杭菜历史悠久，有深厚的文化底蕴。除了历史上几个大事件，如宋室南迁对杭菜的形成有着决定性的影响之外，历代文人对杭菜的关注也起了至关重要的作用。
　　他们的作用体现在：一，用文字记载了当时餐饮业的盛况、记录一些菜肴的名称，特别是以《梦粱录》最为著称；二，从高于一般消费者欣赏水平的角度，总结了以往的餐饮经验，如林洪的《山家清供》等；三，在个人的诗文著作里反映自己的饮食观念，这对当时和后代的餐饮经营和消费也产生了影响，如苏东坡、陆游等；四，由于名人的名气，民间真真假假流传着他们与美食的故事，给餐饮增添了文化气息和趣味性，如东坡肉的来历传闻；五，出版关于餐饮的专著，如袁枚的《随园食单》、李渔的《闲情偶寄•饮馔部》等。
　　在影响杭菜的众多的文人中，最值得一提的是苏东坡、李渔、袁枚、鲁迅。
　　
　　苏东坡的影响最深广
　　
　　在如今的36个杭州名菜中，东坡肉总能勾人食欲。
　　苏东坡(1037-1101)名轼，号东坡居士，是我国历史上著名的文学家，曾两次到杭州担任地方官。第一次是熙宁四年(1071)，任通判(一州的副长官)；第二次是元四年(1089)，任知州(市长)。他任职期间对杭州进行了综合治理，特别是对西湖的治理更是立下功劳，苏堤便是利用湖中淤泥所筑，在苏堤的南端还建有苏东坡纪念馆。
　　东坡肉、东坡鱼、东坡酒、东坡笋……，自11世纪以来，苏东坡在中国美食界声誉卓著。东坡肉的传说有很多版本，传说他任杭州任知州时，曾用猪肉、黄酒犒劳疏浚西湖的民工，民工误解而把黄酒、猪肉放在一起煮，结果此肉酥糯可口，其香无比，因而便成了杭州的36个名菜之一，冠名为“东坡肉”。
　　
　　苏东坡在江浙、中州、南粤各地任过官吏，尝遍了各地的肴馔，写下了《菜羹赋》《食猪肉诗》《豆粥》《鲸鱼行》以及著名的《老馋赋》等。他在自己的诗作中以老馋嘴自居，这生动地反映了他对饮食烹调的浓厚兴趣和品尝佳肴美味的丰富经验。苏东坡除了善于品尝外，还经常自己动手烹饪佳肴。据宋代周紫芝《竹坡诗话》记载，苏东坡被贬谪到黄冈时，不时下厨劳作，他见黄冈市面猪肉价贱，而人们较少吃它，便亲自烹调猪肉，吃得津津有味。苏东坡烹制鱼羹颇为在行，并自称在家乡时常亲执炝煮鱼以待客。他的素食也做得不错，曾用芦菔白米做过“玉糁羹”，自称其味之佳可与西天的醍醐媲美。
　　正因为苏东坡与饮食有如此的缘分，所以相传与他有关的名馔不少，用他名字命名的菜肴更多，如“东坡肘子”、“东坡豆腐”、“东坡玉糁”、“东坡腿”、“东坡芽脍”、“东坡墨鲤”、“东坡饼”、“东坡酥”、“东坡豆花”、“东坡肉”等等。这些菜点或多或少都对杭菜产生了影响。
　　
　　李渔主张清淡忌油
　　
　　明末清初的戏剧家李渔是半个杭州人。他年轻时来杭州开始了卖文生涯，数年间连续写出了《怜香伴》《风筝误》《意中缘》《玉搔头》等六部传奇及《无声戏》《十二楼》两部白话短篇小说集，在杭州坊间一下子就响了名声，而且连南京、苏州也都流传着他的传奇作品。连他的笔名“湖上笠翁”，也与西湖关系密切。
　　李渔在1662年左右离开杭州，举家迁往金陵。经过几十年的奔走，身心劳累、年近古稀的李渔又回到了西湖边上。此后他再也不想走了，想在西子湖畔安享晚年，不想没有过上几天安闲的日子，新屋造好不久，便在一个大雪纷飞的凌晨安然地闭上了眼睛。
　　
　　一生贫困疲于奔命的李渔不像苏东坡那样精于美食，但他对饮食还是有超人的见解，其精华是重蔬食、崇俭约、尚真味、主清淡、忌油腻、讲洁美、慎杀生、求食益，这些见解体现在他的重要著作《闲情偶寄》“饮馔部”里。300年后的今天，这种饮食之道仍然有指导意义，可以说是一种科学的养生之道和人生观。
　　李渔反对那些为追求自己一嘴之贪，动不动就射杀飞禽走兽制作菜肴的饕餮之徒。“兽之死也，死于人；禽之毙也，毙于己。食野味者，当作如是观。惜禽而更当惜兽，以其取死之道为可原也。”李渔也并不认为“野味”的味道怎么好，他认为：“野味之逊于家味者，以其不能尽肥；家味之逊于野味者，以其不能有香也。家味之肥，肥于不自觅食而安享其成；野味之香，香于草木为家而行止自若。是知丰衣美食，逸处安居，肥人之事也；流水，高山，奇花异木，香人之物也。”李渔始终认为蔬菜是最上等的美食。“吾为饮食之道，脍不如肉，肉不如蔬，亦以其渐近自然也。”这一见解至今没有过时。
　　杭菜的特色与李渔的饮食之道有极大的相似之处。杭菜的原料多蔬菜、笋类、河鲜，讲究荤素搭配；杭菜的口味崇尚清淡，不重油重色，讲究原汁原味；杭菜原料中基本上没有“鸟兽蛇虫”之类的野生动物，这些科学饮食的特色，使得杭菜在我国的大小菜系中独树一帜。近年来杭菜之所以名扬全国，这也是一个原因，由此可以说，李渔对杭菜功不可没。
　　李渔是终老在杭州的，据说安葬在云居山，但现在毫无遗迹可寻。上世纪70年代曾有人在杭州云居山之麓的一个公用食堂水池边看到过一块垫脚的青石正是李渔的墓碑，但后来也就不见了。
　　
　　袁枚精撰《随园食单》
　　
　　
　　近日，杭州有几家餐馆推出了酒糟蒸鲥鱼这道菜，口味新颖，大获好评。这些店家都自诩是自家研制的，但业内专家对此说不以为然，因为这道菜在袁枚的《随园食单》早有介绍，应该说是一道传统名菜。
　　《随园食单》“江鲜单”中的第二道菜就是鲥鱼：“鲥鱼用蜜酒蒸食，如治刀鱼之法便佳，或用油煎，加酱，酒酿亦佳。万不可切成碎块加鸡汤煮，或去其背专取肚皮，则真味全失矣。”如今杭州的厨师烹制鲥鱼，基本上没有把鱼切成碎块的，也没有专取肚皮的，看来，袁枚的主张古今厨师都依此办理，没有逾矩。
　　袁枚是清代乾隆、嘉庆时期的代表诗人之一，与赵翼、蒋士铨并称乾隆三大家。他活跃诗坛60余年，存诗4000余首。
　　在吟诗作画之外，袁枚还是一位有丰富经验的美食家、烹饪学家。他所著的《随园食单》一书，是我国清代一部系统地论述烹饪技术和南北菜点的重要著作。该书出版于1792年(乾隆五十七年)，全书分为须知单、戒单、海鲜单、江鲜单、特牲单、杂牲单、羽族单、水族有鳞单、水族无鳞单、杂素单、小菜单、点心单、饭粥单和菜酒单等14个方面。他在须知单中提出了既全且严的20个操作要求，在戒单中提出了14个注意事项。接着，用大量的篇幅详细记述了我国从14世纪至18世纪中流行的326种南北菜肴饭点，也介绍了当时的美酒名茶。
　　近日，杭菜研究会召集专家准备出版一本品味杭州菜的专著，专家都谈到了宋室南迁对杭菜的影响，但一致认为历代文人对杭菜的贡献不能忽视，特别是袁枚，他对杭菜的影响至今仍在。眼下的很多杭州名菜其实在他的《随园食单》里都有介绍，比如蜜汁火方、生炒甲鱼、西湖醋鱼、土步鱼、卤鸭、素烧鹅、宋嫂鱼羹等等。当然他对这些菜肴并非一味赞赏，比如对宋嫂鱼羹做滥了就表示过担忧。
　　
　　《随园食单》中的菜肴并非信手拈来，多数经过反复比较才入选，有的还花费了大力气，比如几道豆腐菜肴，袁枚是从蒋侍郎、杨中丞、王太守、程立万等人的家里学来的，有的甚至“三顾茅庐”才得到真传。如果没有袁枚的这番心血，杭州名菜也许至今不会这么丰富。
　　
　　鲁迅钟情“知味观”
　　
　　鲁迅与知味观关系密切，可能与他出生于浙江绍兴有关。
　　杭州知味观于1913年开业，原由绍兴人孙翼斋和阿义创办，后由孙翼斋独资经营，并按“欲知我味，观料便知”的店幅取名“知味观”，以经营杭州风味菜为特色，主要名菜有“西湖醋鱼”、“龙井虾仁”、“叫化童鸡”、“西湖莼菜汤”等。
　　
　　既然是绍兴人开的餐馆，所以经营的菜肴里有不少绍兴风味，比如用酒糟浸渍鸡块、肚片、猪舌、鸡爪、猪爪等等，店小二将这些糟货盛在陶钵中，名为“糟钵头”。这些糟货至今仍然是知味观的招牌菜，而且被真空包装，进行工业化生产，还通过超市网络远销省内外。此外，绍兴的传统名菜霉干菜烧肉、臭豆腐、醉鸡、醉虾，即绍兴菜中的“糟、醉、霉、臭”知味观一个不少。这些菜受到杭州人、绍兴人喜爱，鲁迅也不例外。
　　“知味观”历史上最引以为自豪的，是它和鲁迅的交往。鲁迅生前为了同国内文化界人士加强联系，促进中外人民友谊与国际文化交流，经常在“知味观”设筵宴客，有时还请这家菜馆厨师到自己家里烧家乡菜招待朋友。在1932年至1934年的三年间，鲁迅到“知味观”宴请友人达六七次之多。1932年7月3日晚，鲁迅和夫人许广平在“知味观”设宴为日本进步女歌手山本初枝夫人饯行，互赠诗词，鲁迅在日记中提到她的名字就有120多次。1933年，鲁迅寓所搬到上海山阴路大陆新村九号不久，为答谢友人的帮助，他又亲自到“知味观”预订酒席，在1933年4月20日和4月23日晚上，还接连两次宴请酬谢友人，著名作家茅盾、郁达夫、姚克等都应邀前往。鲁迅亲笔书写的邀请姚克出席宴会的请贴，至今还被完整地保存着，这张请帖是“知味观”所制，非常精美。
　　如今，喜欢来“知味观”品尝佳肴的浙江籍海外华侨、港澳同胞，面对传统的叫化童鸡、西湖醋鱼、宋嫂鱼羹等菜肴，以及创新的知味观名菜金牌银鳕鱼、蟹酿橙、武林熬鸭等，就会很自然地想起“三秋桂子，十里荷花”的诗句。在重新恢复的杨公堤景区，现在又出现了一家知味观杨公堤味庄，使得知味观与西湖更加贴近了，也更增加了吸引天下游客的魅力。
　　
　　Historical Personages and Hangzhou Cuisine
　　By Lu Yinxian
　　
　　Hangzhou cuisine dates back to a long time ago and it is steeped in cultural heritage. In addition to a few historical events such as the Royal House of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) that moved to Hangzhou and had a decisive role in shaping the local cuisine, scholars, over centuries, helped Hangzhou cuisine became what it is today.
　　Scholars in the history helped shape Hangzhou cuisine in five ways. They recorded the grand prosperity of the restaurant business of their days and even jotted down names of some famous dishes; as classy gourmets, they summarized features of local cuisine; they discussed their personal preferences and views on wine and dine; there are stories about scholars and food; and they published books on food.
　　Of the scholars who had profound influence on Hangzhou cuisine are Su Dongpo, Li Yu, Yuan Mei, and Lu Xun.
　　Su Dongpo (1037-1101) is a famous literary master. He served as a city magistrate in 1071 and 1089 respectively. Though each of his term was only one year, he did a lot to improve the local life and economy. In particular, he had the West Lake bottom dredged and the silt dredged up was built into a Causeway, which still carries his name today. As a prominent epicure, he was the very source of many gourmet dishes. Dongpo Pork, one of the 36 local dishes, is named after him. Legend has it that he sent the rice wine and pork to workers dredging the West Lake. Mistakenly, the rice wine and pork were cooked together. The result was an unexpected delicacy. Su also wrote poems on gourmet dishes and described his epicurean pleasures. Thanks to his reputation, many dishes carry his name even today. These dishes have shaped Hangzhou cuisine.
　　Li Yu can be regarded as a 50% Hangzhou local. He came to Hangzhou as a young writer seeking literary fame. The six legends and two collections of short stories he wrote during his stay in Hangzhou made him famous in the city. His reputation spread to Suzhou and Nanjing. He left Hangzhou for Jinling in 1662 in the hope of finding a better career. But he came back to Hangzhou to spend his evening years. Though Li Yu, unlike Su Dongpo who was able to enjoy gourmet dishes, spent his life in poverty, he had original ideas on food: He emphasized vegetables, abstained from fatty and oily food, wanted light food, objected to killing animals and poultry, and went after healthy benefits in food. He wrote these ideas in his book. Li Yu’s dietary principles play an important part in Hangzhou cuisine. Even today, ingredients of the famous dishes are mainly vegetables, bamboo shoots, fish and shrimp. Hangzhou cuisine features light dishes that keep the original taste. They are prepared without too much fat, oil and seasoning. And the traditional menu does not contain wildlife such as birds, animals, snakes, and insects. This makes Hangzhou-styled food quite unique in the country. And this is also partly why Hangzhou cuisine has become popular across the country in recent years.
　　Yuan Mei was a representative poet in the Qing Dynasty (1944-1911). An active poet for over 60 years, he composed more than 4,000 poems. He was more than a poet. He was an experienced chef and epicurean. In 1792, he published Menus from the Garden of Leisure, an important systematic summary of culinary art and cuisines in northern and southern China in the Qing Dynasty. The book discussed the culinary art and food categories in fourteen chapters. He came up with 20 operating rules in one chapter and 14 points for attention in another chapter. The dishes recorded in the book amounted to 326 that were popular in China from 14th century to 18the century. What is discussed in the book is still popular on today’s restaurant menus across the city. What came into the book was not merely information the scholar picked up here and there. Yuan Mei did field studies and learned from other masters. For example, the book has information on several tofu dishes. He learned these dishes from chefs from social celebrities. To cook some tofu dishes, he even visited a chef several times before he learned the secret.
　　The name of Lu Xun was closely associated with one restaurant in Hangzhou. That was probably because the writer’s hometown coincided with that of the restaurant owners.
　　Zhiweiguan Restaurant was founded in Hangzhou in 1913 by two people from Shaoxing. Though the restaurant featured Hangzhou dishes, it had a lot of Shaoxing styled dishes pickled with wine and contained in small pottery pots. These wine-pickled dishes are still signature dishes of the restaurant. They are even now mass produced in vacuum packs and sold in supermarkets across the country. Lu Xun entertained his guests at Zhiweiguan restaurant. And sometimes the restaurant sent its chefs to prepare a banquet at Lu Xun’s house in Shanghai.
　　
　　 (Translated by David)