Development course of Shaanxi cuisine

Shaanxi Province, located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, is the cradle of Chinese culture and the important birthplace of China's cooking technology, and Qin cuisine is a very important genre in China's cooking. As a reflection of culture, Yao Chuan has a long history and goes down in history. For example, the pot stoves and millet unearthed from Banpo site in the eastern suburb of Xi 'an (now Banpo Museum) show that the ancestors who lived here more than 6,000 years ago not only broke away from the state of "eating like wool and drinking like blood", but also mastered cooking techniques initially.

"Central Qin has been a country of emperors since ancient times". Shaanxi was the capital of 13 dynasties, including Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui and Tang, which lasted more than 1000 years. Because of the favorable political, economic and cultural conditions at that time, Qin cuisine can absorb the essence of dishes from all over the world, absorb the flavor of national delicacies, and tap and inherit the skills of court dishes in previous dynasties, so it is famous for its diverse dishes, different flavors, antique and eternal flavor.

The formation and development of Qin cuisine are closely related to the climate, products and history of Shaanxi. Shaanxi, located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, is divided into three natural regions by Beishan Mountain and Qinling Mountain, spanning three climatic zones: the northern part is the Loess Plateau of northern Shaanxi, with mild climate and little rainfall, which is rich in poultry and livestock, especially red dates, licorice and apples; Southern Shaanxi has a subtropical climate with abundant rainfall. Hanzhong basin is criss-crossed with rivers and canals, which is a scene in the south of the Yangtze River. Livestock and poultry, aquatic products, wild animals and plants are rich in resources. Walnuts, chestnuts, persimmons, auricularia, peppers, Hericium erinaceus, ginger, Ganoderma lucidum, Osmunda japonica, konjac, pepper, mandarin fish, etc. are sold in large quantities outside the province, as well as rare bamboo shoots. Guanzhong Plain in central China is known as "Qinchuan in 800 Li", which belongs to warm temperate zone, with mild climate, moderate rainfall, convenient irrigation, developed agriculture and abundant products. The famous Qinchuan cattle, Guanzhong donkey, Weihe fish, Yellow River carp, onion, ginger, garlic and pepper have large output and good quality. These colorful products have laid a solid material foundation for Qin cuisine.

According to the Book of Rites, The Book of Rites and The Book of Songs, the eight treasures of the Western Zhou Dynasty (namely, spring jujube, cannon dolphin, cannon, Pearl Krabs, jujube, Zhan, etc.) appeared more than 3,000 years ago, and have formed a wide range of materials, strict selection of materials, emphasis on knife skills and fire skills, and the use of oil, salt and sauce. Strict organization and scientific division of labor in cooking institutions, food hygiene, homology of food and medicine, banquet mode, food etiquette, etc. , has a wide and far-reaching impact on later generations. This is the first development peak of Qin cuisine.

During the Qin and Han Dynasties, Qin cuisine reached its second peak. The original taste of Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals, edited by the editor, comprehensively summarizes the cooking achievements in the pre-Qin period, and systematically and scientifically expounds the aspects of cooking from material selection, processing to seasoning and cooking time, which has been guiding the cooking practice in China, and many of its viewpoints are still correct today. By the Han Dynasty, the catering industry was already "confusing customers and overlapping cases" (On Salt and Iron), and Hu Shi was introduced to divide the red and white cases (Han Shu Guan Bai Gong Qing Biao), and imported gourds, watermelons, carrots, beans, onions, peppers, spinach and walnuts were also introduced.

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Qin cuisine reached its third peak. At that time, Chang 'an, the capital of the west, had developed into one of the largest cities in the world. There are not only many restaurants and restaurants, but also large-scale operations, which can set up a national history supplement for "three or five hundred people". The raw material for cooking is "Eight Treasures of Land and Water" (Bai Juyi's "Light Fat"), and there are countless delicious dishes. Wei Juyuan's "barbecue" alone has 58 famous dishes, which are delicious. The description of "Red Hump" and "Rhinoceros Tendon" and Du Fu's "Two Ways" reflected that the tableware at that time was very exquisite. It also pioneered color cold spelling, which can be used to spell out beautiful "Wangchuan sample" with raw materials such as bacon, stew, shredded pork, bacon, minced meat, pickles and vegetables. Paired with cold foods such as "cold Sophora leaves". At this time, the theory of dietotherapy is more systematic, and the main works are Dietotherapy Thousand Girls by the famous doctor Sun Simiao, Compendium of Materia Medica by Chen Cangqi, the chief magistrate of Sanyuan, and Dietotherapy Materia Medica by Meng Wei, the secretariat of Tongzhou.

After the late Tang Dynasty, due to frequent wars in the north, the political and economic center of the whole country gradually moved southward, and Beijing was the capital of Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. The political status of Shaanxi and xi is not as good as it used to be. But as an important town, rich and powerful gentry still gather here. In this long time, Qin cuisine has also developed slowly. Until the 1930s, Xi 'an and other places became more important, the economy and culture developed further, and the catering industry became more prosperous.

During the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression period, Qin cuisine reached its fourth peak. Restaurants and western food from Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Guangdong, Hubei, Huaiyang and Suzhou and Wuxi have entered xi 'an, Xianyang, Baoji and Hanzhong. Especially in An, there are more than 100 large and medium-sized restaurants alone, which has injected fresh blood into Qin cuisine. In terms of techniques, in addition to inheriting and developing the frying, frying, stewing, boiling, brewing, roasting, stewing, steaming and boiling of Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang dynasties, it also absorbed the roasting, rinsing, relying on fire and frying of foreign aid. Gradually formed a unique style with comprehensive technology, rich texture, diverse tastes and wide adaptability.