Translator: Nox

Chapter 48

48. Pressure Cooker

Late 17th Century.

The French scientist Denis Papin devised a special device.

He, who had been working as an assistant to the scientist Robert Boyle, famous for "Boyle's Law," wanted to directly experiment with the correlation between the boiling point of water and pressure.

The device he created for the experiment was a pot with a screw on the lid that could completely seal the inside.

When water was boiled, the hot, expanding air inside could not escape, creating high pressure.

In this high-pressure environment, a very surprising phenomenon was observed.

The boiling point of water rose.

That is, water that boiled at 100 degrees Celsius at normal atmospheric pressure boiled at 120 degrees Celsius at 2 atmospheres.

The device, which would later be called 'Diagesteur' or 'Steam Digester,' had a tremendous secondary effect in addition to the experimental results.

That was.

'…It became possible to raise the temperature of water above 100 degrees Celsius.'

Papin, who had an excellent business sense, expanded this experimental tool into a completely different area.

In 1682, the title of the book he published in Paris was as follows:

[A description of the method of cooking bones and cooking all kinds of meat in a short time and at a low cost, and the machines used for it]

In short, Denis Papin had invented the first 'cooking pressure cooker.'

This was one of the most memorable anecdotes for Ji-young while studying the history of cooking.

'It was said that a big change happened in cooking after the invention of the pressure cooker.'

Until then, cooking methods using boiling water, such as boiling, steaming, and simmering, could not cook ingredients at temperatures above 100 degrees Celsius.

It was obvious.

No matter how much you boil it, water does not rise above 100 degrees Celsius.

But that was the story at normal pressure.

Using a pressure cooker raises the temperature of the water even higher.

In other words, cooking with a pressure cooker not only shortens the cooking time, but also makes it possible to cook the meat so soft that you can chew it to the bone.

Ji-young immediately thought of this pressure cooker when she heard about 'Joseon Ginseng Cuisine' from the Ming Dynasty delegation.

'If it's a dish with ginseng, it has to be 'Samgyetang'.'

In front of famous Samgyetang restaurants, it was common for not only domestic customers but also Chinese and Japanese tourists to line up for a long time.

If cooked properly, it would surely captivate the heart of the Ming Dynasty envoy.

'But Samgyetang is a dish that doesn't even exist in this era yet….'

The history of Samgyetang is surprisingly short, and it was created after the 1960s.

Of course, a dish called 'Gyesamtang' which is its predecessor, appears in documents such as <Dongguksesigi> and <Gyeongdojapji>, but that was also in the late Joseon Dynasty.

'…That's why it will be even more valuable. It will be a dish that no one has ever eaten before.'

But even so, boiling Samgyetang in a regular pot would not be very special.

There are many chicken baeksuk-style dishes in Joseon and China.

What Ji-young thought of here was Samgyetang cooked in a pressure cooker.

'If I can make Papin's 'Steam Digester', I can present Samgyetang with the softest meat!'

That's why she came to this Blacksmith.

The drawing Ji-young drew was a small-scale version of Papin's pressure cooker.

Chun-saeng, who had been staring at the drawing for a long time, finally opened his mouth.

"So, you mean to trap the steam generated when water is boiled inside the pot? Then, if the seams of the pot are even slightly weak or loose, the pressure will be concentrated there and it will burst… So it would be difficult to make it with cast iron…."

Chun-saeng seemed to have grasped the core of pressure cooker production at once just by looking at the drawing.

"I think it should be made of bronze. Basically, it should be similar to the principle of making a Hand Cannon."

"Hand Cannon…?"

The Royal Secretary Im Soong-jae's eyebrows twitched at those words.

'I heard that he was a Blacksmith that the Military Supplies Command was looking for, so it was because he had the skill to make Hand Cannons.'

But making Hand Cannons privately is an extremely dangerous act.

If you're not careful, it's a serious matter that could lead to charges of treason.

'…Maybe he's a dangerous person.'

A instinctive sense of caution was triggered somewhere in Sungjae's stomach, but for the time being, he had no choice but to watch silently because of the situation.

Whether he knew Sungjae's inner thoughts or not, Chun-saeng continued his explanation.

"Even if iron is forged a lot, its strength is high, but its toughness is low, so it is easy to break when a huge pressure is applied. That's why bronze is used for cannons."

"Then… can you make it if you use bronze?"

Ji-young, who couldn't possibly know metallurgy, asked cautiously, and Chun-saeng spread out three fingers.

"Three days. Just give me three days. I'll take responsibility and make it for sure."

Three days….

It's not enough time, but if I receive the finished pot and rush to Hanyang, I'll have just enough time.

"Then I'll ask you."

"Let's see each other in three days. I won't go far."

Ji-young bowed her head and said goodbye before leaving the Blacksmith.

Looking to the side, Sungjae was making a smug expression as if he had solved all the difficult problems himself.

"Three days. Then, shall we take a look around the courtesan houses around here in the meantime…."

"No."

"…What?"

…What is this firm tone?

Sungjae turned around with a dumbfounded expression, and Ji-young added sharply.

"There's still more to do. Things to do."

"No, what else is there to do?"

Ji-young calmly continued, annoyed that her plan to go to a courtesan house had been thwarted.

"Because we have to go get the last ingredient that will determine the victory."

"We came all the way here to make that weird pot, so what else do you need! I can't go anymore. You go find it!"

Sungjae waved his hand and turned away, as if he didn't want to suffer any more.

Ji-young, who was dumbfounded by the sight, snapped sharply.

"Hey, you said that if we don't have that, we'll lose the competition. Then you said we'll both be executed, right? Do you just want to be executed? Should we both be torn apart by oxen?"

Hearing those words, Sungjae trembled with resentment, but he had no choice but to follow Ji-young's words.

'You impudent thing… Just wait until we get back….'

It was a strong word that was deliberately uttered to move Sungjae, but it was not wrong.

Ji-young recalled the figure of Dang Baek-ryong, the chef from the Ming Dynasty.

A man who had poured his entire life into cooking.

Such a person will come at me with all his might, so whether I win or lose, the result will be a difference of one perilla leaf.

Moreover, what was even more unsettling was that the outcome of the competition was ultimately up to the Ming Dynasty envoy.

'The first two times, they could give a draw without much worry because there was another chance. But now, with the final match with the remaining one, they will never acknowledge our cuisine.'

In short, the outcome of the cooking competition ultimately depends on the person evaluating it, so it's truly up to the candy maker's discretion.

'…Then, the only way is to create a situation where they can't help but admit defeat.'

So what Ji-young is trying to do from now on is the first step.

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

"Let's go down to the village first. We're going to get two sows there. Healthy ones."

"Wh, what…? Pigs? Not even boars, but specifically sows?"

"Yes. Sows. Female pigs."

Ji-young said that and blinked slowly.

'Oh my, this is….'

Sungjae tilted his head repeatedly as if he couldn't understand at all.

That's understandable.

Ji-young's words are getting stranger and stranger.

"No, where are you going to get sows all of a sudden?"

"There's a Butcher village around here. If you show them this token, they'll give you a pig without difficulty."

Ji-young's expression, clutching the Butcher's token she received from Bong-dan, was quite serious.

* * *

The next day at dawn.

• Oink, oink, oink

Two Royal guard officers escorting the group were tying the struggling pig's legs with rope.

It seems they are trying to tie the pig tightly, load it behind the horse, and move.

"…I couldn't even rest properly last night because I was looking for pigs, but where are we going again this early in the morning?"

"There's no time to hesitate. If we run non-stop with this horse given by His Majesty, we'll arrive within half a day."

In modern times, it's a distance that takes less than two hours by car.

But in this era, where the roads are not properly paved, you have to run diligently with a fine horse from dawn to barely make it in half a day.

"No, so where are we going anyway~"

At Sungjae's annoyed voice, Ji-young recalled a large map in her head.

If you start from Anseong, where the Blacksmith is located, and move east along the Namhan River system, you will reach Chungju.

A little further east from there.

Korea's representative karst terrain, famous for its limestone scenery.

Danyang.

When Ji-young was working as a chef, she read a related paper after seeing an article that something had been discovered there.

'It must be there in this era too.'

Well-drained calcareous soil, oak forests at an altitude of 700~1200m.

I have to go to that location with perfect conditions.

The destination was the Soseonam area, which is called 'Danyang Palgyeong' and boasts a natural landscape.

By the time they arrived there, the sun was already past noon.

"I managed to get here without even eating properly, but what are we going to do now?"

Ji-young handed Sungjae the hemp rope tied to the pig's waist, who had become haggard from suffering hardships that were not in his fate.

"Now, grab this and go into the oak forest and follow where the pig smells."

"…Ji-young, let's at least know what we're doing."

"We're looking for an ingredient that can win the banquet, a 'special mushroom'."

"Find mushrooms with pigs…? What kind of bizarre mushroom is that in the world?"

Sungjae burst out laughing in disbelief, but Ji-young's expression was quite serious.

"It's a mushroom called truffle."

Truffle. The so-called truffle mushroom.

One of the world's three major delicacies, the most expensive mushroom in the world.

It is common for 1kg to cost millions of won, and the best quality product was sold for 130 million won for only 830g.

That's why the French gourmet Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin called truffles 'diamonds in the ground'.

There are only two world-famous truffle producing areas.

'Black Truffle' from Perigord, France, and 'White Truffle' from Piedmont, Italy.

'…But I saw a study that truffles that grow naturally in Korea have been discovered!'

According to recent papers, truffles that grow naturally in Korea exist in Danyang, Pohang, and other places.

So Ji-young thought that even in the Joseon Dynasty, she could find truffles if she went to the place marked in the paper.

'The calcareous terrain, climate, altitude, and oak forest here. All the conditions necessary for truffle growth are the same in the Joseon Dynasty and modern times.'

"…But why do we have to drag pigs around to find mushrooms?"

Sungjae, who was holding the pig's leash, which was diligently wandering around, had been complaining since earlier.

Ji-young also followed the pig on the leash and explained diligently.

"That mushroom grows underground attached to the roots of oak trees, so you can't see it with your eyes. Pigs have the ability to smell it, so you can barely find it by using that."

"…But why a sow?"

"The smell of truffles is similar to the smell of boars, so sows in heat find them well."

"Huh… It seems like it doesn't make sense, but it makes sense…."

The so-called truffle hunting.

A truffle harvesting method with history and tradition that takes place in Piedmont, northern Italy.

It is even designated as a 'UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage'.

It was then.

• Oink, oink, oink

The pig tied to Sungjae's leash suddenly started running madly somewhere.

"Kuek~"

Sungjae had no choice but to follow along in a daze.

"Could it be!"

Ji-young's eyes widened in an instant.

The pig ran straight to a large oak tree, and then began to sniff and dig the ground like crazy.

"I'm sure! The pig found a truffle!"

"Ugh, is that so?"

"Quickly, you have to pull it out with your hands. Before the pig eats the truffle!"

"Ugh… Ugh."

Sungjae frowned and had no choice but to put his hand into the pig's mouth, which was covered in dirt.

Expensive silk clothes are covered with pig saliva and dirt.

"You, you pig. Spit out the precious mushroom quickly!"

Soon, a small piece popped out of the pig's mouth, which was coughing.

"Th, that is!"

Ji-young's face brightened at the sight of the piece.

※Author's Note

<Truffles discovered in Pohang, Gyeongbuk and Danyang, Chungbuk in February and October of this year have been identified as Tuber himalayensis species after DNA confirmation.>

• Source: Yonhap News (2019-11-03)