The Chinese way of nourishing food: a glimpse of Eastern dietary wisdom from collagen

"A Millennium Dialogue between Deep Sea Delicacies and Chinese Food Supplement Culture"

Chinese food civilization has always attached great importance to the idea of ​​"food and medicine coming from the same source", a concept that runs through the Chinese nation's health-preserving process with a history of thousands of years.

In contemporary society, people are becoming more and more sophisticated in their exploration of the effects of food ingredients. As an extremely precious food material, cod, which is native to the ocean, is gradually being rediscovered in its role in the Chinese diet system.

Although the ancients did not have modern biochemical technology to analyze its molecular structure, they had already realized through practice the nourishing effect of fish, especially deep-sea fish, on the skin and bones.

"Ben Cao Tu Jing" was written by the Song Dynasty. It contains records about fish "replenishing deficiency and damage and replenishing essence and energy". This coincides with the secret of anti-aging that people today are exploring.

In Chinese food philosophy, the form and efficacy of food are closely linked. Whether it is cooked into a thick fish soup or refined into essence, it reflects our ultimate pursuit of the essence of food.

"The Purification and Absorption of Ingredients from the Perspective of Culinary Aesthetics "

Traditional Chinese cooking places great emphasis on the release of the original flavors and nutrients of ingredients.

Taking fish as an example, there are "peony fish fillets" that test knife skills in Huaiyang cuisine, and fish bones that are cooked for a long time in Cantonese broth. The purpose is to use physical methods to extract the maximum extent of the gelatin and umami substances in the ingredients.

The ancients cooked something called "fish maw glue", which is a craft in itself, and it is also a tonic. Behind it, there is a simple understanding that the sticky gelatinous part of the food can "fill" the deficiency in the human body.

Looking back from a modern perspective, this focus on molecular weight and purity under specific color labels is actually a continuation of ancient cooking wisdom.

Food aesthetics emphasizes "purity, authenticity, and mellowness", and the essence of pure and unadulterated ingredients is regarded as top quality. This requires cooks to control the heat to a state of transformation, so that the food that is cold and hot can be blended into a nourishing product that is as warm as jade.

"The Diverse Applications of Fish Ingredients in Regional Cuisines and the Code of Food Customs"

China is a land with a vast territory, and each of the eight major cuisines has its own uniqueness in how to handle fish, and it also hides the secrets of diet and health.

The watercress fish in Sichuan cuisine uses its spiciness to balance the coldness of the aquatic product. The squirrel mandarin fish in Subang cuisine stimulates people's appetite through the crispiness produced by deep-frying, and it also retains the tenderness of the fish.

Speaking of the exquisite use of different parts of the fish, this can better show the ultimate aesthetic conception of Chinese food.

In most cuisines, fish scales are regarded as something to be discarded. However, in some traditional food customs, they are carefully collected and then cooked into crystal clear fish scale jelly.

This can be regarded as a kind of culinary wisdom that gradually turns the humble into an amazing one, and it is also implicitly consistent with modern science’s understanding that fish scales are rich in colloids.

Fish belly has such characteristics that it is the least active part of the fish, and it is also the most fatty part. In the Chaoshan area, it is regarded as the most delicious. Its special taste that can be melted in the mouth always carries people's yearning for a rich and soft life.

" Eating Customs of Solar Terms and Oriental Philosophical Views on Internal and External Care"

Chinese dietary etiquette is closely related to what is called the twenty-four solar terms, and thus a unique style of health rhythm is established.

In autumn, when dryness is in season, people tend to eat foods rich in colloids to moisten dryness and nourish the lungs. At this time, a bowl of thick fish soup is a seasonal treat.

Winter is cold and harsh, so it is necessary to replenish kidney essence. Therefore, mild, moist and thick-tasting dishes such as fish head pot and fish bone stew are placed on the table.

This kind of dietary choice that adapts to the weather is the crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese people in maintaining body balance.

The ancients said, "If the skin no longer exists, where will the hair be?" However, this ancient saying also applies to food and nutrition.

Moisturization and plumpness of the skin are regarded as external manifestations of abundant qi and blood and harmony of the internal organs.

Therefore, through daily diet, especially the intake of ingredients that can nourish the "fur", such as the essence of deep-sea fish, this becomes a daily health ritual.

At the same time, it is paired with vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes and oranges, to remove greasiness and aid transportation. This combination of meat and vegetables and the concept of yin and yang balance are the epitome of the profoundness of Chinese food culture, and it is also a valuable legacy that we still deserve to inherit in modern life.