鲁菜,人间有至味
2024-03-25杨眉
杨眉
齐魯之邦,物华天宝
《黄帝内经》有云:“故东方之域,天地之所始生也。鱼盐之地,海滨傍水,其民食鱼而嗜咸,皆安其处,美其食。”一个地区之所以能够形成特有的饮食风格,首先与所处的自然、社会环境是分不开的。鲁菜的形成和发展,是由山东的文化历史、地理环境、经济条件和习俗风尚所决定的。
山东依山傍海,既有平原广布又有丘陵延绵,四季分明且气候适宜,自古以来就是物产丰富的区域;而向东突出、延伸入海的半岛,又为人们向海洋攫取提供了机会。自先秦时期起,前有姜太公“极技巧,通鱼盐”,后有管仲“通鱼盐之利,管山林之饶”,发达的工商业使得这一地区汇聚了来自全国各地的各种物资,从而使得先民们能够找到丰富的食材资源,这也为鲁菜用料考究的特点奠定了物质基础。
受地理环境的影响,鲁菜以海鲜和沿海特色菜肴为主,同时吸收了内陆地区的烹饪技巧和食材,形成了多样化的菜品。此外,山东地区曾是齐、鲁等诸侯国的中心,不同的政权更迭和族群迁徙使得各地菜式进一步融合,造就了鲁菜的包罗万象。济南菜的火候、胶东菜的海鲜、孔府菜的典雅华贵,还有星罗棋布的各种地方菜和风味小吃,共同融合为中国八大菜系之首——鲁菜。
说不完的故事,品不尽的味道
鲁菜的起源,可追溯至春秋战国时期。据史料记载,周朝建立后,姜子牙封齐地。齐国在“因其俗,简其礼”富国强兵的政策下,迅速强大起来,到齐桓公时成为春秋首霸。齐国经济的繁荣、城邑的增扩,带来餐饮业的兴盛,并诞生了被誉为“庖厨祖师”的易牙,他是中国历史上第一个运用调和之事操作烹饪的庖厨。
到了汉代,山东的菜肴开始追求烹饪的多样性,诸城前凉台汉墓出土的庖厨图画像石和山东博物馆藏品汉代“厨夫俑”,生动再现了汉代齐鲁菜肴种类繁多、庖厨技艺精湛的场景,展示了古人以智慧和劳动创造出的独具特色的饮食文化。
在北魏时期农学家贾思勰所著的《齐民要术》中,总结了黄河中下游地区“蒸、煮、烤、酿、煎、炒、熬、烹、炸、腊、盐、豉、醋、酱、酒、蜜、椒”常用的17种烹饪技法,彰显出当时鲁菜已经达到了相当高的水平。
宋代以后,鲁菜逐渐成为“北食”的代表,遍及京津及东北三省。
明清时期,大量山东厨师和菜品进入宫廷,鲁菜雍容华贵、中正大气的风格特点进一步得到升华。
新中国成立后,鲁菜可谓是国宴上的常客,深受五湖四海宾客的喜爱。
……
千百年来,鲁菜借山海之地利、得四季之天和,调和鼎鼐、包容五味,不以华丽逞一时,而以醇厚平和续千年。鲁菜,有说不完的故事,品不尽的味道。
火中取宝,纯正咸鲜
在漫长的发展历程中,鲁菜逐渐形成了自己独特的口味风格,以丰富多样的菜品和精湛的烹饪技艺而闻名。若要概括鲁菜特点的话,唯有“鲜咸”二字最为贴切。高手烹调的鲁菜,讲究造型精美,突出食材原本的鲜美,同时又注重与调味品的搭配,将最普通的家常菜做得不普通,这是鲁菜烹饪的精髓。
或许没有哪一种菜系,能比鲁菜更善于利用调味品。章丘大葱、临沂豆豉、洛口醋、苍山大蒜、莱芜生姜等,为烹饪高手们提供了能够安心研究食品味道的条件和原料。大葱为山东特产,鲁菜多数菜肴要用葱姜蒜来增香提味。《管子·戒》中记载:“北伐山戎,出冬葱与戎菽,布之天下。”可见,自齐桓公北伐之后,大葱在山东一带就已得到广泛种植。炒、熘、爆、扒、烧等方法都要用到葱,尤其是葱烧类的菜肴,更是以拥有浓郁的葱香为佳,如葱烧海参、葱烧蹄筋。此外,喂馅、凉拌都少不了葱姜蒜的搭配。
无论是鲁西南的鸡和羊,还是胶东地区的海鲜,食材本身都有或腥或膻的异味,而丰富的调味品可以很好地消除异味,保证菜品的醇厚浓香。胶东菜里面的海鲜类讲究原汁原味,虾、蟹、贝、蛤多用姜醋佐食,而燕窝、鱼翅、海参、干鲍、鱼皮等高档原料,质优味寡,必用高汤提鲜。无论是鱼虾蟹海鲜之鲜、鸡羊鸭鹅口感之鲜,还是清汤奶汤的清鲜,一个“鲜”字成全了鲁菜。
鲁菜走入“高端”,除了选材精心,还与其做工精致、烹饪用心相关,“食不厌精,脍不厌细”的特点在鲁菜身上展现得淋漓尽致。鲁菜不仅在雕工和切工上有着非同一般的追求,其烹饪技法也非常细腻,每道菜肴都需要精心的制作和巧妙的火候,以保持其原汁原味。鲁菜常用的烹饪技法有30种以上,尤以爆、扒技法独特而专长。古语有言:“烹饪之道,如火中取宝。不及则生,稍过则老,争之于俄顷,失之于须臾。”爆分为油爆、酱爆、芫爆、葱爆、汤爆、火爆等,爆的技法充分体现了鲁菜在用火上的功夫,因此也有了“食在中国,火在山东”的说法。
是味觉享受,更是文化体验
鲁菜的精髓不仅仅在于色香味,还在于隆重的仪式感。山东是圣贤之乡,注重礼仪的圣贤之道已经浸透在山东人的骨子里,对待美食也是如此。
儒家先贤们的思想不仅左右了五味调和的口感,更是承载了山东人长幼有序、矩步方行的文化体系。直到今天,在山东,饭桌礼仪的重要性依然不容小觑:不同的场景对应不同的餐饮礼仪,比如婚、丧、嫁、娶、寿等对应宴会的上菜品种、上菜顺序、菜品搭配、座位顺序、喝酒方式、主人责任、客人赴宴的穿着、辈分的长幼、亲戚远近区别等都会具体展示出来。因此,品尝鲁菜不仅是一种味觉享受,更是一种文化体验。
縱观鲁菜的发展史,从春秋战国的灶堂孕育而来,经过南北朝迅速发展,至元、明、清成为宫廷御膳的珍馐,再到今天的中国八大菜系之首、北方菜的代表、中国家常菜的基础,我们可以看到,文化底蕴深厚、烹饪技术考究、菜品丰富多样的鲁菜,今天依然表现出旺盛的生命力。穿行在山东的大街小巷里,从传统老字号到网红餐饮,随处可见鲁菜为生活添上的烟火气。
编辑/刁艳杰
Shandong Cuisine Has the Best Flavor in the World
The Shandong cuisine has a long history and enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad for its well-chosen ingredients, delicate production, all-round techniques, proper seasoning, as well as characteristics of moderation, mildness and health preservation.
Located near mountains and the sea, Shandong has not only vast plains, but also rolling hills, with four distinct seasons and a pleasant climate. Since ancient times, it has been an area rich in natural resources. Influenced by such geographical conditions, Shandong cuisine is dominated by seafood and coastal specialties, and has created a variety of dishes by absorbing the cooking techniques and ingredients of inland China. The heat control of the Jinan cuisine, the seafood of the Jiaodong cuisine, the elegance and sumptuousness of the Kong family cuisine, as well as various local dishes and snacks are integrated into the Shandong cuisine at the top of Chinas eight major cuisines.
In its long development process, the Shandong cuisine has gradually formed its unique flavor and style, becoming famous for its rich variety of dishes and superb cooking skills. “Saltiness and freshness”might be the most apt description of the characteristics of the cuisine. Shandong dishes cooked by master chefs emphasize not only exquisite presentation and the deliciousness of original ingredients, but also the combination with condiments. Making the most ordinary home-cooked food into extraordinary dishes is the essence of the Shandong cuisine.
The essence of the Shandong cuisine lies in not only its color, aroma and taste, but also its grand sense of ritual. Shandong is the home of great sages, where the sages thought of valuing manners has been rooted in the bones of the Shandong people, and so does their treatment of food. Today in Shandong, the importance of table manners still cannot be underestimated: Different scenes correspond to different dining manners. Tasting Shandong dishes is not only a gustatory enjoyment, but also a kind of cultural experience.