What is the meaning of "five flavors and a hundred flavors"?

"Five flavors and a hundred flavors" is a traditional Chinese culinary proverb, which means that in the process of preparing a dish, the five basic flavors, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty, are skillfully used to harmonize with each other, so that you can cook a rich taste and delicious food.

"Five flavors" refers to the five basic tastes, namely sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty. Sourness mainly comes from ingredients such as vinegar and lemon, which stimulate digestion and increase appetite; sweetness comes from sugar and honey, which harmonize the taste; bitterness mainly comes from bitter gourd and bitter vegetables; spiciness comes from chili peppers and ginger, which increase appetite; and saltiness comes from salt and soy sauce.

"Baiyixiang" means that on the basis of the five flavors, through the selection of ingredients, the combination of seasonings and the use of cooking skills, a thousand variations of delicious dishes are created. Each dish has its own unique flavor, either fragrant and refreshing, mellow and rich, juicy or crispy. In Chinese cooking, we pay attention to the "color, aroma, taste, shape, ware" five perfect, of which "taste" is the most central one. Only when the five flavors are harmonized, the dish can reach the realm of a hundred flavors.

Chinese cooking characteristics

1, pay attention to knife work: Chinese chefs attach great importance to knife work, that knife work is the basis of cooking. By skillfully mastering a variety of knife skills, they cut and match ingredients into different shapes, such as silk, slices, segments, grains, etc., to meet the needs of cooking. Exquisite knife work not only makes the dishes beautiful in appearance, but also facilitates the flavor and texture of the ingredients.

2, pay attention to the fire: the fire is the key to Chinese cooking, the quality and flavor of the dishes have an important impact. Cooks need to be based on the requirements of the ingredients and cooking methods, precise grasp of the fire, so that the dishes are cooked just right. The mastery of fire requires a wealth of experience and skill, and is a major feature of Chinese cooking.

3. Unique spices: Chinese cooking focuses on the use of spices, combining various seasonings skillfully to form a unique flavor. Commonly used seasonings include soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, monosodium glutamate (MSG), cooking wine, onion, ginger and garlic. Each seasoning has its own specific function, such as refreshing, deodorizing and detoxifying. Skillful use of spices can make dishes rich in flavor and unique.