Why is dog meat delicious?

Dogs are listed as one of the six animals of Amethyst. Dogs are the earliest domesticated domestic animals. 10 buried dog pit was found in jiahu site in Wuyang, Henan province in the 1980s, indicating that humans have kept dogs for at least 9000 years. At that time, raising a dog was undoubtedly an important source of meat besides being a helper for ancestors to hunt. A large number of burnt dog bones were found in Longshan cultural site and Yin Ruins, which is a proof. The original meaning of the word "ran" is to roast dog meat with fire. The composition of many Chinese characters can also prove the importance of dogs in ancient times, such as hunting, pig, fox, fierce, hunting and other animal-related words, all of which are anti-dog. When Gou Jian wanted to destroy the state of Wu, he issued a policy of rewarding fertility: "Give birth to a husband, two pots of wine and a dog; Give birth to a woman, two pots of wine and a dolphin (pig). " It can be seen that the status of dogs at that time was still above that of pigs.

There are also many records about "Dog Tu" in ancient books, such as "Yanshi Dog Tu" is Jing Ke's good friend; Fan Kuai was born as a butcher of dog meat and invented a kind of "turtle sauce dog meat". Up to now, Pei County still has Fankuai Dog Meat Products Co., Ltd.; He also killed dogs and adopted mothers, and didn't kill Han until his mother died. Liu Xiu used to kill dogs and sell meat, but now "measuring dog meat" is still Liu Xiu's signature. Killing dogs can also prove that eating dog meat was common at that time. Dog meat is also a sacrifice to ancestors and gods. According to textual research, the original writing of the contribution is "dedication", "Naan" is a ceramic cooker, and the word "dog" is added, that is, dog meat is cooked in a crock. Since boiled dog meat can be used as an offering, it is conceivable that there should be dog meat at ordinary banquets.

Therefore, there are probably two reasons for the taboo of "dog meat is not on the table". First, Buddhism flourished in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Although Buddhism at that time had to eat meat, it believed that dog meat was extremely filthy and should not be eaten. Therefore, in "Water Margin", Lu disobeyed the precepts, ate dog meat and drank wine, then got as drunk as a fiddler and ran into the gate. Another reason, which is also the most important reason, is the dog. A minister named Fan flattered him and said: Your Majesty is a dog, but someone in Kyoto actually kills dogs for a living. This is disrespectful to your Majesty and should be banned. Although Song Huizong writes well and draws well, he is a complete idiot at heart. He immediately decreed that it was forbidden for the people to keep dogs for food, let alone kill them for sale. In order to ensure that this ban is implemented, he also specially allocated 20,000 yuan to encourage violators to report.

However, it is easy to issue a ban, but people's habit of eating dog meat cannot be reversed in a short time. Where there is demand, there is market. Some former dog butchers now kill sheep and sell dog meat in private. The so-called "selling dog meat by hanging sheep's head" comes from this. Dog meat is forbidden and can only be sold secretly under the guise of sheep's head. Some people say that "selling dog meat by hanging sheep's head" is because mutton is more expensive than dog meat, and profiteers shoddy it because they don't understand this case and "take it for granted". Dog meat and mutton are so different that they are not so easy to mix.

More than 20 years later, when the Northern Song Dynasty perished, it was no longer illegal to kill dogs to eat meat, but the number of people who ate dog meat had been greatly reduced, and "dog meat was not served on the table" became a deep-rooted taboo. Now besides Koreans, only Guangdong, Guangxi and Guizhou are addicted to dog meat. In the cold winter in the Central Plains, only dog meat is forbidden for tonic, not as regular meat. Even in places where dog meat is eaten, there is often a lot of attention. For example, when cooking dog meat, the stove is moved outdoors, and eating dog meat can only be done in the open air-dog meat can not only be served, but also can not enter the room.

The most famous joke about eating dog meat happened to Li Hongzhang. 1897, when Li Hongzhang visited Britain, General Gordon, who had fought alongside him, gave him his dog to commemorate the old friendship. Unexpectedly, a few days later, Li wrote a thank-you letter, saying: Thank you for sending my dog. It was delicious. I ate a lot. This incident immediately caused a sensation in London, and the British people cited it as a joke and a strange talk. In fact, this is also the difference between eastern and western food cultures. Westerners regard dogs as loyal friends of human beings. It's not that dog meat is not served, but that they don't eat it at all. But from Li Hongzhang's standpoint, eating dog meat has existed since ancient times, and it is only natural that there is no need to make a fuss!