Ice-Making Concept
Chang 'an was still very stuffy in June.
Most of the rich and powerful families stored ice cubes in the winter and used them during the hot summer. However, a large portion of them would melt. Even if it was a luxurious family, only the head of the family and important people could use them.
Old Qin was a kind person and asked the housekeeper to send ice over.
Of course, this was only limited to Qin Mo. Old Qin only relied on the court's salary to survive and had no other livelihood. In addition, he had a lot of compensation for the injured veterans, so he was not very generous.
The butler told Qin Mo that there was not much ice stored in the house last year and it would be used up soon.
After hearing the butler's words, Qin Mo felt that making ice was a good way to earn money.
The thing needed to make ice was saltpeter.
The chemical name of saltpeter was calcium nitrate. When it dissolved in water, it would absorb heat and lower the temperature, so the water in the small basin would freeze.
In history, the earliest saltpeter was used to make ice until the end of the Tang Dynasty. People mined saltpeter during the production of gunpowder. It was then discovered that saltpeter would absorb a large amount of heat when dissolved in water, causing the water to cool down and freeze. From then on, the method of making ice in summer was invented. In the future, merchants would gradually add sugar to ice to attract customers.
In the Song Dynasty, there were more and more varieties of cold food on the market. Merchants added fruit or juice, and even added fruit pulp and milk to the ice. This was very similar to modern ice cream. In other words, it was the ancestor of contemporary ice cream and even Haagen-Dazs.
In fact, the hardworking and intelligent Han people had a custom of storing ice cubes in the ice cellar in winter and using them in summer as early as the Shang Dynasty. In the Zhou Dynasty, the government had an official who specialized in this matter, called "Ling Ren", and built an "ice well" to store ice. This was recorded in the Book of Songs, Wei Zhi, and Song Dynasty Hui Yao. In the northern regions, ice was stored in winter and taken out in the summer of the following year. It was awarded by the government to the officials, known as "granting ice" and "giving ice". This custom was an important part of the ancient government decrees. It was also sold in the folk market. Some smart people used a plane to cut the ice into ice chips and mixed it with white sugar and spices for human consumption. It was a very popular summer food.
The real realization of artificial ice production began in the Tang Dynasty. At that time, there were already vendors selling cold drinks and food on the streets of Chang 'an. During the Southern Song Dynasty, the technology of making ice became more and more mature. The Han people had already mastered the use of saltpeter to add ice water as a refrigerator. With milk as the raw material, they stirred while condensing, and then added various flavors of fruit pulp or fruit to make delicious "ice cheese".
However, because of its high price, only the nobles and a few rich people could enjoy it, which was similar to today's Haagen-Dazs.
The beautiful ice cream undoubtedly created a legend in the history of ice cream, food culture, and even human civilization. From this point of view, its significance far exceeded today's Haagen-Dazs. It was a classic fashion and a powerful performance of the splendid and long-standing Han culture.
However, these things could not be done by him alone. The mine was not something he could open casually.
Hence, he mentioned it to Old Qin during breakfast.
"You said you want to make ice? This is a divine technique."
Old Qin looked at Qin Mo in disbelief.
Condensing water into ice, this was simply a divine technique in the eyes of the ancients. Even as the current Duke, Old Qin was no exception.
Qin Mo couldn't stand Old Qin looking at him as if he was looking at a monster. He didn't want to be regarded as a heretic, so he quickly explained," Uncle, you don't have to look at me like that. This is just ordinary physics, just like how water freezes in winter.”
Old Qin heaved a sigh of relief when Qin Mo said that.
"You can turn summer into winter?" Old Qin asked.
Qin Mo rolled his eyes.
So he patiently explained," I know of a kind of stone called saltpeter. When it is ground into powder and dissolved in water, it will absorb a large amount of heat, causing the water to freeze.”
Old Qin knew nothing about heat, but he knew that it was a stone called saltpeter that turned water into ice. Therefore, he no longer regarded Qin Mo as a god and became interested in saltpeter." I didn't expect such a magical thing to exist in the world. Fate is indeed mysterious and unpredictable."”
"Uncle, I know that there is a mountain outside Chang 'an that has this saltpeter. Nephew wants you to take that mountain. Our old Qin family will open an ice shop to earn some money to support our family.”
Qin Mo revealed his motive.
Before he came, he had searched online for saltpeter production places near Chang 'an.
Qin Qiong said," That's good."
After that, Qin Mo decided to split the profits between the two families fifty-fifty. Old Qin had no objections.
Old Qin was not a pedantic person. Naturally, he would not say that merchants were cheap businesses. Nowadays, which noble family did not have a few businesses under them?
Cheng Yaojin's cow was able to commit suicide so often because he was rich.
After the discussion, Qin Mo was in a good mood and ate an extra bowl of porridge.
After breakfast, Old Qin ordered his guards to bring Qin Mo to Chang 'an City to look for saltpeter.
Naturally, there was no need to trouble Old Qin, the dignified Duke, to personally come forward for such trivial matters.
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