There is an old saying: "the beginning of the husband's ceremony, the beginning of the diet." As the largest foodie country in the world, foodies must know how to eat. Today, Mr. Long Song chooses the chapters in the Book of Songs written in the Western Zhou Dynasty as the core historical materials to see what ingredients, condiments, drinks, cooking techniques and catering etiquette culture existed in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Through this article, people's dietary life in the Western Zhou Dynasty is briefly described in a panoramic view, so that readers can understand the Western Zhou Dynasty on the tip of their tongue.

According to the records of the Western Zhou diet in the Book of Songs, there are six main categories:

Fruits: wild grapes (gooseberry), jujube, gourd (gourd), plums, plums, giant knotweed (kiwi fruit) and so on.

Dried fruit: chestnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.

Vegetables: Sonchus oleraceus, Artemisia scoparia, melon, bamboo shoots, cattail, celery, zucchini (waxed leaves), bean leaves (waxed leaves) and dachaocai (Osmunda japonica). ), Lycium barbarum leaves, Leymus chinensis leaves.

Oil crops: hemp seeds (taro);

Meat: pigs (tapirs), wild boars (tapirs), deer, cattle, turtles, fish (catfish, sharks, carp) and sheep;

Cereals: millet, rice, millet, millet, beans (alfalfa), barley, wheat and so on.

According to the Book of Songs, there were two kinds of condiments in the Western Zhou Dynasty: syrup (sugar) and pepper. Long Song Jun recorded salt according to Yu Gong in Shangshu, so there should be salt in the condiments of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

With ingredients and seasonings, how did people in the Western Zhou Dynasty process food? At that time, the main cooking methods were boiling, roasting, steaming, frying, pounding, burning, boiling, soup, preserved fruit and wax.

Cooking means cooking food directly in boiling water. Due to the low output of vegetable oil and the popularity of bronzes in the Western Zhou Dynasty, the main processing method of food was cooking. At some large banquets, bronze ding is directly set up to cook meat and other foods, and then add water to eat them. It is also useful to use a "Wen Ding" with a fire door below, and eat while cooking food, which is equivalent to today's hot pot eating method.

Roasting means cutting the meat into pieces, putting it on it and smoking it on the fire to make it well done. There are two ways to barbecue, one is to skewer the meat on a small stove, and the other is to roast it directly on a big fire.

Steaming refers to adding water to the lower layer of the steamer, putting food into the upper layer, and steaming the food with hot steam after heating.

Dish refers to smearing food with mud and cooking it in the fire, similar to the practice of beggar chicken today.

Pouring refers to repeatedly pounding food with a wooden stick.

Burning means killing animals and cooking them directly with fire.

It means to chop up the fish and eat it raw, similar to sashimi today.

Soup refers to the food made of meat or vegetables mixed with five flavors.

Bacon is bacon or sliced bacon, which is dried with salt without seasoning.

Wax is dried meat after depilation, fire roasting and then drying.

According to the Book of Songs, the beverages in the Western Zhou Dynasty mainly included fermented grains (turbid wine), sake, glutinous rice (wine brewed with black millet and tulip grass) and pulp, all of which belonged to alcohol.

The food culture formed in the Western Zhou Dynasty mainly includes banquets, offering buns and festive food.

Dinner manners. When the ancient tribes met, they prepared food, raised wine bottles and sang songs loudly to pay homage to heaven, earth and ancestors. Only when heaven, earth and God enjoy it first can people begin to eat. This is a feast ceremony, which prevailed in the Western Zhou Dynasty and is a sacred ceremony.

Etiquette of offering steamed stuffed buns. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, people made buns and cakes with wheat flour. After baking or steaming, it is an essential gift for weddings and funerals as a sacrifice or gift. For example, on the third day after the child is born, it is necessary to buckle the child with a pot helmet to exorcise evil spirits; When getting married, the man gives it to the woman's home as a sign of generosity and engagement; On the birthday of the elderly, relatives should send peach-shaped cakes to wish the elderly health and longevity; On the anniversary of the deceased, married women should offer sacrifices to show their respect for their family members.

Holiday food. Eating certain foods on certain festivals is another dietary etiquette in the Western Zhou Dynasty. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, people had the custom of eating beans on February 2nd, eating cold food in Tomb-Sweeping Day, and eating shepherd's purse and boiled eggs on March 3rd. Every holiday, every family does this, forming a unique food etiquette custom in the Western Zhou Dynasty.

Confucius thought that one of the four important things in the Zhou Dynasty was diet.

Food is the most important thing for the people, and the Western Zhou Dynasty is no exception.

On the tip of the tongue, there were dishes, wine, meat and rice, and a national treasure (bronze cauldron) was set up to eat hot pot. Many ingredients, condiments, drinks and cooking methods are basically handed down by later generations, and even spread to today. Until today, the catering etiquette such as giving a banquet, offering steamed stuffed buns and celebrating festivals is still common and is an important part of the Chinese nation's catering culture.

1. Peak. Notes to the Book of Songs [M] Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, 1984.

2. Lu Xin. Diet in the Western Zhou Dynasty [J] Tianjin: Master's Degree Thesis of Nankai University in 2004.