Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Gamboling Around the Arhat

The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Gamboling Around the Arhat[a] (Chinese: 八仙过海闹罗汉, romanized: bā xiān guò hǎi nào luó hàn) is a gourmet dish from Confucian cuisine. An allusion to the Eight Immortals, the dish centrally features the four sea delicacies of Chinese cuisine. It was prominently served at the Kong Family Mansion since the Han dynasty.

Etymology and description

The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Gamboling Around the Arhat is a reference to the Eight Immortals of Chinese mythology, particularly the story of "The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea." The dish features chicken (the "Arhat") surrounded by eight steamed ingredients (the "Eight Immortals"): the four sea delicacies of abalone, fish maw, sea cucumber, and shark's fin; shrimp; shark's bones; asparagus; and Jinhua ham. The ingredients are arranged in a pot or sectioned dish, then ladled over with chicken broth and hot lard.[2][3][4]

History

The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Gamboling Around the Arhat was developed during the Han dynasty, c. 206 BCE - 220 CE. The dish is a centerpiece of the Confucian Feast (孔宴), a yearly banquet held at the Kong Family Mansion to celebrate the birthday of Confucius, held from the Han dynasty to the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911. Emperors and literati would attend the banquet as a part of pilgrimage to Qufu, Shandong; the Qianlong Emperor was particularly known to have attended at least seven times. The dish was traditionally heralded at the banquet by a gong and eaten during a Chinese opera performance. Despite Confucian cuisine being suppressed during the Cultural Revolution of 1966-1976, the dish is still served today at banquets at the Kong Family Mansion.[1][2][3][5]

A moe anthropomorphism or anthropomorphic ikemen of The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Gamboling Around the Arhat features as a recruitable character in the 2019 gacha otome game, The Tale of Food (食物语).[6][7]

Notes

  1. ^ also "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea While Teasing Buddhist Saints"[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Beech, Hannah (April 27, 2007). "The Best of Asia". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  2. ^ a b Clarke, Shelley (2002-12-15). "Trade in dried Asian seafood: Characterization, estimation, and implications for conservation" (pdf). Wildlife Conservation Society Working Paper. 22: 20–21. S2CID 199376811
  3. ^ a b "中国文化名菜|八仙过海闹罗汉" [Chinese culture | Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Rohan]. China Catering Association. 2018-05-06. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  4. ^ "Confucius Food". www.chinaculture.org. 2003. Archived from the original on 2004-01-08. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  5. ^ Newman, Jacqueline M. (2004). "Fish Maw". Flavor & Fortune. 11 (3): 25–27. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  6. ^ "食物语八仙过海闹罗汉有哪些效果？八仙过海闹罗汉效果及属性介绍_游戏爱好者" [What are the effects of Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Gamboling Around the Arhat in Food Fantasy? Introduction to the effects and attributes of Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Gamboling Around the Arhat]. www.golue.com. 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  7. ^ "千古食魂录-八仙过海闹罗汉-食物语官方网站-腾讯游戏" [Ancient escaping record-Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Rohan]. swy.qq.com. Archived from the original on 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2026-02-02.

Further reading

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