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Cooking in the Neolithic Age

Since there was no writing in the Neolithic Age, the overview of the evolution of cooking can only rely on unearthed cultural relics , myths and legends, and the retrospective records of later generations to make inferences. Its general outline is:

1. The food raw materials are mostly fresh water and wild animals from fishing and hunting, with some domesticated livestock, collected grass and fruits, and experimental grains, which are not very abundant. The seasoning is mainly coarse salt, but also uses plums, bitter fruits, vanilla and wild honey. The food sources vary from place to place.

2. Cooking utensils include pottery tripods, steamers, pots, cauldrons, pots, floor stoves, brick stoves, and stone stoves; the fuel is still firewood; there are also crude bowls, bowls, plates, and basins As tableware, the cooking methods are roasting, stone burning and steaming, which are relatively extensive. As for the dishes, they are quite simple, and the best delicacy is just the "pheasant soup" (pheasant soup) cooked by the legendary Peng Zu (Peng Keng) for Emperor Yao.

3. At this time, the ancestors cooked only out of the need for survival; their understanding of the relationship between food, drink and health was hazy. However, judging from myths and legends such as the Suiren clan taught people how to use fire, the Youchao clan taught people to build houses, the Fuxi clan taught people to tame animals, the Shennong clan taught people to farm, and the Xuanyuan clan taught people culture, we can see that the cooking activities of the ancestors had the nature of enlightening civilization.

4. In terms of food rituals, sacrifices are performed frequently, and food is often used to please ghosts and gods and seek their protection. They began to have primitive aesthetic awareness of food, such as beautifying food utensils, singing and jumping during feasts, etc. This was the precursor to the feasts of later generations and an important part of their social and entertainment life. In short, the cooking of the Neolithic Age is like a baby just emerging from the mother's womb. It is weak, childish, and full of vitality. It laid a good foundation for the prosperity of the food civilization of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties.

Cooking in the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties

The Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties were slave societies in the history of social development, and were also the "primary wave" in the history of Chinese cooking development. It made breakthroughs in many aspects and had a profound impact on future generations.

1. The number of cooking ingredients has increased significantly, and it is customary to name them after "five". Such as "five grains" (millet, millet, wheat, bean, hemp seeds), "five vegetables" (sunflower, hyacinth, head, onion, leek), "five livestock" (cows, sheep, pigs, dogs, chickens), "Five fruits" (jujubes, plums, chestnuts, apricots, peaches), "five flavors" (rice vinegar, rice wine, maltose, ginger, salt) and so on. "Five grains" is sometimes written as "six grains" or "hundred grains". In short, the raw materials can be named after "five", which shows that food resources were relatively abundant at that time, and artificially cultivated raw materials became the main body, and these raw materials were the best among them. , and accumulated some experience in material selection.

2. The innovation of cooking and drinking utensils, thin and delicate bronze tableware entered the cooking stage. There are more than 4,000 Shang and Zhou bronze artifacts unearthed in my country, most of which are cooking utensils. The advent of bronze food utensils not only improved heat transfer, improved cooking efficiency and the quality of dishes, but also displayed etiquette, decorated banquets, and demonstrated the special temperament of the food culture of slave owners and aristocrats.

3. The quality of dishes has improved rapidly, and the famous "Eight Treasures of Zhou Dynasty" has been launched. Cooking techniques at this time had made great progress due to the availability of raw materials and improvements in cooking utensils. On the one hand, rice, porridge, cakes, pastries and other food varieties are beginning to take shape. There are hundreds of meat sauce products and soup dishes, and the variety of designs and colors has been greatly increased; on the other hand, baking, simmering, roasting, etc. can be better used. More than 10 methods including roasting, boiling, steaming, pickling, etc. are used to cook high-end dishes such as bear paws, suckling pig, turtle, and swan, creating the "Eight Treasures of the Zhou Dynasty" with far-reaching influence. The "Eight Treasures of the Zhou Dynasty", also known as the "Eight Treasures of the Zhou Dynasty", are banquet delicacies specially prepared for the Emperor of Zhou Dynasty. It consists of 2 meals and 6 dishes. The specific names are: "Chun Nao" (rice with meat and soy sauce poured over it), "Chun Mu" (pork with meat and soy sauce over millet rice), "Pao Pork" (roasted, fried and stewed suckling pig), "Pao Zang" (stewed ewe lamb, grilled, fried and stewed), "Pao Zhen" (cooked tenderloin of beef, sheep and deer), "Ze" (beef and mutton with distiller's grains), "Bo" (similar to five-spice beef jerky), "Gan" (barbecued meat and oil-wrapped dog liver). After the "Zhou Dynasty Bazhen" was launched, successive dynasties rushed to imitate it. The Yuan Dynasty's "Yibei (i.e. Saibei) Bazhen" and "Tianchu Bazhen", the Ming and Qing Dynasty's "Bazhen" "Ginseng Wing Bazhen" and "BBQ Bazhen", as well as "Mountain Bazhen", "Water Bazhen", "Qin Bazhen", "Cao Bazhen" (mainly referring to precious edible fungi), "Shangba Bazhen" "Zhen", "Middle Bazhen", "Xia Bazhen", "Su Bazhen", "Qingzhen Bazhen", "Qionglin Bazhen" (the banquet in the imperial examination), "Ruyi Bazhen", etc. are all composed of

4. There are also new achievements in the dietary system. For example, starting from the Xia Dynasty, the palace first established food officials and equipped imperial chefs, taking the first step to integrate food and medicine, and attach great importance to the emperor and the queen. This system of food and health care lasted until the end of the Qing Dynasty, and banquets were also classified according to Zunqing. In addition, among the people, the early catering industry that combined slaughtering, brewing, and cooking also emerged. Wine shops flourished in Yancheng, Handan, Xianyang, Linzi, Yingdu and other cities.

So, the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties had a good start in the history of Chinese cooking, and descendants have "three generations of art that have been passed down for centuries. "The foundation of the cooking world has been laid and a new chapter has begun."

Cooking in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods

The Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods were a turbulent period during the transition from my country's slave society to a feudal society. Year after year of war, all heroes stood side by side. The war caused frequent population migration, stimulated the rapid development of agricultural production technology, and made academic thought extremely active.

At this time, many new factors also appeared in cooking, which attracted the attention of later generations.

1. Use artificially cultivated agricultural products as the main food source. At this time, due to the large-scale reclamation of wasteland, the construction of water conservancy projects, and the use of oxen and iron farm tools, the quantity and quality of agricultural products increased. Not only are domestic animals and game meat included in the meal, and vegetables, fruits and grains are included in the diet, but attention is also paid to the development of aquatic resources. In many areas in the south, fish, shrimps, turtles, clams, pigs, dogs, cattle and sheep occupy an important position, which is unprecedented.

2. In some economically developed areas, iron pots and cauldrons (ancient cooking utensils with a round bottom and two ears, placed on the stove with a steamer on top, used for steaming or boiling) have emerged. It was more advanced than bronze cookware and prepared the conditions for the advent of oil cooking. At the same time, animal fats (lard, beef tallow, mutton fat, dog fat, chicken oil, fish oil, etc.) and condiments (mainly meat sauce and rice vinegar) are also increasing in popularity, and pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and small Garlic is widely used, and there are new changes in the preparation methods and flavors of dishes. Simple cold drinks and honey-pickled and fried snacks have appeared.

Renovation of cooking and drinking utensils

The main manifestation of the reform of cooking and drinking utensils is that the pots and pans have changed from heavy to light. Since the Warring States Period, iron mining and smelting technology has been gradually promoted, and iron tools have been applied to all aspects of social life. The implementation of salt and iron monopoly in the Western Han Dynasty shows that salt and iron are closely related to the national economy and people's livelihood. Iron is cheaper than copper, is resistant to burning, conducts heat quickly, and is more convenient for cooking. Therefore, iron pots and cauldrons were popularized at this time, such as small cauldrons for frying, multi-purpose "five-cooked cauldrons", and large-mouthed cauldrons. The wide-bellied copper and the "Zhuge Liang pot" (similar to the later marching stove, which is said to have been invented by Zhuge Liang) are both newcomers in pots and are well received. At the same time, sharp and lightweight iron knives were widely used, and knife skills were improved, making the dishes more beautiful.

The stoves in the Han and Wei dynasties were table stoves, and the chimneys had been changed from vertical upwards to "deep curves (that is, long flue curves) to pass the fire." And the gradual use of coal kilns will help control the heat. The pottery stoves in the lime kiln portrait stone tombs in Tangxian, Henan, the "iron charcoal stove" unearthed in Banggou, Luoyang, Henan, and the six kitchen stoves in the murals of the Xindianzi Han tomb in Inner Mongolia have all been greatly improved, with "one stove and five "Suddenly, those who divide the smoke can cook ten times more" (meaning that a stove has 5 burners and many smoke exhaust holes, which can improve the cooking efficiency ten times.

The chefs at this time also had The tight-fitting "糳衣", the "calf nose" style apron (the apron used by chefs today, so named because it looks like an ox nose), and the sleeve protector called "green" have strengthened the concept of labor protection.