According to Sina, the late writer Kim Dung did not hesitate to include 4 types of "time-traveling" foods in many of his works, even though they could not appear at that time. What are those foods?
1. Bich Loa Xuan Tea
In Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, writer Jin Yong included several types of "time-traveling" foods in his work. One of them was when Duan Yu was kidnapped by Qiu Mozhi and taken to the Swallow Nest, where A Zhu and A Bi made a pot of Bi Luo Chun tea to serve them.
"As Duan Yu held the teacup, a fragrant aroma wafted up to his nose. He saw that the tea was light green, the tea leaves were bright green, as small as pearls, and the leaves had tiny hairs on their surface. He had never seen this kind of tea before. He took a sip, his mouth was filled with a fragrant aroma, his tongue was filled with a sweet taste. After drinking it, Duan Yu praised this kind of tea endlessly."
Bi Luo Chun tea or Bi Luo Chun is one of the ten famous Chinese teas originating from Dongting Mountain in Taihu Lake, Jiangsu Province. According to historical records, this type of tea first appeared during the Tang Dynasty, but its name at that time was Renxiang or He Sha Renxiang.
During the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi changed the name of Renxiang tea to Biluochun. (Photo: Sina)
It was not until the Qing Dynasty, when Emperor Kangxi traveled to Taihu Lake and was offered this tea, that he felt that the flavor was extremely special. Because the name Renxiang was not suitable and not elegant, it was changed to Biluochun and Biluochun tea began to be called from here. Therefore, at the historical time chosen as the setting of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, there could not have been the name "Biluochun".
2. Corn
In chapter 6 of "The Condor Heroes", Yang Guo went looking for food and "saw a cornfield on the western slope of the mountain, so he went over there and picked five ears of corn. He picked up some sticks, intending to light a fire to roast the corn..."
However, corn was introduced to Asia after the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) sailed to connect Europe with Asia via the southern tip of Africa in 1498. It was not until 1535 that the Portuguese arrived at Macao in Guangdong and began to introduce corn to China. This was during the Ming Dynasty. Even during the Qing Dynasty, corn was still a tribute item and people were not allowed to grow it.
According to the setting of The Return of the Condor Heroes, Yang Guo lived at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, several hundred years before corn was introduced to China. Therefore, the corn cobs that appear in this novel could only have come from "time travel".
3. Chili
In Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, Duan Yu wandered east and suddenly discovered that the people's taste in food was becoming more and more bland, especially lacking in chili peppers. Although foods like chili peppers were very popular in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and other southern provinces, they were introduced to China during the late Ming Dynasty. Chili peppers were first introduced to China as ornamental plants. They were widely used during the Qing Dynasty, so it is impossible for chili peppers to appear in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils.
In ancient times, people in the southern region of China loved spicy food. The main spicy foods at that time were Chinese pepper and Chinese pepper. Therefore, although Duan Yu had the habit of eating spicy food, he certainly did not have the opportunity to eat chili peppers during his time.
4. Peanuts
Peanuts are a common food in Jin Yong's works. In Legend of the Condor Heroes, when Yang Tiexin went to the tavern run by Qu Lingfeng, he requested peanuts as a must-have dish. In Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, when Qiao Feng was injured and Xiao Yuanshan took care of him, he often brought peanuts for his son to enjoy.
Peanuts are a food that is often absent in Kim Dung's works. (Photo: Sina)
However, peanuts were also a food that, like chili peppers, was introduced to China during the late Ming Dynasty. Furthermore, the ancients considered peanuts a treasure, and ordinary people had little chance to eat them. It was not until the Qianlong period that peanuts were used in imperial banquets. Therefore, Yang Tiexin and Qiao Feng could only eat the "time-traveling" peanuts of their time.
(Source: Capital Women Newspaper)
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