The origin of steamed buns dedicated to gods

 

Chapter 8 Sacrifice to Gods

 

The origin of steamed buns dedicated to gods

 

It is a custom to worship gods during the Spring Festival. The most commonly used sacrifice when worshiping gods is steamed buns, but the inventor of steamed buns is Zhuge Liang.

According to the Records of Things, "The novel of the Barnyard Official says: When Zhuge Wuhou conquered Meng Huo, people said that the barbarians had many evil arts, so they had to pray to the gods and fake Yin soldiers to help them. However, the barbarian customs must kill people and sacrifice them with their heads. The gods helped him, and he sent out troops. Marquis Wu refused, because he mixed the meat of sheep and hogs, and wrapped it with flour, like a human head for a shrine, and the gods also helped him, and he sent out troops. Later generations made steamed buns from this . In Lu Chen’s "Sacrifice" of Jin Dynasty, steamed buns were first listed as sacrificial items in Chun Temple. And Shu's "Cake Fu" also has a mention, so steamed buns are suspected to have originated from Wuhou."

"Three Kingdoms" said: "Zhuge Liang returned to Lu River in peace, but the storm was so high that his troops could not cross, so he returned to Liang. When Liang asked, Meng Huo said: "The source of Lu River is rampant because of the gods, so the people of the country used 7749 human heads and black cattle. Sacrifice the white sheep, and the natural waves will be calm and the territory will be full and ripe.' Liang said: 'I am now a teacher, how can I kill you recklessly? I have my own opinion.' Then he ordered the chef to slaughter the cows and horses, mix them with flour, and make a fake human head. The utensils were filled with beef and mutton, and they were made into "steamed buns" as a tribute to the Lushui River. Kongming offered sacrifices to them on the bank. After the sacrifice, the clouds and fog rolled away, the waves calmed down, and the army was able to cross Yan."

Lang Ying of the later Ming Dynasty also recorded in "Seven Revised Manuscripts": "The original name of steamed buns is Mantou. Human heads were used as sacrifices to gods in the barbarian lands. During Zhuge's campaign against Meng Huo, he ordered bread and meat to be used as human heads as sacrifices. They called them 'Mantou'. This is now falsified. And it’s steamed buns.”

It can be seen that the founder of steamed buns is Zhuge Liang. After he used steamed buns instead of human heads as sacrifices to Lushui, steamed buns became a display for banquets and sacrifices from the beginning. After the Jin Dynasty, for a period of time, the ancients also called steamed buns "cake". Anything made with dough kneaded in water and stuffed in the middle is called "cake".

During the Song Dynasty, steamed buns became a snack often eaten by Taixue students, also known as "mutton steamed buns" and "Taixue steamed buns". Yue Ke has a poem called "Steamed Buns":

 

In the past few years, I have learned a lot from the Confucian scholars, and the thin branches are still spreading the bamboo shoots and fern cooking.

The young master has red flesh, and the general's iron staff has white lotus skin.

The fragrant and fragrant fragrance can be compared with the solid pepper, and the roughness can be better than that of a gourd pot.

When you grow old, your teeth are no longer suitable for chewing, and salivation is the only way to comfort the greedy slave.

 

After steamed buns become edible snacks, they no longer have the shape of human heads. Because there is stuffing in it, it is also called "baozi".

After the Tang and Song Dynasties, there were also steamed buns without fillings. The fermentation method of steamed buns at that time: for every ten minutes, two and a half pounds of white flour was used. First, add a cup of yeast and spread it on the dough. Pour the fermentation juice into a small pot, cover it with a piece of soft dough, and put it in a warm place. When it comes up, warm the dry noodles on all sides with the soup and mix them up, then cover them again. When it comes up again, add dry noodles and warm water. In winter, use hot soup to make it easier, no need to knead it too much. When placing the tablet again, knead it into a paste. If kneaded, it will not become fat. The ingredients are softened, rolled into a skin, and filled with fillings. Place them in a windless place and cover them with baggage. Wait for the noodles to come out, then put them on the cage bed and steam them until cooked.

Regardless of whether the steamed buns are stuffed or not, steamed buns have always been used for sacrifices.

By the Qing Dynasty, the names of steamed buns were divided: in the north, those without fillings were called steamed buns, and those with fillings were called steamed buns; while in the south, those with fillings were called steamed buns, and those without fillings were also called "big buns." No matter what kind of steamed buns are filled or not, they are actually far different from the steamed buns created by Zhuge Liang.