魏水華
這樣一缽糟味,能從除夕一直吃到元宵,而且越吃越有味,越吃越濃烈。這是紹興版的藍紋芝士,表達了中國人對食物過人的智慧。
《笑林廣記》記載了一則笑話:一人家貧,喝不起酒,只能吃兩個糟餅裝出醉意。有朋友問,你早上喝酒了?他如實答,我吃的是糟餅?;丶腋嬖V妻子。妻子好面子,教他:“呆子,便說飲酒,也裝些門面?!钡诙欤凑掌拮拥囊馑蓟卮?。朋友再問,酒是熱吃還是冷吃的。他答,是油煎的。此公又回家告訴妻子,妻有慍色的。第三天,朋友又逗他,你喝了多少?他伸出兩手指:兩個。還是糟餅呀!
所謂糟餅,其實就是用面粉混合酒糟做的餅,過油一煎,微甜有酒香,這滋味是可以想象的好吃。在已經掌握成熟的釀酒技術,物質卻又不甚豐沛的古代,釀酒副產物——酒糟如何被合理而又優(yōu)雅地吃進肚子不浪費,是一個很早就被載入文人筆記的議題。從宋代的《山家清供》到清朝的《隨園食單》,都有以酒糟入菜的傳統(tǒng)。
和上海人喜歡在夏天吃糟缽頭消暑不同,紹興人的糟味,是過年犒賞自己和家人的禮物。
糟香浸透著鄉(xiāng)愁
一個有趣的現(xiàn)象是,酒文化越盛行的地區(qū),酒糟產量越大,以糟入菜的風俗也就越悠久越流行。齊魯是中國酒文化的發(fā)祥地,所以魯菜里有大量的“糟溜”“糟蒸”;四川有著全國最集中的白酒產業(yè),所以加入酒糟做成的圓子、冰粉、涼糕,是火鍋之后最好的甜品,還有人直接加入牛油火鍋湯底,有去腥增鮮的功效;福建人喜歡以紅曲米釀酒,副產品紅糟是烹飪、生腌,乃至直接佐餐不可或缺的寶貝。
而提到黃酒,“紹興”是幾乎所有中國人下意識為它加的定語。大量出產優(yōu)質黃酒的背后,還隱藏著家家戶戶對糟菜的追求。
1939年,劉海粟去拜訪蔡元培,身為紹興人的蔡先生設家宴款待畫家。菜肴中有干菜、霉千張、醬鴨、魚干和糟雞。這喚起了同是江浙人的劉海粟的思鄉(xiāng)之情——雖然身在異鄉(xiāng),但對遙遠的淪陷的家鄉(xiāng)從未忘懷。
糟香浸透了一葷一素,亦浸透了鄉(xiāng)愁,本是小小一物,可偏就能放大人的心思。舌尖牽動著的是家鄉(xiāng),舌尖牽動著的更是家國。
從除夕吃到元宵
1929年正月,章廷謙致信身在上海的魯迅,邀請他來杭州靈峰探梅。魯迅在回信中婉拒,他說:“冬假中我大約未必動,研究之結果,自覺和靈峰之梅,并無感情,倒是和糟雞醬鴨,頗表好感。”
自古就與文人高士聯(lián)系起來的梅花,在魯迅眼里“并無感情”,相反,對糟雞和醬鴨這些膾炙人口的食物,卻“頗表好感”。魯迅的三言兩語,除了反映出新文化運動中知識分子們的風尚,還凸顯了他作為紹興人的舌尖記憶。
事實上,魯迅日記中多次提到了他收到朋友、家人捎來的糟雞、糟鵝、糟蛋、魚干和酥糖這些紹興特產。無一例外,魯迅收到這些糟味的時間,都在冬季過年前后。
紹興黃酒對糧食不徹底的發(fā)酵工藝,讓酒糟中的酒精含量低,殘?zhí)呛桶被岷扛?,風味層次多,幾乎不用另加調味料,就能給予食物豐沛的口感。
但這種糟菜帶來的代價就是:易變質。如果是氣溫較高的夏天,往往糟味還沒滲透,食物本身的鮮活靈氣已經散失。所以保鮮條件相對較好的冬季,才是紹興糟味最流行的季節(jié)。如今雖然冰箱已經普及,但紹興人冬天吃糟味,特別是作為過年大菜的習俗卻流傳了下來。
即便氣溫低,但酒精含量不足的紹興糟味,依然需要一些特殊的殺菌技巧。舊時,很多紹興人家為了追求酒香充分浸透食物的口感,甚至能做到長達十幾天的糟腌:每次要吃的時候,用干凈的筷子夾出一部分,再以濕潤的紗布封口,防止雜菌污染。每天睡前還要上爐灶滾一滾,用以殺菌,完了再加些新的酒糟,補充揮發(fā)掉的酒精。
這樣一缽糟味,能從除夕一直吃到元宵。而且越吃越有味,越吃越濃烈。這是紹興版的藍紋芝士,表達了中國人對食物過人的智慧。
館子里的“精致糟”
傳統(tǒng)的紹興糟味,用的是直接從黃酒發(fā)酵池底撈上來的酒糟。
雞鴨鵝肉煮熟,待冷卻切塊,用紗布包著酒糟放到罐頭里,一層酒糟一層肉,蓋得嚴嚴實實的。最后加入鹽,放上個把星期,酒糟味滲入肉里頭,就大功告成。
整個過程沒什么技巧,也沒有什么過分的講究。就像紹興這座城市一樣,透著一股如同烏氈帽一樣的粗糙質感。和更精致的淮揚菜、蘇幫菜比起來,倒多了一種時間慢下來、生活過起來的情調。
紹興人回憶小時候過年,印象最深的一定是鲞凍肉或糟缽頭。父輩們都說,過年這兩道菜頓頓上桌,但他們是頓頓都吃不上的,一來是充門面的,二來是留給大客人們吃的。同樣,取個“年年有余”好彩頭的魚,也這樣被擺了幾乎一個正月,所以,也叫“擺魚”。
但紹興的飯店館子里,卻對這種粗糙的糟味有完全不同的演繹。其最重要的差別,就是“吊糟鹵”的過程。
紹興美食家們評判糟鹵的標準是“正”和“雅”。正,意思是滋味要濃烈,除了糟泥作為主料之外,還要加入一定量的黃酒、鹽、月桂葉和肉桂,激發(fā)酒糟微醺的口感;雅,意思是氣味要清新,加入白糖、陳皮、桂花,中和酒糟的沖味。諸味齊全后,不能燒、不能煮,否則酒精揮發(fā),就變成鹽水一碗,所謂“吊”,意思要小火微溫,久浸慢泡,最后讓味道融合,才算是合格的糟鹵。
用糟鹵浸泡的糟味,就不是普通人家糟腌的路數(shù)了。要細心切好,用精致的小碟分裝上來,搭配醇厚甘甜的紹興善釀黃酒,讓整個生活充滿甜味。
這是紹興作為古越都城、蘭亭故里,遺留至今為數(shù)不多的風雅情趣,也是這個城市性格一體兩面,上能入煌煌殿宇,下能達江湖風情的生動體現(xiàn)。
一切都透著酒香
除了時令應景之外,糟缽頭似乎很能體現(xiàn)某個時代和地域的富足程度:南宋百姓富得流油,“糟鮑魚、糟羊蹄、糟蟹”之類的高端貨色在很多文人筆記中都有提到;到了清初,條件差了些,袁枚在《隨園食單》里只有“糟肉、糟雞、糟鲞”;《紅樓夢》正值乾嘉盛世,“糟鵝掌、糟鵪鶉”又開始大行其道。
而紹興這個江南水鄉(xiāng)、魚米之城,也在糟味的多元化上,把本地的富足體現(xiàn)得淋漓盡致。
糟雞當然是標配,紹興人甚至會覺得無雞不成糟。雞除了提供用以糟醉的肉之外,其滲出的雞湯,也是一缽糟味能否讓人鮮掉眉毛的關鍵。一碟子皮黃、肉嫩、骨頭里還有血絲的上好白斬雞,用糟鹵浸過,越發(fā)顯賣相飽滿、油色誘人,咬一口酒香充盈,最好糟鹵里順帶浸一點雞胗、雞爪、雞心之類的“什件”,一樣切片了下酒,其美簡直無法描述。
糟肉作為糟雞必要的補充,不可忽視。雞肉往往鮮韌有余而油潤不足,如果能有幾塊上好的豬五花肉同浸,油脂能很好地平衡整壇糟味的口感,鮮香軟糯,極宜下飯。
糟毛豆是最好的零食,把毛豆兩頭剪去,旺火快煮到微微破殼,不能燜,離火后直接浸在冰水中使其發(fā)脆,再用糟鹵炮制數(shù)小時后上桌,依然如新摘一般翠綠。剝出一顆,脆韌爽滑,酒香卻已滲入豆子內部。比之五香花生米,糟毛豆含蓄,卻更悠遠。
糟田螺也是美饌,田螺加蔥姜水和黃酒煮開去腥,浸在糟鹵中涼透了上桌,牙簽挑出肉來。質地鮮嫩而有嚼勁,比之豆豉爆炒,其中原汁原味的手段,不知高明了多少。
當然,糟味中的至尊標配,還要屬“糟缽頭”:除了常見的雞肉、豬肉之外,再加豬肚、豬肝、豬爪、火腿、筍片、香菇、面筋等“好料”,用高湯文火,在小缽里慢煮數(shù)小時到酥爛,最后關火,加煮熟的蝦、毛豆,用糟鹵浸透。比之福建人趁熱吃的佛跳墻,紹興人這壇隱藏著酒香的清腴小菜,更委婉地訴出了江浙佳麗地含而不露的審美情趣。
In the long past centuries when natural disasters and wars could happen anytime, our ancestors tried hard to save all kinds of food. Nothing was thrown away. Even rice wine dregs were saved. Recipes were invented and improved to make them as eatable and delicious as possible. Thats how food prepared with rice wine dregs in Shaoxing started according to gourmets and food historians and thats how so many delicacies with rice wine dregs as a key ingredient have remained as so many peoples favorites.
In China, dishes prepared with rice wine dregs are galore in wine-producing regions. In the Shandong cuisine, food is pickled and steamed with rice wine dregs. In the Sichuan cuisine, rice wine dregs are the key ingredient in desserts such as dumplings or cakes to wrap up a hot-pot feast.
In Shaoxing, a region that produces the largest quantity of yellow wine, rice wine dregs are used as a key ingredient for a lot of food. In the brewing procedure for yellow wine making, an incomplete fermentation approach is used, which means dregs have low alcoholic content but are rich in sugar and amino acid. Rice wine dregs are delicious and they are used in various delicacies. However, food pickled with wine dregs is easy to turn bad in relatively warm weather. That explains why it is in winter that chickens, geese, ducks, and eggs are pickled with wine dregs in Shaoxing and why family reunion banquets on the eve of the Spring Festival have main courses prepared with wine dregs.
Traditionally, the best wine dregs are directly from the bottom of the fermentation tank at the best winery in Shaoxing. Chickens, ducks and geese are cooked and cooled before cut into chops. Rice wine dregs are wrapped up in gauze. Place one layer of rice wine dregs at the bottom of a jar, then one layer of chops on the dregs, then add another layer of wine dreg wrap-ups on the chops. Repeat the process until the jar is filled. Add some salt on the top. Seal the jar and let the chops and the wine dregs react to each other for about a week. Then the chops are ready for consumption.
Restaurants in Shaoxing make a special wine-dreg liquid seasoning, which vary in flavor from restaurant to restaurant. Rice wine dregs are the main ingredient. Other minor ingredients include rice wine, salt, bay leaf and cinnamon, sugar, dried old orange peels, sweet osmanthus flowers. The liquid must be simmered in small fire for a while and then cool off. Let the ingredients stay steeped for a long while before the liquid is ready to have food steeped in it. Food steeped in it must be finely cut and served on a small plate.
The best known delicacy prepared with rice wine dregs on the menu of the Shaoxing cuisine is cooked in an earthen bowl. Most favorite ingredients that go into this earthen bowl are chicken, pork, pig offal, pig feet, bacon, sliced bamboo shoot, mushroom, and wheat gluten. Beans and field snails can be added to the earthen bowl dishes in the last stage of preparations, but they must be pickled in rice wine dregs for a long while, too.