What are the dietary customs in Qin and Han Dynasties?

Qin and Han Dynasties are magnificent times. The vast territory, numerous nationalities and differences in natural environment determine the differences in basic structure and eating habits in different regions. The following is an introduction to the dietary customs of Qin and Han dynasties. Com, I hope I can help you.

Dietary Customs in Qin and Han Dynasties

Due to the differences in social status and economic conditions, the dietary system and dietary level of all social strata in Qin and Han dynasties were very different. People in Qin and Han dynasties have two or three meals a day. Chao Cuo said that "people will be hungry if they don't eat for a day", which shows that the prevailing dietary system in society at that time was still two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the evening. However, high society is not limited to two meals a day. For example, Li, the king of Huainan, was found guilty and moved the capital to Shu, and Wendi ordered all localities to treat their vassals with three meals a day. With the increase of grain output, people's ration standards have also improved, and the two-meal system has gradually changed to the three-meal system. Zheng Xuan in the Eastern Han Dynasty said, "Eat at three o'clock in the day, eat at three o'clock in the morning, evening and day", and even eat at noon. Banquet is an important food culture phenomenon in Qin and Han dynasties, which involves festivals, weddings, childbirth, visiting relatives and friends, seeing off, mourning and many other aspects of social life, and has become an important link connecting interpersonal relationships. Whether it is a palace or a folk banquet, we must follow some etiquette and customs. At the banquet, there is a certain arrangement order between the host and the guests. If there is only one guest, the host sits opposite the guest. At the family dinner, the husband and wife also sit together. If there are many guests, usually the host is in the middle and the guests sit in two rows. Guests are graded. Generally speaking, the seats in the hall or single row are upper, and the seats under the hall are lower. The seat in the east is respectful, and the seat in the north is humble. Wine is an essential drink in banquets, and people often use it to entertain guests; At that time, people drank generously and liked to drink it all at once. Because drinking is a symbol of respect for the host or guests, it is common to get drunk at parties. Tusi was called "Longevity" in the Han Dynasty, and it was a relic of entertainment ceremony in the pre-Qin period. Celebrating longevity is not limited to the younger generation to the older generation. The host and the guests attending the banquet can "celebrate longevity" with each other. Besides wishing each other a long life, longevity language mostly involves praising each other's morality and ability. There are often some entertainment activities during the banquet. In addition to the performances of geisha and maiko, there are also impromptu songs and dances of banquet participants, which are mainly manifested in "dancing as a subordinate" at the climax of the banquet, that is, the host dances first, and then "belongs" (enjoins) a guest to dance; Guests dance, then the dance belongs to another guest, and so on. All guests should attend the dance. It is impolite for others not to dance or dance irregularly. One thing can be mentioned in particular. At that time, women could eat with men in public places, or they could be invited to other people's homes to eat with men. This is indeed unimaginable after China society has become conservative and strict in manners and customs.

It should be pointed out that many dietary customs in the Qin and Han dynasties were more privileged by the upper class, and the general public basically missed them. When the people are in a low-level diet and the dignitaries enjoy the delicious food on earth, the most basic survival needs are what the people crave. The upper class created the rich food culture in ancient China, but this does not mean that ordinary people have no worries about food and clothing.

Diet making and utensils in Qin and Han dynasties

First, tableware

"Good food is not as good as beautiful utensils" is an old saying quoted by Yuan Mei in his "Garden Food List". During the Qin and Han dynasties, there were many kinds and shapes of food containers. From dressing utensils to drinking utensils, from eating utensils to putting a few boxes, almost everything is available. Based on the comprehensive investigation of literature and archaeological data, it can be said that the combination mode of modern tableware in China was formed in Qin and Han Dynasties. Cosmetic tableware is an important part of tableware, and its types are also the most abundant, mainly including ding, wok, basin, jar, pot, bottle, clock, image, plate and box. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, ding was still used as a ritual vessel in ceremonies such as sacrifices and ceremonies, but it also began to be used as an ordinary food vessel, which was mainly popular in the upper aristocratic bureaucratic society. Bowls, pots and other utensils can be used not only as containers, but also as tableware. Pots and bottles are containers for wine pulp. A clock is also a vessel for holding wine slurry. Different from a pot, it is both a vessel for holding wine and a measuring device. Zun is an important wine container handed down from the pre-Qin period, which is mainly used for offering sacrifices and entertaining guests. Kui is a vessel for holding soup. The rice bowl, also called the rice bowl, is the predecessor of the bowl, which is used to hold rice or soup food. Eating utensils mainly include chopsticks, knives, spoons, scoops and so on. Seal and Bi are important utensils in Han Dynasty, and they are usually mentioned together. Chopsticks used in chopsticks today were mostly made of bamboo and wood. Bi has the function of cutting food. Because of the need to take soup from the food container, the flat spoon gradually evolved into a spoon with deeper concavity. The spoons unearthed from the Han tombs actually have the prototype of the current "spoon" drinking tableware, mainly bowls, bottles, cups and so on. This is a round drinking container, and the bottle is slightly smaller with a lid on it. Cups, also known as ear cups, are not only used as wine utensils, but also commonly used as tableware for holding food. During the Qin and Han dynasties, people followed the habit of eating separately in the pre-Qin period. Because people were sitting on the floor at that time, the number of boxes for food was very low, and heavy and large utensils were placed on the ground outside the table, which was obviously inconvenient to share. Many murals and stone reliefs in the tombs of the Han Dynasty reflect the feasting habits of people sitting on the floor at that time.

Second, diet production.

During the Qin and Han dynasties, there were many ways to make staple foods, including rice, cakes, bait, porridge and snacks. The method of making staple food handed down from the pre-Qin period, that is, cooking shelled millet, wheat and rice with water, was still widely used in the Qin and Han dynasties. In the concept of Han people, "rice" and "food" are closely related. Liang Fan, cooked with fine millet, was common in cities of the Han Dynasty, and wheat rice was the staple food of the lower classes in the northern region. When eating rice, pour more soup on it. If the conditions are poor, add some seasonings such as salt and vinegar. Since Qin and Han dynasties, the improvement of food processing methods is mainly reflected in the transition from granular food to pasta. With the widespread use of flour mills, grinding becomes easier, and there are more and more varieties of pasta. People call steamed food made of wheat flour without bran water cake, and steamed food made of rice flour and water bait fish bait. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the types of cake foods increased obviously, including Hu cake, soup cake and steamed cake. According to the literature, Hu cake may have been introduced into the Central Plains from the Western Regions, with a low periphery and a drum in the middle, like a turtle shell covered with sesame seeds, similar to today's sesame cakes. Steamed pasta is called steamed cake, and cooked pasta is called soup cake. As for the soup cake, some scholars think it is noodles or noodles according to the literature. In addition, porridge was also a common staple food at that time. Millet, wheat, rice and beans can all make porridge. According to the concentration and materials of porridge, it is also called mi, porridge and soup. Compared with the staple food, dishes can better reflect the style of China's diet life. During the Qin and Han dynasties, the cooking methods of meat mainly included roasting, boiling, boiling, waxing and bacon. Roasting, that is, barbecue, is one of the main methods of cooking meat in Han Dynasty. Boil, use kettles and other containers for cook the meat. The method of frying and frying is similar to that of boiling, except that the former is boiled until the juice is dry, and the latter is reserved soup. Wax is air-dried after dismembering animals, which is convenient for storage and cooked when eating. Bacon, first cut the meat into pieces, simmer it with ginger, pepper, salt, black beans and other seasonings, and then dry it. Raw food was also called "clothes" in the Han Dynasty. Cooking methods are usually used to eat fish, cut it into filaments and eat it like sashimi today. Vegetables are made similarly to meat. It can be said that in addition to frying, China's traditional cooking methods appeared in the Qin and Han Dynasties. What needs to be mentioned is the invention of tofu. According to legend, tofu was invented by Liu An, the king of Huainan, but the evidence is not sufficient. The workshop map of making tofu unearthed from the Han tomb in Dahuting, Xinmi, Henan Province proves that tofu and bean products were produced in the Han Dynasty. Tofu is a popular food with rich nutrition and unique flavor, which is still loved by China people.

Dietary structure in Qin and Han dynasties

In ancient China, agriculture was the foundation of the country, so agricultural products became the main food in agricultural areas. The ancients used to call edible agricultural products "five grains", but the specific meaning of five grains has been controversial. The main grain crops in Qin and Han dynasties were millet, millet, wheat, rice and rice. Millet was the main grain crop in the northern region in Qin and Han dynasties, also known as grain, which is commonly known as millet today. Xiaomi is what people call yellow rice today. Millet is millet, which is called millet after hulling. Before the Spring and Autumn Period, "millet" was the most important food crop, but after the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, its status began to decline, and its planting area decreased, mainly in the northwest. Wheat crops are mainly distributed in the Yellow River valley, including barley and wheat, and spring wheat and winter wheat are also different according to planting time. The Western Han Dynasty was a period of popularization of wheat crops, especially winter wheat. Zizania latifolia is a general term for beans, and it has been one of the main grains in northern China since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. There are soybean, adzuki bean, kidney bean and other varieties. By the Han dynasty, the consumption of beans was not as good as before, and the proportion of planting in the Yellow River basin was also reduced. Rice mainly grows in the south of Huaihe River, and there are many varieties. At present, the three major rice varieties, indica rice, japonica rice and glutinous rice, have existed since the Han Dynasty. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, due to climatic factors and the construction of water conservancy facilities, the rice planting area in the northern region was expanded. Due to the different natural conditions and crop planting conditions in different regions, the characteristics of staple foods in different regions are gradually emerging. During the Han Dynasty, northerners took millet and wheat as their staple food, while southerners took rice as their staple food, thus establishing the biggest difference between the north and the south of China. The vegetables people ate at that time were mainly divided into two categories: artificial cultivation and wild collection. Many vegetables we can see today, such as leeks, mustard greens, onions, garlic, melons, pickles, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, were available at that time. In order to meet the needs of the court diet, greenhouses similar to today's appeared in the Han Dynasty to cultivate some anti-season vegetables. At that time, the most eaten were livestock, pigs and chickens. As for aquatic products, the number and types of food consumed by residents near the water area are much higher than those in other areas. The aquatic products consumed in the Mainland are mainly fresh water products, such as fish, shrimp and crabs. Fruits, in addition to a wide variety of fruits found in Mawangdui Han Tomb, grapes, pomegranates and walnuts have gradually appeared in the diet records of Han people due to the opening of the Silk Road.