Sour plum soup is a traditional summer-relieving drink in old Beijing. During the hot season, most people will buy bayberries and make it themselves, put some sugar in it to remove acidity, and drink it after cooling it. Vendors also do this small business. In the past, there was an old man outside Hademen. He would often hold ice cups (two small copper bowls) in his hands to make noise to attract attention, and sell them while walking. Source Sour plum soup has been a great summer drink since ancient times. In the Qing Dynasty, it was improved by the imperial dining room and became the royal drink of the palace. The so-called "Shigong Mei Jian" is this. Because of its functions of removing heat and providing coolness, relieving pain, eliminating phlegm and relieving coughs, warding off epidemics, producing body fluids and quenching thirst, it was known as the "Emperor's Black Plum Soup, a rare treasure of the Qing Dynasty". It was later introduced to the people, and dried and fresh fruit shops were opened in the streets and alleys. At the entrance, vendors selling sour plum soup can be seen everywhere. A crescent halberd is placed on the stall (to indicate staying up late at night), and a sign that reads "Ice Hot and Sour Plum Soup" is hung. The stall owner holds a pair of small bronze bowls and knocks them from time to time to make a clanging sound. Passers-by can expect the plum blossoms to quench their thirst and feel refreshed by the sound. After one bowl, the heat will disappear. At that time, operators of sour plum soup not only hawked it along the streets and set up stalls to sell it, but there were also many shops selling sour plum soup. For example, "Qiu Family" on the overpass, "Lu Yu Zhai" on Xidan Archway, "Yu Yuan Zhai" on Mending Street in Dong'an, and "Jiulong Zhai" outside Qianmen are all famous. At present, only the "Xinyuan Zhai" in the south of Liulichang Road at that time is still in existence. fast".
Our country has had sour plum soup a long time ago. "Tugong Plum Jian" recorded in ancient books is one of the oldest sour plum soups. The "braised plum water" mentioned in "Old Martial Arts" of the Southern Song Dynasty is also a refreshing drink similar to sour plum soup. The sour plum soup we drink now was made by the imperial kitchen of the Qing Palace to relieve summer heat and quench thirst for the emperor, and later spread to the people. It is 150 years earlier than the soda introduced to our country from Western Europe.
The raw materials of sour plum soup in the early market were black plum, osmanthus, rock sugar and honey. "Compendium of Materia Medica" says: "If you pick half-yellow plums, you can use smoked plums to get black plums." It can remove heat and provide cooling, relieve pain, and can even cure coughs, cholera, and dysentery. It was written in the mythical novel "The Legend of White Snake" The story of black plums warding off the epidemic. This decoction can eliminate food and harmonize the body, promote qi and dissipate stasis, produce fluid and quench thirst, converge lung qi, relieve troubles and calm the nerves. Drinking it regularly can indeed cure diseases and strengthen the body. It is a rare health drink in hot summer.
After soaking the black plums, add rock sugar, honey, and osmanthus and fry them together. After chilling, it becomes sour plum soup.
Xinyuanzhai in Liulichang is the most famous for making sour plum soup in Beijing. Xinyuanzhai's sour plum soup is made in the middle of the night, placed in a large porcelain vat with white ground and blue and white, and placed in a large old-fashioned green-painted ice bucket. When it is sold the next morning, the sour plum soup is cold enough to shake your teeth. The sour plum soup here is only sold for 70 days every year from the Dragon Boat Festival to the Lantern Festival, and only two jars are sold every day until they are sold out.
[Edit this paragraph] Production method
Preparation method one
Materials: Dried black plum (half a catty), hawthorn (half a catty), sweet-scented osmanthus (one or two ), licorice (one tael), borneol or brown sugar.
1. The dried plums and hawthorns bought from the dry goods market must be soaked in water first.
2. Wrap the soaked plums and hawthorns in gauze together with a small amount of osmanthus and licorice.
3. Fill the large pot with water, put in the gauze bag, and bring to a boil over high heat.
4. After boiling, add an appropriate amount of born sugar or brown sugar that can play a dyeing role. 5. Simmer over low heat for 6 to 7 hours. When about half of the water is boiled away, the sour plum soup is ready.
Drinking Instructions
1. The prepared sour plum soup cannot be finished in one sitting. It can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days. However, at room temperature, sour plum soup is easy to deteriorate. If you see fine foam floating on the surface, it means that it has deteriorated and cannot be drunk.
2. Sour plum soup with licorice added will have an astringent aftertaste. Putting some ice cubes when drinking can reduce the astringency.
3. The sour plum soup made by a novice may be too thick or too light. The only way to make the ratio of heat and water is to think more and try more!
Ingredients for sour plum soup
Yangmei, honey, candied dates, roses, sugar.
Of course, the bayberry must be washed carefully, because it is easy to hide some small insects. After washing , choose a big, plump, dark red one, not too many, about 25, put it in a large bowl, sprinkle with four spoons of sugar, and marinate. Cover the bowl with a lid, and shake it up and down a few times to distribute the sugar evenly.< /p>
Choose 8 candied dates, put them in a pot, pour a bowl of water, first heat them over high heat, then simmer them over a slow fire to 80% heat, to extract the sugar in the candied dates. When cooking the dates , mix honey in another large bowl, about 4 spoons. Stir evenly. Sprinkle 7 or 8 rose buds and set aside. Because the sweetness of honey is natural, relatively sweet, and has room for aftertaste, unlike white sugar. It is blindly sweet, so it is better to use honey water. In addition, honey, candied dates, and roses can regulate endocrine, which is better for girls.
After the candied dates are burned, the water will be completely opened and absorbed. Remove the essence and sweetness of candied dates. Discard the candied dates and pour boiling water into the prepared honey bowl. Stir evenly, and the fragrance of honey and roses lingers on the tip of your nose.
Then pour the honey water Add the pickled bayberry and cover the bowl immediately to prevent the steam from dissipating. Then shake the bowl up and down for 2-3 minutes to allow the sour juice of the bayberry to completely blend into the honey water. Then put it in the refrigerator to refrigerate.
< p> There is no process of cooking the bayberries here in order to keep the bayberries fresh and tender. Because cooking will evaporate the water in the bayberries, making them taste astringent. In many cooked sour plum soups, the bayberries have lost their bright color and are difficult to eat. It tastes like tasteless sour plum soup.The entrance to this sour plum soup is the ethereal fragrance of roses, followed by the sweetness of honey, followed by the sourness of bayberry permeating out little by little, and then a little bit of candied dates. The sweetness is layer by layer, sour and sweet are intertwined all the way, and it is cold and refreshing. In the hot summer, holding a bowl of sour plum soup will really eliminate all boredom.
At this time, the bayberry has sourness. Sweet. Mainly sweet, with a hint of sourness. Just like a pregnant girl, sometimes she is jealous of her lover who is uncertain about her lover, and sometimes she remembers his wonderful things. She looks nonchalant, but her heart is already changing. Reply.
It turns out that when you are jealous, you have to differentiate yourself. It is best to have the sour ones on the outside and the sweet ones on the inside.
Preparation method two
< p>Materials:The ratio of black plum, hawthorn and licorice is about 3:2:1. Too much licorice will taste bitter. There is also rock sugar (add it if the taste is too sour or bitter)
The production process:
The first step is to put the mixed ingredients into a pot filled with water and cook open.
Step 2: After boiling, turn the heat to medium and simmer for about 40 minutes.
Step 3: Smell to see if the taste is brewed. Taste the taste. If it is suitable, wait for it to cool before drinking. If the taste is not suitable, add rock sugar to adjust it.
Key steps:
Be sure to boil the water once after adding the ingredients, then lower the heat to simmer.
Don’t put down the rock sugar before, wait until the final taste comes out before adding rock sugar to adjust the taste.
Preparation method three
Sour plum soup
Ingredients: 100 grams of black plum, 100 grams of hawthorn, 10 grams of licorice, 5 grams of sugar-osmanthus, and appropriate amount of rock sugar.
Method: First, add a large spoonful of water to the basin, soak the ebony plum, hawthorn, and licorice in the water for 30 minutes; then add 1,000 grams of water to the casserole, and soak them again. Put the ebony plum, hawthorn and licorice in a casserole together, then bring to a boil over high heat. After boiling, switch to low heat and cook for 30 minutes. Then add an appropriate amount of rock sugar to the pot, then cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes. After the pot is boiled, stir it a few times with a small spoon and then put it into a small bowl. Finally, add a small spoonful of sugar and osmanthus, stir evenly, and the delicious sour plum soup is ready.
[Edit this paragraph] Sour plum soup - related allusions
1 Selling and shouting
Hey, the water from Yuquan Mountain comes from the ice in Dongzhimen. Drinking it makes your mouth feel cold.
Old Beijing hawkers give you more
The soup is delicious
Explanation
Sour plum soup is a traditional summer drink in old Beijing , in the hot season, most people will buy bayberry and cook it themselves, put some sugar in it to remove the acidity, and drink it after cooling it. Vendors also do this small business. There used to be an old man outside Hademen. He would often hold ice cups (two small copper bowls) in his hands to make noise to attract attention, and sell them while walking.
The water from Yuquan Mountain is a famous mountain spring and is very delicious. In the old days, the emperor only drank the water from Yuquan Mountain and had a special water official to take the water from Xizhimen. At that time, the outside of Xizhimen was also called the outer city. The city gate had to be closed when the sun set, but it could be opened at any time as long as the water officer who carried water to the emperor called. Therefore, those who sell sour plum soup use "water from Yuquan Mountain" to promote it. Dongzhimen has the largest ice cellar in the city. In winter, ice sellers will store ice in the ice cellar and sell it when the weather is hot.
2 Allusions in "A Dream of Red Mansions"
Sour plum soup is one of the traditional drinks of this nation. In the thirty-fourth chapter of the famous book "A Dream of Red Mansions", the hero Jia Baoyu is beaten after being beaten. , So he asked Jia Mu, "I just want to drink dry food. I want to eat sour plum soup."
Poetry related to Dream of Red Mansions 3 - "Dumen Bamboo Branch Poetry"
"The sound of a copper bowl calling in the street, a bowl of ice water and plum soup." This is "Dumen Bamboo Branch Ci" written by Hao Yixing in the Qing Dynasty. Old Beijingers will remember the crisp and sweet sound made by the people selling sour plum soup on the streets of Beijing when they knocked the ice cups with their hands.
The full text is as follows:
Dumen Zhuzhici (Yangmi people, Qing Dynasty)
Where to go when the sun sets and the opera disperses, the feasting and entertainment will be in the same Liuhe Bureau.
Three big bucks to buy sweet flowers, cut cakes, ghost legs chattering,
A bowl of sweet syrup porridge in the morning, then tea soup and noodles;
Cool Fried sugar ears with fruit cake, Aiwowo pancakes with hanging stove,
The fork-fired ones are just sold, and the hard noodles are called dumplings;
The plate is full of Shaomai wontons, with newly added vermicelli noodles Good glutinous rice balls,
fried liver-flavored enema, and Mushu cabbage soup.
[Edit this paragraph] 4 Sour Plum Soup and Emperor Qianlong
Sour Plum Soup has a history of thousands of years and is one of the oldest traditional drinks in my country. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, our ancestors already knew how to use plums to extract sourness as a drink. The recipe of sour plum soup that we drink today originated from the Imperial Tea House of the Qing Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty, sour plum soup was popular in the palace, and was especially loved by Emperor Qianlong.
There is a reason why sour plum soup was so popular in the Qing court. Manchus have a history of drinking acid. The Manchu people, who arose among the white mountains and black waters, used hunting and gathering as their main mode of production. Manchu people like to fish and hunt, and like to eat meat, so they invented Manchu food such as sour soup. Sour soup is made from fermented cornmeal. After eating the hot and greasy meat, I drank some sour soup, which really tasted right.
Later, Suantangzi was brought to Beijing. Beijing's climate and geographical environment make the Manchus who live in the Northeast all year round have varying degrees of discomfort in all aspects of their bodies and lives. Sour soup is made from fermented cornmeal and has high sugar content. If the excess sugar is not used, it will be converted into fat and stored in the body, causing weight gain. Regularly eating high-calorie venison and bear paws and then drinking sour plum soup made from cornmeal can easily cause the dampness and heat inside and outside the body to compete with each other, leading to obesity. Therefore, Emperor Qianlong ordered that the dietary structure be adjusted.
Yuchafang racked its brains and finally concocted a drink that can replace sour soup - sour plum soup. Its formula is: black plum to remove oil and greasy, osmanthus to reduce phlegm and blood stasis, clear away heat and detoxify, Licorice that nourishes the skin, hawthorn that lowers blood fat and blood pressure, and rock sugar that nourishes qi and moisturizes the lungs are all boiled together. Sour plum soup not only removes oil and relieves greasiness, but is also rich in nutrients such as organic acids, citric acid, vitamin B2 and crude fiber. As soon as the sour plum soup came out, it was loved by Emperor Qianlong. It is said that Emperor Qianlong drank sour plum soup before tea and after meals.
Both the historical records and the image records of court painters show that Emperor Qianlong had a lean figure throughout his life, without a potbelly, and was thin and energetic. This is related to sour plum soup. Later, people in the Qing court liked to drink sour plum soup.
The emperors of the Qing Dynasty only drank mineral water from the Yanshan Mountains and had special water officials to carry water from Xizhimen.
At that time, the outside of Xizhimen was also called the outer city. The city gate had to be closed when the sun set, but it could be opened at any time as long as the water officer who carried water to the emperor called. Therefore, those selling sour plum soup at that time promoted it as “Beijing’s mineral water”. To this day, authentic old Beijing sour plum soup must be made with mineral water.
5 "The Legend of the White Snake" - the story of black plums fighting the epidemic
The raw materials of sour plum soup are four kinds of raw materials: black plums, osmanthus, rock sugar and honey. "Compendium of Materia Medica" says: "If you pick half-yellow plums, you can use smoked plums to get black plums." It can remove heat and provide cooling, relieve pain, and can even cure coughs, cholera, and dysentery. It was written in the mythical novel "The Legend of White Snake" The story of black plums warding off the epidemic.
[Edit this paragraph] Sour Plum Soup-Brand
At present, the famous ones on the market include not only the famous "Zhengguanghe" sour plum soup in the south, but also Beijing's "Jiulongzhai" and "Xinyuanzhai" is one of the few remaining products on the market that has a mellow taste and excellent color and aroma. We have made unremitting efforts to preserve and develop this traditional Chinese drink.
This soup can eliminate food and harmonize the body, promote qi and dissipate stasis, produce body fluids and quench thirst, converge lung qi, relieve troubles and calm the mind. Regular drinking can indeed cure diseases and strengthen the body. It is a rare health care in hot summer. Drinks.
Kiulongzhai is known as "the best sour plum soup in Kyoto". It is unique in the world for its noble origin, exquisite materials, complicated processes and beautiful taste.
Jiulongzhai originated from Qianlong, flourished in Daoguang, and has been passed down to this day. Daoguang Jinshi Fang Junyi's "Miscellaneous Memories of Chunming" praised: "The thirst-quenching plum soup has been chilled for a long time and is more famous than the Nine Dragons." "Yanjing Years' Notes" published in the 32nd year of Guangxu said: "The sour plum soup is boiled with sour plum and rock sugar. … Qianmen Jiulongzhai was the No. 1 drink in Kyoto.”
Jiulongzhai is the leader in beverages in the capital, and its origins can be traced back to 1738. It is said that during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, a small businessman came to the capital to seek refuge with his uncle who worked in the imperial tea house. This uncle secretly passed on a secret recipe for palace drinks from the imperial tea room, and asked a small vendor to set up a stall in the east gate of Qianmen Qincheng City. The small vendor followed the recipe and made sweet-scented osmanthus and sour plum soup for sale. It was very popular and was called "Qing Palace Drinks". "Exotic Treasure", "Imperial Wuhai Soup". The merchant then asked a fellow Hanlin scholar to name it "Jiulongzhai". Later it moved to Qianmen Street, which is the famous "Jiulong Zhai" located at the east entrance of Dashilan.