From the perspective of history, China's food culture has stretched over 1.7 million years, divided into four stages of development, namely, raw food, cooked food, natural cooking, and scientific cooking, and has introduced more than 60,000 kinds of traditional dishes, more than 20,000 kinds of industrial food, colorful banquets, and colorful flavors, earning it the reputation of the "Kingdom of Cooking". At one time, data showed that Chinese people had the world's best physical fitness and the most balanced diet in the world.
Chinese food culture, after the implementation of Confucianism, from the connotation of Chinese food culture involves the development and utilization of food sources, the use of food utensils and innovation, food production and consumption, catering services and hospitality, catering and food industry management and management, as well as food and national security, food and literature and art, food and the relationship between the realm of life, etc., deep and broad. In terms of extension, Chinese food culture can be classified from a variety of perspectives, such as era and technique, region and economy, ethnicity and religion, food and eating utensils, consumption and level, folklore and function, etc., demonstrating different cultural tastes and embodying different values of use in a variety of colors.
From the point of view of influence, Chinese food culture directly affects Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and other countries, is the axis of the Eastern food culture circle; at the same time, it also indirectly affects Europe, the Americas, Africa and Oceania, like China's vegetarian culture, tea culture, soy sauce and vinegar, pasta, medicinal food, ceramic tableware and soybeans, etc, have benefited billions of people around the world. In a word, Chinese food culture is a kind of long-standing regional culture with wide vision, deep level, multi-angle and high grade; it is the material and spiritual wealth created, accumulated and influenced the neighboring countries and the world in the development of food source, development of food utensils, food conditioning, nutritional health care and dietary aesthetics of the people of all ethnic groups of China in the more than one million years of production and life practice. Chinese food culture characteristics of China is a civilization is a country, but also a long history of food culture of the territory.
In summary, China's food culture has a long history, not only the continuation of the five thousand years of history, can be roughly divided into five blocks:
First, a variety of flavors. Due to the vastness of our country, the vastness of the land, the climate, products, customs and habits are different, for a long time, in the diet has also formed many flavors. China has always had 'southern rice and northern noodles', the taste of 'southern sweet, northern salty, eastern sour and western spicy' points, mainly Bashu, Qilu, Huaiyang, Guangdong and Fujian four major flavors.
Second, the seasons are different. All year round, eat according to the season, is another major feature of Chinese cooking. Since ancient times, our country has been seasonal changes to seasoning, food, winter flavor mellow thick, summer light cool; winter more stew simmering, summer more cold frozen. That's what every health program is emphasizing, winter tonic blood, summer tonic gas.
Third, the beauty. Chinese cooking, not only skilled, but also pay attention to the beauty of the dishes of the tradition, pay attention to the color of the food, aroma, taste, shape, the coordination of the device. The performance of the beauty of the dishes is multifaceted, whether it is a carrot, or a cabbage heart, can be carved out of a variety of shapes, unique, to achieve the color, aroma, taste, shape and beauty of the harmony and unity, to give a person a high degree of unity of the spirit and the material enjoyment of the special.
Fourth, pay attention to interest. China's cooking has long paid attention to taste interest, not only on the color, aroma and taste of meals and snacks have strict requirements, and their naming, taste of the way, the rhythm of the meal, entertainment interspersed with certain requirements, the name of each dish can be said to be out of the spirit, elegance and vulgarity **** appreciation. The name of the dish is based on both the main, auxiliary, seasonings and cooking methods of realistic naming, but also based on historical stories, myths and legends, celebrities, food interests, dishes named after the image, such as "family portrait", "generals across the bridge", "the" lion's head", "called chicken", "dragon and phoenix", "Hongmen Banquet", "Dongpo Pork ".
Fifth, the combination of food and medicine. China's culinary technology, and health care has a close link, thousands of years ago, there is a 'medical food' and 'medicinal meals with the same function', the use of food raw materials of medicinal value, made into a variety of delicious dishes, to achieve the purpose of some disease prevention and treatment. "