the government in large quantities in the Western Regions and shipped to the country in a unified manner. In addition to being used by royal officials, they are sold to the common people at a relatively low price, such as wine, which is a common government import.

Li Shimin's talent is general, he doesn't scrape the people's fat, and many of the products imported by the government are daily necessities or commonly used products, or food that can improve the living standards of the people. Mo Wenyuan privately feels that the price of Indian granulated sugar is far lower than that of domestic sucrose, and its practicality is also high. Much higher than wine, with full potential to become an official import.

Moreover, he has no interest in buying or selling granulated sugar. Mo Wenyuan thought, no matter in terms of the use of sugar in life or the benefits of the calories contained in it to the human body, it would be beneficial to popularize cheap Indian granulated sugar in China. It is a matter of great benefit and no harm.

The question now is how to make his discovery known to the heavens, while protecting himself from trouble.

Huikong and him have a good friendship, and the three views of the two are also similar. When Mo Wenyuan thought of the import, he also thought of it, so the two of them head to head to discuss how to act.

"The most convenient thing is to let the abbot talk to the sage. The sage treats the abbot very kindly. In addition, the temple has produced many good things one after another in recent years, and his status is very detached."

"But before doing this, you need to make complete preparations. The price of granulated sugar in various countries in Tianzhu needs to be clear, and the sweetness of sugar is different from caramel. Have a certain reputation, otherwise the sage will know its benefits, and the common people will not know it."

Mo Wenyuan also knows the process. For example, wine from the Western Regions was first brought to the local area by merchants from the Western Regions and sold in Chang'an City. Because the taste is good and the price is not expensive, it became popular in Chang'an City for a while, and then spread to all directions around Chang'an. Radiation, Luoyang Jiangnan and other places can see the shadow of wine, but the supply is in short supply, the price is driven up by merchants from the Western Regions, the government stepped forward to learn technology from the West, and at the same time imported a large number of commodities, so that the price of wine was balanced, and it was able to enter thousands of households. household.

"So, even if you want to speak to a sage, you must let Sha Tang's name resound throughout Chang'an City."

"That's the case, does Mr. Mo Xiaolang have a way to deal with it?"

How to deal with it?Mo Wenyuan touched his chin with his hands, and thought of an irrelevant matter: "When did Master Huikong hear about my subjugation of demons in Gou County?"

"Mo about ten days ago." The speed of transmission can be said to be rapid.

Mo Wenyuan continued to be persuasive: "Besides this, have you heard of other things?" He admitted that it is really shameful for others to recall his fame and great achievements, but he would not be able to understand the ancient times if he did not do so. The speed and scope of the spread of rumors.Huikong knows that his interpersonal communication is normal. He is not a translator monk who "keeps his ears off the window and only reads sage books", nor is he different from a monk. He has a wide range of social contacts and knows everyone. Into his ears, other monks are not far from knowing.

"I probably know that Mr. Xiao Lang has created new food in Luoyang City. When a benefactor came to burn incense, he asked if it was available in the Little Shami Temple." Anyone who has heard of Mo Wenyuan's reputation knows that he has no connection with Daxingshan Temple.

Mo Wenyuan has already established a formula in his heart. The speed of popular saying is faster than that of word of mouth. At the same time, as long as a certain food can become popular, it can be known by everyone in a short time.

A spark of genius flashed in his mind.

"I know why!"

"This matter needs to be discussed with Master Huiyuan."

……

Before looking for Master Huiyuan, Mo Wenyuan had to prepare for the "Certificate of Honor". He turned to the South District of Xishi City along the way, and the strong smell of sea water filled the air.There is the salty smell of the sea, the fishy smell of sea fish, and the shops on the left and right sell more dry goods. Monk Huikong followed him and said, "Do you want to buy seafood?"

The Tang Dynasty had a vast land and abundant resources, and many cities were near the sea. Quanzhou and other places in Yuefu were built along the coast, and the transportation was inconvenient. The only foreign exports were various fish and sea vegetables.They salvage fresh fish and vegetables from the sea, dry them after being exposed to the sun, and turn them into dried fish and vegetables that can be preserved for a long time, and then transport them to Chang'an and other places for sale.Even so, from Quanzhou to Chang'an, a lot of ingredients will be lost on the way, and some expensive ones go directly to the back kitchen of the aristocratic family, such as fish gelatin, Mo Wenyuan has never bought it in Chang'an .

It didn't take him a day or two to make jelly. After he found that he couldn't hit the isinglass, he chose to buy another kind of seafood and went back to try it. It was the rock cauliflower with relatively high yield and low price.

Chili cauliflower was not very useful in the Tang Dynasty. It was eaten fresh as a cold dish. People near the sea ate it more. When they arrived in Chang'an City, not many people knew about this dish.If it weren't for the fact that agaric cauliflower is fished directly from the sea, it can be stored for a long time after being exposed to the sun. It is a free dish that falls from the sky, and no one would go all the way to sell it.

Mosquitoes are meat no matter how small they are.

But Mo Wenyuan is different. In modern times, he is different from ordinary cooks. Not only is he very good at cooking, but he can also speak eloquently when it comes to scientific knowledge related to food. It is a type of red algae, it tastes crisp and refreshing, but Mo Wenyuan knows that it is the main raw material of agar.

Agar, isinglass, and gelatin all have the characteristics of coagulation and jelly. If there is any difference, agar is extracted from plants, has no peculiar smell, only has a fragrance of plants, and its coagulation is not as strong as isinglass. People often use it to coagulate cold in daily life. Desserts such as cakes and almond tofu.

Agar is no better than isinglass, and cannot be refined by non-chemical means. Mo Wenyuan can only boil the agaric cauliflower in a pot until it melts and turns into a pot of thick juice.

It's a pity that this juice can't help him condense the jelly. He tried to turn it into a variety of desserts. The only result was to order almond juice into almond tofu, but the taste of almond tofu without sugar was not as good as tofu. He tried Then forget about it.

It’s different now, the cheap asparagus finally has its uses, patting the bag of sugar, Mo Wenyuan was very excited, he said to the monk Huikong who was traveling with him: “If you are free tomorrow, come to my house , I have something good to give you to eat."

Monk Huikong knew Mo Wenyuan's craftsmanship, and said with a smile: "Then respect is worse than obedience."

……

The little black sheep became the No.1 taster.Almost all people, even animals, like to eat sweet things. This situation is not only related to their likes and dislikes, but also involves knowledge on the physiological level. People in Tang Dynasty, in particular, rarely come into contact with high-calorie and high-carbohydrate ingredients on weekdays. They like to eat sugar It has a lot to do with their body's pursuit of energy.

Even Taotie thinks he has tasted all kinds of delicacies in the world, and his understanding of sugar is still superficial on maltose and sucrose lumps. The monotonous taste makes him lack interest in the above two things.He is dismissive of sweets, except for sweet tofu, there is no sweet taste that can touch him.

The salty party’s insistence was easily broken by Mo Wenyuan. He put the cooked delicacies at the base of the wall as always. In addition to the exquisite meals, there was a small bowl with light yellow “tofu”. The soy milk in salty sauce, smelling it, made him suspicious. Not only did he not smell the bean, but he also smelled the fragrance of almonds.

The intuition of a gourmet told him that this was a new dish, and it was Mo Wenyuan's first time cooking a new dish.

Xiao Taotie dared to try new products, and his interest in other dishes was greatly reduced. He was the first to hold a small bowl of almond tofu. The smooth and tender tofu tasted between tofu curd and jelly. Freezing Q bombs.The taste is not enough to surprise the gluttonous.

However, his eyes widened into round pearls, and the pupils almost jumped out of their sockets.

Sweet?

It is not the sweetness of ginger bean curd floating on the surface, nor is it the sweet taste of maltose with a hint of grain fragrance, which becomes sweeter the more you chew. The sugar and almonds are accompanied by the concentrated sugar flavor evenly distributed in every hole of the tofu , the fragrance of almonds filled his mouth, and it was difficult to describe the taste in his barren language.

"Ginger crumbs, osmanthus, and sucrose are poured with sucrose, and the sweetness is incomparably better than yellow rice." In the Song Dynasty, when the sugar industry was more developed, countless literati left poems praising the sweetness of sugar. Little Taotie couldn't write his emotions in words, and repeated them in his heart There are not many waves washing away.

Desserts made of sucrose have mysterious powers.

He staggered and staggered into Huizhi's backyard. The monk who had been studying the scriptures was startled when he saw him, and immediately put the book on the low table and asked, "What happened?"

Like a little black sheep who drank fake wine: "Baa baa baa baa baa baa!"

I want to see Mr. Mo Xiaolang, and I want to stay by his side all the time!

Huizhi was at a loss, who was clamoring that the time hadn't come yet, that he wasn't ready yet, and who was going to observe Mr. Mo Xiaolang for a few more days?

The little black sheep who tasted the "sweetness" didn't solve Huizhi's doubts, stretched its legs and lay on the futon, shaking its ears, and fell into a sweet dream.In the dream, his body was lifted by soft blue clouds, and the air was filled with the sweet smell of sugar, even spitting out a mouthful of soap bubbles was sweet.

He felt the power of dessert!

……

Walking to Daxingshan Temple, Mo Wenyuan had a gentle smile on his face, as if the spring breeze in February was blowing over his face, and the fragrance of flowers was lingering in his hair.The two and four apprentices in the family have tasted almond tofu, and the praise they give is far better than the jelly mixed with honey. It can be seen that the desire for sugar is a common pursuit of all people.

He couldn't help laughing when he thought of the happy expressions that Master Huiyuan and others would show after eating the almond tofu.

Monk Huiyuan was busy with affairs in the temple: "Why are you here?"

"Did Hui Kong take you to the West Market to find brown sugar yesterday?"

Mo Wenyuan said: "That's not called brown sugar, the merchants in Tianzhu call it granulated sugar." He opened the food box in front of Master Huiyuan and said, "I made some snacks with Tianzhu granulated sugar, and I brought it to you specially. taste."

Monk Huiyuan saw the appearance of the almond tofu and asked, "But the tofu has sugar added?"

Mo Wenyuan said: "It's not true, but its taste is similar to that of tofu. I named it Almond Tofu."

"As the name suggests, you replaced soybeans with almonds?" He picked up a simple wooden spoon and ate it while talking.Monk Huiyuan's eyes lit up, and without saying a word, he swept the three bowls of almond tofu with a sweeping momentum.

Seeing that he was eating happily, Mo Wenyuan knew without asking, that this thing must be very popular with Monk Huiyuan.

Monk Huiyuan finally broke free from the temptation of sweetness, and called Amitabha, expressing repentance for his uncontrollable behavior.Buddhism taught him to control his desires, and the desires for food and drink are things outside the body. From a spiritual point of view, if he indulged in it just now, he has broken the precept.Strong self-control made him put down the spoon, and Su Rong faced Mo Wenyuan: "Sand sugar is really a god." It is very different from caramel and rough sucrose.

Mo Wenyuan said: "In fact, the difference is not very big, but Tianzhu's granulated sugar can be reconciled with other ingredients. Drinking cane juice alone is too monotonous, but granulated sugar seasoning is not the case. It has a variety of tastes and rich flavors."

Monk Huiyuan sighed: "It's so delicious, I don't know how much it costs. Is it higher than caramel?" He thought that the price of caramel is no longer affordable by ordinary people. That is to say, maltose is bought during the holidays. The food made by granulated sugar is so delicious, the price should be much higher than maltose.

Mo Wenyuan showed a mysterious smile and said, "Master, guess how much the price of this item is?"

Huiyuan probed the price of the jelly: "Ten? Fifteen?"

Mo Wenyuan announced the final answer: "Less than a penny!" And more than half of the two ones are paid to almonds, even the price of agaric cauliflower accounts for more than sugar.

Monk Huiyuan gasped. He knew that the sugar market in his country would undergo earth-shaking changes.

……

Li Sanniang’s restaurants in Chang’an City launched two new products one after another. One is the jelly that was popular in Luoyang. His name does not see his person", Mo Wenyuan did not see the true face of Mount Lu until Mo Wenyuan came back.

Regardless of money, they spent a lot of copper coins to buy jelly version 2.0 improved with sugar, and complained about why Mr. Mo Xiaolang traveled far to Luoyang while gobbling it up.Is Chang'an City bad?Even if Luoyang peonies are the best in the world, please teach me the skills of making jelly before going to Luoyang!It's really unfair to let those bumpkins eat such delicious food first!

Since ancient times, one mountain cannot contain two tigers. Chang'an and Luoyang are also called the two capitals.

The price of jelly is very high, and ordinary people can't afford it, so they put their great enthusiasm into "almond tofu" which is similar in price to bean curd. Honey caramel is even sweeter, and compared to the unchanging caramel, the sweetness of almond tofu is more layered, tsk tsk tsk tsk, they can't lift their heads because of the deliciousness.

At first, people who ate jelly looked down on ordinary people who ate almond tofu. They were convinced that cheap products were not good, and thought that it was just a low-quality version of jelly, which was similar to tofu, and they didn't bother to eat it.But soon, someone who ate crabs gave a review, and the almond tofu was delicious, not worse than jelly!

They reluctantly tasted it and were amazed, it was really delicious!So some acquaintances foolishly ran to Li Sanniang's restaurant to protest: "How can the price be so cheap for such delicious food? How can two pennies reflect its value?"

It was Mo Xiaogou who accepted the protest that day. He thought that if the raw material is cheap, it will be cheap. Isn't it good to sell it cheap?

Simple and honest is not stupid, how can a businessman not be aware of his words, he sees that the gentleman is full of righteous indignation and it is not adulterated, the nobles who are traveling with him seem to agree with his point of view, they still nod, just show a polite smile, and don't say anything .

After the business day was over and the door was closed, Mo Wenyuan could complain vigorously: "Don't you think it's strange, Dalang? It's so cheap and good that people don't like it. There are people in the world rushing to give us wrong money."

Mo Wenyuan was a bit dark-bellied at first, and the group in Luoyang often dealt with the masters, so he knew their preciousness very well, so he said: "You can help me buy some small flowers tomorrow, look for the ones with many petals and bright colors. "

Mo Xiaogou didn't know what kind of medicine he sold in his gourd, but he agreed.

On the second day, Li Sanniang’s restaurant launched a premium version of almond tofu. It is said that it is specially for the ladies of the aristocratic family. The bowl is still the same bowl, and the almond tofu is still the same almond tofu, but it is trembling red on the creamy white jade. The petals look very elegant and are priced at fifteen yuan a bowl, which is more than seven times the price of ordinary almond tofu.

A customer asked how it was different from ordinary almond tofu. The shop assistant was instructed by the owner, and it was very honest: "There is no difference, only an extra petal is added."

"It costs [-] cents to put an extra petal?" The guest was stunned, thinking who would buy it!

The clerk was concerned and said: "Yes." He also absolutely no one would buy it.

Reality quickly slapped the buddy on the face, and within half a day, his face would be swollen. The man of the aristocratic family came to eat almond tofu on his way out, and knew that the store had a premium version of [-] cents a bowl. The tofu was ecstatic, even if the buddy repeatedly reminded them to buy the same content, not only did they buy it, but also brought the news to thousands of households like a primrose. In the afternoon, many slaves brought food boxes and said they wanted to buy flower petal tofu .

Not only were there people who bought it, but many people bought it. In the end, when the petals ran out, the helper was asked to go to the street to buy them.

Mo Wenyuan bathed in Mo Xiaogou's adoring eyes, smiled and counted the copper coins, Zhou Yu beat Huang Gai, one was willing to fight and the other was willing to suffer, there were people who were stupid and eager to give him money, why didn't he accept it?

……

Jelly almond tofu was hot in Chang'an City, and the saints in the palace also realized that they were caught in the center of the heat wave.When I went to sit with the Empress Changsun, I saw the exquisite jelly gift box. When I was talking with my courtiers, I heard them say that Li Sanniang’s restaurant had newly released tofu. In less than ten days, he was forced to receive a lot of new news, and finally couldn’t help reminding his courtiers. : "How about almond tofu?"

Fang Xuanling said: "It's very good, the taste is sweet, the taste is delicate, and the quality is cheap."

"Since there is sweetness, how can it be cheap?"

"Why doesn't the saint taste it himself?"

The sage sighed quietly: "I want to taste it, and I need someone to deliver it to me."

The officials fell into a heavy state, and the sage's madness made them wonder what to do. Hey, it turns out that almond tofu has been popular for so long, hasn't he tried it yet?

Inexplicably a little sympathetic to the saint.

That night, Li Shimin's table was full of almond tofu, most of which were decorated with flower petals. The few bowls sent by Fang Xuanling and others were not decorated, and the surface was as smooth as white jade.

He wondered, "What's the difference between the two?"

"The price is different. The one with petals is fifteen cash, and the one without petals is two cash."

"There is a difference in taste."

"none."

"Only the petals are different?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The waiter talked about the ethos of nobles from aristocratic families pursuing high-grade tofu. The sage smiled and said nothing, but silently remembered it. He said: "Mr. Mo Xiaolang is really a wonderful person."

Mo Wenyuan, who often engages in inventions and creations, has already registered with him.

The sage tasted almond tofu, and couldn't stop after eating one bowl. He ate bowl after bowl until he put down the bowl until he was so full that he couldn't eat it. So cheap?" Instantly saw through the message Mo Wenyuan wanted to convey.

……

Daxingshan Temple has a detached status. As a royal temple, it is highly valued by saints. The abbot of this generation is obsessed with Buddhism and doesn't care about other things. He is the first to notify the country of any achievements in the temple. He is simply an ideal mage in the emperor's heart.

After the news that the sage liked to eat almond tofu spread among the high-level officials, he dragged his old but not stooped body into the palace to deliver the documents. After the things were handed over, he turned back to the temple without nostalgia, very Buddhist.

The documents left by the master abbot quickly entered the sage's desk and were highly valued.It was a "Chang'an Sugar Survey Report" that was constructed with a lot of facts and data after careful investigation. It not only investigated the prices of sugar in the West Market, Zhongtianzhu countries, but also attached the latest sugar prices in Chang'an this year, and A detailed comparison was also made from various aspects such as the type, color, and scope of application of sugar. The report did not give a conclusion at the end, but the author's heart is as clear as the bright moon.

The sugar in Tianzhu is very good and cheap, very cheap, and the sugar refining method is more advanced than ours. It happens that there are a lot of idle sugar cane in Jiannan Jiangdong, or we are hehehe.

The sage saw this book, and he knew in his heart that whoever sells the cheapest sugar-related products in Chang'an City and has a connection with Daxingshan Temple is naturally the extraordinary Mo Wenyuan who is also willing to invent and create.

The talented and generous emperor pondered for a while, and decided not to bring Mr. Mo Xiaolang here. He has done enough miraculous things in the past few years, and all the miraculous things are related to food. Inextricably linked, the future must be a Buddha.

The monsters are in power, and the gods are watching the fire from the other side. The emperor of the world is in awe of this. He thought that even if Mo Wenyuan is the reincarnation of the gods, he is not a star king like Wenquxing who can assist the emperor, but at most he is a hearth lady.

Instead of letting the kitchen stove lady be an official, it is better to let him promote the development of food, so that the people depend on food.

Furthermore, the investigation report given by Mo Wenyuan was too detailed, there was no need to ask the details of the parties involved, the sage restored the report to its original state and found his confidants.

He wants to find out the price and quality of sugar in Tianzhu himself.

……

The apprentice of the restaurant went to Luoyang, brought back the new method of almond tofu, and brought back Li Sanniang's family letter.

A few months later, the renovation of the restaurant in Luoyang was completed, and Li Sanniang was very busy with the new business. The turnover in Luoyang is really high. After a few months of opening, the business is still very hot. She mentioned in her heart that even with the addition of restaurants, there are not enough stores. Now, she wants to buy the row of courtyards and open another door.She also said that she heard that Chang'an's business is also very good, if the store is too small, it's okay to buy a house and expand the store.

Mo Wenyuan handed over the letter to Mo Xiaogou and Zhao Erniang. It was up to them to decide. There are specialties in the art industry. He doesn't know much about the way of business, so he won't take the initiative to intervene.

Mo Xiaogou and Zhao Erniang had talked about this a long time ago. After the almond tofu and jelly were put on the table, the business in the store became better and better, especially the restaurant, which was full of seats at non-meal times, and even more crowded at meal times. Wandering outside the building, their extra seats have extended to the street, and the restaurant on the second floor has long been unable to accommodate more and more guests.

Mo Wenyuan heard them say a few words, to the effect that they were buying the yard of the people on the left or the people on the right, how to build a new restaurant, etc. He felt bored and left.

He went to Daxingshan Temple, intending to go to the Cangjing Pavilion to find new books to pass the time, but Huiyuan stopped him when he didn't want to.

"Master Huiyuan, what's the matter?" He patted himself on the head and said, "But the matter of importing Tianzhu granulated sugar has some clues?" He knew that the "Chang'an Sugar Report" he had written before had been ordered to listen to Datian, so he didn't dare He kept his broom open and cherished himself, and wrote all the discoveries in the book in detail. Later, he heard that the sage had sent someone to investigate the matter.

Master Huiyuan said: "It's not that fast. This is a big matter. The investigation needs to be cautious. I'm afraid there will be no conclusion before the end of this year."

"Oh, what's the matter with me then?"

Master Huiyuan said: "I have written a new book on the vulgar lectures, and I have also shown it to the host. On the first day of next month, our temple will hold a vulgar lecture. You must come and listen to it." He sighed, "Ah, if Your skills are better, and if you can get my true biography, then it will not be me who will be sitting on the stage and speaking."

After Mo Wenyuan heard the alarm, his heart was full of bad premonitions, and he said cautiously: "The content of the common saying is..."

"Two lectures in a row, the first one is "Mo Xiaolang Jun Wisdom Captures the Shuoshu", and the second one is "Mo Xiaolangjun Crosses the Shuoshu"." He explained kindly, "We don't use the The general version from Jingtu Temple, the small temples around those versions have said that you are a layman of this temple, and it seems that we are too careless to use other people's books when talking about it."

"Don't worry, we wrote the book by ourselves."

When Mo Wenyuan heard it for the first time, his eyes went dark, and when Master Huiyuan finished speaking, he stood still and wanted to leave first. He thought to himself: Don't worry, I don't worry at all!Please let me go!

It was because he had prepared in his heart that he would become the protagonist of Daxingshan Temple's popular lectures would happen eventually, but when the dust settled, he still felt a sense of despair in his heart.

And even want me to talk about "Mr. Mo Xiaolang Wisdom Captures the Rat Essence", Master Huiyuan, are you a devil? ? ?

Public execution is not like this, Master!