First, from the choice of dishes, lake products have their own characteristics.
Weishan Lake has vast waters, mild climate and abundant aquatic resources. There are nearly 80 species of fish, 53 species of benthos, 35 species of livestock and poultry, more than 70 species of aquatic plants and more than 200 species, and the resources amount to 1 10,000 tons. Rich lake products provide unique raw material resources for wedding banquets in the lake area.
The choice of wedding dishes in Weishan Lake area is basically made in the lake. Fish, livestock and aquatic plants are the main raw materials of dishes. In the selection of fish materials, carp, snakehead, crucian carp, mandarin fish, soft-shelled turtle and octopus are widely used.
Four-nostril carp is a specialty of Weishan Lake, which was famous all over the world in Qing Dynasty because of the praise of Emperor Qianlong. Therefore, the four-nostril carp is the first choice for the wedding banquet in the lake area, and it is also a special dish in the wedding banquet. Steamed carp, braised carp, sweet and sour carp and fragrant carp have become the favorite dishes of diners.
Blackfish is a kind of fish with large yield in Weishan Lake. Strong adaptability and large reproduction. It is a famous "filial fish" and is deeply loved by people in the lake area. The snakehead meat is plump and delicate. Can be made into many dishes, which can be used as main ingredients, auxiliary materials and velvet antler. It is a fish raw material that many chefs like to use. There is a saying in the lake area that "it is better to lose the intestines of mullet than to lose mom and dad".
Soft-shelled turtle and mandarin fish are precious aquatic products in Weishan Lake. Turtle soup made by turtle is a nourishing product, suitable for all ages; Farewell My Concubine, made of it and farm chickens, is not only extremely delicious, but also has a unique meaning. Stir-fried soft-shelled turtle is a dish invented by the chef in the lake area in practice. These three dishes are the characteristics of the Lake District and also the famous dishes in the wedding banquet in the Lake District.
Siniperca chuatsi is more delicate and produces less fish. Its meat is tender and nutritious, and its value is similar to that of soft-shelled turtle. This is an indispensable dish at the wedding reception. Du Fu, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty, said in a poem: "Mandarin fish are shameless, and unloading their saddles is boring." It fully shows people's love for mandarin fish.
Crucian carp (grass carp) is the most prolific fish species in the lake area, with strong reproductive ability. Braised crucian carp, milk soup crucian carp and fragrant sauce crucian carp made from it are all one of the dishes at the wedding banquet in the lake area, especially the fish steak and cheese fish made from it, which are very popular specialties.
In the selection of raw materials for livestock and poultry, farm chickens, ducks and wild ducks are widely used. Ma duck is one of the four famous ducks in China, and it is a high-quality livestock and poultry cultivated in Weishan Lake area for a long time, with an annual output of10 million. Because ducks have been raised in the lake for many years, they mainly eat fresh fish and shrimp, shellfish, snails, crisp lotus and tender ling, so they are big and tender and delicious. Crispy duck and fragrant duckling processed with it sell well at home and abroad. Therefore, it is also an essential dish at the wedding banquet in the Lake District. Roast duck, sleeping duck and duck stewed lotus root have also become famous dishes at the wedding banquet.
Duck eggs produced by Ma duck are crystal clear as jade, the yolk is as red as Dan, oily but not greasy, and the fragrance is pleasant. Longgang preserved egg made from duck eggs is a famous brand product of Weishan Lake, which is exported to more than 20 countries and regions in the world and is also very popular in the domestic market. Therefore, preserved eggs in dragon jar are naturally an indispensable dish at the wedding banquet in the lake area.
The wild ducks in Weishan Lake became famous all over the world in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, especially the roast duck on Nanyang Island, which is a sought-after food for businessmen and diners along the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal. Many guests from south to north bought Nanyang roast duck as gifts for their relatives and friends, and many dignitaries were also very happy to get this kind of food. Wild ducks in Weishan Lake are tender, high in protein, low in fat, unique in taste and attractive in fragrance, and are also famous dishes at wedding banquets.
In the choice of aquatic plants, lotus seeds and lotus roots are used more, while water chestnut and Euryale ferox are used less. Lotus seed is a good tonic. Lotus seed soup and lotus seed soup made from it have become high-grade dishes for state banquets and have been absorbed by major cuisines in China. The lotus root in Weishan Lake is pure natural and wild, and it is an authentic green food. You can cook both cold and hot dishes, and there are more than a dozen dishes. Cold lotus root slices, lotus root melons with sauce and fried lotus root boxes are all common dishes at wedding banquets, and they are also special dishes in the lake area.
Second, judging from the overall dishes of the banquet, it has a strong auspicious color.
Before 1980s, about one third of people in Weishan Lake area were engaged in fishery production, and about half of them were engaged in production activities related to lake production. Due to the influence of traditional ideas and the particularity of lake production, people have a strong desire to worship gods, pray for peace and yearn for a better life. The custom of worshipping the water dragon king and longing for a rich life has become an important part of people's life in the lake area. These prayers and wishes were fully reflected at the wedding reception. Due to the development of society and the improvement of people's living standards, wedding banquets in the lake area have undergone great evolution and development. Before the 1980s, the wedding banquet dishes were mainly ten bowls, and then gradually developed into three bowls and four bowls. No matter how the banquet forms and dishes evolve, the customs of wedding banquets remain basically unchanged.
First of all, praying on this big day is not just an auspicious celebration. Whether it's the top ten bowls in the past or the three or four bowls now, the first course at the banquet must be chicken, and the second course must be fish, which is more auspicious. Especially chickens and fish must be alive. Among the top ten bowls, chicken is made into "Jiangmi Chicken" or buckle bowl chicken. Among the three blocks and four blocks, the chicken must be a whole chicken, and sometimes the shape of the chicken is very vivid. As the first course of the wedding banquet, this dish created a festive atmosphere for the whole banquet after serving. Fish must use the four-nostril carp unique to Weishan Lake, which means that in the future life, except for more than a year, there will be no accidents and no hardships and setbacks.
The second is to wish the bride and groom a reunion and a sweet and beautiful life. Among the top ten bowls and three (four) dishes, there are two dishes that mean this. One is fish balls, which means that the lives of newlyweds are round and round and will never be separated. Another dish is beet. The beets in the top ten bowls are sometimes eight-treasure vegetables and sometimes lotus seed soup. Three (four) chunks are mostly sweet and sour carp, which means that the newlyweds have a sweet and beautiful life. At contemporary wedding banquets, some make beets into carp and leap over the dragon gate, which is very vivid, meaning that the bride jumps over the groom's dragon gate and is extremely rich from now on.
The third is to wish the bride and groom an early birth. Both the old and new wedding banquets have an indispensable dish, namely lotus seed soup. Lotus seed soup with red dates and peanuts means early birth.
Fourth, I wish the bride and groom a long life. One of the three (four) major items is turtle soup (also called longevity soup), which means that newlyweds get along well for a hundred years and grow old together.
Fifth, taboo dishes cannot be served. Shrimp can't be served at new and old wedding banquets in the lake area. The homophonic sound of shrimp is not good, and shrimp dishes are prohibited at wedding banquets. Moreover, lettuce mixed with prickly heat is also prohibited from making wedding dishes. Similarly, the homonym of "prickly heat" is not good, for fear that the bride and groom will break up after marriage.
Third, the order of serving is exquisite, and the Confucian cultural characteristics are obvious.
Weishan Lake District is adjacent to Qufu and Zoucheng, deeply influenced by Confucius and Mencius, and embodies a distinctive Confucius and Mencius culture at the wedding banquet in the lake area. Whether it is the top ten bowls in the past or the three (four) bowls now, the order and etiquette of serving are very particular.
Let's talk about etiquette first. At the lake wedding banquet, the oldest person in the host's family, accompanied by the clerk, must "warm the dishes" at the banquet (holding the dishes with both hands) and say a few polite words before the banquet can begin and the guests can eat with chopsticks. This is the host's respect for the guests, but also the unique etiquette of the lake wedding banquet. This kind of etiquette obviously bears the brand of Confucian cultural etiquette first and etiquette first.
Let's talk about the order of serving. In the first ten bowls of banquet, four fruit dishes are served before the first bowl, followed by four cold dishes. Among the ten bowls, after the fourth bowl and the eighth bowl, there are two lunches (that is, two fruit bowls) in the middle. Four fruits and two lunches are obviously based on the practice of Confucius banquet. The order of the top ten bowls is also very particular. One chicken, two fish and three balls are necessary for all wedding banquets. Among the three (four) big dishes, chicken and fish must also be the first two big dishes, and chicken must be the first one. The side dishes after the big dishes are also exquisite. If this big dish is beet, then the next four (or two) side dishes must be sweet. Four (two) side dishes are either all stir-fried or all king dishes. Three (four) large banquets and table pressing dishes. The dishes on the table are all buckled bowls, or there are four buckled bowls (meaning all the best), six buckled bowls (meaning all the best) and eight buckled bowls (meaning everything is ready), all of which have obvious colors of Confucius' wedding banquet.
Judging from the tableware of the banquet, the characteristics of Confucian culture are also obvious. The bowls of the top ten bowls are blue-and-white porcelain, and the fruit bowls are mostly 4-inch blue-and-white porcelain plates; Cold dishes are mostly 6-inch broccoli. Three (four) large tableware, basically blue and white porcelain, these blue and white porcelain tableware, simple and elegant, very Confucian culture flavor, many tableware and Confucius family banquet tableware are basically the same.
The above is the author's shallow discussion on the wedding banquet custom in Weishan Lake area. Please advise and study together.