中国古馔文化之清朝煨红薯Chinese Qing Dynasty Simmered Sweet Potato

红薯又叫番薯，在中国16世纪末传入中国。在中国多用两种吃法，煨和蒸。煨就是烤的意思。在中国晚清时期，快到冬季时，街头就会出现卖红薯的商人，他们推著一个小车，车上有炉灶，里面有用炭火烤制红薯，红薯的香味也飘散在整条街上，吸引著来来往往的路人。既可以吃到热腾腾的红薯，还可以拿在手里取暖，颇受欢迎。中国有古诗“深夜一炉火，浑家团栾坐。煨得芋头熟，天子不如我。”，形容中国人对这种炉火烤制的热食十分喜爱，吃上这个比做皇帝还享受。

Sweet potato is also called Batata, which was introduced to China at the end of the 16th century. Sweet potato is commonly used in two ways to eat in China, simmer and steam. simmer means bake.In the late Qing Dynasty of China, when the winter is approaching, there would be businessmen selling sweet potatoes on the streets. They push a small stall which has a stove with charcoal to grill sweet potatoes. The smell of sweet potato is also scattered throughout the street, attracting the passers-by who come and go. You can eat hot sweet potatoes as well as taking them in your hands to warm, which is very popular.There is an ancient poem in China. "With a fire in the middle of the night and the family is sitting around the fire on the ground. Simmer the sweet potatoes and you feel the emperor is not as good as me."The Chinese are very fond of the hot food baked with the fire, and they would enjoy it more than being the emperor.