Let me explain to you what we could eat during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

Hope it helps everyone.

What could we eat during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period?

01．

Diet structure The diet structure during the Spring and Autumn Period, Warring States Period, Qin and Han Dynasties was the same as that of the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Cereals were still the staple food, and vegetables, meat, aquatic products, and fruits were the non-staple foods.

Staple food Generally speaking, the food crops in the Shang and Zhou dynasties were still the staple foods in the Warring States, Qin and Han dynasties, but the proportions changed. For example, millet and millet were often mentioned in the literature during the Shang and Zhou dynasties. In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, millet was often mentioned.

"Both emphasis.

For example: "If there is not enough rice and millet, the people will be hungry until the end of their lives." ("Guanzi Heavy Order") "The wise man governs the town, and the fleas do not come out and gather millet and millet, so there are too many millet and millet."

And the people have enough to eat." ("Mozi: Shang Xianzhong") "A wise man governs the world and makes the beetroot like water and fire. How can the people be unkind?" ("Mencius: Chapter 1 of the Heart")

) Millet is millet, which has become increasingly dominant since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. In the Han Dynasty, it also became a synonym for rations, such as "Fifteen bushels of millet are enough to feed a man for half a month." Shu is soybean,

Its status in food has also improved than in the past. One of the reasons for this is the invention of stone mills, which changed the way soybeans are eaten.

In the past, soybeans were cooked directly into beans and rice, and soybeans were difficult to cook, making it inconvenient to eat.

With a stone mill, soybeans can be ground into powder and soy milk, which are very convenient to eat.

At the same time, soybeans are a crop that can tolerate barrenness and ensure yields. It can be used to relieve hunger during periods of drought. In addition, the roots of soybeans are rich in rhizobia, which can fertilize the fields and facilitate the growth of the next crop. Therefore, soybeans are increasingly widely planted.

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For the same reason, in the past, wheat was eaten in grain form and was cooked directly into wheat rice, which was not easy to digest.

The wheat is ground into flour using a stone mill, and the grain food is changed into powder food. It can be steamed and cooked into a variety of pasta, which is both delicious and easy to digest, and is very popular among the people.

Wheat is also an overwintering crop that can be rotated with grain crops such as millet. The multiple cropping index can be increased to increase the output per unit area. It is also an important ration to solve the problem of drought. Therefore, in the Han Dynasty, it received the attention of the government and vigorously promoted its planting.

"Hanshu Shihuo Zhi" records that Dong Zhongshu wrote to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and said: "It is not popular in Guanzhong to grow wheat. This is the reason why the "Spring and Autumn" is lost every year, and it also damages the livelihood of the people." He suggested that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty order the chief minister of agriculture.

"Let Guanzhong be planted with wheat, and the order will not come later." Later, Si Shengzhi, the captain of Qingche and an agriculturist, "oversaw the planting of wheat in the three auxiliaries, and then Guanzhong was cultivated." (1) During the reign of Emperor An of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was also an "Edict"

Wherever the officials go, they are ordered to grow wheat and eat vegetables to the best of their ability, and the poor are paid for the cultivation." (2) Therefore, wheat and millet have become the most important food crops in the Yellow River Basin since the Han Dynasty.

As the staple food in the south, rice has been cultivated in the Yellow River Basin as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties, but the area was small and its proportion in food crops was very small. It was still a precious food until the Spring and Autumn Period. "The Analects of Confucius Yang Huo" said:

"Eat rice, dress like brocade, how can you be safe?" It can be seen that only the upper class nobles can eat rice, and its cultivation is naturally not widespread.

With the establishment of the Qin and Han Empires, the entire south was included in the territory, and the proportion of rice in the national food supply also increased.

At the same time, it also promoted the development of paddy fields in the north. Therefore, the "Book of Pansheng", an agricultural book that describes northern farming techniques, has a special chapter to introduce rice planting techniques, pointing out that "japonica rice is planted in March and sorghum rice is planted in April." Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty

During the Jianwu period (AD 25-56), Zhang Kan diverted tidewater from the river for irrigation, and "Hu Nu (now Shunyi District, Beijing) opened more than 8,000 hectares of rice fields." (3) From this, we can also imagine the scale of rice cultivation in the north.

It's quite impressive.

Non-staple food Since the animal husbandry, gardening, aquaculture and fishing industries were very developed during the Spring and Autumn Period, Warring States, Qin and Han Dynasties, the non-staple food during this period was also very rich and diverse.

Meat Food During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the animal husbandry industry was quite developed. Farmers "focused on the principles of animal husbandry and observed the suitability of the land. If the six animals were cultivated and the five grains were grown, the income would be abundant." ("Han Feizi·Nan Er") At that time, the "six animals"

" refers to horses, cattle, sheep, chickens, dogs, and pigs, which is what "Gouzi·Honor and Shame" said: "In today's life, we only know how to raise chickens, dogs, pigs, and pigs, as well as cattle and sheep." Cows and horses are mainly used as the driving force for farming and transportation.

, meat mainly depends on small livestock such as pigs, sheep, chickens and dogs.

Therefore, "Mencius: King Hui of Liang" says: "Chickens, dolphins, dogs, and pigs will not lose their season, and you can eat meat at seventy." Of course, this meat is the same as rice and rice, and only the ruler can enjoy it all day long, so "

"Meat eaters" has become a synonym for the ruling class. In the famous debate story about Cao GUI, he cursed "meat eaters are despicable!" ("Zuo Zhuan: Ten Years of Duke Zhuang"). In the Han Dynasty, people paid more attention to the raising of small livestock to solve the problem of meat eating.

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For example, when Huang Ba in the Western Han Dynasty was the governor of Yingchuan, Henan, he "made the officials in Youting Township raise chickens and dolphins to support the widows and poor people." ("Hanshu Biography of Huang Ba") When Gong Sui was the governor of Bohai, Hebei, he ordered the farmers to "

There are two female pigs and five chickens in the house.