The Song Dynasty was divided into two periods: the Northern Song Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty attached great importance to the development of culture and the rules of all walks of life. At banquets in the Song Dynasty, eating is not the most important thing, but the comfort of the environment. Every dish has its name, the choice of dishes, the collocation of dishes and the placement of positions, all of which need to be studied with some effort. In addition, for some ministers of different levels, some dishes can only be touched from a distance. Therefore, in the Song Dynasty, there was also a kind of "watching dishes" etiquette, which could only be appreciated, but not tasted. If you don't know the rules, you will be laughed at by others.
In the Song Dynasty, there was another organization called "Four Departments and Six Bureaux", whose main tasks included arranging "watching dishes". They also arranged banquets for the government and provided market-oriented services for the people to handle banquets, so the food etiquette of "watching dishes" was introduced to the people from the court.
Of course, the ministers of the Song Dynasty not only paid attention to eating, but also paid great attention to eating. Yan Shu, a great poet at that time, ate only half a slice of thin bread every meal. First, he rolled up the bread slowly with chopsticks, then took out the chopsticks, gently clamped one end of the bread with his fingers and ate it slowly, but the elegance that women could not imitate was incredible!
Up to now, some delicious foods in the Song Dynasty have been handed down to this day, such as the famous Dongpo meat. You must have heard of it. It can be said that the Song Dynasty was a turning point in the history of China cuisine!