中國醃漬文化起源極早,時至於今,醃漬早已成為一種保存與製作風味食物的重要方式,尤其是生活於山區的客家人。臺灣中部大雪山區、與泰雅族比鄰的東勢客家庄,因依山傍水,發展出了各式溪產與山豬肉的醃漬品,當地人稱為「給」(ge^ˇ)。「給」是利用豆麴發酵熟成的醃生,與原住民生醃肉製法不同,是早期客家常民生活重要的蛋白質來源。然而其名物稱謂與來源等,當地居民說法不一,文獻亦無記載,然近二十多年來,「給」已逐漸從常民生活中淡出。本文以田調訪錄,佐以資料爬梳,探討東勢客家「給」的食味特色與時代記憶,包括其名稱來源、食材種類、製程與食用,及其在東勢飲食生活中的情感記憶與時代思維等,以此探詢其所以淡出常民生活的因素。研究結果發現,東勢的「給」源自周代「醢」文化,「ge^ˇ」乃「醢」的古音,被庶民擬音寫成「給」字。「給」的種類包括魚給、蝦給與豬肉給;醃漬時,將發酵的豆麴直接種入鹽漬的肉中,形成優勢菌種,是抑菌防腐很好的方法。「給」既是肉類缺乏時的佳餚,也是窮人家配飯的食物;其製程繁瑣,早期除了自食外,兼送禮用;其後環境變化,食材取得不易,其重鹹口味又不利健康,加以經濟發展與飲食潮流的變遷,乃至人口外移、世代交替等,都促使這個傳統食物,淡出了常民生活,甚至從新世代的記憶中消逝。
Chinese pickle culture, originated in early period, became an important way to preserve and make gourmet. Pickled river-food and wild-boar-meat, a food named as「Ge^ˇ」 for Hakka people, were developed in Dongshih Hakka village, next to the indigenous Ataya settlement, Daxue mountain in central Taiwan. However, it is very difficult to trace back the origin of「Ge^ˇ」 because of too many conflict statements, lack of official records, and fading out from daily in the past two decades. In this paper, the author conducts field research and literature reviews to explore gourmet features and era memories, including name source, food styles, preparation procedures, eating and seasoning method, as well as emotion memories and era code. The reasons behind the fading out of Dongshih「Ge^ˇ」 in common people daily life are, also, addressed. It is evidenced that Dongshih「Ge^ˇ」 is initiated from「Hi^ˇ」 culture in Zhou Dynasty. 「Ge^ˇ」, a pickled fish, shrimp, and pork, is produced by spraying the fermented soy-dragonfly onto salted seafood or meat to reach anti-bacterial/-septic and spoil-preservation effects. 「Ge^ˇ」 is both a gourmet for the lack of meat and a dish of food for the poor. Subsequent environmental changes, the difficulty of obtaining ingredients, coupled with changes in economic development and dietary trends, and even generational change caused the traditional food in fading out of people lives, and even disappearing from the new generation memory.