Chinese food culture has a long history in traditional Chinese culture education Yin-yang and five elements Philosophical thoughts, Confucian ethics and moral concepts, traditional Chinese medicine nutrition theory, as well as cultural and artistic achievements, diet aesthetic Fashion, national character trait Under the influence of many factors to create Go down in history the Chinese cooking Skills, the formation of extensive and profound Chinese food culture.

From an extensional perspective, Chinese diet Culture can be classified from multiple perspectives such as times and techniques, region and economy, nation and religion, food and utensils, consumption and levels, folklore and functions, showing different cultural tastes and reflecting different use values. Teochew cuisine Be the best Chinese cuisine ^[5] . Guangdong Cuisine Department of Fashionable vegetable It has been officially designated as the only representative of Chinese food culture for three consecutive times World Expo ^[6] .

Chinese food culture, known for its long history, spread over a vast area, a large number of food population, excellent cooking technology, profound cultural heritage and famous in the world. The extensive Chinese food culture has played and is playing an important role in maintaining the prosperity of the Chinese nation, promoting the development of productive forces, and promoting social progress and civilization. Renowned at home and abroad Teochew cuisine It's the four major Chinese cuisines Guangdong Cuisine The backbone and representative of its culinary skills have been listed at the national level Intangible cultural heritage Representative project directory, with "the best in the world Chinese cuisine Be called" ^[4-5] .

There are more than 3,000 kinds of commonly used, more than 10,000 kinds of used cooking ingredients, more than 500 kinds of seasonings to make Chinese dishes. Salt is the ancestor of all kinds of food, Zigong is the capital of well salt, and salt gang is the family of food. Food in Sichuan, taste in Zigong . Rooted in Bashu culture and born in Sichuan cuisine series, it was formed with the prosperity and development of salt industry economy Zigong salt Bang dish Become different from Chengdu-Chongqing" Upper River Gang ", "Xiahe Bang" cuisine of South Sichuan" Xiaohe Gang "Outstanding representative. ^[2]

Chinese name: Chinese food culture
Foreign name: Chinese food culture

Main flavor: Bashu, Qilu, Huaiyang, Yuemin
Subject affiliation: culturology

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Cultural overview

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EDITOR

Chinese diet

The relationship between literature, art, diet and life realm is profound and extensive.

From the perspective of extension, Chinese food culture can be classified from multiple perspectives such as times and techniques, region and economy, nationality and religion, food and utensils, consumption and levels, folklore and functions, showing different cultural tastes and reflecting different use values.

From the point of view of characteristics, Chinese food culture highlights the Yingwei theory of nourishing and helping to make up (vegetarian diet, emphasizing medicinal diet and supplements), and pays attention to "color, aroma and taste". The state of five flavors harmonized (distinct flavor, palatability of the jen, there is a "tongue dish" reputation), the Qizhan interchangeable cooking method (kitchen rules based, flexible), the pleasant and pleasant food concept (polite, education in food) and other four attributes, has a different from the overseas food culture of the natural beauty. Chinese food culture in addition to pay attention to the color of dishes to be bright as a picture, but also with the dining atmosphere produced by a kind of interest, it is the personality and tradition of the Chinese nation, but also the Chinese nation's traditional etiquette highlighted way.

From the perspective of influence, Chinese food culture directly affects Japan, Mongolia, Korea, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and other countries, is the axis of the Oriental food culture circle; At the same time, it also indirectly affects Europe, the Americas, Africa and Oceania, such as China's vegetarian culture, tea culture, sauce and vinegar, pasta, medicinal food, ceramic tableware and soybeans, which benefit billions of people around the world.

In short, Chinese food culture is a long regional culture with broad vision, deep level, multi-angle and high taste. It is the material wealth and spiritual wealth created, accumulated and influenced by the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in the development of food sources, food utensils, food preparation, nutrition and health care and diet aesthetics in the production and living practice of more than one million years.

Cultural characteristics

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EDITOR

China is Ancient civilization It is also a place with a long history of food culture. The food culture can be summarized into the following characteristics:

The seasons are different.

All year round, according to the season, yes Chinese cooking Another big feature. Since ancient times, China has been seasoning and serving dishes according to seasonal changes. Winter tastes rich and dense, and summer is light and cool. More braising in winter, more stewing in summer Cold with sauce Freeze.

Pay attention to aesthetics

Chinese cooking is not only skilled, but also exquisite Aesthetic feeling The tradition of paying attention to the harmony of color, aroma, taste, shape and organ of food. The expression of the beauty of dishes is multifaceted, whether it is a carrot or a cabbage heart, it can be carved out a variety of shapes, unique, to achieve the harmonious unity of color, aroma, taste, shape and beauty, giving people a special enjoyment of a high degree of spiritual and material unity.

Focus on interest

Chinese cooking has long paid attention to taste, and not only has strict requirements for the color, aroma and taste of food and snacks, but also has certain requirements for their naming, the way of taste, the rhythm of meals, and the interpenetration of entertainment. The names of Chinese dishes can be said to be magical, elegant and popular. Dishes are named according to the realistic names of the main, ingredients, spices and cooking methods, but also according to historical stories, myths and legends, celebrity food interests, dishes to be named, such as "family portrait", "General crossing the bridge", "Lion's head", "calling Hua chicken", "Dragon and Phoenix auspicious", "Hongmen Banquet", "Dongpo meat".

Combination of food and medicine

Chinese cooking technology is closely related to medical care. Thousands of years ago, there was a saying that "medicine and food have the same origin" and "medicine and food have the same function". By using the medicinal value of food raw materials, various delicious dishes were made to achieve the purpose of preventing and controlling certain diseases.

The beauty of neutralization is the highest aesthetic ideal of Chinese traditional culture. "Also, the world's great this also; He who is also with the world is also with the world. In the middle, the position of heaven is how, and all things are cultivated "(The Book of Rites · The Mean). There is a famous sentence in the Ancient Literature Shangshu Shuo Life, "If you make and soup, only salt plum", which means that to do soup well, the key is to reconcile the salty (salt) acid (plum) two tastes, which is a metaphor for governing the country. In Zuo Zhuan, Yan Ying (a wise minister of the State of Qi) also talked with Duke Jing of Qi about what is "harmony", pointing out that "harmony" is not "harmony", and harmony should be based on the coordination of different opinions. Therefore, Chinese philosophers believe that everything in heaven and earth finds its place in a "neutral" state to multiply and develop. This aesthetic ideal is built on the harmonious unity of individual and society, man and nature. This idea of achieving "the beauty of neutralization" through tuning was inspired and influenced by the ancient cooking practice and theory, and in turn affected people's entire food life, especially for the ancient literati and officials who pursued artistic life and artistic life.

The opposite of "neutral" is extreme, extreme is not considered authentic in cooking, those "salty, spicy, sour" food although some people in the body is not normal sought after, but in the long run it is harmful to the body. Extremism in social and political life is even more harmful.

Development history

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Aricius

At that time, people did not understand artificial fire and cooked food.

Suiren Shi

Drilling wood fire, from the cooked food, into the era of stone cooking. Main cooking methods: ① gun, that is, drill fire to make the flesh and burnt it; ② Boil: cook with mud; use Stone mortar Hold water and food, and cook food with red stone; ④ Baking: the stone flakes are heated, and then the plant seeds are fried on them.

Fuxi

Food culture

In terms of food and drink, he set up nets to teach people how to fish, and raised sacrifices to become cooks.

Shen Nong

"Ploughing and pottery" is the pioneer of Chinese agriculture. Have tasted all kinds of herbs Invented ancient medicine and medicine, invented the tilling tool, teaching people farming. Pottery ware enabled people to have cooking utensils and containers for the first time, and provided the possibility for making fermented food, such as wine, sauce, acyl (vinegar), cheese, vinegar, sweet, etc. Ding is one of the earliest cooking utensils, because there was no stove at that time, there is a hollow claw, 鬶 used to cook wine.

Yellow Emperor

The Yellow Emperor made the stove, the beginning of the kitchen god, concentrated firepower to save fuel, so that food quickly cooked, and widely used in the Qin and Han dynasties, when the kettle, the high cooker gradually withdrew from the historical stage, "steamed grain for drinking, cooking grain for porridge" for the first time because of cooking methods to distinguish food, steamer was invented, called retter. The salt steaming industry is the invention of the Yellow Emperor Shusha, since then not only know how to cook but also know how to adjust, good for people's health.

Zhou-qin period

Chinese diet In the formative period of culture, grains and vegetables were the staple food. Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period Self-produced grains and vegetables are basically there, but the structure is different from now, at that time, the early field operation was mainly: millet, (most importantly) is millet, also known as millet, which dominated for a long time, and was the long of the grain, and the good millet was called the fine of the beam Yellow beam . Millet is second only to millet in rhubarb sticky rice, also known as millet, is a threshed millet. Wheat, barley. Beans, beans, were mainly beans and black beans at that time. Hemp, that is, pockmarks. Beans and hemp are eaten by the poor people. Hemp is also called tho. There are rice in the south, ancient rice is glutinous rice, ordinary rice is called Jingshu, the Central plains after the week began to introduce rice, is a fine grain, more precious. Wild rice, is a kind of aquatic plant water stem seeds, black, called diao Hu rice, especially fragrant and slippery, and crushed porcelain pieces together in the leather bag to knead grain.

Han Dynasty

Chinese diet The rich period of culture, the introduction of pomegranate, sesame, Grapes Walnut (i.e. walnut), carrot, fennel, celery, Hu bean, alfalfa (mainly used for horse food), lettuce and so on. King Liu An of Huainan also invented tofu, so that the nutrition of beans can be digested, inexpensive, can make many kinds of dishes, in 1960 found in the Han Dynasty tomb in Mixian County, Henan Province, there are stone carvings of tofu workshop. Vegetable oil was also invented in the Eastern Han. Before this time, they used animal oil, which was called fat; animal oil with horns was called fat; and animal oil without horns, like dogs, was called ointment. The fat is harder, the paste is thinner and softer, and the vegetable oil has almond oil, nesite oil, sesame oil, but it is rare, and the varieties of vegetable oil increased after the northern and Southern Dynasties, and the price is cheap.

Tang and Song dynasties

The peak of food culture, too fastidious. "Plain steamed sound department, Gangchuan map sample", the most representative is the burn end banquet.

Ming and Qing dynasties

Food culture is another peak, is the Tang and Song food customs continue and development, the diet structure has changed a lot, staple food: Wild rice has been completely eliminated, sesame seed out of the ranks of staple food to change to oil, soy is no longer a staple food, become dishes, the north of the Yellow River basin of wheat proportion increased, the surface became the northern staple food after the Song Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty again large-scale introduction, potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetable planting to a higher level, become the main dish. Meat: Artificial livestock and poultry become the main source of meat.

Chinese diet Culture, due to the specific economic structure, mode of thinking and cultural environment, has formed its own distinctive characteristics, namely artistic tendency, which is mainly manifested in the following six aspects.

Fine material selection

The selection of ingredients is the primary skill of Chinese chefs and the basis for a good Chinese cuisine, which requires rich knowledge and skilled use of skills. The raw materials of each cuisine, including main ingredients, ingredients, accessories, seasonings, etc., have a lot of attention and fixed rules. Generally speaking, it is "fine", "fine" two words, the so-called Confucius said "food is not tired of fine, very fine" also. The so-called "fine" refers to the selection of raw materials, to consider its variety, origin, season, growth period and other characteristics, with fresh, tender, excellent materials. In the Han and Tang Dynasties, it was customary to call delicious food "eight treasures". From about the Song Dynasty, the eight treasures specifically referred to eight precious cooking ingredients. In the Qing Dynasty, various series of "eight treasures" are too numerous to enumerate, mainly referring to the combination of eight rare raw materials.

The knife is fine

Knife skill, that is, the chef's knife treatment of the raw materials, so that it becomes the need for cooking, neat and consistent form, to adapt to the heat, heat evenly, easy to taste, and maintain a certain form of beauty, so it is one of the keys to cooking technology. As early as ancient times, China attached great importance to the use of knife skills. After repeated practice by successive generations of chefs, a wealth of knife skills were created, such as Straight knife method , Slice and knife method , diagonal knife method, 剞 knife method (cut the blade on the raw materials without cutting) and carving knife method, etc., the raw materials are processed into pieces, strips, silk, block, ding, grain, antler, mud and other forms and a variety of colors such as pills, balls, wheat flower, lizi flower, raincoat flower, orchid, chrysanthemum, etc., can also be hollow into beautiful patterns and carved into the words "Xi", "longevity", "happiness", "Lu", etc. Add to the celebration banquet The happy atmosphere. In particular, the combination of knife skills and spell the hand, the clinker and edible raw materials into artistic, vivid birds, animals, insects, fish, flowers, grass and other fancy platters, such as" The dragon and the phoenix are auspicious "Peacock", "magpie plum", "lotus crane", "flower basket double phoenix" and so on. For example, "Peacock opens the screen", is the use of duck meat, ham, pig's tongue, quail eggs, crab cockle meat, cucumber and other 15 raw materials, after 22 fine knife skills and assembly procedures to complete. Not only the writers will fine art knife as a perfect art appreciation, ordinary people are often a glimpse. In order to broaden their horizons, ancient people specially organized knife performance, which caused a sensation. The Southern Song Dynasty Zeng Sanyi the The Same Conversation Said, one year Taishan held a unique performance, "the world's fine art collection", naturally also includes skilled chefs. "A certain person had a naked person prostrate himself to the ground, and with his back as a few, he took about a catty of meat and carried the thin strands of knives." The meat was removed and the soldier's back was not hurt at all." With the back of a person as the cutting board, the wisps of meat and the back is not broken, this move cannot but be called amazing.

Unique heat

Heat is one of the keys to form the flavor characteristics of cuisine. However, the situation changes rapidly, and it is difficult to get it right without years of practical experience. Therefore, mastering the proper heat is a great skill of the Chinese cook. Chinese chefs can accurately identify different fires such as high fire, medium fire, low fire, familiar with the heat resistance of various raw materials, skilled control of fire time, good at mastering the performance of heat transfer objects (oil, water, gas), but also according to the old tenderness of raw materials, how much moisture, shape size, crushing thickness, etc., determine the order of the pot, and use it flexibly to make cooked dishes. If it's tender, if it's crisp, if it's rotten. As early as ancient times, Chinese chefs had a special study of heat, and clarified the law of heat change and master the key points: "Five flavors and three ingredients, A surname Nine variations He will prevail by his means and will not lose his reason." (Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals) Great poet of the Northern Song Dynasty Su Shi More than a bit foodie , ^[1] He is also a cook, creating the famous "Dongpo meat" dish, which is closely related to his good use of heat, and he also wrote these experiences into the stew poem: "Slow fire, less water, natural beauty when the heat." Later generations used his experience, the use of sealed fire cooking method, burned meat original, oil bright red, rotten but not broken, waxy but not greasy, soft like tofu, palatability and outstanding flavor.

Heat is the most important thing in cooking, but also the most difficult to grasp and explain the thing, really can be described as "road, very road", and a cook can become a famous chef, heat is the key, so Chinese diet In the operation of the kitchen, the accumulation of a lifetime of experience, understanding of the spirit of their own body, give full play to their subtle observation experience and rich imagination ability, to create food art. The so-called operation of the wonderful, forget, really" You know your gains and losses "Yes.

Different techniques

Cooking technique is another great skill of Chinese chefs. The commonly used techniques are: stir-frying, blasting, frying, cooking, sliding, frying, sticking, stewing, braising, quick-boiling, boiling, sauce, brine, steaming, baking, mixing, spicy, smoked, and beet pulling wire, honey juice, hanging frost and so on. Different techniques have different flavor characteristics. Each technique has several or even dozens of famous dishes. The famous "called chicken", with mud roast technique, Become famous all over the world . According to legend, a beggar stole a chicken in Changshu, Jiangsu Province in ancient times, because there was no cooking utensils, the chicken was slaughtered to remove the viscera, put onion salt, sew it, paste yellow mud, roast it on a fire, dry chicken cooked, knock the soil to eat it, the meat is fresh and tender, and the aroma is full. After the chef improved, with a variety of spices, to bake, taste more beautiful, then become a famous dish. Yunnan "crossing the bridge rice noodles" is a masterpiece of quick-boiled techniques. According to legend, an ancient scholar studying in the study, his wife to enable him to eat hot soup hot rice, then created this quick-cooking method: the hen boiled into boiling chicken soup, with cut into thin chicken slices, fish slices, shrimp slices and rice noodles, because the surface of the floating oil can play a heat preservation effect, and can quick-cook the above food, and after the bridge can remain hot and fresh, thus creating the quick-cooking this important cooking technique.

Blending of five flavors

Seasoning is also an important skill in cooking, the so-called "five flavors and hundred flavors." On the role of seasoning, according to the research of scholars in the culinary industry, there are mainly the following:

Corrects raw material odor; The tasteless gives taste; OK Sumptuous courses at a meal Taste;

Increase food flavor; To give color to a dish; may sterilization .

The method of seasoning is also varied, there are mainly three kinds of basic seasoning, stereotyped seasoning and auxiliary seasoning, and the stereotyped seasoning method is the most used. The so-called stereotyped seasoning refers to the seasoning of raw materials during heating, in order to determine the taste of dishes. Basic seasoning is carried out before heating and is a pre-processed seasoning. Auxiliary seasoning is done after heating, or seasoning while eating.

In this sense, the so-called "five tastes in harmony" is a rough reference. The dishes we enjoy are generally compound flavor types with more than two flavors, and they are changeable flavor types. "Huangdi's Inner Classic" said: "the beauty of the five tastes, can not overcome the pole"; "Wenzi" says: "The beauty of the five tastes can not be surpassed by taste", saying that the harmony of the five tastes can bring people good enjoyment.

In short, whether the seasoning is just right or not, in addition to the material conditions such as complete varieties of spices and excellent texture, the key lies in whether the chef has deployed it just right. There are strict requirements on the proportion of condiments, the order of condiments, and the condiment time (before cooking, during cooking, and after cooking). As long as we are meticulous, we can make the dishes meet the preset requirements of the flavor.

Elegant tone

Chinese diet The cultural atmosphere is elegant and the atmosphere is artistic, which is mainly manifested in the three aspects of beauty, praise and beauty.

Yuan Mei in Food List with Garden There is an old saying, "Cloud of the ancients". Good food is better than good ware It means that the food is also beautiful, and the food should be matched with the food, and the beauty should be added to the effect of beauty.

The beauty of Chinese food utensils lies in the quality, the shape, the decoration and the harmony with the food. The beauty of ancient Chinese food utensils mainly includes pottery, porcelain, bronze, gold and silver, jade, lacquer, glass and several large categories. Painted pottery The rough beauty, the elegant beauty of porcelain, the solemn beauty of copper, the translucent beauty of lacquer, the brilliant beauty of gold and silver, and the bright beauty of glass, have given the use of it to the people to enjoy, and is another kind of beautiful enjoyment in addition to food.

The beauty of the beautiful ware is not only limited to the quality, shape and decoration of the ware itself, but also manifested in the beauty of its combination and the beauty of its matching with dishes.

The tripod of the Zhou Dynasty, the set cup of the Han Dynasty, the Kong Dynasty Manchu and Han banquet Silver tableware, all reflect a combination of beauty. Kongfu specially for holding a high-level banquet of Manhan silver tableware, a total of 404 pieces, can serve 196 dishes. Part of this set of tableware is an imitation of ancient vessels, part is an imitation of the shape of food vessels. The vessels are also exquisitely decorated, inlaid with jade, jadeite Agate, coral, etc., engraved with a variety of flower patterns, some also engraved with poetry and auspicious words, more elegant and extraordinary.

The tableware of the Manchu and Han dynasties in Kong Mansion is set in accordance with the four-four system pattern, divided into small tableware, water tableware, fire tableware, and snack box. The harmony between the beauty and food is the highest state of food aesthetics. Du Fu Beauty Walk "Purple camel peak out Emerald cauldron , the crystal disc Plain scale ; Rhinoceros 筯 detest Not for a long time, Luan knife wisp cut empty fan-lun "verse, at the same time intoned the beauty of food, set off the beauty of the elegant realm of food.

On the Chinese table, there are no nameless dishes. A wonderful dish name is not only a vivid advertising word for dishes, but also an organic part of the dish itself. The name of the dish also gives people the enjoyment of beauty, which is conveyed to the brain through the auditory or visual perception, and will produce a series of psychological effects, playing a role that the color, shape and taste of the dish can not play.

Tableware culture

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Celadon lotus Buddha

Food culture is a part of which China is proud and most easily accepted by the rest of the world. Enjoying more delicious food, have you ever wondered when the Chinese people began to leave the life of eating meat and drinking blood? When did you start cooking on the stove? Often eat dumplings, wonton when appear? How did the system evolve from separate meals to eating around the table? ... In the "Food and Beauty Utensils - Chinese Food Utensils Exhibition" currently held in Hong Kong, you can not only get answers, but also understand the changing relationship between Chinese food preferences and utensils. Exhibition by National Museum of China Provide more than 100 precious cultural relics, the museum exhibition department associate researcher Hu Xiaojian introduced that the museum is specially prepared for this special exhibition, organization, exhibits are mostly the first time to Hong Kong exhibition, of which more than 10 are national first-class cultural relics, such as Neolithic age "gray pottery kettle, stove", Sui "gold foot gold cup", Northern Wei "celadon lotus" and Han Dynasty "Laying the first ring brass" Let's wait.

The "gray pottery kettle and stove" on display at the scene is known to have been found earlier and complete cooking utensils, Hu Xiaojian said that the Neolithic "Additional Dui gray pottery tripod" is a three-legged pot, "black pottery retort" is the earliest steamer, the bottom half of the water, called a li, there are holes in the middle, and the food is placed on it. In the Paleolithic period, human beings mainly barbecued, to the Neolithic period, they began to use boiling and steaming techniques, eating millet in the north and rice in the south. At the scene of a Neolithic Age "two-ear small mouth pointed bottom bottle", both sides of the ear holes hanging rope, into the river into the water, the pottery bottle will stand up, it can be seen that the ancestors at that time were also very wise to draw water.

In the Xia, Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn, Warring States period, pay attention to eating etiquette, the well-known bronze craft reached its heyday, from the steamer and Li combination has developed to bronze. In the late Spring and Autumn period, dumplings have appeared, and at that time, ancestors began to know how to eat pasta, wonton and powder food. Due to the attention paid to rites during this period, there were many wine vessels, such as the "Shuma Copper Gu" on display at the scene, which is a wine drinking vessel. F is used to hold wine, and "the dragon head three feet copper?B" is the wine shaker at that time, the most special is "Copper ice Jian", ice wine utensils, with a built-in square pot for holding wine. Replicas of lacquerware and tableware commonly used during the same period are also on display.

Shadow celadon injection and warm bowl

Among the special exhibits of the Han Dynasty are the "Laying the first ring Copper", a copper oven of the time, and the "Pottery stove", a funerary object of the Han Dynasty, which reflects that people had complete stove equipment at that time. The pottery stove in the shape of a boat was popular in the south, while the simple rectangular stove was used in the north.

Sui and Tang dynasties were the prosperous period of Chinese culture and national power, the variety of dishes increased greatly, and different food schools were established. At that time, the emphasis was on splendid life, and gold and silver and glassware appeared one after another, and the workmanship was exquisite. The Sui and Tang food utensils on display have an entrance from the "Golden Foot and Golden Cup" of Eastern Rome. In addition, in the Tang Dynasty unearthed in Xinjiang, "Dumplings and dim sum", dim sum is some cake food, made of noodles and flowers

The beautiful shape and pattern, and the dumplings have meat inside, reflecting the Xinjiang region is also influenced by the Central Plains diet.

As for other dynasty exhibits, the more special are the Eastern Han Dynasty "Feast and Acrobatic painting bricks", the Northern Wei Dynasty" Celadon lotus Buddha Liao "lotus petal shaped handle Golden Cup", Southern Song "Shadow celadon and warm bowl" and Qing Daoguang "Pastel brocade Lychee covered bowl" and so on.

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