舌尖上的航海丨第9集 海盜餐廳的“自助餐”

謝天謝地，“卡塔琳娜”號經(jīng)過四十八小時(shí)的拼搏，終于駛出了號稱“海員墳?zāi)埂钡谋人归_灣風(fēng)景區(qū)。

“卡塔琳娜”號是以西班牙著名女海盜卡塔琳娜命名，船員多數(shù)來自西班牙。

“英文海盜一詞來源希臘語。希臘語中，海盜被定義為：攻擊或企圖攻擊船只的武裝 強(qiáng)盜?！贝洗髲N羅西對剛上船不久的 中國水手康輝說：“歷史上，海盜猖獗的不是意大利，而是西班牙。”

大廚羅西地道的意大利熱那亞人。熱那亞是航海家的搖籃。羅西也出生與海員世家，燒一手好菜。船員為與足球皇帝羅西區(qū)別，都稱他“海上羅西”。

“海上羅西”與康輝都喜歡聽海上故事，倆人成了好朋友。

“卡塔琳娜”號駛出比斯開灣后，“海上羅西”為犒勞大伙，特意烹調(diào)兩道與航海有關(guān)的菜肴和甜點(diǎn)：“海上意大利牛肉”和“比斯開灣餅干”。

“比斯開灣餅干”，康輝在上“卡塔琳娜”號前已聽人介紹過；大約一百多年前，一艘名叫“環(huán)大西洋”號貨輪在比斯開灣遇上風(fēng)暴，不幸被巨浪掀翻在海里。最后被沖到一座荒島的岸邊。船上幸存者逃到荒島后，面臨饑餓和死亡的威脅，突然想到船艙里還有面粉和奶酪，他們設(shè)法潛回船艙找到了“救命”的“寶貝”。不料，面粉和奶酪已被海水浸濕變成了“面糊”。他們只好將這些“面糊”擺在島上礁石上，經(jīng)過陽光燒烤。沒想到，這些經(jīng)過太陽烘烤的“甜食”，不僅救了他們的命，味道也十分香脆可口。

這道“甜食”立刻風(fēng)靡歐洲。由于發(fā)祥地在“比斯開灣”，都它“地斯開灣餅干”，成了餅干的“祖先”。

對于“海上意大利牛肉”，康輝還未聽說過。

吃過午餐，利用休息的時(shí)間，康輝找到了“海上羅西”。

“海上羅西”講了這段美食的奇特來歷。

第二次世界大戰(zhàn)期間，意大利巡洋艦常常游弋在大西洋海域，阻截偷襲盟軍的運(yùn)輸船隊(duì)，屢戰(zhàn)奇功。享有“海上尖刀”的美譽(yù)。一年圣誕節(jié)前夜，在海上巡邏多日的“海豚號”的物料幾乎消耗殆盡。

恰巧，炊事兵在冷藏箱內(nèi)意外發(fā)現(xiàn)一塊牛肉。

欣喜若狂的炊事員，按著傳統(tǒng)烹調(diào)方法把牛肉放進(jìn)鍋里加熱。這時(shí)，發(fā)現(xiàn)廚房的淡水已經(jīng)耗完?；琶χ邪岩恍⊥捌【频惯M(jìn)鍋中“救急”。誰知，啤酒烹調(diào)的牛肉不僅色澤鮮艷，而且肉嫩而滑，湯淡而調(diào)，色味俱佳，水兵們贊不絕口。

不久，這道在海上意外“發(fā)明”的佳肴，由海上傳入陸地。不僅在歐洲的餐館 ，甚至東方的國宴上也有一席之地。

“當(dāng)你吃過這些航海‘美食’時(shí)，可不要忘記航海對人類的貢獻(xiàn)！”說到這里，“海上羅西”哈哈大笑：“海盜餐館的自助餐更有趣味更棒。不過，對不起，準(zhǔn)備晚餐的時(shí)間到了?！?/p>

康輝為了繼續(xù)聽“海盜餐館自助餐”的故事，主動(dòng)來到廚房幫廚。

就在這時(shí)，船上接到公司調(diào)度的通知；船在法國裝卸完貨，直航西班牙巴塞羅那裝貨。

“海上羅西”高興地哼起了歌兒。

巴塞羅那“海上羅西”的老家，位于西班牙伊比利亞半島上，是西班牙的主要港口。這里有許多奇特的餐館，特別是“海盜餐館”更為有名。

“海上羅西”決定到港后帶康輝品嘗“海盜餐館”的美食時(shí)，掀開“海盜餐館自助餐”的秘密。

“卡塔琳娜”號靠上碼頭，正巧碰上“復(fù)活節(jié)”。按當(dāng)?shù)仫L(fēng)俗習(xí)慣，“復(fù)活節(jié)”及節(jié)后一周都不工作。街上商場和酒吧十分火爆。

“海上羅西”帶領(lǐng)康輝來到海邊一座以著名海盜命名的餐廳。

餐廳的布置十分奇特；前廳擺著一艘海盜船的模型，四周墻壁上懸掛著海盜的盔甲、長矛、腰刀……。長條的餐桌上，各式各樣的器皿里擺放著五顏六色、各式各樣的甜點(diǎn)和菜肴，令人眼花繚亂。

這種場合，康輝還是第一次見到。

“海上羅西”邊在條桌前挑選菜肴，邊說：“這里的甜點(diǎn)和菜肴除時(shí)令菜外，大多數(shù)是當(dāng)年海盜喜歡的食品?！?/p>

這時(shí)，康輝發(fā)現(xiàn)盛裝食品的器皿，除了陶瓷、木桶外，還有貝殼制作的碗和盤子：“真實(shí)太有趣了！”

“這是由于海盜當(dāng)時(shí)生活條件決定的。海盜除了在海上打劫外，還不時(shí)在海上捕撈。”“海上羅西”說：“如果捕到大鯨魚。鯨魚油的價(jià)值堪比黃金！”

倆人邊吃邊談，不覺已經(jīng)酒足飯飽。

康輝卻一支惦記著“海盜餐廳自助餐”的故事?！白灾凸适逻€未講呢！”這時(shí)，一位身著海盜服裝的侍者走了過來，康輝因?yàn)橐百I單”，連忙拿出錢包，卻被“海上羅西”制止了：“今天，我買單，不過，按這里規(guī)定要抓‘彩’?！?/p>

說著，侍者捧來只桶，里面封裝著有關(guān)海盜知識(shí)的問答題。如果顧客答對了，飯菜價(jià)格可以打折。

還未等康輝反應(yīng)過來，“海上羅西”已從桶里掏出一張紙簽?！昂Ｉ狭_西”打開一看，哈哈大笑：“五折打定了！”

紙簽上的題目是：自助餐與海盜的關(guān)系？

真實(shí)太巧了，這個(gè)故事正是康輝想知道的?！昂Ｉ狭_西”不費(fèi)吹灰之力，給了一個(gè)滿意的答案。

自助餐是現(xiàn)代世界各國人們喜歡的一種用餐方式。省略了許多點(diǎn)菜的麻煩，還有配菜的心思和禮讓的虛榮，更主要的是經(jīng)濟(jì)實(shí)惠，出一個(gè)價(jià)錢，在最短的時(shí)間和有限的空間，可嘗盡各式美食。是當(dāng)今人們喜歡的。

自助餐的起源于8至11世紀(jì)北歐的斯堪的納維亞半島，海盜十分興盛的時(shí)期。

那時(shí)的海盜每當(dāng)有所獵獲，就由海盜頭領(lǐng)出面，，大宴群盜，以示慶賀。但是，海盜們多數(shù)不熟悉不習(xí)慣西餐的“繁文縟節(jié)”，感到十分別扭。于是生性豪放的海盜們獨(dú)出心裁，發(fā)明了在這種自己到餐桌上，自選自取食品的說法。

這就是海盜們發(fā)明的最早“自助餐”。

后來，西餐館老板將這種用餐方法進(jìn)行了規(guī)范，豐富了食品的內(nèi)容和品種，便成了今日的自助餐。

“所以說，海盜是‘自助餐’的發(fā)明者一點(diǎn)也不過分，”“海盜羅西”最后說：“航海的故事，三天三夜也講不完！”

“海上羅西”的回答，不僅使餐費(fèi)打了折，還使康輝知道了自助餐的來歷。回航的路上，康輝興奮地說：“航海給人帶來的知識(shí)，真是太多了。我一定珍惜這個(gè)職業(yè)，做一名合格的遠(yuǎn)洋海盜?！?/p>

After forty-eight hours of struggle, the Catalina finally sailed out of

the Bay of Biscay.

The Catalina was named after a famous Spanish pirate named Catalina,

and many of its sailors hailed from Spain.

The word “pirate” in the English language comes from the Greek word

“πειρατ??”, which refers to an armed bandit who attempts to attack

a ship. “Historically, pirates were rampant not in Italy, but actually in

Spain,” the head chef of Catalina, Rossi, clarified to a new Chinese

sailor on board named Kang Hui.

Chef Rossi was a native of Genoa, Italy. Perhaps due to its beautiful

coastal townscape and its proximity to prominent ports and harbors, many

mariners once called Genoa home. Rossi was born to a sailing family, and

was particularly adept at putting together ingredients found at sea and

making an impressive seaside dish. Those who were close to the chef

sometimes nicknamed him “Rossi of the Sea” to compare him to Valentino

and Paolo Rossi, both of whom are famous sportsmen.

Both Rossi and Kang Hui liked to tell stories about seafaring and the

ocean, so the two of them became close friends very quickly.

After Catalina escaped the grip of the Bay of Biscay, Rossi treated the

crew to two special ocean-related dishes and desserts: “Seaside Italian

Roast Beef” and “Biscay Biscuits”.

Kang Hui had already heard of the story of the Biscay Biscuits from a

fellow crew member on the Catalina. Around a hundred years ago, a tall ship

named the Atlantic Rim encountered a storm on the Bay of Biscay, and was

tragically sunk into the ocean. Its surviving crew members were stranded on

a nearby island, where they had the idea of mixing the flour, sugar, and

cream that they retrieved from their sunken ship to make batter and bake

them into biscuits on beachside rocks. To their surprise, not only did

these biscuits save their lives, they also tasted delicious, and became a

popular snack even beyond the nautical world.

Kang Hui knew that the Biscay Biscuits took the world by storm, and

inspired the creation of many cookies and biscuits that we know and love

today. But he had never heard about this “Seaside Italian Roast Beef”

before.

Intrigued by this delicious dish, Kang Hui decided to ask Rossi for an

explanation of its origins during his break time after lunch.

Rossi, who loved telling stories, was delighted by Kang Hui’s

curiosity, and spared no detail in the story.

During the Second World War, Italian cruisers often patrolled the

Atlantic region and intercepted and fought many Allied transport convoys,

gaining the reputation of the “knives of the Atlantic”. But on one

Christmas Eve, after months of guarding the seas, navy officers on a

cruiser named the Foca realized that they had run out of all food except

for one piece of beef hidden in the fridge.

When the officers and chefs tried to make beef stew, they realized that

they did not have enough fresh water left for the stew. In the spur of the

moment, one officer poured a bottle of beer into the pot to save the day.

This “beer beef stew” was incredibly juicy and fragrant, the meat was

smooth and flavorful, and it looked quite appetizing, too.

Before long, this accidental invention spread from the sea to land. It

became prevalent in both European restaurants and in official state

banquets.

“When you indulge in these dishes, don’t forget just how much the

ocean has contributed to mankind!” Rossi told Kang Hui, laughing. “The

buffet at the pirate restaurant is even better. Although, excuse me. It’s

time to prepare dinner.”

In order to find out more about the pirate restaurant, Kang Hui

volunteered to follow Rossi to the kitchen and help him prepare dinner.

Just as they began, they heard a broadcast message from their navigation

company: “The ship had finished unloading cargo in France, and will set

sail immediately back to Spain.”

Rossi cheerfully began to hum a familiar tune once he heard that he

could be returning home soon. Barcelona is the Catalina’s home port.

Located on the Iberian peninsula, it’s also the busiest harbor in all of

Spain. Many restaurants with nautical themes sit by the shore here,

including the famous Pirate Restaurant.

Rossi decided to treat Kang Hui for dinner at the Pirate Restaurant

once they arrived, and to finally uncover the secrets behind the mysterious

buffet.

The day that the Catalina docked at the port happened to be Easter. In

honor of local celebrations, most people had a short holiday the week after

Easter, and an aura of energetic festivities and reunion filled the air at

the harbor.

Rossi and Kang Hui arrived at the Pirate Restaurant, where celebrations

were well underway. The restaurant’s interior was decorated in an

eccentric way: a model of a pirate ship stood front and center in the

dining room, and replicas of the items that pirates often used at sea hung

on the walls: armor, spears, swords, and little artifacts that Kang Hui

couldn’t exactly identify. On the dining tables, plates and bowls of all

colors, shapes, and sizes held a wide variety of dazzling desserts and

specialties.

This was the first time Kang Hui had ever seen such a unique

restaurant.

Rossi sat down at a table near the center of the room and began

ordering for him and Kang Hui. “Most of the dishes and desserts here are

what pirates used to eat back in the day,” Rossi said.

Although Rossi was focused on the food, Kang Hui paid more attention to

the different utensils and plates that were scattered around the table. He

noticed that some bowls were made using seashells, and couldn’t help but

blurt out, “This is amazing!”

“The pirates made this because of the harsh conditions they lived in

at the time,” Rossi explained, “Not only were they dangerous sea

burglars, many pirates also loved to fish. Catching a whale was worth even

more than a chest of gold!”

Rossi and Kang Hui exchanged stories as they tasted the old pirates’

meals, sipping wine and laughing.

Nevertheless, Kang Hui couldn’t forget about the story of this very

place: the Pirate Restaurant. “You still haven’t told me about the buffet

yet!” Kang Hui repeated as a waiter wearing a pirate costume walked up to

the table. Kang Hui reached into his pocket to pay the bill, but he was

stopped by Rossi.

“Today’s meal is on me,” Rossi told Kang Hui, “But according to the

rules here, you have to pick a treasure.”

The pirate waiter brought over a large barrel filled with strips of

paper. There were questions about pirates and their travels written on

them, and if the customer could answer correctly, they would get a discount

on their meal.

Before Kang Hui could react, Rossi quickly reached his arm into the

barrel and picked out a question. He opened the paper, read the question,

and burst out laughing. “The discount is ours!”

It turns out that the question on the strip of paper was, “How are

pirates and buffet meals related?” Kang Hui smiled in satisfaction. This

was exactly the story that he wanted to know.

Rossi took a deep breath, and began to tell the tale. Buffet meals are

now a popular choice of dining in every corner of the world. It’s easy and

simple, gets rid of the complication of going through multiple menus and

choosing one dish to try, and instead allows the customer to have a wide

variety of dishes in one sitting with a reasonable price.

The buffet originated in Scandinavia between the 8th to 11th centuries,

during a period when pirates became very prosperous in European seas.

Whenever these pirates successfully intercepted a ship or stole

valuable treasure, the pirate captain would take the lead and prepare a

feast to celebrate. However, most of the pirates were not accustomed to the

customs and etiquette of upscale dining, and felt very awkward at their own

banquets. So the pirates decided not to bother with formalities, and

created theirr own way of dining. They placed all sorts of delicious dishes

on the tables, and told one another to choose whatever food they wanted to

eat.

That was exactly how pirates invented the buffet meal.

Later on, Western restaurant owners took interest in this dining method

and systemized it, enriching the contents and variety of dishes, making it

the buffet we know and love today.

“So, to say that pirates invented the popular buffet meal is not an

exaggeration at all!” Rossi concluded. “I could tell stories about

pirates and seafarings for days and nights on end.”

Rossi’s story allowed him and Kang Hui to enjoy a discounted meal, and

opened Kang Hui’s eyes to a period of history he had never heard about

before. As they returned to their ship, Kang Hui thought to himself, “I

had no idea just how much seafaring has made possible for humanity. I need

to truly value this opportunity to travel at sea, and become an

accomplished sailor.”