Research Paper on Guangdong Culinary Culture

Research on Guangdong Culinary Culture

Guangzhou has been a major town in the south of China since ancient times. After the unification of Lingnan by Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the Han-Vietnamese cultures and living customs were soon integrated, and Guangzhou became the center of Lingnan culture. Ancient Guangzhou is surrounded by rivers and streams, abundant rainfall, pleasant climate, hills in the west, east and north, abundant forests and grasses, abundant Lingnan fruits, birds and animals; the south side of the sea, the shoals are vast, producing a lot of salty and fresh aquatic products and amphibians, which makes the ancient Guangzhou one of the richest areas of China's dietary resources. The formation of Cantonese cuisine has a long history, a large number of immigrants from the Central Plains to Lingnan, so that the food culture of Guangzhou has been y influenced by the Central Plains, as early as in the Han and Wei Dynasties, Guangzhou's snake dishes, roasted geese and fish soup has already had an impact; the end of the Song Dynasty, the Song Emperor fled to the south with the kitchen, many palace food to the people of Guangzhou; after the Opium War, the European and American countries, the massive influx of missionaries and businessmen, Guangzhou, ten thousand merchants, providing a wide range of markets for the development of the catering industry. Cantonese cuisine has absorbed the strengths of Chinese cuisine and Western cuisine, and then absorbed the advantages of local dishes in Guangdong, just as the culture of Guangzhou, blending the ancient and modern, through the East and West, forming a unique Guangzhou food culture different from other regions of the country, and has won the reputation of "food in Guangzhou", which is famous both at home and abroad, and countless tourists come here to taste the delicious dishes and feel the unique Lingnan cuisine. The city's food culture is unique to Guangzhou and has earned the name "Food in Guangzhou", which is famous both at home and abroad.

The most obvious feeling in Guangzhou is that there are many restaurants, so as long as you want to eat, you can eat anytime, anywhere, all kinds of food. The tea market is one of the most attractive features of Guangzhou's food. In the past, there was only "morning tea" in Guangzhou, but now it has developed into three tea markets: morning, afternoon and evening. Almost all of the restaurants have opened tea market, guests are seated, the waiter immediately came to greet: "open a few? Drink what tea?" Tea market supply a variety of salty and sweet wet and dry snacks, such as buffet, by the good, each take what they need, the price is also very affordable, the general public can consume. Guangzhou tea market has become an important social occasion for friends to meet and exchange ideas, and become an important way for family reunion and *** enjoyment of family, is an effective buffer for the modern tense and fast-paced life and work, and is an important way for some people, especially the elderly, to relax, a morning newspaper, a cup of two pieces, sit for a few hours, while eating, watching and chatting about family, national and world affairs, and all matters of concern. Cantonese cuisine is a very wide selection of materials, snakes as dragons, chickens as phoenixes, cats as tigers, rats as deer, flying in the sky, crawling on the ground, swimming in the water, almost all in the cooking of the list. Cantonese cuisine is fresh, tender and smooth, light in summer and autumn, rich in winter and spring, using unique flavors of the seasonings, using pot, grill, bubble, stir-fry, simmering and fire bureau and other techniques, cooking a unique local flavor of the delicacies. The "raw seafood" of Cantonese cuisine is unique, and many restaurants and hotels have not decorated the halls, but first design the seafood pool at the entrance, displaying dozens of kinds of raw seafood, in order to attract customers. Cantonese cuisine in the pot hot, drink herbal tea is the people of Guangzhou to adapt to the geographical and climatic environment, adapt to the local conditions of the initiative, "today what hot pot?" It is an essential topic for housewives to meet and chat, and there is a lot to learn about old-flame hot pots. The Cantonese cuisine is very varied, and every once in a while, the restaurants will create new dishes with new raw materials and different combinations to enhance their competitiveness, and often set off new dietary trends in the market, which is where the strong vitality of "Food in Guangzhou" lies.

Analyzing the natural landscape and human environment of "Food in Guangzhou", it has rich cultural connotations. First, openness. Guangzhou is located on the coast, convenient transportation, since ancient times is the Chinese and foreign economic and cultural exchanges of the port. Open environment, given the Guangzhou people open way of thinking, reflected in the diet is a "nothing to eat" open mind, Guangzhou streets are dotted with hotels and restaurants around the North and South flavors, almost all the major national cuisine, flavors from around the world can be found. Second, compatibility. Open culture, but also must be compatible. Lingnan culture has the characteristics of eclecticism, tolerance, in Guangzhou food has also been fully embodied. Third, pioneering. Guangzhou people dare to eat anything, and are good at discovering traditional local flavors and food methods, constantly transplanting and transforming, and introducing new ideas. There is an old motto circulating among Cantonese chefs: "There is tradition, not authentic." It reflects the courage of Guangzhou people to be the first in the world and the spirit of pioneering and innovation. In addition, Guangzhou people don't waste their food and "pack" it back if they can't finish it, which reflects the Cantonese people's love of food and thrift and frugality. Guangzhou food to eat and cook to the realm of art, become an important part of Lingnan culture, and greatly enriched the connotation and characteristics of the Lingnan culture, China and the Asia-Pacific region have a far-reaching impact on the food culture.

With the development of economy, social progress, and opening up to the outside world, the food culture of Guangzhou is also constantly developing and changing. On the one hand, Guangzhou food culture is subject to the impact of foreign cultures, such as McDonald's, KFC and other representatives of the Western fast-food culture, occupies a lot of young people and children's market, so that a lot of people's living customs, cultural concepts have also undergone new changes. On the other hand, the continuous improvement of people's living standard has laid an economic foundation for the development of food culture in Guangzhou, and "Food in Guangzhou" is also facing a good opportunity for development, presenting the following development trends: First, the combination of food and tourism. The setting up of restaurants and tourist attractions is compatible with the development of the restaurant, the protection and construction of old brands are emphasized, and the overall planning of tourism products is promoted; the tourism department organizes the "Guangzhou International Cuisine Festival" every year, which attracts visitors from all over the world and widely promotes Guangzhou's culinary culture, thus combining food and tourism effectively. Secondly, the convenience of dining. In view of the fast pace of modern work and life, all kinds of ready-to-eat food, semi-finished products and fast food are developing rapidly and are widely welcomed. Thirdly, food nutrition is scientific. Guangzhou people from "eat enough" to "eat well", and has been gradually pay attention to the nutritional structure of the scientific collocation, pay attention to dietary supplements, therapeutic food, medicinal diets, the study of nutrition and research in the ascendant. Fourth, the naturalization of raw materials. Guangzhou people pay more and more attention to environmental protection and sustainable development, assured food, assured meat has become a common concern of the public, green food, pollution-free food market demand is expanding. Fifth, the food interest. Guangzhou's restaurants and hotels pay more and more attention to the decoration, elegant style, comfortable environment, hall furnishings, dish naming, waiter's clothing, etc., all reveal the taste of food culture. Coupled with melodious and pleasant music, or set up dance and music, fashion shows, or set up karaoke, so that diners in the beauty of the artistic atmosphere, self-indulgence in the dining and drinking. This combination of food and culture and art, so that Guangzhou food interest continues to improve, diners will enjoy more and more rich food culture.

Guangdong Culture and Dietary Customs

Human beings' choice of food depends not only on their individual organismic characteristics, the conditions of the times, the surrounding natural environment, etc., but also on their cultural characteristics. Different cultures have different standards and ways of consuming food. For example, the Chinese regard the liver, kidney, heart and lungs of animals as delicacies, the so-called "making up for the shape of the form", while the Americans feed them to cats and dogs, which is considered unhealthy for human beings; the Chinese are not accustomed to eating snails, while the French regard it as a treasure; India is the country that raises the largest number of cows in the world but they would rather die of hunger than to eat. India is the world's largest cattle country, but they would rather starve to death, but also do not eat beef, even the United Nations Relief Agency to India's milk can only be poured into the sea, which has a close relationship with their traditional culture (religious beliefs).

Dietary practices are a very distinctive branch of Guangdong culture. Cantonese cuisine is famous at home and abroad, and "food in Guangzhou" has long been known around the world. The reform and innovation of food can never leave the scope of culture. Through the description and analysis of the phenomenon of Guangdong food, we can see the cultural connotations of its way of life.

Mixed ingredients

Cantonese cuisine, as one of the eight major cuisines in China, is especially famous for its wide selection of ingredients. In Cantonese cuisine, birds and animals, sea food, wild vegetables and flowers, nothing can not be into the food, snakes, rats, birds, insects, dogs, cats, etc., in other cuisines in the jaw-dropping selection of materials, but was served as a treasures of the table. Such as snake is the people of other provinces do not dare to enter the mouth, such as the ancient times, there is a "cup bow snake shadow" idiom, even mistakenly thought the shadow of the snake reflected in the wine glass to be scared sick, not to mention eating. In Cantonese cuisine, snake is the best choice of material, Cantonese people eat snake, can be said to have a long history, but in Cantonese cuisine is the best choice of material, "South Vietnam," there is a snake eating song: "boa boa snake, both Hong and long, Bing Heng Jia Banquet, is the bean is the goblet." Nowadays, there are nearly 50 kinds of snake dishes in Guangdong, and there are many restaurants that use snake as the basic dish. Many foreigners and outsiders who come to Guangdong will taste snake dishes as a quick treat.

In fact, the Cantonese character of not eating anything is the reflection of their open-mindedness in food. As the saying goes, "one side of the water and soil nurtures one side of the people, and different geographical environments create different regional personalities. Guangdong is the place where Chinese and foreign cultural exchanges must pass through, forming an open-minded structure of the Guangdong people, and at the same time, due to the location of the frontier, successive dynasties on its control than the mainland weak, less influenced by the orthodox feudalism, the traditional culture of the Central Plains of the influence on it is constantly fading, so as to have a greater degree of freedom and accommodating power.

Broadly speaking practical

Cantonese cuisine was formed in the Qin and Han Dynasties, it is based on the local food culture, absorbing the essence of the domestic Beijing, Lu, Su, Sichuan and other cuisines and Western cooking techniques, such as Cantonese cuisine in the bubble, steak, Sichuan is the north of the explosion, steak, blanch in the transplantation of the pan-frying, deep-frying and other methods are borrowed from the Western food, and gradually formed the unique flavor of the southern country.

Any similar culture, can be explored from the history of contact with the relationship between the same things in the two places in the comparison, the more qualitatively similar, the more significant the mutual dissemination. The openness of Guangdong culture is bound to have compatibility, thus making the food culture inclusive and promoting the development of food customs without realizing it.

Guangdong dietary practices in the broader collection of the best at the same time, can gradually abandon some of the bad habits of foreign food, the formation of not luxury, practical style. Guangdong people's diet, pay attention to the less refined, even if the feast guests, but also never wasteful, to eat, eat well as the principle, which with some places in the north of the big food and drink in sharp contrast. The northern people's extravagance is precisely due to the etiquette of the formalities, which certainly has its bold and lovely side, but it should be more to see that the dietary red tape, is not acceptable for the behavior of the modern society. Of course, this does not mean that the Guangdong people do not attach importance to etiquette, on the contrary, the Guangdong people invite guests to pay great attention to politeness, so that the guests come to enjoy themselves, and the kind of detachment from the actual pomp and circumstance, is pragmatic Guangdong people do not want to do.

Cantonese people now eating style on the pragmatic spirit, is the inevitable result of the development of modern society. Guangdong people do not want fame, pay attention to the actual, Confucian culture focuses on the form of reticence and other spirit of Guangdong's influence is not deep, on the contrary, they are subject to the West's realistic attitude of inculcation. This influence has led to the formation of the Guangdong people's diet can learn from the best, but also maintain a pragmatic attitude. The production of fine pursuit of enjoyment

The production of a delicious dish depends on the methodical collaboration between the various links, Cantonese cuisine in the ingredients, knife work, fire, cooking time, starting pots, wrapping the tail, utensils, serving methods, and so on many links have very strict requirements. Such as fish to pay attention to the killing that is cooking, so as to maintain the freshness of the fish; and then the production of its platter, must pay attention to the choice of ingredients, in order to achieve the effect of beautiful shape, rich flavor, a good platter, not only a plate of delicacies, but also a piece of art, so that the people pleasing to the eye, the appetite.

In Cantonese cuisine, the most seen in the master's production efforts than chicken dishes, where hundreds of kinds of more, allowing guests to taste dozens of kinds of chicken dishes and never repeat the feeling that almost every famous restaurant has its own creation of the signature chicken, such as Guangzhou Restaurant Wenchang chicken, Beiyuan Restaurant's flower carving chicken, Foshan's Chu Hau Chicken, Qingyuan's white chicken, etc., the list goes on and on, each with its own unique characteristics. Such as white cut chicken, must use small hen or castrated chicken, to Qingyuan three yellow chicken for the best, the production of the most important is the fire, to just cooked, cut the two leg bones are still slightly with the blood of the appropriate, if the fire, the meat becomes old, it will lose the characteristics of the white cut chicken smooth and tasty.　The delicacy of food production is inseparable from the Cantonese culture that emphasizes personal values and the pursuit of enjoyment. Enjoyment is not a one-sided pursuit of food, drink and pleasure, but belongs to the category of morality and corresponds to asceticism. Asceticism rejects earthly wealth and enjoyment and suppresses desires in order to achieve certain social goals or moral self-improvement. In terms of moral types, Cantonese culture does not belong to asceticism, but shows a tendency towards enjoymentism, full of worldly hedonistic human nature and moods, manifested in the pursuit of comfort, pleasure, and the good life, with the aim of working hard and enjoying oneself to the fullest. The word "enjoyment" has always been given a derogatory meaning in Chinese culture, always associating it with getting something for nothing, thinking that enjoyment is the lifestyle of the bourgeoisie, and it seems that only the bourgeoisie are qualified to enjoy. In fact, enjoyment is a very advanced way of human existence, an inevitable cultural choice when human civilization develops to a certain level.

Since the reform and opening up, Guangdong's dietary practices have developed to a higher level, which has had a strong impact on traditional values, and the traditional Confucian concept of "the gentleman is poor" and is content to live in "little food and drink" has been seriously challenged. Confucianism takes integrity as the only criterion for measuring personality and the keeping of poverty as a symbol of adherence to integrity, and the essence of this idea is to limit human beings to the lowest standard of living. The Guangdong people in the tide of reform realized that it was desirable not to live in luxury, but poverty should never be used as a criterion for determining integrity, which enabled them to liberalize their thinking and go on a courageous quest for ever-higher standards of living.

Dietary practices are an important cultural phenomenon. Food is not just an organic substance that can be utilized by human beings to sustain life, but for each type of food and the way it is consumed, it also needs to be culturally labeled as agreeable in terms of its reliability. Similarly, the choice of food made by Cantonese people is the result of the long-term influence of their culture. Culinary reforms and innovations can be varied, but they must be culturally based in order to be accepted and enjoyed by the people.

The colorful food culture is an important window reflecting the economic and social development of Guangzhou. "Food in Guangzhou" is the national praise for the food culture of Guangdong. Guangdong food culture has a long history, deep precipitation, not only rich in connotation, but also has a very strong southern Guangdong characteristics: cooking raw materials of the wide range and diversity, cooking methods of subtle and unique, both food and beauty, with a unique aesthetic concept, reflecting the color, aroma, taste and shape of the organic combination. It is believed that with the construction and development of the modernized central city of Guangzhou, "Food in Guangzhou" has unlimited potential and the future prospects will be more brilliant.