Like Japan, China has some similarities for Westerners. We often end up reading about such different cultures on the other side of the world that are unknown and fascinating (and the same goes for them). Take the Lost City of Beijing for example. Behind the walls of the vast and impregnable palace, the Chinese emperors lived another reality that we gradually learned stories about. But there was always one taboo subject: food.

When you are God, eat. I don’t think there is a nation that can dispute the culinary delights of another nation, especially the Europeans and their saucy mummies, I don’t think so. In any case, the story that emerged after the Lost City has always been shrouded in myths and legends, in which it is difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. After all, only the kings were there and very few subjects were allowed in.

The name of Zhao Rongguang, a food historian from northern China’s Heilongjiang province, also comes up here. As CNN reported this week, the man is little less than a national treasure, as he is likely the only survivor with access to all the old documents that tell the story of what happened after the fires in one of the richest and most powerful regions in the world. These documents cannot be opened today because of their sensitive status.

Palace. But first, a little context. When we talk about the Lost City, we’re talking about a settlement where the ruler of China’s Ming dynasty moved in 1420 to consolidate his control over an expanding empire. It’s a vast palace complex located in the heart of Beijing, built between 1406 and 1420.

From then on, it served as the imperial residence and political center of the Chinese emperor for almost 500 years until the end of the Qing dynasty. With over 900 buildings and 180 acres of land, this residential area is a stunning example of traditional Chinese architecture and was the ceremonial and political center of the government. The last emperor was evicted in 1924 and has since begun to open up to the outside world, revealing some of its secrets.

The three pillars of kitchen work. Zhao began his research almost 40 years ago. I wanted to know how gastronomy developed in the Forbidden City, focusing on three historical figures, three emperors who shaped the royal eating habits, so to speak. The first: Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty.

Food according to Kangxi. During the reign of Kangxi (1661-1722), traditional foods from the Manchu heartland dominated the imperial menu, including some unusual items such as tiger testicles and rooster combs, which were believed to improve alertness and libido, the historian says.

Regarding testicles, Zhao said that Kangxi ate many of them, as he was officially recorded as having hunted more than 60 tigers in his lifetime. Rooster combs were another item consumed as an aphrodisiac. Later, as the era progressed, the royal diet began to include more Han Chinese foods, reflecting a mix of cultural influences.

Food according to Qianlong. Kangxi’s grandson, Emperor Qianlong, reigned from 1735 to 1796. His meticulously described menus seem to provide a clearer picture of palace life. During his reign, imperial cuisine became more diverse, featuring a mix of Manchu and Han dishes. Qianlong dishes often included game, such as sika deer tail, and more sophisticated dishes, such as bird’s nest soup, which was believed to be highly nutritious.

Interestingly, Qianlong ate two main meals a day, plus additional snacks, and ate alone most of the time, except for dinners with his wives. Despite having access to the best ingredients, his diet was not overly lavish and reflected a disciplined upbringing focused on health. Also, “menus were often presented to him the night before for approval,” Zhao explains.

The menu during Qianlong’s reign in the Forbidden City looked, on paper, like the sophisticated menu of a 21st-century luxury restaurant, featuring smoked duck roasted in red, bamboo shoots braised with pork, or bird’s nest soup with rock sugar. In this context, the historian recalls that Qianlong believed that bird’s nest soup, made with the solidified saliva of swallows, was extraordinarily nutritious, so much so that he is believed to have drunk a bowl of it every morning before breakfast.

Food according to Cixi. This was the third “leg” of the historian’s work. Empress Dowager Cixi, who ruled China until 1908, is often associated with the wealth of the late Qing dynasty. Her reign saw an increase in the number of dishes in meals and the integration of ceremonial banquets that combined Manchu and Han culinary traditions, but it was during her reign that one of the funniest stories in living memory occurred.

The truth about the Manchu-Han banquet. Cixi’s reign brought with it a legend. The Manchu-Han banquet was rumored to be an extravagant feast consisting of hundreds of dishes (108 to be exact). This legend was popularized during the Qing Dynasty and perpetuated through exhibitions and cultural media. As a result, historical records indicate that these banquets were more moderate, usually consisting of around 28 dishes.

And Japan believed it. One of the most intriguing stories about the Manchu-Han banquet took place at the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, where a Chinese vendor offered a sumptuous banquet for display. There was also a Japanese delegation from a small number of countries attending. At the time, Japan was recovering from World War II and wanted to know about this lavish banquet. They asked a staff member what kind of banquet it was.

The slightly confused man replied that it was the Manchu-Han Feast and that Cixi had started it. Apparently, Japanese businessmen were so fascinated that, according to Zhao, “it became one of the hottest new food trends in Japan.” Dozens of foodies and research teams traveled to communist China to discover more about this mysterious imperial diet that technically didn’t exist.

Interestingly, “mainland China didn’t want to export these capitalist ideals internationally, but Hong Kong restaurateurs saw it as a big business opportunity,” Zhao says. The ball grew so big that in 1978, a Japanese television station worked with a Hong Kong restaurant to recreate and broadcast live a huge Manchu-Han party. An epic two-day feast. It didn’t matter that it was all a misunderstanding and that legend trumped reality.

Work to do. Zhao says his work is motivated by his experiences during the famine of the late 1950s. His research aims to preserve cultural heritage and contribute to a better understanding of food security. Culinary secrets from the West that we will continue to discover a culture that is as rich as it is fascinating and mysterious.

Picture | Cara Chow, KellyLynnMartin, Terry Feuerborn, sunny2011bj

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