About Cuisine: Four Beauties and Four Famous Dishes 美食杂谈：四大美女与四大名菜

西施与杨贵妃、王昭君、貂婵为中国古代四大美女，其中西施居首，是美的化身。在中国的传统美食中，恰恰有四道名菜以四大美人的名字命名。
Xi Shi, Yang Guifei, Wang Zhaojun and Diao Chan were dubbed as four beauties of ancient China, with Xi Shi topping the list as the embodiment of beauty. There are four famous dishes in China’s traditional cuisine exactly named after the four beauties.
西施舌
Xi Shi Tongue
西施故地有一种点心被称为“西施舌”。糕点师先用糯米粉制成水磨粉，然后再以包入了枣泥、核桃肉、桂花、青梅等十几种果料拌成的糯米粉为馅心，放在舌形模具中压制成型，汤煮或油煎都可以。这种点心特色颜色如皓月，香甜爽口。此餐，还有一道以海鲜贝类牙蛤或沙蛤制成的汤类，也被赐以“西施舌”的美名，有“天下第一鲜”之称。
A dim sum is called Xi Shi Tongue in Xi Shi’s hometown. Confectioner makes powder with glutinous rice flour which, together with a dozen chopped nutlets, including jujube paste, walnut, sweet-scented osmanthus and green plum, are used as stuffing and put into tongue-shaped mould for moulding. Both boiling and frying are ok. The cake is defined by a color like bright moon and fragrant, sweet and refreshing taste. In addition, a soup made of seafood clam is also touted as Xi Shi Tongue and Top Fresh in the World.
贵妃鸡
Royal Chicken
这是上海名厨独创的一道川菜肴。它是用肥嫩的母鸡作为主料，用葡萄酒作调料，成菜后酒香浓郁美味醉人，有“贵妃鸡”之意。在西安还有一种“贵妃鸡”。它以鸡脯肉、葱末、料酒、蘑菇等为馅的饺子，形似饱满的麦穗，皮薄馅嫩，鲜美不腻。
It’s a Sichuan cuisine uniquely created by famous chef of Shanghai. Fat yet tender hen is used as major ingredient and grape wine as the condiment. When cooking is complete, the cuisine, rich in aroma with intoxicating taste, got the name Royal Chicken. There is another dish also named Royal Chicken in Xi’an, which uses chicken breast, chopped scallion, cooking wine and mushroom as the stuffing to make dumpling. It’s featured by the shape of full ear of wheat, thin wrapper and refreshing taste.
貂蝉豆腐
Diao Chan Bean Curd
又名“泥鳅钻豆腐”。以泥鳅比喻奸滑的董卓，泥鳅在热汤中急得无处藏身，钻入冷豆腐中，结果还是逃脱不了烹煮的命运。好似王允献貂蝉，巧使美人计一样。此菜豆腐洁白，味道鲜美带辣，汤汁腻香。
It’s also called Loach Worming into Bean Curd. Loach is employed to symbolize wicked Tung Cho. When loach has nowher to hide itself in the hot soup, it plunges its way into cold bean curd and couldn’t succeed in escaping from being cooked, which is similar to the story that Wang Yun offered Diao Chan to as a honey-trap. The dish is defined by pure white bean curd, delicious yet hot taste and savoury cooking liquor.
昭君鸭
Zhaojun Duck
传说出生在楚地的王昭君出塞后不习惯吃面食，于是厨师就将粉条和油面筋泡合在一起，用鸭汤煮，很合昭君之意。后来人们便用粉条、面筋与肥鸭烹调成菜，称之为“昭君鸭”，一直流传至今。
Legend has it that Wang Zhaojun, born in Kingdom of Chu, was unaccustomed to having food made of flour when going out of the frontier. So the chef mixed vermicelli and fried gluten puff and cooked them in duck soup, which was much favored by Zhaojun. Later, people cooked vermicelli, gluten and fat duck and named it as Zhaojun Duck which has been well persisted into today.