陳華勝
▲風(fēng)物篇
西施的故鄉(xiāng)諸暨每年推出西施故里美食節(jié),除了這道西施舌外,還有西施豆腐、西施醉月、西施藕、西施蝦仁等,一道道菜點(diǎn)無(wú)不洋溢著濃郁的古越遺風(fēng)。
在中國(guó)人的詞匯中,豆腐是頗有些可聯(lián)想的,占女人的便宜叫作“吃豆腐”,而女人如果賣起豆腐來(lái),多會(huì)被冠以“豆腐西施”之名。
豆腐與西施沾上邊,是因?yàn)橛小拔魇┒垢边@道菜肴在先。據(jù)說(shuō),西施不但美貌非凡,而且也心靈手巧,擅長(zhǎng)烹飪,曾以故鄉(xiāng)諸暨盛產(chǎn)的葛粉調(diào)制豆腐羹,因其鮮美可口,鄰里競(jìng)相仿制,稱之為“西施豆腐”。
“西施豆腐”時(shí)下已經(jīng)成了南方各地的一道名菜,究竟是不是用葛粉調(diào)制倒也未必了。至于“豆腐西施”的名號(hào)則還是拜魯迅先生所賜。
魯迅的《故鄉(xiāng)》里有一個(gè)楊二嫂,年輕時(shí)開(kāi)豆腐店,相貌很好,人頎長(zhǎng),眉毛極細(xì),大家就喊她“豆腐西施”。楊二嫂這個(gè)人當(dāng)然只是小說(shuō)化的人物了。但“豆腐西施”自此成為一個(gè)文化典故,為人們所熟知。
近世,西施一詞用得也有些多,稍有姿色的女子如從事叫賣吃食行當(dāng)?shù)模桓拧吧?jí)”為西施,賣檳榔的叫“檳榔西施”,做小吃的叫“小吃西施”,甚至杭州城里有屠豬斬肉的女性,也冠以“肉店西施”的名號(hào),跟如今年輕女子一概被稱作美女有得一比。
美食如美人,都是讓人賞心悅目的,大家愛(ài)不過(guò)來(lái),割舍不去,于是,美人西施的身影也就頻頻地出現(xiàn)在中國(guó)人的餐桌上了。
最叫人浮想聯(lián)翩的自然是一道叫“西施舌”的佳肴。
灼熱冒煙的鐵板上鋪上厚厚的一層精鹽,宛如冬天里的第一場(chǎng)白雪。將鐵板燒燙,再將新鮮的蟶子放進(jìn)鹽中,被燙熟的蟶子既鮮嫩又肥美——關(guān)鍵還不在這里,蟶子還有一個(gè)美名:西施舌。一吻定情,你想這是什么寓意!
浙江三門多產(chǎn)海鮮,縣志里記載:“蟶,蚌屬,以田種之謂蟶田,形狹而長(zhǎng)如中指,一名西施舌,言其美也。”蟶子的肉白嫩飽滿,打開(kāi)蟶殼倒確實(shí)像一條美人舌橫亙其中。從海洋生物的分類來(lái)說(shuō),西施舌是軟體動(dòng)物門、蛤蜊科的海洋貝類。從這個(gè)意義上說(shuō),它跟我們平常所吃的蛤蜊也沒(méi)有太大的區(qū)別。但人們既然將這么美好的名字賦予了它,自然也就不同一般了,浙人吃蟶子也就多了一份吳越遺風(fēng)的味道。
蟶子除了鐵板燒外,其實(shí)怎么燒都好吃,放湯爆炒,紅燒白煮,西施舌么,怎么都是軟玉溫香。蟶子還可制成蟶干,這聽(tīng)起來(lái)多少有點(diǎn)唐突美人,美人遲暮都已經(jīng)叫人感傷,何況還要曬干!但《紅樓夢(mèng)》里賈府一長(zhǎng)溜的年貨清單里,有海參五十斤、鹿筋二十斤、牛舌五十條,也有蟶干二十斤。可見(jiàn)蟶子是個(gè)好東西,賈府這樣的奢華人家也好這一口。而這二十斤蟶干可不是個(gè)小數(shù)目,按當(dāng)時(shí)的蟶田畝產(chǎn)來(lái)計(jì)算,大概需要上百畝蟶田產(chǎn)出才能曬成。曬成干后,當(dāng)然少了鮮味,但卻多了嚼勁,蟶干用來(lái)燉湯,其鮮無(wú)比,不過(guò)只能喝湯,蟶干就跟藥引一樣只能直接扔掉。
據(jù)說(shuō),清代一位叫郭鐘岳的在溫州當(dāng)官,吃了三門的蟶子后寫(xiě)了一首《西施舌》的詩(shī):“西施舌本尚留香,??推軘?shù)數(shù)嘗。不在若耶溪上去,慚將顏色對(duì)吳王。”鮮美的味道,將人引入那段吳越爭(zhēng)霸的前塵往事。
浙人對(duì)吳越往事總是津津樂(lè)道、念念不忘,而到了別的地方,人們就不會(huì)有那么多的感懷了。其實(shí),我國(guó)從遼東沿海到南方海岸,很多地方都有西施舌。大連的飲食中有一道菜,就叫“瓜片西施舌”,天津也有西施舌的菜品。其中尤以福建、山東沿海地區(qū)出產(chǎn)的西施舌最為有名,只是指的已不是蟶子。
福建、山東不產(chǎn)蟶子,那兒的沿海地區(qū)把海蚌、沙蛤稱作“西施舌”。
沙蛤呈厚實(shí)的三角扇形,外殼淡黃褐色,在水中常吐出一小截白肉,如美人的溫香軟舌,所以《閩中海錯(cuò)疏》里記載:“沙蛤上肉也,產(chǎn)吳航,似蛤蜊而長(zhǎng)大,有舌白色,名西施舌?!鼻宕扃娴摹肚灏揞愨n》中也寫(xiě)道:“西施舌為閩產(chǎn),以之為羹,甚鮮腴。”
當(dāng)年,浙江的浪子郁達(dá)夫飄泊在福州,“吃盡了幾百個(gè)蚌”,將此視為“此生的豪舉”,并寫(xiě)了一篇《飲食男女在福州》以志口福。文章中寫(xiě)道:“福州的海蚌產(chǎn)于二三月,其肥美要算來(lái)自長(zhǎng)樂(lè)蚌肉,色香味俱佳的神品就是海蚌的舌頭部分?!薄娜舜蠖嗍浅载?,郁先生的幾百個(gè)蚌沒(méi)有白吃,居然還吃出經(jīng)驗(yàn)來(lái),總結(jié)說(shuō)當(dāng)以雞湯煮最為適宜。“雞湯汆海蚌”這道菜肴確實(shí)可稱作閩菜中的神品,想象一下,當(dāng)雞湯遇上西施舌,湯里飄浮的點(diǎn)點(diǎn)黃星雞油襯托著白嫩柔滑的蚌肉,在一小盅里渾然一體……
海蚌,正如郁達(dá)夫所說(shuō),以長(zhǎng)樂(lè)漳港出產(chǎn)者為最佳。該處恰好是咸淡水交匯之處,泥沙經(jīng)海潮篩洗,潔白晶瑩,形成一片不大的平坦淺海沙灘。由于這得天獨(dú)厚的地理環(huán)境,出產(chǎn)的海蚌每個(gè)重二三兩,最重不超過(guò)五兩,肉質(zhì)鮮嫩,味美無(wú)腥,為其他地方所不能及。據(jù)說(shuō),全世界唯有長(zhǎng)樂(lè)漳港與意大利威尼斯出產(chǎn)如此鮮美的海蚌。不過(guò),威尼斯人自然不會(huì)叫西施舌,至于他們會(huì)不會(huì)叫海倫舌之類的,沒(méi)有考證,想必也沒(méi)有國(guó)人之聯(lián)想豐富。
20世紀(jì)30年代,梁實(shí)秋在青島順興樓第一次品嘗到西施舌:“一碗清湯,浮著一層尖尖的白白的東西,初不知何物,主人曰西施舌,含在口中有滑嫩柔軟的感覺(jué),嘗試之下果然名不虛傳。”
山東乃齊魯之地,與吳越爭(zhēng)霸的烽煙本是隔了一層的,但據(jù)說(shuō)范蠡先生功成身退,帶著美人西施泛舟出海是在山東,所以,這里的菜肴也就多了一些說(shuō)法。膠南一帶至今還流傳著一個(gè)說(shuō)法:西施與范蠡在逃生的路上失散了,西施自知孤單而易招不幸,于是故意咬斷了自己的舌頭吐于河中。那截舌頭恰巧落在一只正張開(kāi)著殼的海蚌中,具有仙胎的美人之舌自然不一般,竟然在蚌體內(nèi)存活了,成了今天的美人舌。這則故事說(shuō)得太過(guò)具象,反倒有些倒人胃口。
西施舌仲冬始有,過(guò)正月半即無(wú),故采捕方法也較為獨(dú)特,采捕季節(jié)主要在冬季。采捕者先以石碌碡碾壓沙岸,使沙土平實(shí),少頃視沙際,見(jiàn)有泡沫出,即知有此物,然后掘取之。至今膠州灣及日照沿海的群眾仍沿用此法。
據(jù)說(shuō),“西施舌”這個(gè)名字還是風(fēng)流成性的唐明皇命名的,有一次他吃了這種貝類做的湯——至于是三門的蟶子還是長(zhǎng)樂(lè)的海蚌抑或是日照的沙蛤,書(shū)上沒(méi)有記載——唐玄宗觀之若乳汁,食之若甘醴,對(duì)其香鮮美味贊不絕口,當(dāng)即賜名為“汆西施舌”。皇帝此時(shí)已經(jīng)有貴妃在懷,還惦記著古時(shí)候的西施,不免有些得隴望蜀了,正所謂“吾未見(jiàn)好德如好色者也”,所以,好美食之人被稱為“饕餮”,亦是有道理的。
以西施命名的菜肴最流行的當(dāng)然是在今天的浙江及蘇南地區(qū),也就是古代的吳越兩國(guó)。
西施的故鄉(xiāng)諸暨每年推出西施故里美食節(jié),除了這道西施舌外,還有西施豆腐、西施醉月、西施藕、西施蝦仁等,一道道菜點(diǎn)無(wú)不洋溢著濃郁的古越遺風(fēng)。
“西施醉月”又叫“西施玩月”。想當(dāng)年,吳王夫差得了美人西施后視為珍寶,在靈巖山上為西施建造了一座行宮,還開(kāi)鑿了一座池子,叫“玩月池”。西施常于明月之夜陪吳王賞月,借池中倒影與水中月影嬉戲。吳宮的廚師們便費(fèi)盡心機(jī)制作了一道美味菜肴,用魚(yú)肉、雞肉和豬肉的肥膘細(xì)剁成泥,制成丸子,以魚(yú)圓比作明月,盛器象征玩月池。此菜后來(lái)流至民間,便成為蘇南一帶的一道名菜。
傳說(shuō)西施有沉魚(yú)落雁之貌,這個(gè)說(shuō)法源于唐代詩(shī)人宋之問(wèn)的一首詩(shī):“一朝還舊都,靚狀尋若耶。鳥(niǎo)驚入松蘿,魚(yú)畏沉荷花。”不過(guò),驚鳥(niǎo)和大雁畢竟還是有些區(qū)別的,從嚴(yán)格意義上說(shuō),落雁的典故應(yīng)該歸王昭君,而沉魚(yú)倒是西施的專利,因此,以西施命名的菜肴多跟魚(yú)類水產(chǎn)有關(guān),這自然也是應(yīng)該的。
西施的美名既然有如此的號(hào)召力,歷千百年而不衰,附會(huì)于西施的美食當(dāng)然也就不僅局限于菜肴了。
嘉興一帶產(chǎn)一種李子,名叫槜(音同“醉”)李。這種果子外形扁圓,成熟后密綴黃點(diǎn),外披一層白粉,咬一口肉色如琥珀,晶瑩剔透。完熟后漿液極多,味鮮甜爽口,帶有酒香,吃時(shí)只需在果皮上刺一小孔,慢慢吮吸果汁,吸完汁后只剩下皮和核。由于品質(zhì)口感超群,槜李在中國(guó)“十大名李”當(dāng)中一直位居首位,是水果精品當(dāng)中的精品,也是浙江省唯一列入瀕危搶救保護(hù)的果樹(shù)品種。更令人稱奇的是果子的底部常有一道“細(xì)月痕”,傳說(shuō),這是西施的指甲痕。
巧合的是,槜李也是一個(gè)古代的地名,挑起吳越兩國(guó)連綿戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的正是一場(chǎng)槜李之戰(zhàn)。周敬王二十四年(公元前496年)五月,越王允常死去,吳王闔閭積多年的怨憤,乘喪起兵伐越。越國(guó)嗣王句踐率兵抵御,雙方在槜李(今嘉興西南)擺開(kāi)戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)。戰(zhàn)事進(jìn)行得血腥而殘酷:越國(guó)的勇士們二三十人一隊(duì)走到陣前,毅然決然地掏出短劍刺入自己的胸膛——注意:不是敵人的胸膛,而是自己的胸膛!——這一批倒下去,另一批敢死隊(duì)又來(lái)到陣前如法炮制。這樣的自殺式襲擊,讓吳國(guó)的戰(zhàn)士驚駭不已。而越國(guó)的大軍趁勢(shì)發(fā)起了攻擊……此戰(zhàn)以越勝吳敗而告終,吳王闔閭也受傷不治而死,臨終叮囑兒子必報(bào)此仇。這之后,便是夫差為闔閭報(bào)仇、句踐為自己報(bào)仇的一系列吳越紛爭(zhēng)了。西施的指甲痕留在一顆小小的槜李上,她是在嘆息冤冤相報(bào)何時(shí)了嗎?
相比之下,有一種叫“西施銀芽”的茶葉就顯得平和沖淡了。西施銀芽是一種產(chǎn)于諸暨市斯宅鄉(xiāng)的綠茶,是諸暨市為紀(jì)念重建西施殿而于1986年創(chuàng)制成功的。泡上一杯西施銀芽,茶葉在杯中浮沉有序,芽尖直立,象一朵朵蘭花嫣然微笑,細(xì)細(xì)品嘗,香高味鮮,頓覺(jué)心逸神舒。人生的滋味,總還是這般為佳。
(本文圖片由視覺(jué)中國(guó)提供)
All the Delicacies Associated with Xi Shi the Beauty
By Chen Huasheng
In Zhuji, a food festival is held annually in honor of Xi Shi the Beauty. In the local cuisine, quite a few delicacies are named after the ancient beauty. The tradition has a long history.
Lu Xun (1881-1936), one of the greatest writers of the 20th-century China, wrote a story in which there is a woman called Tofu Xi Shi. The nickname sticks and is picked up in everyday use of the Chinese language. If a pretty girl is engaged in sales of tofu, she will naturally be called Tofu Xi Shi. There are similar names such as betel nut Xi Shi, snack food Xi Shi. It was once reported that a woman working in a butchers shop in Hangzhou was known as butchers Xi Shi. All these nicknames for young women engaged in business sales come from Xi Shi. And there are many culinary delicacies named after Xi Shi the Beauty.
Most popular of them is Xi Shi Tongue. It is a seafood delicacy made of clam meat. Folklore says that the delicacy was named by an emperor of the Tang Dynasty. In Shandong and Fujian provinces, Xi Shi Tongue is very popular though the dish in these two coastal provinces is made of oyster meat because clams are not easily available. In Chinese literature, there are essays by well known writers such as Yu Dafu and Liang Shiqiu about their experience of enjoying the delicacy for the first time. Yu Dafu during his stay in Fuzhou, capital city of Fujian Province south to Zhejiang Province, boasts his clam eating experience there in an essay. The clams he ate during his stay in Fuzhou added up to several hundreds. According to Yu, the best clams were produced on a relatively small beach in Zhanggang, Changle, which is now a district of Fuzhou. Liang Shiqiu wrote about his first taste of Xi Shi Tongue in a restaurant in Qingdao in the 1930s in an essay.
Digging up clams from a beach requires a skilled operation. The harvest season is in winter. Usually a worker rolls a heavy stone roller on the beach, waits for a while and then bubbles will come up from underneath. These small holes where bubbles come up locate clams beneath. This traditional practice is still in use in Shandong Province.
A look at the delicacies named after Xi Shi doesnt reveal exactly what ingredients are used in a dish. Take Xi Shi Moon for example. King Fuchai of the Wu State built a moon pool on the palace compound for Xi Shi. It is said that the palace chefs created such a dish designed to remind the eaters of the moon pool Xi Shi was enjoying. It is a dish of fish balls. The dish later became popular in the south of Jiangsu. Of course, most dishes named after Xi Shi are found in the cuisines of Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu, where the Wu and the Yue states were.
There is a dish of sliced lotus root named after Xi Shi and there is a dish of shelled shrimp also named after Xi Shi. Some say that Zuili Plum is also associated with Xi Shi. Zuili was the place where the Wu and the Yue clashed in a fierce battle over 2,000 years ago. The plum produced in this area is very special, bearing a light mark on the fruit. Some people say it is a nail trace left by Xi Shi. In Xi Shis hometown Zhuji there is a tea brand called Xi Shi Silver Buds. The tea was branded in 1986, the year when Xi Shi Memorial Temple was restored in Zhuji.