In Beijing, Empress Dowager Cixi once dreamt of a pastry during the latter years of imperial China. The next morning, she was served the same treat for breakfast and rewarded her chef with a silver ingot. Zhou Tong, a chef at Fangshan Restaurant in Beijing, explained that the pastry was initially called ‘minced pork pancake’ but became known as ‘dream pastry’ after fulfilling the Empress’s dream.
The Tradition of Imperial Cuisine
Fangshan Restaurant focuses on imperial cuisine, preserving dishes like those associated with Cixi. Founded in 1925 by former chefs from the Qing Dynasty, Fangshan serves food influenced by China’s imperial court. The restaurant’s name means ‘imitating the imperial cuisine,’ said Di Xin, the assistant general manager.
Other Beijing restaurants serve similar dishes, while the Palace Museum keeps objects related to Qing dynasty dining. This includes items like pastry molds used in the court. Imperial cuisine included daily meals for emperors and grand feasts held throughout the year, each with specific rituals.
Rituals and Sacrificial Ceremonies
The drinking of milk tea marked the beginning of Qing-dynasty banquets, according to Teng Deyong, a researcher at China’s Palace Museum. During banquets, the emperor bestowed wine or food on princes and officials, who performed rites before consuming them. Sacrificial rituals involved separate rites and meat offerings. One notably important ritual involved eating sacrificial pork at the Palace of Earthly Tranquillity.
Fatty pork was boiled without salt and distributed among guests, regarded as a high honor. This unseasoned tradition dates back to earlier Chinese rituals. The ‘Book of Rites’ describes an unseasoned meat broth called ‘grand stew,’ used in sacrificial ceremonies to honor antiquity and cultural origins.
Preserving Traditional Techniques
Pastries were integral to imperial cuisine, with specialized makers responsible for crafting them. Fangshan’s Zhou Tong shared that traditional techniques are still employed, including making Cixi’s dream pastry. Traditional methods require handwork, such as using sieves to pulverize beans and copper pots for specific flours. This preserves the delicate texture of handcrafted pastries.
Fangshan’s popular items include pea flour cakes and red bean rolls, with over 200 cakes ordered daily during busy seasons. Traditional practices ensure the experience remains authentic.
Balancing Old with New
Executive chef Fan Liangliang learned slower, traditional cooking methods after joining Fangshan, diverging from culinary school techniques. One method, ‘Nizihuo,’ involves creating a smooth paste from ingredients like fish and reshaping them into decorative forms. New adaptations ensure dishes retain their spirit while adapting to modern availability.
Chinese cuisine reflects cultural values, politics, and ideals. The poet Du Fu used dishes to express political themes in his writings, intertwining food with broader concepts. Chef Fan emphasizes the fusion of Manchu and Han traditions, representing a unified cuisine. He hopes diners feel the historical significance when eating at Fangshan.
AP video journalist Wu Jia contributed to this report.
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