In the early distant primitive society, due to low productivity and the embryonic stage of human civilization. Therefore, primitive people have always lived a life of eating and drinking. Under this premise, it is more common to grasp food by hand. At that time, social tableware was just an unreachable dream.
According to archaeological research, "pottery" appeared in caves in the late Paleolithic period about 10,000 years ago. That is to say, in the primitive commune period of two or three million years, food has been in an embarrassing situation where there is nowhere to put it. This was in line with the level of social development at that time, because primitive people could only survive by gathering, hunting and fishing.
Although they also have the habit of storing food, they are basically piled up in caves at will. You can eat wild fruits or raw animal meat directly when you are hungry. It can be seen that in the era without tableware, people can only eat and take, and they will grab it with their hands every time they eat.
Many people may think that this way of eating is particularly barbaric, and eating raw food often has a great impact on health. However, if we analyze this phenomenon realistically, we can find that in the era of extremely low productivity and particularly scarce material resources. If you can find food to eat, you should thank nature for its gift.
I believe that as long as you follow the development trend of ancient tableware, you will find that the birth of tableware is actually in line with the laws of nature. When pottery appeared in the late Paleolithic period, it did not change the eating phenomenon of grasping food with hands. But it laid an important foreshadowing for the advent of spoons and chopsticks.
The carrier of ancient food culture "tableware"
The author thinks that the ancient food culture has actually experienced a very long evolution process in the development process. But it can be said with great certainty that the birth of tableware is definitely an epoch-making event. Because in a sense, it not only promoted the development of ancient food culture, but also made mankind take a big step from ignorance to civilization.
It is no exaggeration to say that the evolution history of ancient tableware, after thousands of years of development and changes, with the continuous improvement of social productivity and production technology, not only subverted the previous diet structure, but also changed the diet of ancient people, from barbarism to civilization, and sometimes only one tableware was needed.
Since the advent of ancient tableware, it has been constantly changing with the evolution of time and national culture. From the very beginning, a single simple pottery vessel that can hold food has gradually developed into a wide variety and beautiful appearance. This process has gone through about ten thousand years.
The author thinks that the development of tableware from scratch, from simple to complex, and then from complex to high quality is actually a proof that human society is moving towards civilization and also indicates that productivity is constantly improving. It can be said that when tableware changed from a tool for holding food into a glittering work of art, human society entered a civilized era.
First, Neolithic pottery
1. Comparison of diet before and after the appearance of tableware
In the early days of primitive society, because there was no diet, or eating only by the weather, there was no strict diet culture and no more formal diet style. People just pick up food and put it in their mouths, which is not much different from primates.
Therefore, the appearance of tableware does not seem to matter. Of course, the primitive people at this stage did not have the thinking or action of making tableware. The author thinks that this is the wild period of various cultural civilizations, or in the era of eating animals and blood, we can't force the past catering civilization.
Strictly speaking, the real embryonic stage of "food culture" should be when you learn to use fire. At this point, mankind finally ended the era of eating animals and blood, and from then on, it entered the cooked food stage from raw food. Driven by this opportunity, tableware gradually appeared, and the food culture began to sprout.
Judging from the historical stages, this stage should be the middle and late Neolithic Age. At this time, a large number of eating pottery appeared, and now cups, bowls and pots, which are more common in society, also appeared. It is just called bowl, bowl, reed, pot and so on. At that time, it can be said that the appearance of pottery also heralded the arrival of civilization.
2. Neolithic diet style
But in terms of diet, it basically follows the law of picking wild fruits and vegetables and hunting wild animals. Although tableware has appeared and matured at this time, and people have already eaten baked food. But because there are no cooking skills and condiments, the diet is monotonous.
All kinds of food, which grows on trees, grows on the ground, flies in the sky and swims in the water, are put into tableware. Compared with the early primitive society, in terms of food, it not only became very rich, but also satisfied the stomach. It is just that it is still in the primary stage of "eating without knowing the taste".
3. Development and change of tableware
With the changes of the times and the development of human civilization, the styles of ceramic tableware are gradually enriched. There are horns, respect, nobility and Gao Zubei in the cup, while the plates for food are plates and saucers. These tableware made of mud and silt, although seemingly simple, can meet the requirements or demands of ancient people for tableware.
Wooden bone tableware, which is more advanced than pottery, was born in Hemudu period. Wooden bowls, bone spoons and bone forks began to board people's dining tables and participated in the development of ancient food culture. However, these tableware can only be supplied to tribal chiefs. On the whole, most ethnic groups still mainly use pottery tableware.
From the perspective of diet and cooking, the lifestyle at this stage is still mainly gathering, fishing and hunting. So the food we can get is still wild fruits, wild vegetables, animal meat, fish and so on. But because of the emergence of edible salt, the diet at this time is more interesting.
Chopsticks appeared 8000 years ago.
(1) From "Ba" to "Miao"
Chopsticks were called "chopsticks" in ancient society, and the first pair of real chopsticks in China appeared about 8,000 years ago. From this point of view, chopsticks should be at least 2000 years later than tableware, but this does not affect people's exploration of food culture at all.
The pre-Qin period is a legendary historical stage, which not only established etiquette, but also people treated people with courtesy, and extended it to the development of food culture and tableware. Chopsticks, born in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, are one of the most important tableware. It can be said that chopsticks changed the eating habits of the ancients.
Although forks were also very popular during the Warring States period, a kind of tableware called "Yan" has gradually become popular in the streets. Whether it is a senior official in the upper class or a common people living in the countryside. Almost everyone began to eat with "ba", which is a well-known chopstick.
In fact, this can be confirmed from some ancient books. There is a saying in the Book of Rites Qulishang that "soup is used by those who have vegetables". When people are eating, they have started to pick up food with chopsticks. "Ba" in Han Dynasty is also called "Miao", and the Book of Rites says: "Ba is still a Miao".
(2) Food culture in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
Compared with the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in primitive society, it not only improved productivity, but also expanded plant species. The table of the elite is basically meat, and the small table of ordinary people is not far behind.
Ever since people learned to raise "six animals", chickens, ducks and geese have become commonplace. Soup foods, big soup, mixed soup, simmered soup, octopus, dolphin patties and spleen analysis are all served on the table of every household.
At this time, there were not only pottery and woodwork, but also bronze and iron tableware. Tableware made of copper, jade, bones and ivory seems to fly into thousands of households like mushrooms after rain. It is no exaggeration to say that the tableware culture or food culture in this period has reached a peak stage, and the foundation of this food culture peak is "Zhong Ming Shi Ding".
5. The ancient food peak of "Zhong Ming Shi Ding"
"Zhong Ming Shi Ding" is recorded in Historical Records and Biography of Huo Zhi. "Sprinkle and cut it, thin skills, but Shi. Doctor Ma is shallow and Zhang Li rings the bell. " "Zhi" actually means that people used it as tableware in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Of course, food ding is generally a small ding, similar in size to a hot pot in modern society.
The Preface to Wang Tengting once said, "Yan Lu falls to the ground, and bells ring as the home of food", which actually describes the grand banquet scene. When people face "Zhong Ming Shi Ding", there is a lively scene. The actual meaning of "Zhong Ming Shi Ding" refers to a kind of food culture in the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Ding was a sacrificial object in the Western Zhou Dynasty, but with the development of society, many smaller Ding gradually became tableware on the table of the Western Zhou Dynasty. People use it to spoon, cook or eat "antique pots", which can not only reflect the development of tableware in the Western Zhou Dynasty, but also show the dietary characteristics at that time.
6. Bronze tableware
Due to the successful development of bronze smelting technology, at this historical stage, bronze tableware has not only become the guest of the elite, but also gradually entered every ordinary family. It can be said that bronzes once again proved that ancient society was constantly developing.
It can be said responsibly that bronze smelting and casting technology reached its peak in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. For a time, bronzes made irreplaceable contributions in all aspects of society at that time. Bronze tableware was perfectly integrated with the ritual system of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and then tableware such as ding, Wei, Ying, Pu, Yu, basin, cup and spoon was derived. "Man is a knife and I am a fish" is actually a common chopping block in modern life.
Bronze wine vessels replaced pottery, wood and even stone tools, and wine vessels, pots, pots and other wine vessels began to spread widely. But because it was in a slave society at that time, it was also hierarchical in etiquette. "Emperor Jiuding, seven princes, five doctors and three scholars" refers to the tableware culture under the influence of the ethical code system.
7. Tableware in Qin and Han Dynasties
Compared with the pre-Qin period, the productivity and social economy in the Qin and Han dynasties reached a certain height. Therefore, people's requirements for tableware have gradually developed from food to more exquisite utensils. The tableware at this time is a fine work of art full of humanistic colors.
Bowls, chopsticks, spoons, plates, clocks and lamps; Pots, cans, baskets, boxes, cans, barns, etc. , has appeared in people's field of vision. A "basket" is neither pottery nor bronze, but a food container made of bamboo. The round one is called basket, and the round one is called barnyard grass. In fact, the development of tableware reached a new climax in the Han Dynasty.
There are many kinds of chopsticks, such as wooden chopsticks, bamboo chopsticks and iron chopsticks. The most surprising thing is that there were bowls and plates made of celadon in the Han Dynasty. And among ordinary people, it gradually replaced pottery and bamboo tableware. This shows that productivity has improved again and people's lives have changed greatly.
Strictly speaking, the development of tableware in Qin and Han Dynasties, especially in Han Dynasty, played an unprecedented role in the development of diet in ancient society. If we analyze its essence from the root, we can find that the types of tableware in Han dynasty are more complete, and the colors and patterns are particularly rich.
This change in the shape of tableware has a great influence on the development of tableware in later generations. Moreover, it is particularly important to note that all kinds of tableware have also appeared relatively fixed special uses. For example, bowls can only hold rice or porridge, while plates must be used to hold vegetables. At the same time, in order to meet the needs of diet, a full set of tableware was made.
Compared with the tableware in Qin dynasty, the tableware in Han dynasty is lighter and more delicate. In fact, this has a lot to do with the share of meals, which is more practical in function. In fact, the biggest feature of tableware in Han dynasty is that it is designed as a work of art. Every tableware has decorative patterns, and its appearance is more artistic.
8. Attractive food in Han Dynasty
As one of the most powerful dynasties in ancient society, the Han Dynasty made remarkable achievements in all aspects of development. Especially in the aspect of food culture, it has opened up new ideas. The staple food of the Han people is more colorful, and millet, millet, wheat, rice, soybeans and carved beards are the protagonists on the table of ordinary people.
By the Han dynasty, there were already familiar cakes, but there was no fermentation technology at that time, and only "dead noodles" cakes were eaten. Meat mainly includes pigs, sheep, cows, dogs, chickens, fish and so on. Besides oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, there are also ginger, onion, pepper, cinnamon and fennel.
Drinking tea became a new fashion in society at that time, and many scholars in Han Dynasty paid special attention to drinking tea. Rangers living at the bottom of society often get together to drink and have fun. Moreover, the tableware and wine containers they use have become more and more exquisite and artistic.
9. Tableware in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties
When the long river of history flows to Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, social productive forces and material resources have developed by leaps and bounds. Therefore, people living in the society at that time could not only use tableware made of porcelain, but also tableware made of gold, silver and glass, and black and pink began to appear along the historical context.
Of course, the tableware made of these materials can only be used by the upper class, and ordinary people can only use ordinary coarse porcelain tableware. But in any case, it can be proved that the development of tableware is already in the next level.
Although historical data prove that porcelain appeared as early as the middle of Shang Dynasty, Western Zhou Dynasty, Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period. But the real time to replace pottery was in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, celadon and black glazed porcelain gradually appeared in people's field of vision, but after the appearance of porcelain tableware, tableware made of other materials was gradually forgotten. Because the superiority of porcelain has been proved by the world.
conclusion
The author thinks that from the perspective of the history, development and evolution of ancient tableware in China, this paper analyzes the changes of food culture in ancient dynasties. It is not only more convincing and exploratory, but also shows the change of ancient productivity and the improvement of material manufacturing technology. It can be said that tableware from pottery to porcelain from scratch is actually the best proof of the history of ancient food culture.
Because primitive people who lived in the early primitive society had no budding food culture consciousness under the historical background of eating animals and drinking blood. However, with the development of society and the progress of productive forces, it was not until pottery clay, wood, bronze ware, bamboo ware and even gold, silver, glass and porcelain tableware appeared that the formation of ancient food culture was officially announced.