Chapter 448: Luck, the smell of sweet-scented osmanthus
The wind blows from time to time outside the dining room, but it is still far from offsetting the heat of summer. It only makes the branches and leaves of the sweet-scented osmanthus tree and some flowers and plants not far outside the room sway with the wind.
The fragrance of sweet-scented osmanthus also drifted in the wind. Cao Shuang, who was eating lunch, smelled this smell and remembered that autumn was very close...
These are several Osmanthus osmanthus branches that Cao Zhen brought back from his several expeditions to Hanzhong. They were cut off by his own hands from a Han osmanthus tree that was four or five hundred years old.
This sweet-scented osmanthus tree has a great history. It was planted by Xiao He, a minister in the early Western Han Dynasty (206 BC), that is, during the period of Han Emperor Liu Bang, so it was named "Han Gui".
Cao Zhen wanted to take advantage of Prime Minister Xiao's luck so that he could become an extremely popular minister as soon as possible. In fact, even if he didn't have such luck,
Cao Zhen relied on his ability and status in Cao Shuang's clan to become a very popular minister very quickly. He just broke a few cinnamon branches casually. He never expected that Cao Shuang could win the title of Chan Palace and shine on the lintel of his family like this.
Cao Shuang didn't know how grateful his father, who was under Jiuquan, was to be grateful, angry or happy when he learned that he was now a powerful minister and would even usurp the real Cao family. But now he doesn't need to care.
So much,
These Han osmanthus trees had always made their home in the Yuanhou Mansion. Later, after the completion of the General's Mansion, they were transplanted here by Cao Shuang. However, there was no ice mirror placed in the dining room to cool down.
Osmanthus osmanthus has 5 to 7 petals and 2 to 3 more petals than ordinary osmanthus. The flowering period lasts for 20 to 30 days, and the two flowering periods total 40 to 60 days.
When the flowers are in full bloom, the fragrance floats ten miles away. It can wash away dust when it is clear, but it can spread far and wide when it is thick, so there is a saying that "the fragrance of cinnamon never stops, who can guess this".
The osmanthus tree is strong and tall, evergreen all year round, just like: "The leaves are dense and the trunk is green, and the flowers are blooming with thousands of yellow spots."
Perennial evergreen trees or shrubs. Up to 8 meters tall, with gray bark and round crown.
The leaves are opposite, leathery, oval or elliptical-lanceolate, 5 to 12 cm long, 3 to 5 cm wide, with a pointed or acuminate apex, a wedge-shaped base, an entire edge or sharply serrated leaves, and 6 pairs of veins.
Petiole short.
The flowers grow in clusters in the leaf axils, with thin pedicels.
The characteristics of Osmanthus fragrans are that the flowers bloom with 5 to 7 petals, 2 to 3 more petals than ordinary Osmanthus fragrans. They have large flower stems and a long flowering period. They bloom twice a year, with the peak blooming in autumn. Now is the blooming season.
Each flowering period lasts for 20 to 30 days, and the two flowering periods total 40 to 60 days. In the peak flowering season, the fragrance spreads for ten miles, with a unique fragrance.
Spectacular, with large and thick green leaves, evergreen all year round, graceful and graceful,
"Gui, a tree from the south of the Yangtze River, is the best of hundreds of medicines." The "top-grade" flower in the medicine strengthens the stomach and promotes body fluids, resolves phlegm and relieves coughs, regulates the spleen and calms the liver, dispels cold and breaks knots. The roots can cure rheumatism, numbness, and pain in muscles and bones; decoction of branches, leaves and roots
Applying it can activate muscles and relieve pain.
Osmanthus sinensis is not only a valuable ornamental flower, but also has high practical value.
Osmanthus has a strong and sweet fragrance. It can be brewed into tea, soaked in wine, mixed with candied sugar, and used to make various pastries and sweets. It is fragrant and delicious.
For example, osmanthus Yuanxiao, osmanthus lotus root powder, osmanthus cake, osmanthus candy, etc. are all delicious dishes famous for osmanthus.
"Shuowen Jiezi" says: "Gui, a tree from the south of the Yangtze River, is the source of hundreds of medicines."
"Baopuzi" says: "After wearing a kimono for seven years, you can walk on water and live forever."
"Famous Doctors" lists it as a "top grade" medicine.
Osmanthus fragrans should be taken early. It is better to cut the branches in the morning. Osmanthus fragrans branches in the morning have sufficient water content. After cutting, the wound is easy to heal and roots are easy to take root. The survival rate is high. Choose branches after they have bloomed.
The nutrient content in the branches after flowering is relatively high, and they are thick and full. After the cuttings survive, they will take root quickly and survive easily.
Cao Shuang was very interested and said: "Among the "local chickens" I have eaten before, the one made by Jianjia and my mother is the best. It seems that this year it will be even more delicious, and you can also eat Lingjun, made by Dahu."
"Mushroom".
Ground chicken, also known as fungus, is a kind of plant. In ancient times when supplies were scarce, it was a way for people to wrap their bellies.
In the old days when there were no peppers or onions, people added fungi to food and cooked it to enrich the flavor of the food.
At the beginning, mushrooms appeared as an auxiliary material. Who would have thought that such a small innovation would create a great taste. Later, mushrooms gradually developed into edible mushrooms, which people can't put down.
In ancient times, people had many names for fungi, such as "zhi", "mushroom", "chicken" and so on.
There are also explanations and descriptions of fungi in various ancient books and classics. There is such a passage in "Shuowen Jiezi": "Earth mushrooms, from the sound of squealing, canal death",
They are all plants that grow in the soil or on wood. They begin to grow under suitable light and humidity. They are gifts from God.
In fact, judging from the growth environment of fungi, it is consistent with the above explanation.
In life, two types of fungi that people often come into contact with are wood-rot fungi and grass-rot fungi.
As the name suggests, wood-rot fungi are fungi that grow on trees, such as the commonly eaten enoki mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms are wood-rot fungi; grass-rot fungi are plants that grow on grass, such as straw mushrooms and coprinus.
At that time, fungi plants were very rare. Unlike the advanced cultivation technology of later generations, large-scale production of fungi could be achieved through artificial cultivation.
In ancient times, if you wanted to get plants like mushrooms or Ganoderma, you had to pick them manually. Usually after it rained, people would find them in the mountains and under the shade of trees.
Some Ganoderma-like plants also grow in mountains at extremely high altitudes, making them difficult to pick. Therefore, their value is also very high.
In ancient times, the popularity of fungi was not so high, and not all common people could eat fungi. At that time, only emperors and nobles were eligible to enjoy this famous dish.
The food of ancient emperors was very rich. They had many dishes in one meal, which was also a symbol of their noble status.
What role did food like mushrooms play on the dining tables of emperors and powerful ministers? "The abbot in front of the food, Luo Zhizhen delicacies, Chen Feng Ba Gui, Wei Lie Jiuding", in order to highlight the prominent status of the nobles, the chef can be said to be
A lot of thought was put into it.
As early as thousands of years ago, chefs added fungi to soups to make them a fresh delicacy.
Adding fungi such as shiitake mushrooms or Ganoderma lucidum to the soup and cooking together will make the soup taste more delicious. At that time, people were already very experienced in cooking fungi.
Ancestors began to eat wild mushrooms in the forest as early as prehistoric times.
Even now there are some artificially cultivated mushrooms. "Natural History: Strange Plants and Trees" says: "In the mountains in the south of the Yangtze River, big trees that have fallen down grow fungi in spring and summer, which are called mushrooms, and they are delicious when eaten."
Bai Lingjun and Sun Luban smiled and said: "Okay, I am still very willing to make some soup for my husband."
Cao Shuang continued to eat the fish meat and felt the fragrance of osmanthus in the air and said, "The smell of osmanthus is the taste of autumn."