In a snack bar in Xinbeitou, there are all kinds of fresh vegetables on the front of the door, and there are chicken yellow lights soaked above. Which kind of vegetables the customer likes, the boss cuts and stir-frys them. In the winter and spring, crispy and fat spinach is my heart. The spinach that just fryed is hot, which makes the eyes warm and warms the heart.
The origin of spinach is in ancient Persia. It was introduced to China from Nepal during the 7th Century and Tang Dynasty. The word spinach in Persian and Nepal is similar to "pineapple" (or bob, ling, etc.), so it is called pineapple, and then it is simply called "spinach", but Taiwanese people still mostly call pineapple or fly dragon.
Spinach likes coldness and coldness in the Song Dynasty. In the poem "Spring Vegetables" of Su Shu of the Song Dynasty, he wrote "The bitter cold in the north is not over yet, and the pineapple under the snow is as thick as iron armor." It describes that the winter moon in the north is without vegetables, and the weather is cold and the spinach under the snow is growing well, like iron armor.
Spinach in Taiwan is visible in all seasons, but it is also of the best quality in winter and spring. During the Chinese New Year, Taiwan is customary to eat "long-year dishes". The long-year dishes from the north to Chiayi are mustard greens, and the long-year dishes south of Tainan are mostly spinach. In the "General History of Taiwan", it is recorded that "Pineapple is a long-term dish in Tainan, which requires eating it for the rest of your life."
The spinach has green green color, and the dishes made are often called "jade". For example, the famous Beijing dish "jade soup" with spinach crushed and jerky meat paste. Taiwanese chefs cook spinach paste and add white fish balls. Green water is like a field, with white croaking on the waves, which can relieve heat just by looking. The famous Jiangnan dish "Jade Pearl" is a fresh and elegant dish.
According to Yuan Mei of the Qing Dynasty, "Singhua Food Orders": "Spinach is fat and tender, add soy sauce and tofu to cook it. It is called "Golden White Jade Board" by a home-cooked spinach tofu soup, which has been upgraded at the same time.
Later, spinach has oxalic acid and tofu has oxalic acid. If cooked together, it will turn into oxalic acid, which can easily cause kidney stones. However, nutritionists pointed out that this is not wrong in chemistry, but medically it is wrong because oxalic acid is discharged from the stool by gastrointestinal aid and has no chance to run to the kidney to form a stone.
As a gift, spinach was very proud after entering the Tang Dynasty Palace more than a thousand years ago. The earliest delicious emperor, Emperor Taizong of Tang and official Wei Zheng, were both fans of the top names. Because Wei Zheng often argued about Emperor Taizong of Tang, the emperor loved and hated him. In order to thwart Wei Zheng's atmosphere, he heard that Wei Zheng was difficult to eat at home because his wife didn't like spinach. Emperor Taizong of Tang specially "played" the "spinach banquet".
When Wei Zheng saw the big plate of spinach, his saliva was almost flowing out. Emperor Taizong of Tang asked him to speak as he wanted while the king and his ministers were privately speaking. Wei Zheng was indifferent at this time. Emperor Taizong of Tang "takes your life while you are sick", deliberately instructed that Wei Aiqing might have no appetite and wants to remove spinach. Wei Zheng hurriedly shouted, "Don't withdraw, I love spinach the most." His cold image was ruined and he gained a lot from this. Emperor Taizong of Tang's "spinach imperial ministers" could be regarded as a terrible one.
Spinach is traditionally named after its red root, which looks like a bird's mouth, and is also called "Peak Cooking". When Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty visited the south of the Yangtze River, he went to Pujian Temple in Zhejiang. When he was tired, he stayed in the room. The chef served ordinary rice and spinach tofu soup. Qianlong ate it with relish and asked for the name of the dish. The chef replied, "Red Mouth Green Grey Brother, Golden Cup White Jade Soup."
After Qianlong returned to Beijing, he asked the imperial chef to copy it, but he was dissatisfied. He killed many people. The ministers asked Puji Temple for help. The other party said it was just a common vegetarian dish. Maybe the emperor was tired and hungry at that time, so he felt that it was particularly delicious. After discussing, the ministers arranged for the final day of Qianlong's hunting, and served spinach and tofu soup when they returned in the evening, and finally won the praise of Qianlong. At this time, the minister took advantage of the fact that Long Xin was so angry that Qianlong regretted killing others.
Lu Xun once cited this as an example, saying that the emperor should not give anything to him at will, otherwise he would be given again after eating it, and he would be killed if he couldn't do it.
Spinach also played a savior hero in the United States. Many people should remember the cartoon "Popei" Bupai. Every time Bupai's girlfriend Olivi was in a critical situation and shouted for help. Bupai ate the spinach can at the critical moment, and suddenly possessed magical power, defeating the bad guy Bruto and saving the beauty.
In fact, this is the "sun" of the US government. In the 1920s, in order to increase agricultural income and encourage farmers to have a variety of spinach with shorter maturity periods. The author Elzie Crisler Segar created the Bu school in this context. In 1929, it was launched, and immediately triggered a global trend of edible spinach.
When I was a child, I ate a lot of spinach for this, but the "divine power" of the Bu Sect never appeared, so naturally I could not save the beauty. I could only hum Li Zongsheng's "You and I are all ordinary people, and I am in the world." It turns out that spinach is the beginning of growth.
Responsible editor: Gu Zihuan