舌尖上的美食 第15期:黄焖鸡

Braised Three-yellow Chicken

三黄鸡-黄焖鸡

According to the legend, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of Ming Dynasty, enjoys fine wine and delicacies day in and day out after seizing the capital city. Too much familiarity breeds contempt; gradually he finds everything tasteless and unappetizing. Once the national mastermind Liu Bowen brings him a bowl of chicken, Zhu Yuanzhang praises it repeatedly after eating that and askes what it is.

相传明朝开国皇帝朱元璋攻下京城后，天天美酒佳肴，日久生腻，食则无味，品肉无香。一日，国师刘伯温送去一碗鸡肉，朱元璋吃后赞不绝口，问：这是何物？

Liu Bowen thinks for a while and says the chicken is originated from Xianju of Zhejiang. It is shaped like a gold ingot with yellow crest, feather and mouth so that it is also called ingot chicken. The small but lean body makes it delicious and nutritious. Emperor Zhu then replies with a smile, “what a chicken with yellow crest, feather and mouth!” so he names it three-yellow chicken and since then it becomes well-known and indispensable in the imperial court.

刘伯温想了想，答曰：此鸡产自浙江仙居，冠黄、羽黄、啄黄，体小肉健、美味可口、营养丰富，型如元宝，又名元宝鸡。朱元璋笑曰：好一个「冠黄、羽黄、啄黄」，故赐名「三黄鸡」。黄焖鸡主食材为三黄鸡的鸡大腿，从此，三黄鸡名扬天下，同时也成了宫廷必备品之一。

The main food material of braised three-yellow chicken is chicken thigh; to cater to the emperor’s taste, the chefs in the imperial kitchen cook them in constantly changing and wonderfully various ways. The favor for three-yellow chicken soon extends from the court to folks from whom many other unique cooking skills develop.

朱元璋对三黄鸡赞不决口，宫廷御厨对三黄鸡的烹制也是花样百出，日新月异。宫廷的青睐扩散到民间，民间也逐渐形成了众多的三黄鸡独特的烹调技术。