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FOOD | 好吃

A beauty who embraces her “odor”

一位自带“臭味”的美人

First, scrambled eggs with tomatoes is Tomatoes originated in South America
not some ancient flavor passed down for mil- and found their way to China in the late
lennia. In the words of British historian Eric Ming dynasty. The earliest known record
Hobsbawm, it is an “invented tradition.” in Chinese classics appears in Qun Fang
A century ago, the now-commonplace Pu (Treatise on Flowers), compiled by
tomato seemed an “alien visitor” to China, Ming-dynasty scholar Wang Xiangjin in
and one that came with a “funny smell.” As 1621. For a long time afterward, however,
modern Chinese writer Lao She sharply ob- the bright red fruit remained primarily an
served in his 1935 essay “Tomatoes”: “This ornamental plant, with only limited culinary
thing, especially its leaves, has a somewhat use in regions such as Yunnan and Fujian.
unpopular odor.” In his childhood memory, A quiet shift began in China’s coastal
tomatoes were mere roadside trinkets for regions at the turn of the 20th century. In
children to toy with, never something that 1906, French missionaries at Shanghai’s
belonged on the dining table. Xujiahui Cathedral started growing toma-
How, then, did the tomato complete this toes in the suburbs for the tables of mis-
remarkable transformation? The story be- sionaries, diplomats, and other foreigners.
gins at its roots. Thirty years on, the area under tomato cul- From Kunming to kitchens nationwide
tivation around Shanghai had expanded to 国民第一家常菜，从昆明走向全国
about 13.3 hectares.

The exact moment tomatoes met essay “On Kunming Fare,” he painted a
eggs in the wok is nearly lost to history. lively scene of a skillful waiter at work:
However, according to Zhao Rongguang, “He was truly capable. When a customer
President of the Symposium of Asian placed an order, he would remember it
Gastronomy and Director of the Chinese clearly and immediately call it out loudly
Culinary Culture Institute at Zhejiang to the kitchen. If two tables ordered the
Gongshang University, the dish may have same dish in a row, he’d shout, ‘Scram-
been invented around 1910 by Zheng bled eggs with tomatoes—one wok, two
Xingwen, the head chef at the Harbin plates!’” This anecdote illustrates how,
Daotai Yamen, the administrative office by then, the dish had already become a
overseeing the treaty port at the time. popular, frequently ordered home-style
Agricultural scientist Xing Xiyong staple in the city’s everyday eateries.
described a preparation in a 1935 arti- In “Scrambled Eggs,” Wang Zeng-
cle: “Peel and slice, fry with oil and add qi detailed the unique qualities of the
chicken eggs to eat.” However, whether Kunming version: “The tomatoes are
this referred to scrambled eggs, a fried stir-fried just until cooked through, still
egg dish, or an omelet remains unclear. fragrant and firm, never mushy. The eggs
The crucial leap for scrambled eggs set into large, tender curds, never tough.
with tomatoes from an indistinct form to Though combined, their red and yellow
a distinctive, household name occurred hues remain distinct…” With these few
in Kunming. lines, he highlights the local chefs’ mas-
During the War of Resistance Against tery over form and texture, demonstrating
Japanese Aggression, Kunming served as that a definitive standard for scrambled
a crucial rear-area stronghold, drawing in eggs with tomatoes had already taken
workers, soldiers, teachers, and students shape.
from across the nation. This massive Following the victory in the War of
population movement led to a fusion of Resistance, as people gradually returned
regional flavors, while material shortages home and settled back into stable lives,
spurred remarkable culinary creativity. scrambled eggs with tomatoes, a dish
Tomatoes, being affordable and acces- tempered by the wartime experience,
sible, became the heart and star of this began to spread across China. In turn, the
new creation. Eggs, too, were relatively tomato itself gained wider acceptance.
plentiful in resource-rich Kunming, com- As Li Xinsheng, Associate Professor in
pleting the now-iconic pairing. the Department of History at Southeast
While stationed in Kunming between University, notes, it was only after the
1944 and 1945, American Flying Tigers founding of the People’s Republic of
medic Clinton Millet captured color pho- China that the tomato truly entered mil-
tographs of the city. Among them, an im- lions of households.
age of a small eatery offering scrambled Today, scrambled eggs with tomatoes
eggs with tomatoes. has become a rite of passage for every
Wang Zengqi, a contemporary Chi- kitchen beginner and the perfect pairing
nese writer who studied at the National with rice in family meals. Its vibrant red-
Southwestern Associated University, and-yellow colors also harmonize with
held vivid memories of Kunming’s the Chinese cultural fondness for hues that
scrambled eggs with tomatoes. In his symbolize festivity and good fortune.