Ancient China's top ten etiquette

Zhou dynasty eight treasures is China's earliest surviving a complete banquet menu, recorded in the "Zhou rituals - Palace of Heaven" "treasures with eight things".

The Eight Treasures of the Zhou Dynasty is a general term for eight kinds of dishes, namely, Chun Boiled, Chun Mother, Cannon Dolphin, Cannon Sheep, Liver Osmus (liao), Boiled, Stained and Pounded Treasures.

Cannon Dolphin is a small pig roasted, fried and then stewed in water; Cannon Sheep is the same method but with a lamb instead of a dolphin.

Junjiu is steamed rice with meat sauce, and Junmu is the same method but with yellow rice.

Liver Osmus is made of shredded dog's liver and deep-fried in a net of oil. The fat is boiled with pieces of beef.

Staining is done by thinly slicing the calf's loin and marinating it in wine and acetic acid and then eating it raw. Pounding jin is made by pounding beef, sheep, dog, deer, and pork with a stone mortar to remove the sinews and membranes, and then cooking them in a ball.

The eight treasures consumed by the Zhou Emperor, the selection of materials, the production of complex, not only with the skills of baking, but also using a variety of techniques such as drying, pickling, cooking and raw food processing. In particular, the rational use of the five flavors and the processing of multiple links, all reflecting the highly developed level of cooking at that time, and its practice has been continued to this day.

2, Deer Song Banquet

Countryside drinking ritual is the most popular in the history of China, the longest continuation of a ceremonial drinking activities.

And the Deer Song Banquet as a form of countryside drinking rituals, is the ancient local officials to congratulate the examination of the Tribute to the students or lifts of the "countryside drinking" banquet.

"Deer singing" is originally from the "Classic of Poetry - Xiao Ya" in a musical song, a **** there are three chapters, three chapters of the first line are "Yo Yo Deer singing, eat wild apples"; "Yo Yo Deer singing, eat wild song"; "Yo Yo Deer singing, eat wild song"; "Yo Yo Deer singing, eat wild"; "Yo Yo Deer singing, eat wild"; "Yo Yo Deer singing, eat wild". "Yo-yo deer singing, eat wild scutellaria (qin)."

This means that when a deer discovers a delicacy, it does not forget its partner, and like an ant, it makes a "yo-yo" call to greet its companion to eat. The ancients considered this act as a virtue, so the lower down, the emperor banquets group ministers, local officials banquets colleagues and the local gentleman and local gentry, with this move to enlist the hearts of scholars, to show courtesy of the ancient style of the scholar.

Drinking banquet must first play the "deer song" of the song, and then read the "deer song" of the song in order to enliven the atmosphere, than the test of talent. This is the legacy of the Tengwang Pavilion banquet attended by Wang Bo in the Tang Dynasty.

The ancients believed that the music and song "used in the guests and feasts, then the gentleman and the ministers and", with food and not forgetting their associates, said this is the gentleman's style. It is said that during the Spring and Autumn period, Sun Mu Zi was employed as a minister in the state of Jin, and the Duke of Jin held a banquet to entertain the guests, during which he sang three chapters of the song "Deer Song". However, this feast is only popular in rich areas, but not in poor places. After the Republic of China disappeared.

3, Kongfu Banquet

The Kongfu Banquet, as the most famous official banquet in Chinese history, ranked first in China's official banquets, which reflects the high political nature of the banquet in ancient China, but also reflects the highest level of cooking in ancient China.

The Kongfu Banquet is mainly a special banquet made by the Kong family to receive honored guests, to congratulate on the assumption of office, as well as on birthdays and festivals, weddings, funerals and birthdays. The banquets have different specifications in accordance with the rank of ruler, minister, father and son. It is a high-level banquet specially prepared for the reception of VIPs, assumption of office, festival, birthdays, weddings and funerals of the Confucius family, and is a set of unique family banquets gradually formed after hundreds of years of continuous development and enrichment.

To date, in the streets of Qufu, Shandong Province, can be seen, but it is not good to say whether it is good to eat.

4, Tang Dynasty Qujiang Banquet

In the feast, the most relaxed and bold when the Tang Dynasty Qujiang Banquet.

The Qujiang Banquet is the Tang Dynasty, the successful scholar, after the release of the list of feasts in the Qujiang Pavilion, so it is also known as the Qujiang will.

The official release date of the Tang Dynasty new scholarships coincide with the day before the last six days, the last six days for the Tang Dynasty, one of the three major festivals. This kind of banquet activities, the emperor himself, and the banquet by the emperor "point".

Banquet, the emperor, princes and ministers and with the banquet while viewing the Qujiang River side of the sky and water color, while tasting the Palace Imperial Banquet delicious food. Later, the Qujiang River Banquet developed a wide variety of types, so that it became an event for all people to participate in, like today's temple fair, all kinds of banquets, different interests.

This, in particular, on the Si Festival feast, the new scholar feast is the most grand, in the history of the deepest impact.

The year, the examination is one of the four great joys of life, naturally to celebrate some of the form of celebration is the Qujiang General Assembly, that is, the Qujiang Banquet. Because the banquet is often held after the examination, so it is also called "Guan Banquet".

At the same time, because the place where the banquet is held are generally located in the pavilion on the bank of the Qujiang River in the Apricot Garden, so it is also called "Apricot Garden Banquet", and gradually evolved into a poet reciting poems, "Poetry Club".

Quejiang Banquet in accordance with the ancient custom of "Qu Shui Liu Zhen", set the wine cups in the flowing water, who flowed to the front of who will be punished for drinking poetry, poetry by the crowd for evaluation, known as the "Qujiang Liu Zhen". To Tang Xizong, also set up in the Qujiang feast "Cherry Banquet" specifically to celebrate the new scholar and the first.

The Qujiang Banquet is the most famous feast in the history of our country, from the Tang Emperor Shenlong years, has been continued to the Tang Emperor Xizong Qianfu years Huang Chao rebel army killed Chang'an city, lasted more than 170 years.

Only, now there will never be a chance to enjoy such a prosperous time as the Great Tang.

5, the Tang Dynasty burnt tail banquet

Burnt tail banquet is a special banquet that once flourished in Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty.

The so-called "burnt ends banquet" refers to the scholar's new appointment or promotion of officials, entertaining friends and colleagues to congratulate the banquet.

According to the record of "Feng's Wenshimiji", when a scholar was first appointed or promoted to an official position, his friend Tongliao would come to congratulate him, and the host would prepare a sumptuous banquet and entertain him with songs and dances. The Tang Dynasty, the feast activities collectively referred to as burnt ends, the feast was also called "burnt ends feast".

This seemingly strange name, the source of three sayings:

One said that when the tiger became a man, to burn off its tail; the second said that the sheep into the new flock, to burn the old tail to be accepted; the third said that the carp jumped the Dragon Gate, by the heavenly fire burned off the tail of the fish, in order to be transformed into the real dragon.

Tao Gu's book Qingyilu (Records of the Qingyi) from the Fifth Dynasty records one of the most famous tail-burning banquets of the Tang Dynasty.

6, the Yuan dynasty fraud horse feast

Fraud horse feast is Mongolia's unique celebration feast whole cow or sheep. Fraudulent horse, the Mongolian language refers to the retreat of the hair of the whole animal, meaning that the cattle, sheep livestock slaughtered, with hot water retreat of the hair, remove the viscera, grilled or boiled on the table.

Fraudulent horse feast began in the Yuan Dynasty. This simple sharing of the whole cow, whole sheep folklore, by the holy Lord Nuoyan Bingzheng development for the luxury of the palace feast. Later, the palace feast was basically extinct, and the roasted whole cow has also been lost.

The later restoration of the roast beef, roast sheep and the then fraudulent horse feast has been incomparable.

This feast exhibits the Mongolian princes heavy weaponry, heavy clothing, heavy feast custom, compared to the Song Emperor birthday feast is bigger, feast for three days, not drunk. Banquet wearers wear dress every year by craftsmen, the emperor awarded, a day a change, the same color. The dishes are mainly sheep, with a lot of wine.

In this kind of feast, the emperor also often give ministers reward, get the great honor. Sometimes in the feast also discuss military matters.

This activity has a strong political color. Therefore, it is a special case of classical feasts.

7, Yuan Mei's private banquet with the garden dishes

Wumen with the garden dishes and Shandong's Kongfu Banquet, Beijing's Tanjia Cuisine and become China's three major official banquets, in fact, with the garden dishes in the strict sense can not be counted as an official banquet, can only be said to be a private banquet.

The Suiyuan cuisine got its name from the "Suiyuan Food List" written by Yuan Mei, a talented man in the Qing Dynasty. This is Mr. Yuan with his strong love of food, visited famous chefs and famous food, and combined with his own unique understanding and point of view and organized a set of food system, because he also often in the home guests, later, it will be called "Suiyuan cuisine".

Mr. Yuan's Sui-Yuan is both a garden and a base for cooking materials, and it is said that "except for fresh meat and tofu, which have to be purchased outside, everything else is prepared.

With the garden food to the mountains and the sea, down to a porridge and a meal, the selection of materials in strict accordance with the requirements. Such as the choice of what meat is delicious, chicken with what chicken, bamboo shoots to what kind of good ham to buy who's family, have requirements, never make do. This point in his old man's articles have clear records.

So, Yuan Mei is also known as the "food saint".

8, Manchu Han feast

To say the top ten famous feasts in ancient China, can not say Manchu Han feast!

Man Han Banquet, as the name suggests, is the Qing Dynasty period of the palace feast. Both the characteristics of the palace dishes, but also the essence of the local flavor; highlighting the special flavor of Manchu and Han dishes, barbecue, hot pot, shabu-shabu almost indispensable dishes, but also demonstrated the characteristics of Han cooking, grilling, frying, stir-frying, buttery, burnt, etc., is a treasure of Chinese cuisine and culture and the highest state of the art.

Manchurian-Han Chinese banquet was originally held at the court of the Qing Dynasty when the Manchus and Han Chinese people to do a kind of banquet. Manchu Han feast dishes generally at least one hundred and eight kinds, 54 southern dishes, 54 northern dishes, eaten in three days. Manchu Han feast dishes are salty and sweet, meat and vegetarian, take a wide range of materials, fine materials, delicacies of the mountains and the sea are omnipresent.

Manhan Quan Xi was later developed into a reserved repertoire and classic teaching material for comic dunking, and was widely spread as a result. Nowadays, many places are trying to revive the "full Manchu banquet", but it's a mixed bag, and most of it is just a concept and a gimmick. Many of the famous traditional dishes are no longer available or allowed.

For example, steamed bear's paw makes my feet hurt just thinking about it.

9, a thousand old man feast

The thousand old man feast is also one of the great feasts in the imperial palace of the Qing dynasty.

Thousand old man feast first began in the Kangxi, full in the Qianlong period, is the largest in the Qing Palace, with the feast of the most grand Royal Banquet, in the Qing Dynasty **** organized 4 times.

This feast was held for the first time because of the Kangxi thousands of people feast, the Kangxi Emperor was given a "feast of a thousand old man" poem, so the name of the feast. The banquet aims to practice filial piety, build a communication platform for relatives, create a festive atmosphere, and strengthen friendly relations among neighbors and families.

The Kangxi Emperor Xuan Ye's 60th birthday was celebrated in March of the lunar calendar in the 52nd year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign (1713), and he organized the first Thousand Old Men's Banquet in Changchunyuan, inviting old men and women from all over the world to come to the capital to celebrate their birthdays.

The first organized a thousand old man feast, the year 65 years old or older elderly, officials and civilians regardless, can be on time to the capital to participate in the Yangchunyuan gathering feast. At that time, more than 1,000 people to the feast, all of them are the oldest old man, all social classes of characters, from this thousand old man feast held around the wind of respect for the elderly and love for the elderly, can be said to be prevalent. Kangxi period thousand old man feast grand scene to the young Hongli left a deep impression, he succeeded the throne, follow the example of his grandfather, also organized two thousand old man feast.

Today it is extinct and the custom does not exist, mainly because there are too many people over 60 years old.

10, the last official banquet: Tanjia Cuisine

In the history of China's famous banquets, Tanjia Cuisine and Kongfu Banquet, with the dish is famous.

Tanjia Cuisine was created by Tan Zongjun, a bureaucrat in the late Qing Dynasty, and his family.

In 1874 (the 13th year of the Tongzhi reign), Tan Zongjun, a native of Nanhai County, Guangdong Province, won the second place in the Imperial Examination, and became an official at the Hanlin Academy in the capital. He lived in Xisi Mutton Hutong, then supervised the school in Sichuan, and later served as deputy examiner in Jiangnan.

Tan Zongjun life love of delicacies, but also hospitable to friends, often at home for the West Garden, personally supervise the point, gun dragon steam phoenix, Chinese history, the only created by the Hanlin "dish" since the birth.

He and his son deliberately diet and to pay a lot of money to hire a famous chef in Beijing, to get its culinary skills, will be the combination of Cantonese cuisine and Beijing cuisine and its own school.

Today, there are many Tanfu dishes around the world, apprentice with apprentice, playing Tanfu dishes name of the pavilion there are many, but the Beijing restaurant always think that their own Tanfu dishes are authentic, so, in the past, has been playing a lot of name lawsuits.