The history of food carving The country has a long history of food carving, which can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period. The book Guanzi once mentioned "carving eggs", that is, carving pictures on eggs, which may be the earliest food carving in the world. Its technology has been used by future generations to this day. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was carved on crispy cheese, eggs and fatty oil and decorated on the top of rice. In the Song Dynasty, carving food on the dining table became a fashion. The carvings are candied fruit, ginger and bamboo shoots, and the shapes are various birds, animals, insects, fish and pavilions. Although it embodies the luxury of aristocratic bureaucrats, it also shows the exquisite skills of chefs at that time. During the Qianlong and Jiaqing years of Qing Dynasty, the chef carved a "watermelon lamp" on the dining table in Yangzhou, which was for viewing only and was inedible. Watermelons are often carved into lotus petals during the Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing. In addition, some people are carved into melon cups and watermelon cups. Melon lamp is the first to promote Huaiyang. The melon cup is famous in Guangdong. The melon skin is carved with patterns, and the pulp contains delicious food, which has a unique flavor. All these reflect the superb skills and ingenuity of Chef China. Like jade carving and stone carving in arts and crafts, it is a poetic art, and is praised by foreign friends as "the stunt of China chef" and "the pearl of oriental food art". The Chronicle of Jingchu in Liang Zonggu of the Southern Dynasties: "Cold food ... Carving chickens." Zhan Gong of the Sui Dynasty said, "An ancient house is called an egg painting. Today, people are still dyeing with Lan Zhi's variegated colors, still carving, still handing over and still setting up. " "Pipe" said: "Cut an egg, cook it before chopping it. "Cut, carve, cut. Tang Wei Juyuan's Recipe: Yulu Tuan Original Notes: Carving Crisp. The original note of "The Royal Queen Mother's Meal" wrote: "Coat the rice noodles with egg fat, which will make them smell bad. Song's "Shanju Xiangbei": "Xie is not addicted to alcohol ... One day, after he finished writing the book, he ordered him to make two cups of incense, carve flowers, and warm the wine to persuade guests, which made people feel that it was beyond gold and jade and enjoyable. "Sweet round, also known as citron. Song Mengyuan's Dream of Jiang Jinghua. Chinese Valentine's Day: "Melons carved into patterns are called flower melons. "Li Dou's Painting Boat in Yangzhou in Qing Dynasty": "Take watermelon and carve figures, flowers, insects and fish with skin, which is called watermelon lantern. "Tao Tan Jiangsu Ancient and Modern Famous Cuisine": "There were watermelon lanterns in Yangzhou in the Qing Dynasty, and some patterns were carved on the outside of watermelon skin as a feast ornament, so we didn't eat the flesh. In modern times, Yangzhou's melon carving skills have developed, and new varieties of carved melon skin and stuffed melon (all cantaloupe, wax gourd and watermelon) have appeared. As a special flavor, they have entered the ranks of famous foods. Watermelon skin is carved with flowers on the outside and mixed with fruit inside, also called Jade Orchard, which is an innovative variety based on' Watermelon Lantern'. "Press: assorted, consisting of loquat, pear, cherry, pineapple, green plum, longan, lotus seed, orange and mung bean mixed with diced watermelon. [Edit this paragraph] There are two common carving materials in food carving. One kind is delicate, solid, crisp and pure-colored vegetables such as roots, stems, leaves, melons and fruits; The other is cooked food that can be eaten and enjoyed, such as egg products. But the most commonly used is the former category. The characteristics and uses of common vegetable varieties are introduced as follows: 1. Green radish: large and crisp, it is suitable for carving all kinds of flowers, animals, scenic buildings, etc. It is an ideal carving raw material. Can be used in autumn, winter and spring. 2. Carrots, radishes and lettuce: These three kinds of vegetables are small in size and different in color, which are suitable for carving all kinds of small flowers, birds, fish and insects. 3, cabbage head: also known as blood bumps, because of its bright red color and approximate round shape, suitable for carving all kinds of flowers. 4, potatoes, sweet potatoes: delicate texture, can carve flowers and figures. 5. Cabbage and onion: These two kinds of vegetables have narrow uses and can only carve some specific flowers, such as chrysanthemums and lotus flowers. 6. Wax gourd, watermelon, pumpkin, watermelon, jade melon and cucumber: Because these melons contain meat, you can use their appearance color and shape to carve various relief patterns. If the pulp is removed, it can also be used as a container, such as melon cups, hollowed-out carved melon lamps, cucumbers and other small raw materials can be used to carve insects and can be processed for decoration. 7. Red pepper, green pepper, coriander, celery, eggplant, red cherry, green onion and red bean: these varieties are mainly used for decoration of carved works. 2). Principles of selecting food carving materials When selecting materials for food carving equipment, it is enough to pay attention to the following principles. 1, according to the theme of the sculpture, must be targeted. 2. Choose raw materials according to the season, because vegetable raw materials are very seasonal. 3. The selected raw materials, especially the solid parts, must be seamless, with neat and fine fibers, heavy weight and pure color. Because the works of food carving can only make people feel its beauty if the surface is smooth and textured. 3) Preservation of raw materials, finished products and semi-finished products in food carving. Unfortunately, the raw materials and finished products in food carving are easy to deteriorate due to their own texture and extremely limited storage, which wastes both raw materials and time. In order to prolong their storage and use time as much as possible, several storage methods are introduced. 1. Preservation of raw materials: The raw materials of melons and fruits are mostly produced in hot summer and autumn, and should be stored in a cool and humid place to prevent water evaporation. Radish is produced in autumn and used in winter, so it should be stored in an underground kiln, covered with a layer of sand more than 0.3 meters thick to keep its moisture and prevent freezing, and can be stored until spring. 2. Preservation of semi-finished products: The preservation method is to use wet cloth or plastic for the carved semi-finished products.