Food Culture during the Three Kingdoms Period

The "Three Kingdoms" is a historical stage that serves as a link between past and present. Because before the Three Kingdoms there was the Eastern Han Dynasty, and after its demise it was replaced by the Jin Dynasty. Many historians like to combine the "Three Kingdoms" with the Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. This is mainly because the "Three Kingdoms" did not form a system, but were just three relatively independent small courts.

The dietary customs or characteristics of the Three Kingdoms period are mainly the continuation and improvement of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Because the Three Kingdoms are three political regimes that split from the Eastern Han Dynasty, and they all belonged to the authentic Han Dynasty before the split. So there hasn’t been much change in terms of eating style, habits, or food types.

Perhaps in the minds of many people, everyone who lived during the Three Kingdoms period lived an impassioned life. "How can only Du Kang relieve worries?" is a true portrayal of their lives. But the author believes that even Cao Cao, who was "extremely generous", could not help but return to reality while being impassioned, because the main theme of life is food, clothing, housing and transportation.

1. Characteristics of food culture during the Three Kingdoms period

Due to the development of productivity reaching a certain height during the Three Kingdoms period, people could have more and abundant food in their daily lives. In addition to rice, noodles, grains, oils, meat, eggs, and fish, you can occasionally eat some delicacies from the mountains and seas. The author believes that from this perspective, the core idea of ??the food culture at that time should be "you will never tire of fine food, and you will never tire of fine food".

Especially some nobles living in the upper class of society were advocates of the food culture during the Three Kingdoms period. When they dine, in addition to the familiar fish and meat, they also eat some more delicious specialties. "Cooked food" had become a well-known delicacy at that time, but ordinary people could only eat it occasionally.

If you want to deeply explore the characteristics of the food culture during the Three Kingdoms period, it can actually be summarized with a few keywords: a combination of raw and cooked food, a blend of luxury and simplicity, fine ingredients, and perfect cooking. This was mainly due to the emergence of chefs who were known for their exquisite food. Although social wars were frequent at that time, ordinary people also had time to take a break from their busy schedules.

The dining system for common people during the Second and Three Kingdoms periods

Everyone knows that due to ancient society, productivity was relatively low for a long time. Therefore, since the pre-Qin period, the two-meal-a-day system has been implemented. In short, only breakfast and lunch are eaten. In most cases, many people choose not to eat because they do not have much surplus food. Over time, a dining custom is formed.

This system remained until the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the Three Kingdoms period, due to the substantial increase in productivity, agricultural production reached a new climax. Both the country and the people have more food than the previous dynasty. Therefore, at this stage, except for a small number of people who still insist on implementing the two-meal-a-day system, many people have already entered the ranks of three meals a day.

Although the people living in the Three Kingdoms period strictly abided by the ancient saying of "work at sunrise and rest at sunset", they made great changes in their food culture. Breakfast usually starts when the sun rises, and "day eclipse" is lunch, when morning and afternoon alternate. Dinner, called "eating", is about three o'clock in the afternoon.

The "three meals a day" system is not only an outstanding manifestation of social progress, but also a major feature of the changes in food culture. It is no exaggeration to say that going from "two meals a day" to "three meals a day" is not only a leap in time, but also a leap in the food culture of ancient society.

"Separating meals" is also a major feature of the food culture during the Three Kingdoms period. Simply put, even if a family sits together to eat, everyone will use a dinner plate, with rice, vegetables, soup, etc. all available. This dining system is actually a great progress in catering culture, but with the changes of the times, it has long been submerged in the torrent of history.

The food on the common people's table

Although the Three Kingdoms period was in It was an era of great social turmoil, but because both the north and the south paid special attention to agricultural development, it effectively restrained the rapid economic decline to a certain extent. Under the influence of this general premise, many people with relatively stable lives can not only have enough food and clothing in their daily lives, but also make certain contributions to the development of food culture.

1. Rich and colorful staple foods

Due to the improvement of social productivity at that time, in addition to "grains", the staple foods on the people's tables also included buckwheat, highland barley, etc. Moreover, legumes were also more popular at this time. Adzuki beans, black beans, mung beans, peas, peas, lentils, etc., various types of legumes were made into various delicacies.

Cooked rice, steamed rice, dry rice, soup, porridge, thin soup, etc. were all staple foods that people relied on for survival during the Three Kingdoms period. Except for beans, all "grains" can be cooked into dry rice and eaten. Corn rice, wheat rice, etc. were very common in society at that time, and porridge or thin soup became the main breakfast in society at that time.

Especially the porridge or porridge cooked with millet and millet was very popular in the northern region at that time. Meat soup and vegetable soup are common foods on the tables of wealthy people. Pork and various vegetables are minced and then boiled in a pot to form meat soup or vegetable soup. Not only does it taste particularly delicious, it is also very nutritious.

2. Various kinds of “cakes”

In fact, at that time, there was also a staple food “cake” that was often eaten in modern society on the dining tables of ordinary people. However, there are certain differences between the "cake" during the Three Kingdoms period and the "cake" today, in terms of shape, taste and ingredients. Pasta, pastries, cakes, etc. can all be called "cakes", but the production methods and tastes are different.

Cakes cooked in boiling water can be called "soup cakes", such as noodles, dough slices or gnocchi, etc. Pork skin cakes, thin ring cakes, cut cakes and boiled cakes can also be called "soup cakes". It is called "soup cake"; the cake steamed in a steamer is called "steamed cake". White cake and scorpion cake are the specialties of steamed cake; the cake baked directly in the oven is called "oven cake". Including sesame cakes, Hu cakes, marrow cakes, etc.

3. Raising "six animals" to provide rich meat products

Since the pre-Qin period, "six animals" have entered people's daily lives and been served on the dining table. During the Three Kingdoms period, the "six livestock" were very common. Pigs, cows, sheep, horses, chickens, and dogs have become essential items in the homes of ordinary people in the north. The author believes that from this point of view, ordinary people during the Three Kingdoms period could also eat meat.

And people living in the south can salvage a lot of seafood because they are relatively close to the sea. The more common ones are fish, crabs, turtles, shrimps, etc. But everyone should also understand a phenomenon. It is very common for ordinary people to eat pork, or chicken, duck, fish, and dog meat. However, it is almost impossible to eat sheep, horses, and cows.

This is mainly because sheep, horses, and cows are large livestock that are generally used to produce milk or work as labor, so few people will kill these three livestock easily. And according to the laws in ancient society, people are not allowed to kill horses and cattle for meat, otherwise they will be easily punished by the law.

4. The accompanying beverage "wine"

"Warming wine to kill Hua Xiong" and "cooking wine to discuss heroes" are both classic scenes in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. During the Three Kingdoms period, every hero was closely related to wine. Cao Cao wrote in "Dan Ge Xing": "Singing over wine, how many years there are in life! Just like the morning dew, there will be many hardships in the past. Generosity should be shown with generosity, and worries will be unforgettable. How to relieve worries? Only Du Kang."

"Wine" is a kind of liquid derived from the fermentation of grain. Many people also call wine "grain essence". Drinking a small amount can make you happy, but drinking heavily can easily harm the body. The wine culture during the Three Kingdoms period can be said to be full of charm, and both generals and literati were addicted to alcohol. It is no exaggeration to say that the drinking style in society at that time was absolutely no less than that of any other dynasty.

From princes and generals to ordinary people, almost no one can resist the charm of wine. However, due to the low level of brewing technology in society at that time, the technology for brewing liquor had not yet been invented. The wine that people drink in daily life is the rice wine that is more common in modern society. Although the alcohol content is not high, it is very sweet after entering the mouth.