Shui Xi
Encyclopedia
Shŭi Xí or Water Banquet, is a Chinese set of dishes comprising 8 cold and 16 warm dishes cooked in various broths, gravies, or juices, hence its name. It is considered one of the Three Wonders of Luoyang
(an ancient city in the Henan
province), along with the peony
and the Longmen Grottoes
.
, and has existed since the Sui
and Tang
Dynasties. It came into existence because of the climatic conditions around the city of Luoyang - notably the dry climate, mountainous terrain, and lack of fruits - which makes a "soupy" meal an attractive option.
Shui Xi is famous for its soups, thus called "Water Banquet". There are vegetables and meat dishes, cold and warm, and all kinds of flavors. There're totally 24 dishes. First, 8 cold dishes are served as companies for drinks. The rest 16 are warm dishes, served in different sized under-glazed blue bowls. Four of them are "end dishes", served in the end. The rest 12 are divided into 4 groups, and each group contains 3 dishes, with similar flavors. There is a "big dish" in each group, accompanied by two "small dishes" as side dishes. It is called "going to empire court with sons" (带子上朝). The next group of three dishes will be served only when the previous group has been finished, simulating the stream-like processing. The first dish is made of shredded turnip, which mimics swallow's nest flavor, thus called "swallow dish". The fourth dish shall be sweet vegetables or sweet soup. At last four "end dishes" are served. All of them are soupy dishes. The last end dish shall be sour vegetables egg soup, called "farewell dish", indicating all dishes have been served.
These days, it is found that in Tang Dynasty
, Yuan Tiangang (袁天罡) foresaw Wu Zetian
would become emperor, but he had to keep it secret. Thus, he invented these 24 dishes, imitating the whole life of Wu Zetian
. It was initially named "Wu Empress Banquet". The name changed to "Luoyang Banquet" since Song Dynasty
. Ordinary people called it "officialdom" (官场儿). As tourism boomed, people call it "Luoyang Water Banquet".
was in Luoyang, a giant turnip weighing tens of kilograms grew in the field in Dongguan. Farmers thought it was a miracle, and dedicated it to the Empress. Wu, tired of sumptuous feast, was curious about what dishes could be made of turnip. The imperial cooks studies it and decided to steam the shredded turnip mixed with starch, then blend it with delicious soup. The Empress was very impressed by the swallow nest-like flavor, and complimented it a lot, and named it "Swallow Dish". Later, it was learned by masses, and gradually became "Luoyang swallow dish". In October 1973, Chinese Premier, Zhou Enlai accompanied Canadian Premier to visit Luoyang. Renowned cooks Wang Changsheng and Li Daxiong carefully made Luoyang swallow dish. The two premiers ordered it twice and complimented it a lot. Because there was a carved peony in the dish, Premier Zhou humorously said, "Peony in Luoyang is best in the world. It even grows in the dish. The dish may be called 'Peony Swallow Dish'." Ever since, the dish was renamed "peony swallow dish" and enjoyed a high reputation both at home and abroad.
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
(an ancient city in the Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
province), along with the peony
Peony
Peony or paeony is a name for plants in the genus Paeonia, the only genus in the flowering plant family Paeoniaceae. They are native to Asia, southern Europe and western North America...
and the Longmen Grottoes
Longmen Grottoes
The Longmen Grottoes or Longmen Caves are one of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art. Housing tens of thousands of statues of Buddha and his disciples, they are located south of present day Luòyáng in Hénán province, Peoples Republic of China...
.
History
The Water Banquet is an offshoot of Henan cuisineHenan cuisine
Henan cuisine is derived from the native cooking styles of the Henan region in China. It is a cross between the Jiangsu cuisine, with which it shares the trait of selecting ingredients according to the four seasons, and to a lesser extent, the Beijing cuisine, from which it adopted many cooking...
, and has existed since the Sui
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
and Tang
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
Dynasties. It came into existence because of the climatic conditions around the city of Luoyang - notably the dry climate, mountainous terrain, and lack of fruits - which makes a "soupy" meal an attractive option.
Shui Xi is famous for its soups, thus called "Water Banquet". There are vegetables and meat dishes, cold and warm, and all kinds of flavors. There're totally 24 dishes. First, 8 cold dishes are served as companies for drinks. The rest 16 are warm dishes, served in different sized under-glazed blue bowls. Four of them are "end dishes", served in the end. The rest 12 are divided into 4 groups, and each group contains 3 dishes, with similar flavors. There is a "big dish" in each group, accompanied by two "small dishes" as side dishes. It is called "going to empire court with sons" (带子上朝). The next group of three dishes will be served only when the previous group has been finished, simulating the stream-like processing. The first dish is made of shredded turnip, which mimics swallow's nest flavor, thus called "swallow dish". The fourth dish shall be sweet vegetables or sweet soup. At last four "end dishes" are served. All of them are soupy dishes. The last end dish shall be sour vegetables egg soup, called "farewell dish", indicating all dishes have been served.
These days, it is found that in Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, Yuan Tiangang (袁天罡) foresaw Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during the Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant...
would become emperor, but he had to keep it secret. Thus, he invented these 24 dishes, imitating the whole life of Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during the Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant...
. It was initially named "Wu Empress Banquet". The name changed to "Luoyang Banquet" since Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
. Ordinary people called it "officialdom" (官场儿). As tourism boomed, people call it "Luoyang Water Banquet".
Legend of Swallow Dish
The most notable first dish in "Luoyang Water Banquet" is "Luoyang Swallow Dish". It is said that when Wu ZetianWu Zetian
Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during the Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant...
was in Luoyang, a giant turnip weighing tens of kilograms grew in the field in Dongguan. Farmers thought it was a miracle, and dedicated it to the Empress. Wu, tired of sumptuous feast, was curious about what dishes could be made of turnip. The imperial cooks studies it and decided to steam the shredded turnip mixed with starch, then blend it with delicious soup. The Empress was very impressed by the swallow nest-like flavor, and complimented it a lot, and named it "Swallow Dish". Later, it was learned by masses, and gradually became "Luoyang swallow dish". In October 1973, Chinese Premier, Zhou Enlai accompanied Canadian Premier to visit Luoyang. Renowned cooks Wang Changsheng and Li Daxiong carefully made Luoyang swallow dish. The two premiers ordered it twice and complimented it a lot. Because there was a carved peony in the dish, Premier Zhou humorously said, "Peony in Luoyang is best in the world. It even grows in the dish. The dish may be called 'Peony Swallow Dish'." Ever since, the dish was renamed "peony swallow dish" and enjoyed a high reputation both at home and abroad.