Gastrodia and Pigeon in Lovers' Style

Gastrodia and Pigeon in Lovers' Style

　　“Gastrodia and Pigeon in Lovers' Style,” as the name suggests, is a dish primarily made with gastrodia and pigeon. The gastrodia is cut into small pieces and steamed with cleaned pigeons, then combined with chicken meatball dumplings, tender pea sprouts, and seasonings. The dish gets its name because it resembles mandarin ducks playing in water. It features a clear broth, an elegant color scheme, and tender, refreshing meat.

Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a father and son who lived deep in the mountains and worked as farmers. The father suffered from dizziness and had to stay in bed. One day, while the son was herding sheep on the mountain, he heard the call of a turtle dove in a tree. He climbed up and caught two young turtle doves. Suddenly, a strong wind arose, covering the sky with sand and causing trees all around to sway—except for the gastrodia herb, which stood firmly unmoved. The shepherd boy dug up several pieces of gastrodia, took them home, and cooked them together with the turtle doves for his father to eat. The next day, the father’s dizziness had greatly improved. He then sent his son back up the mountain to dig more gastrodia, but no turtle doves could be found, so they used a pigeon instead. After eating the dish, the father’s dizziness soon completely disappeared.

Gastrodia is known as the “Wind-Calming Grass” or “Forest Grass” and is a famous and precious traditional Chinese medicinal herb produced in Guizhou. As stated in the medical text Suwen: “All types of wind-induced dizziness and vertigo are related to the liver, hence gastrodia acts on the Jueyin meridian to treat various illnesses. Blackened vision and spinning head due to internal wind can only be cured by gastrodia.” Pigeon meat is highly nutritious, and when consumed together with gastrodia, it naturally serves to nourish and strengthen the body. “Gastrodia and Pigeon in Lovers' Style” was once presented in Beijing at the 1983 National Culinary Masters’ Technical Performance. (Anshun)