Traditional Culture Encyclopedia - Traditional culture - A complete collection of pictures of food manuscripts

A complete collection of pictures of food manuscripts

China is a country with ancient civilization and a land of long-standing food culture. The food culture can be summarized into the following characteristics:

Variety of flavors

Because China has a vast territory and rich resources, and there are differences in climate, products, and customs in different places, many flavors have been formed in the diet over a long period of time. There has always been a saying in China that "rice from the south is from the north", and the taste can be divided into "sweet in the south, salty in the north, sour in the east and spicy in the west", mainly including Bashu, Qilu, Huaiyang, Guangdong and Fujian.

Four seasons are different

Eating according to the seasons throughout the year is another major feature of Chinese cooking. Since ancient times, China has been seasoning and garnishing dishes according to seasonal changes. In winter, it is rich and mellow, and in summer, it is light and cool. In winter, it is more stewed and simmered, and in summer, it is often cold and frozen.

Pay attention to beauty

Chinese cooking not only has exquisite skills, but also has a tradition of paying attention to the aesthetics of dishes, paying attention to the harmony of color, aroma, taste, shape and utensils of food. The expression of the beauty of dishes is multi-faceted. Whether it is a carrot or a cabbage heart, it can be carved into various shapes, unique, and achieve the harmonious unity of color, aroma, taste, shape and beauty, giving people a spiritual and material height. Unified special enjoyment.

Pay attention to taste

Chinese cooking has long paid attention to taste and taste. It not only has strict requirements on the color, aroma and taste of meals and snacks, but also has certain requirements on their naming, the way of tasting, the rhythm of meals, the interspersion of entertainment, etc. The names of Chinese dishes can be said to be superb, elegant and popular. The names of dishes are not only realistically named based on main ingredients, auxiliary ingredients, seasonings and cooking methods, but also named based on historical anecdotes, myths and legends, celebrity food tastes, and dish images, such as "Family Portrait", "General Crossing the Bridge", and "Lion's Head" , "Beggars Chicken", "Dragon and Phoenix Presenting Good Luck", "Hongmen Banquet", "Dongpo Meat".

Combination of food and medicine

Chinese cooking technology is closely related to medical care. Thousands of years ago, there were sayings that "medicine and food have the same origin" and "medicine and food have the same function." The medicinal value of food raw materials is used to make various delicious dishes. , to achieve the purpose of preventing and treating certain diseases. "

The beauty of neutrality is the highest aesthetic ideal of Chinese traditional culture. "The one who is in the middle is the foundation of the world; the one who is in harmony is the one who reaches the world. When there is harmony, the heavens are in place and all things are nurtured" ("Book of Rites: Doctrine of the Mean"). There is a famous saying in "Gu Wen Shangshu·Shuo Ming", "If you want to make a soup, you must salt the plums", which means that to make a good soup, the key is to blend the salty (salt) and sour (plum) flavors. This is a metaphor. Governing the country. In "Zuo Zhuan", Yan Ying (the Xianxiang of Qi State) also discussed with Qi Jinggong what "harmony" is, pointing out that "harmony" is not "identity", and harmony is based on the coordination of different opinions. Therefore, Chinese philosophers believe that all things in the world find their place in a state of "neutralization" to thrive 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 neutrality" through tuning was inspired and influenced by ancient cooking practices and theories, which in turn affected people's entire dietary life. This is especially true for ancient literati and officials.

The opposite of "neutral" is extreme, and extremes are not considered authentic in cooking. Although those foods that are "too salty, too spicy, and too sour" will be sought after by some people whose bodies are in an abnormal state, But it is harmful to the body in the long run. The disadvantages of extremism in social and political life are indescribable.