Chinese people have had vegetarian customs as early as the pre-Qin Dynasty.

After Buddhism was introduced into my country, Han monks "observed vegetarian food" and vegetarian cooking in temples developed, becoming unique in people's dietary life and promoting folk vegetarian customs.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty, there was a monk chef in Jianye Temple in Nanjing who was very skilled in cooking vegetarian dishes. "One melon can make dozens of dishes, and one dish can have dozens of flavors."

The fried spring rolls, blanched green sprouts, roasted spring mushrooms and white lotus soup from the Wuzu Temple in Meishan, Hubei Province during the Tang Dynasty were exquisitely made and were delicacies for Buddhist disciples.

The spring rolls of Wuzu Temple are made from wild vegetables grown on the temple mountain, with dried tofu, black bean juice, gluten soak and various seasonings, wrapped in green vegetable leaves or oil skin and fried.

From the Song and Yuan Dynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, vegetarian dishes in temples could be prepared into high-quality all-vegetarian banquets.

Many dishes are based on meat and vegetables, such as vegetarian chicken, vegetarian duck, vegetarian fish, vegetarian ham, etc. Not only are they similar in appearance to meat dishes, but the taste is also slightly similar.

Temple chefs can use raw materials such as white radish or eggplant plus leavened noodles to make "pork"; they can use soy products and yam paste to cook "fried fish"; they can mix mung bean flour with water to imitate "pigeon eggs".

Carrots and potatoes are imitated into "crab powder". The chef's ingenuity and craftsmanship satisfy people's dietary needs.

One of the famous vegetarian dishes in the temple, "Luohan Zhai", is made with eighteen kinds of raw materials, which symbolizes the piety to the Eighteen Arhats of Buddhism.

The Luohan dish at the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai is made of flower mushrooms, mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, fresh mushrooms, straw mushrooms, nostoc, ginkgo biloba, vegetarian chicken, vegetarian sausage, potatoes, carrots, Sichuan bamboo shoots, winter bamboo shoots, bamboo shoot tips, oily gluten, and black fungus.

, daylilies and seasonings are made, with a plump appearance and fresh taste, which can be compared with the taste of chicken, duck and fish.

In addition, Yangzhou Daming Temple’s “Stir-fried Eel with Bamboo Shoots” (main ingredient is mushrooms), Chongqing Ciyun Temple’s “Twice-cooked Bacon” (main ingredient is gluten), etc. are all famous vegetarian dishes in terms of shape, color, taste and texture.

It can all be fake.

Vegetarian dishes in temples are very popular among the people.

The assorted tofu soup (also called "Wensi Tofu") that Jiangsu people loved to eat during the Ming and Qing Dynasties was originally made by Monk Wensi of Tianning Temple.

The vinegar-pickled radish and pickled kohlrabi praised by Yuan Mei, a gourmet in the Qing Dynasty, were originally porridge dishes of the monks of Chengen Temple.

The vegetarian dishes of the temple have long become a home-cooked dish for people in the south of the Yangtze River.

Remind you: "Temple cuisine" is healthy and refreshing. This folk recipe comes from the Internet. Please follow your doctor's advice before using it.