The emperor dining has a set of procedures that must be followed. The Southern Song Dynasty, for example. In the emperor will eat the hour, in the temple in the province and the emperor to eat between the Jia Ming Hall, the guards are tight, no one is allowed to pass. Temple in the province of a person first shouted: "dial food!" Immediately appeared more than 10 dressed in purple "yard family", the right hand holding with yellow embroidered dragon cloth covered food box, the left hand with a red embroidered handkerchief, food box on the Jiamei Hall meal table. The emperor's dishes served up, the first silver products to test whether the meal is poisonous, and then also by the specialists "taste meal", to determine that there is no problem, the emperor can eat. Now everyone is three meals a day, and the emperor of the Qing dynasty is two meals a day, breakfast about 6 to 8 o'clock in the present, dinner in the afternoon 2 to 4 o'clock. Every day, before the emperor dined, he had to consult the list of meals, which stated which dish was made by whom for the emperor's verification and ordering. The emperor ordered dishes, if there is no special instructions to be removed and replaced, the imperial kitchen every time to prepare. In the emperor's meal table also set up another several cases, in order to prepare the reward. After the emperor's meal, the remaining food can be given to others. According to reason, enjoy such a sumptuous meal is a kind of enjoyment, but the emperor ate and not enjoy. For example, the Qing dynasty court has such a rule, the meal can not show their own "like to eat what"; even for the very favorite dishes, but also to strictly abide by the "eat vegetables but three spoons" of the family law. According to the Zhou Rites, the emperor had to be accompanied by music during meals. In later times, although music was not closely related to the emperor's daily meals, various rules were added to show the emperor's honor. For example, the emperor was to eat alone, and if he was pleased, he could grace others (e.g., empresses, concubines, imperial sons and daughters, or favorites) to eat with him. Imperial meals, in short, were the meals enjoyed by the imperial family. Ancient Chinese palace imperial meals, the flavor characteristics of its various dynasties are not the same, but one thing is recognized, that is, the Chinese emperors and kings attached great importance to the desire of the mouth and stomach. They rely on the supreme position and the power of the arbitrary, serves all over the world to send the chef, convergence of the world's four sides of the food and drink, the formation of a luxurious and exquisite flavor characteristics of the imperial food. Although the imperial food for the successive emperors to enjoy, but every beautiful drink delicacies, are from the people of the civilian population to provide the cooking materials and cooking techniques. If the food of folk households and restaurants is the foundation of Chinese cooking, then the Palace Imperial Cuisine is the peak of ancient Chinese culinary art. Therefore, the imperial meals of each era can actually represent the highest level of Chinese culinary skills of that era. In the long history of China's food culture, China's imperial meals experienced a coarse to fine, from simple to complex, from simple to extravagant development process, and then formed a continuous, peaks and peaks of the development of the system, as a piece of hearty and joyful, the symphony of mutual excitement, constitutes the main theme of the Chinese culinary arts continue to enrich the development of the course of self-improvement. As early as in the Zhou Dynasty, the palace flavor has formed the initial scale. Zhou dynasty ruling class attaches great importance to the relationship between food and politics. Zhou people have nothing to feast, no day to feast. The reason for this, in addition to the Zhou son of heaven, the vassal enjoyment required, there is a political purpose. Through banquets, to strengthen the spirit of rites and music, maintain the ruling order. Poetry - Xiao Ya - Deer Song" writes about the banquet scene between the king of Zhou and his ministers. What was the purpose of the banquet? "(The Son of Heaven) performed his generous intentions, and then the loyal ministers and guests were able to serve their superiors with all their loyalty and honor. When the upper and lower levels are rewarded, the ruler and the ministers are sincere, and this is why it is a beautiful thing to do for the government" ("Justice in Mao Shi"). Because of this, the imperial meal types and specifications of the Zhou Dynasty is very complex, to the participants of the imperial meal and the scale of the imperial meal, the imperial meal seat is a private seat and the official seat of the division. Private seat that is the old friends and relatives between the feast. These feasts are generally set up in the emperor or the king's palace. Official seat refers to the son of heaven, the king entertained courtiers or foreign envoys and set up the feast. This kind of banquet was grand in scale, and the hosts usually entertained their guests in a large prison. Poetry - Xiao Ya - Tong Gong" is written by the son of Zhou Tianzi set up a banquet to entertain the lords of the scene, from which "the bells and drums have been set up, a dynasty of entertaining," two sentences, the official banquet scene is generally to be listed bells and drums, to music to add a solemn and harmonious atmosphere. "Entertainment", Zheng Jian: "the big drink guest day entertained." See the official banquet of the imperial meal is quite large. If the theme of the imperial meal, it can be divided into several kinds: one is the "sacrifice end of the imperial meal". Zuozhuan - Cheng Gong 13 years ":" State of the great things in the rituals and Rong." Zhou people attach importance to sacrifice, and one of the important performance of the sacrificial ceremony is to recommend food offerings, sacrificial rites after the line, the royal family of Zhou and its entourage gathered in a feast. From the scene, the end of the imperial meal is bigger than usual, and the quality of the food is high. Rituals - the king's system: "the vassals do not kill cattle for no reason, the great doctor does not kill sheep for no reason, the scholar does not kill rags for no reason, the common people do not eat Jane for no reason, the common people do not exceed the sacrifice of shame." Zheng note: "Therefore, said the genus of the sacrifice." Only at the time of sacrifice, the Zhou royal family could have a row of killing cows and slaughtering goats and listing all kinds of flavors. Poetry in the "Xiao Ya - Chutz", "Zhou Ode - have guests", "Shang Ode - Liezu" and so on, to varying degrees, the end of the sacrifice feast described. The second is "agriculture imperial meal", since the beginning of the Zhou, the ruler attaches great importance to farming, and directly participate in agricultural labor, known as the "king plowing with the field", generally held in the early spring to choose the auspicious. Son of heaven, vassals, ministers, ministers and agricultural officials at all levels are holding agricultural tools, to the son of heaven's estate symbolic plowing, push the number of plows depending on the person, "the son of heaven three pushes, three public five pushes, the secretary of state, the vassals of the nine pushes. On the other hand, the emperor was in the big bed, and the three dukes and nine ministers and vassals were all imperial, and they were ordered to drink wine on the day of the plowing" ("Rituals of the Book of Rites - Monthly Orders"). After the ceremony of "making use of the field", there would be an agricultural feast, where the Son of Heaven would set up a banquet, and all the princes and lords would drink with their titles. Poetry in the "Xiao Ya - Dada", "Xiao Ya - Futian", "Zhou Ode - Zai mow", "Zhou Ode - Liangnü", "Lu Ode - have strong", etc., are on the agricultural imperial meals to varying degrees of depiction. Third, the "private old imperial meal", also known as "Yan drink", which is a personal friend of the old clansmen between the private feast, according to the "rituals - Yan Li" Jia Gongyan sparse day: "the vassals have nothing to do and Yan, one also; the Secretary of the King's labor, two also; Secretary of the King's labor again! The last three cases of the feast, although with the state political affairs, but the deep feelings of the king and the ministers, the atmosphere of the feast leisurely and easy, it is called "Yan", belonging to the old private imperial meals in the common situation. The fourth is "competition shooting imperial meals", the Zhou people heavy shooting ceremony, "this is why the view of virtue" ("Records of Rites - Shooting") held shooting ceremony, is the ruler of the Zhou view of virtue, selecting ministers marquis, Ming rituals and music of the big event, and can not be without a feast. "Poetry - Daya - line reed" is not stingy ink, for us to depict the shooting ceremony of the feast, "wanton feast set up a seat, awarded a few have wanted to defend. Or dedication or entertainment, wash the cup and lay jia. The acyl minced meat is recommended, or burnt or roasted. The food was served in the spleen and palate, and they sang or beat a drum. The bow was firm, the four forges were forged, the vectors were equalized, and the guests were ordered to be wise. The bow is ten years old, and the four arrowheads are held together. The four arrowheads are like trees, and the guest of honor is not to be regretted." During the feast, people drew bows and shot arrows, which not only enlivened the atmosphere of the feast, but also embodied the spirit of Zhou rites and music. According to Zuo Zhuan, Minister Fan Xianzi of Qi visited Lu, and Duke Xiang of Lu hosted a banquet for him and held an archery rite in between the feasts, with three pairs of participants: "Family ministers: Zhan Yu and Zhan Yufu as a couple; public ministers: Gongwu Zhaobo and Zhongyan Zhuangshu as a couple; and Zeng Gupu and Dangshu as a couple" ("Zuo Zhuan", 29th year of the Duke of Xiang's reign). "Bin shot" of the feast at that time quite often, and more with some diplomatic activities. Fifth, the "hiring ceremony imperial meals", "hiring, visit also" ("Shuowen - ear"), hiring ceremony of the banquet that the son of heaven or the ruler of the state for the hospitality of visiting envoys and organized feasts, the Zhou people also known as "enjoyment of the ceremony". The Zhou people also called it "hengli". The Zuo Zhuan contains a lot of records on this, the atmosphere is either warm or solemn; the participants either recite poems or sing songs; the scene either sets bells and drums or accompanies dances. During the feast, there was a customary requirement, that is, "poetry must be classified", that is, poetry, song, dance and music should all express the theme of the feast. According to the record: "The Marquis of Jin and the lords feast in Wen, so that all the great dancers, said: 'Poetry must be similar! Qi Gao Hou's poem is not classified. Gou Yan anger, and said: 'the lords have a different will! Gou Yan was furious and said: 'The vassals have different aspirations!' He made the great lords ally with Gao Hou, who fled and returned. So, Shusun Bao, Jin Gou Yan, Song Xiang Xu, Wei Ning Zi, Zheng Gong Sun Insect, and Xiao Zhu Zhu's great doctor made an alliance on the following day: 'Let's discuss Bu Ting together! (Zuo Zhuan, Xiang Gong 16th year) can be seen, enjoy the ceremony of the diplomatic color is heavy, it is a feast as the form, poetry, dance and music as a means of expression, diplomacy is the purpose. The participants understood and grasped the content of the diplomatic negotiations through listening to and observing the poems, dances and music, and even made major decisions based on them. Sixth, the "celebration of imperial meals", that is, for the state division or the king's division after the triumphant return to open the feast. These feasts were grand, grand in scale, with a wide variety of delicacies, songs and dances, and a warm atmosphere. In the poem "Xiao Ya - June", "Luton - Panshui", "Luton - Mi Gong" and so on, this scene has been described, although the degree of specificity is different, but still can be seen. In 632 B.C., Chu and Jin fought a fierce battle for the supremacy of the throne, which is very famous in the history of war, Jin and Chu, the Battle of Chengpu, in which the Jin division was victorious. In the seventh month of autumn, the Jin division returned in triumph, and the Duke of Jin held an unprecedented feast to celebrate the victory (for details, see the 28th year of the Xi-Duke in Zuo Zhuan). The feast was held in the temple of the Jin Emperor, and the Jin Marquis rewarded the three armies with Taijuan and rewarded all the meritorious generals and soldiers. The number of participants and the scale of the event are self-evident. The Zhou Dynasty also designed a whole set of management institutions for the imperial meals of the Son of Heaven and his royal family, according to the "Zhou Rites" records, the Prime Minister of the Government of the Heavenly Official Tsukazai, under the fifty-nine departments, of which there are twenty departments dedicated to the food and drink of the Son of Heaven and the Queen of Zhou and the sons of the Zhou Dynasty, such as "Cuisinart" in charge of the royal meals, "Cuisinart", "Cuisinart", which is in charge of cooking for the imperial meals of the King and the Queen and the sons of Zhou, and "Cuisinart". Royal meal cooking "butchers", "within the breakfast", "Hen" and so on. According to the surviving information, "the book of rites - Nei Zhen" described "eight treasures", is the representative of the Zhou dynasty imperial dinner table, reflecting the highest level of Zhou royal cooking technology. Zhou son of heaven's diet have a certain number of rituals, eating six grains (rice, millet, millet, sorghum, wheat, Mizutaki), drinking six clear (water, syrup, lilac, acyl, cool, elixir), meals with six animals (cows, goats, rags, dogs, geese, fish), the precious dishes one hundred and twenty models, sauce one hundred and twenty urns. The number of rituals is the quantification of the ritual system, the Zhou royal court ritual system of royal meals on the emphasis on health, based on Confucianism advocates the idea of "noble life", the specific performance is "water, wood, gold, fire and earth, food and drink must be the time" ("Rituals - Rites of Passage"). Take meat as an example, slaughter meat requirements should be in line with the four seasons of change, the spring should be killed small sheep and small pigs, summer with dried pheasants and dried fish, autumn with calves and elk, winter with fresh fish and geese. In terms of fish, tuna, pomfrets and carp were the most precious cooking materials in the imperial meals. Poetry? Hengmen": "If you don't eat fish, you must have pomfrets from the river. ...... must be the carp of the river." Zhou Li? Pious People": "In the spring to offer the king tuna." There were not many varieties of vegetables in the imperial meals of the Zhou Dynasty, according to "Zhouli? acyl people", the son of heaven and after, the son of the main vegetables consumed by the sunflower, cranberries, leeks, celery, changben, bamboo shoots, etc., due to the limited varieties of vegetables, it is exclusively by "minced meat" will be made into a sauce, or by the "acyl people" made them into a vinegar product for the royal family to consume. If the imperial food of the Zhou royal family represents the dietary culture of the Yellow River basin, then, on behalf of the dietary culture of the Yangtze River basin in the south of the imperial food of the court of the State of Chu is confronted with it, *** with the display of the cultural charm of the ancient Chinese imperial food more than 3,000 years ago. The Chu Rhetoric" in the "soul", "big move" two, described by the cuisine of many varieties, quite exquisite, is the study of the imperial meals of the court of the state of Chu lunch literature. Spring and Autumn Period, the Central Plains culture is mostly absorbed by the Chu people. To the warring states, chu land to the east, chu many times in the qilu territory, the central culture of chu penetration more in-depth, chu imperial food to the central culture, both exquisite and delicate, but also rich and elegant, the formation of chu imperial food flavor form. After the Qin and Han dynasties, the palace chef summarizes the previous generation of culinary practice based on the imperial meal to enrich and innovate. From the relevant information, the Han Palace Imperial meals in the pasta increased significantly, the typical soup cake, steamed cake and Hu cake. In addition, the richness and diversity of soybean products and the Han Palace Imperial meals have undergone significant changes. Edamame, soybean paste and other flavored fields, changing the situation in the past only with salt plums; the invention of tofu by the royal family of the emperor's favorite, become nutritious, seasonal cooking ingredients. Han Palace Imperial meals have been very large-scale, the emperor feasts on the ministers, the actual court of a thousand products, wine ten thousand bells, columns of gold earthenware jar, full of jade goblets, Royal to Jiazhen, entertained to the jail. Strings and bells and drums, wonderful sound, nine work eight rows of dancers, the same song and dance. It can be described as a variety of delicious, bells and glasses, goblets and jewels interlaced, the scale of the grand. The period of Wei Jin and North and South Dynasties is a special period in Chinese history in which division and turmoil are intertwined and the cultures of various ethnic groups are blended. In terms of food culture, the dietary habits of various ethnic groups converged in the Central Plains and greatly enriched the imperial meals of the court, such as Xinjiang's barbecue and shabu-shabu, and roasted goose and sashimi from Fujian and Guangdong, all of which were absorbed by the imperial chefs at the time into the court. In the Southern History, Volume 11, "Queen Chen of Qi Xuan Emperor's Biography," it is said that in the ninth year of Song Yongming's reign, "Emperor Xuan recommended flour cakes, duck broth clubs, Empress Xiaoxiao recommended bamboo shoots, duck eggs, preserved meat, sauces, and roasted white meat, Emperor Qi recommended chopped meat, minced pork soup, and Empress Zhao recommended tea, rice booklets, and roasted fish, which she also enjoyed in her own life." Starting cake, roasted white meat was originally northern food, for the southern dynasty royal family loved, become the imperial dinner table in the regular products. In addition, due to the northwestern nomads living in the central plains, so that dairy products in the central plains to be popularized, not only changed the history of the Han Chinese people do not practice dairy, but also for the Palace Imperial flavor added many new elements. Imperial meals in the Tang Dynasty is not only quite rich, and great innovation, which is inseparable from the Tang Dynasty's strong economic base and a thriving catering market. Imperial food staples such as "hundred flowers cake", "breeze rice", "Queen Mother rice", "red damask cake," etc., dishes such as Dishes such as "Hundred Sheep Shedding", "Roasted Spirit", "Red Gnarled Dumpling", "Turtle in Gold", "Roasted Hump", "Roasted Hump", "Red Gnarled Dumpling", and "Turtle in Gold", "camel's hump roast", "camel's hoof soup", etc. have become the Tang Palace Imperial meals are quite representative of the delicious, the emperor often give these delicacies to the civil and military officials in the court. Tang dynasty palace held banquets, attaches great importance to "see the seat". Lu's Miscellany", "Tang Imperial Kitchen into the food nine 飣 food, tooth plate nine food in between, placed on the front, and is called 'fragrant food'." Wei Juyuan for the Tang Emperor designed "burn the end of the feast", the imperial meal "to see the seat" for the "Vegetable Steam Sound Department", that is, by the seventy noodle food composed of dance and music scenes, musicians and kabuki modeling is very Realistic. Tang Palace Imperial meal is not only the scene of large-scale, and more varieties of food, the name of the Imperial meal and the degree of luxury are unprecedented. Wei Juyuan "burnt tail feast" to see, mixed land and water, mountain treasures and the sea wrong to choose its strange there are fifty-eight flavors. This not only reflects the Tang Palace Imperial meals as gold, extravagance and waste of the amazing, but also shows that this time the cooking skills of the Imperial meals has reached a fairly high level. Song dynasty imperial meals, before and after a big difference. It is generally believed that the Northern Song Dynasty to the middle of the more simple, late to the Southern Song Dynasty is more extravagant. According to historical records, Song Taizu feast Wu Yue State monarch Qian Biao's first dish is "spin lousy", that is, made of mutton minced meat; and Renzong half of the night, hungry, want to eat "burned goat" (Tie wei shan quan tian, Volume VI). True as the "renewed Ziji Tongjian long compilation" said: "diet is not expensive flavor, the Imperial Kitchen stop using mutton, this is all the ancestor's family law, so as to make peace." Visible at that time to mutton as raw material cooked dishes in the early Song dynasty in the status of the imperial diet is important. After the Southern Song Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong's requirements for the imperial diet is very high. He did when the emperor, his son filial piety for him to set birthday imperial meal, but he was not rich for this imperial meal and filial piety angry at the emperor. He also often sent the royal chef to the palace outside of the restaurant to buy back delicious dishes, in order to continuously enrich the variety of royal meals, to meet their own appetite. According to the "maple window small documents", the high emperor sent to Lin'an Su dike nearby to buy back his favorite "fish soup", "Li Granny mixed vegetables soup", "He four cheese noodle dirty", "three pig pancreas Hu cake", "Go family sweets" and so on. Song Palace Festival Imperial meal is also very grand. Wenchang Miscellaneous Records ", the emperor held a feast on the first day of the feast, entertaining officials, Daqing Hall is full of imperial feasts. Dream sorghum record" volume three also contains: "its imperial banquet wine are bent goblet, such as vegetable bowl, there are handles. Hall on the pure gold, pure silver on the Palace. Food utensils are gold lacquer bowls and plates. Imperial kitchen to make the banquet hall food flavor, and the Royal tea bed to see food, vegetables, spoons and chopsticks, salt dishes, vinegar bottles, and the Prince Zaizhen to see food, vegetables, and the Hall of the two Duo hipped to see the plate, the ring cake, oil cake, jujube tower, all comply with the state of the beginning of the ritual in, tired of the dynasty do not dare to change it." Visible at the time of the grand royal banquet row. However, eat all the treasures of the world's emperor also has a bad taste, "Dazhong Zen Fu nine years set, in the Yuqing Zhaoying Palace, after the migration of the Imperial Kitchen also" ("Things Chronicle - Volume VI - Imperial Palace Vegetarian Kitchen"). This is obviously set up to mediate the emperor's tastes, but may not be able to make the emperor satisfied. Once, Emperor Huizong did not like the breakfast, casually wrote on a small white fan: "create rice dynasty do not like to eat, the Imperial Kitchen empty fee eight treasures plate." A bachelor realized the meaning of this, then continued: "All the tastes of the world have been tasted, but only a little sour Jiangmei." Emperor Huizong was delighted, and gave him a mansion (see "words of fat"). See the degree of extravagance of the Song Palace Imperial meals. Yuan dynasty palace imperial meals to Mongolia flavor, and full of exotic flavors. Into the central plains of the original Mongols to animal husbandry, habit of meat, which accounted for a larger proportion of mutton. Palace meals are very complex, in addition to Mongolian cuisine, compatible with Han, female genitalia, the West, India, Arabia, Turkey and some European national dishes. Yuan Yanyou years, the court imperial diet doctor Hu Si Hui authored "meals are about to drink" in the "polyvalent food" included back to Mongolia and other nationalities and India and other countries dishes 94 products, a more comprehensive reflection of the flavor characteristics of the Yuan dynasty court imperial meals. From the book can be seen, the Yuan Palace Imperial meals not only to lamb main, and staple food also like and lamb with cooking. Imperial kitchen on lamb cooking methods are many, the most prestigious is the whole sheep seat, is rumored to be the yuan court for celebrating happy events and entertaining honored guests when the design and production of the imperial meal, because the ingredients are taken from the sheep and named. Because of the different ingredients, cooking methods are different, so the dishes have different colors, flavors and shapes. The development of the Qing Dynasty, the whole goat more luxurious and exquisite, "steamed, cooked, shelled, fried, popped, burned, smoked, fried. Soup is also, soup is also, cream is also, sweet is also, salty is also, spicy is also, salt and pepper. The container, either in a bowl, or in a plate, or in a saucer, there is no way to go without seeing the sheep." ("qing taolu class notes - diet class") technique of comprehensive, rich in categories, by is known. Yuan Palace Imperial meals on foreign flavors have a strong inclusiveness, such as "puffer fish soup" in the Imperial meal is quite famous. The main ingredient of this dish is lamb, the so-called "puffer fish" is made into a dolphin-shaped noodles, fried in oil and then put into the lamb soup cooked. This is a Uyghur dish, the Mongolian people into the palace, became a delicacy of the royal relatives, reflecting the Yuan Palace Imperial meals on the traditional diet of the various ethnic groups, from the characteristics of the good. Ming dynasty palace imperial flavor very much emphasizes the seasonal nature of the food and seasonal customs, attaching importance to the southern flavor. According to the "Ming Palace History": "the late emperor's favorite sizzling clams, fried shrimp, chicken legs and bamboo shoots chicken breast. And sea cucumber, Haliotis gigantea, shark tendon, fat chicken, pig's trotters *** braised in one place, called the 'three things', constant favorite." As the Ming dynasty in Beijing began in the Yongle years, the emperor Zhu Di is a southerner, his concubines from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, so this period of the southern flavor dishes in the imperial meals in the main role. Since Hongxi, the northern flavor in the Ming Palace in the proportion of the imperial diet gradually increased, mutton has become a palace delicacy. According to "Ming Palace History", lamb is mainly used for health care, and more in winter consumption. According to "things Cyanosis", after the middle of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial diet more varieties, pasta has become the main event, and meat category compared with the previous generation, not only increase the variety of quite a lot, but also a great breakthrough in the cooking method: "State dynasty imperial meat food strategy: phoenix swan, roast goose, white fried goose, broiled goose, broiled goose, steaming goose, stormy pickled goose, broiled chicken, steamed chicken, stormy pickled chicken, Sichuan fried chicken, white fried chicken, Roasted meat, white boiled meat, steamed meat, pork bone, storm-pickled meat, lychee pork, parched pork, wheat cake lousy, diamond lousy,, boiled fresh gizzard and liver, five silks of shredded tripe, and steamed sheep." It can be seen, the imperial chef on the net of local delicacies and their own cooking techniques to improve the Ming Palace imperial meals constantly new premise. Qing dynasty palace imperial meals in Chinese history has reached its peak. Imperial meals not only with expensive materials, and pay attention to the shape of the food. Qing imperial meals in the cooking method also put special emphasis on "ancestral system", many dishes in the amount of raw materials, preparation and cooking methods have been programmed. Such as the folk cooking eight treasures duck only with the main ingredient duck plus eight kinds of auxiliary materials; and the Qing Palace Kitchen Royal cooking eight treasures duck, limited to the use of eight kinds of auxiliary materials can not be changed at will. Extravagance, emphasizing etiquette, which is the successive generations of the Palace Imperial meals **** point, but the Qing Palace Imperial meals in these two aspects of the performance is particularly prominent. The emperor with the emperor before, must be set up with the identity of the dishes, the imperial kitchen in order to cope with the emperor's needs from time to time, often half a day or even a day before the dishes are ready. The more the Qing dynasty to later, the emperor with meals on the more pompous. Relevant information shows that Nurhachu and Kangxi with meals simple, Qianlong each meal to have forty or fifty kinds of, Guangxu Emperor with meals to hundreds. Therefore, the late Qing dynasty imperial meals in both quality and quantity are unprecedented. Qing dynasty imperial food flavor structure mainly by Manchu cuisine, Lu cuisine and Huaiyang cuisine, the imperial kitchen on the art of styling dishes is very concerned about the color, texture, taste, nutrition and so on are quite emphasize the concordance between each other to the same. Qing dynasty imperial meals feast ceremonies are numerous, only to thousand old man feast scale is the most prosperous, the largest, the most expensive. According to the development of China's imperial meals throughout the ages, the main features of the ancient Chinese imperial meals can be summarized as follows: First, the selection of materials is strict. Imperial meals in the beginning of the generation has been characterized by strict selection of materials. Zhou Dynasty, there is "do not eat baby turtle. Wolf intestine, dog kidney. Civet to the spine, rabbit to the coccyx, fox to the head, pig to the brain, fish to the B, turtle to the ugly" ("Rituals - Nei Zi") requirements. "Eight treasures" the production process to a large extent on the Imperial Kitchen to show the selection of materials for the good intentions, such as cooking "gun dolphin" must take less than a year old piglets, cooking "pounded treasure" must take cattle, sheep and elk The meat of the back of the spine. According to the "Zhou Rites", the Zhou royal family set up "breakfast", its duties are "in charge of the king and the queen, the son of the meal of shame of the cut, Hen, fried, and things. Discriminate body name meat, discernment hundred taste of things", but also "discern the fishy and stinky incense of the inedible", it can be seen, at least since then, the Palace Imperial meals on the selection of raw materials for cooking standards have become increasingly stringent, and has become a major feature of the Imperial dishes. Second, cooking is exquisite. Chinese emperors throughout the ages have their own unparalleled right to enlist the world's best chefs, to satisfy their personal appetites. These palace chefs have superb culinary skills. They have good operating conditions and cooking environment in the palace imperial kitchen, coupled with the palace on the cooking program has a strict division of labor and management, such as the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Guanglu Temple is the Qing dynasty palace imperial food is a huge and sound management institutions, on the form of the dishes and content, selection and processing, modeling and mixing, taste and nutrition, utensils and dishes, etc., are to be strictly limited and management. Cooking in this situation can not be superb. Third, the delicacies novelty. From the early slave society to the long feudal era, the ruler's pursuit of taste is often higher than sound and color. In the materialistic content, dietary enjoyment occupies a major position, let the emperor eat and drink well, which is both the duties of the imperial kitchen, but also courtiers to please the emperor a breakthrough. Palace imperial food is accompanied by such a historical pace and constantly new, strange. Only the Qing Dynasty, for example, before the entry into the Qing dynasty, the Qing Emperor's birthday Imperial meal with cattle, sheep, pigs, deer, roe deer, chickens, ducks and other raw materials into the food, after the entry into the customs, the Emperor and the royal relatives are not food, prompting the Imperial Kitchen all day long to think about not only all the world's tastes, but also to create a lot of famous dishes, such as the "imperial meal of the bear's paw", "Imperial Palace casserole deer tail", "Imperial Palace goose palms", "Imperial Palace Iron Sparrow" and other dishes, are so created and popular in the upper class.