🍜 From nomadic fireworks to palace banquets: the origin and evolution of Chinese food civilization
The ancient ancestors were in the ignorant period of slash-and-burn farming. This is the period when the origin of Chinese food civilization can be traced back.
At that time, "the Suiren family obtained fire by drilling wood and cooking raw food into mature ones." This ended the primitive situation of eating raw meat and drinking blood, and started the era of humans cooking with the help of fire.
Since the Zhou and Qin Dynasties, a dietary structure has initially taken shape in the "Huangdi Neijing". This structure is "Five grains serve as nourishment, five fruits play a supporting role, five livestock have a beneficial effect, and five vegetables can serve as supplements." This philosophical concept of a balanced diet is thousands of years earlier than every nutritional theory in the West, and has established the simple foundation of Chinese food culture of "nourishment, assistance and replenishment".
After the unification of the Qin and Han Dynasties, Zhang Qian opened the way to the Western Regions and brought courgettes, garlic, and coriander, which greatly enriched the food spectrum of the Central Plains and laid the foundation for the integration of food etiquette and cooking techniques in later generations.
🥟 Kyushu customs in one pot: the cultural division and fusion of regional cuisines
In the vast land of China, the phenology presents a completely different situation, just as people often say, "you can eat mountains if you rely on them, and you can eat water if you rely on water." After long-term development, a regional cuisine system with a long history and continuity has slowly been formed.
At the turn of the Tang and Song Dynasties, the economic center of gravity shifted to the south. Many merchants gathered in places such as Yangzhou and Hangzhou, which gave birth to the exquisite and elegant Huaiyang flavor.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, due to the prosperity of commercial towns, the graceful and majestic characteristics of Shandong cuisine, the "flavorful and spicy" style of Sichuan cuisine, the light and lively characteristics of Cantonese cuisine, and the exquisite skills of knife and fire of Jiangsu cuisine all left a very strong and wonderful mark in their respective literature and recipes.
This is not only the taste memory of a land and water, but also a true reflection of the situation in the development process of Chinese food that "things are uncertain, but those who taste them are treasured".
The opening of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal further promoted the flow of proper nouns and techniques in cooking between the north and the south. Techniques such as "stir-frying", which are unique in the world, were increasingly perfected during the exchanges between the north and the south, and eventually became a soulful action in the Chinese kitchen.
🥢 The blending of five flavors and the changes in the tripod: the philosophy and aesthetics of Chinese cooking
When discussing Chinese culinary aesthetics , the core lies in the word "harmony".
Yi Yin talked about harmonizing the "five flavors", and "Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals: Original Flavors" described in detail the "changes in the tripod, exquisite and subtle", focusing on the wonderful changes in heat and seasoning.
Different from the straightforwardness of Western barbecue, what Chinese cuisine pays attention to is the "physical properties" in the cultural philosophy of ingredients and achieving harmony with "nature".
A dish called "boiled cabbage" looks very simple, but in fact it uses chicken, duck, ribs and other ingredients to cook many times, and finally reaches a state where the soup is as clear as water. This is exactly the embodiment of the Eastern philosophy that the big taste must be light, and the richness can be seen in the light.
There is a dish called "Shili Ginkgo" in Confucian cuisine. It is not only a dessert, but also condenses the Confucian food etiquette culture and the character of the literati into the plate, just like tasting poetry and books when eating.
🎑 Seasonal seasons and food etiquette: dietary rituals deeply rooted in the folk
The dumplings, a unique food during the Spring Festival, are shaped like ingots and have the meaning of being a new year's friend, and they have the meaning of praying for good luck; the glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival symbolize reunion and happiness; and the green dumplings during the Qingming Festival carry the meaning of happiness. To express grief; the rice dumplings on the Dragon Boat Festival are to commemorate Qu Zi; the mooncakes on the Mid-Autumn Festival convey the wish for reunion; the mixed bean porridge on Laba Day is a reward after a year of hard work and a blessing for the coming year.
These contents, known as the core keywords of food customs, have long since transcended the boundaries of merely providing food and clothing, and have evolved into important links that can maintain the emotional connection between families and pass on national memory.
At the dining table, the order of elders and younger ones exists strictly, and there are different distinctions between seniority and inferiority. The order of seats, the action of picking up chopsticks, and the behavior of toasting all have certain rules and methods. This is the way food etiquette is most vividly displayed in daily life, just like what is recorded in "Book of Rites: Quli": "Don't overeat when dining together, and don't rub the food on your hands when dining together."
🍲 Humanistic taste and ritual music: the contemporary echo of Chinese food
Looking back at the development history of Chinese cuisine, it is not only the history of the evolution of cooking techniques, but also the result of the joint condensation of the material civilization and spiritual civilization of the Chinese nation.
From the bronze glutinous rice bowl as a solemn ritual vessel to the Ming and Qing porcelain as exquisite tableware, from the ancient brewing method in "Qi Min Yao Shu" to the elegant taste of literati in "Suiyuan Food List", every detail of Chinese food is permeated with humanistic connotations.
Nowadays, when we mention that "food is the most important thing for people", we are not just talking about the importance of food, but also exploring a food culture identity that is deeply rooted in our blood.
These regional food buzz words and cooking skills that have been passed down for thousands of years are still passed down from generation to generation in modern kitchens. The humanistic normative expressions behind them about respecting nature, cherishing family affection, and pursuing harmony are traveling through the dimensions of time and space, exuding eternal charm, and then becoming a cultural heritage shared by all mankind.
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