Tableware, as its name implies, is a tool for daily meals. Although there are still many ethnic groups who are used to grabbing food by hand, if there are no utensils for holding food, the normal dining process can't be completed. It can be said that the appearance of tableware is an important milestone in the history of human civilization and a key symbol to distinguish barbarism from civilization.

In the early distant primitive society, due to the low productivity and the embryonic stage of human civilization. Therefore, primitive people have always lived a life of eating and drinking, and it is more common to grasp food with their hands under this premise. At that time, social tableware was just an unreachable dream.

According to archaeological research, "pottery" appeared in caves in the late Paleolithic period about 1, years ago. That is to say, in the primitive commune period of two or three million years, food has always been in an embarrassing situation where there is nowhere to put it. This is actually in line with the social development level at that time, because primitive people can only rely on gathering, hunting, fishing and hunting to survive.

Although they have developed the habit of storing food, they are basically piled up in caves at will. When you are hungry, you can eat wild fruit or raw animal meat directly. From this, we can see that in the era when there is no tableware, people can only eat and take it now, and they will grab it with their hands every time they eat.

Perhaps many people think this way of eating is particularly barbaric, and eating raw food often has a great impact on health. However, if we analyze this phenomenon according to the facts, we can find that in the era of extremely low productivity and particularly scarce material resources. If you can find food to eat, you should thank nature for its gift.

I believe that as long as you follow the development trend of ancient tableware, you will find that the birth of tableware actually conforms to the laws of nature. When pottery appeared in the late Paleolithic period, it did not change the eating phenomenon of grasping food with hands. But it laid an important foreshadowing for the coming out of spoons and chopsticks.

the carrier of ancient food culture "tableware"

The author thinks that the ancient food culture has actually experienced a very long evolution in the process of development. But it can be said with great certainty that the birth of tableware is definitely an epoch-making event. Because in a sense, it not only promoted the development of ancient food culture, but also made mankind take a big step from ignorance to civilization.

It is no exaggeration to say that after thousands of years of development and changes, with the continuous improvement of social productivity and production technology, the evolution history of ancient tableware not only subverted the previous diet structure, but also changed the ancient people's diet. From barbarism to civilization, there was only one tableware.

since the advent of ancient tableware, it has been changing with the continuous evolution of time and national culture. From the very beginning, the single and simple pottery utensils that can hold food gradually developed into various types and exquisite appearance. This process has gone through about 1, years.

the author thinks that the development of tableware from scratch, from simple to complex, and then from complex to quality is actually proving that human society is marching towards civilization, and it also indicates that productivity is constantly improving. It can be said that when tableware changed from a tool for holding food to a shining work of art, human society entered a civilized era.

First, Neolithic pottery

1. Comparison of diet before and after the appearance of tableware

In the early primitive society, because there was no diet rule, or only relying on the weather to eat, a strict diet culture or a more formal diet style did not form. People just take food and put it in their mouths, which is not much different from primates.

So it doesn't seem to matter whether tableware appears or not. Of course, primitive people at this stage didn't have the thinking or action to make tableware. The author thinks that this is the wild period of all kinds of cultures and civilizations, or we can't force dining civilization in the past in the era of eating animals and eating blood.

Strictly speaking, the real budding period of "food culture" should be when you learn to use fire. At this point, human beings have finally ended the era of eating animals and eating blood, and since then, they have entered the cooked food stage from raw food. Under the promotion of this opportunity, tableware gradually appeared and food culture began to sprout.

judging from the historical stages, this stage should be in the middle and late Neolithic age. At this time, a large number of eating pottery has appeared, and now cups, bowls and pots, which are more common in society, have appeared. It was just called bowls, bowls, reeds, pots, etc. At that time, it can be said that the appearance of pottery also indicates the arrival of civilization.

2. The diet style of Neolithic Age

But from the perspective of diet, it basically followed the law of picking wild fruits and vegetables and hunting wild animals. Although tableware has appeared and matured at this time, and people have already eaten baked food. But because there are no cooking skills and condiments, the diet is relatively monotonous.

all kinds of food, such as those from trees, those growing on the ground, those flying in the sky and those swimming in the water, are put into tableware. Compared with the early primitive society, in terms of food, it not only becomes very rich, but also can satisfy the stomach. It's just that it's still in the primary stage of "eating without knowing the taste".

3. Development and transformation of tableware

With the constant changes of the times and the development of human civilization in a more mature direction, the styles of pottery tableware are gradually enriched, with horns, honors, jue and Gao Zubei appearing in cups, while dishes for holding food include plates and dishes. These tableware made of clay and silt, although seemingly simple, can meet the requirements or demands of ancient people for tableware.

Wooden and bone tableware, which is more advanced than pottery, was born in Hemudu period. Wooden bowls, bone spoons and forks began to board people's dining tables and participated in the development of ancient food culture. However, these tableware can only be supplied to tribal chiefs. On the whole, most ethnic people still mainly use pottery tableware.

From the perspective of diet and cooking, the lifestyle at this stage is still mainly gathering, fishing and hunting. Therefore, the food that can be obtained is still wild fruits, wild vegetables, animal meat, fish and so on. However, because the edible salt has appeared, the diet at this time is more interesting.

4. Chopsticks came out 8, years ago

(1) Chopsticks were called "chopsticks" in ancient society, and the first pair of chopsticks in the real sense in China appeared about 8, years ago. From this point of view, chopsticks should be at least 2 years later than tableware, but this does not affect people's exploration of food culture at all.

The pre-Qin period is a legendary historical stage. During this period, not only the etiquette was formulated, but also people treated people with courtesy and extended it to the development of food culture and tableware. Chopsticks were born in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, which is one of the most important tableware. It can be said that chopsticks changed the eating habits of the ancients.

Although fork was also very popular in the Warring States period, a kind of tableware called "Yan" has gradually become popular in the streets. Whether it is a high-ranking official in the upper class or a common people living in rural areas. Almost everyone began to eat with "Ba", and "Ba" is a well-known chopsticks.

In fact, this point can be confirmed from some ancient books. In Book of Rites Quli Shang, there was a saying that "those who have vegetables in the soup will use it". When people are eating, they have begun to use chopsticks to pick up food. In the Han dynasty, "Ba" was also called "Miao", and there is a cloud in the Book of Rites: "Ba, still Miao".

(2) Compared with the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in primitive society, the food culture in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period not only improved productivity, but also expanded plant species. The dining tables of the elite are basically filled with meat, while the small dining tables of ordinary people are not far behind.

As people have learned to raise "six animals", chickens, ducks and geese have become commonplace. Soup foods, such as big soup, mixed soup, and simmered soup, as well as octopus, dolphin patties, and spleen analysis, are all served on the dining tables of every household.

At this time, there were not only pottery and woodwork, but also bronze and iron tableware. Tableware made of copper, jade, bone, ivory and other materials seemed to fly into every household like mushrooms after rain. It is no exaggeration to say that the tableware culture or the food culture in this period has reached a peak stage, and the foundation of this food culture peak is "Zhong Ming Ding Shi".

5. "Zhong Ming Ding Shi" Ancient diet has a small peak

"Zhong Ming Ding Shi" is recorded in the Biography of Historical Records Huo Zhi, "sprinkle and cut, thin skills, but Zhi Ding Shi. The horse doctor is shallow, and Zhang Li strikes the bell. " "Zhi's Ding Shi" actually means that people used Ding Shi as tableware in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Of course, food ding is generally a small ding, similar in size to hot pot in modern society.

There was also a saying in Preface to Tengwang Pavilion: "Lu Yan threw himself on the ground, and Zhong Ming was the home of food", which actually described the grand banquet scene. When people are faced with "Zhong Ming Ding Shi", there is a lively scene. The actual meaning of "Zhong Ming Ding Shi" refers to a food culture in the Western Zhou Dynasty.

"Ding" was a sacrificial object in the Western Zhou Dynasty, but with the development of society, many smaller Ding gradually became tableware on the dining table of the Western Zhou people. People use it to spoon, cook or eat "antique pots", which can not only reflect the development of tableware in the Western Zhou Dynasty, but also show the food characteristics at that time.

6. Bronze tableware

Due to the successful development of bronze smelting technology, bronze tableware has not only become a guest of honor of the powerful class, but also gradually entered every ordinary family at this historical stage. It can be said that bronzes once again prove that ancient society is constantly developing.

It can be said responsibly that bronze smelting and casting technology reached its peak in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. For a time, bronzes made irreplaceable contributions in all aspects of society at that time. The bronze tableware was perfectly integrated with the ritual system of the Western Zhou Dynasty, and then the tableware such as ding, Wei, Ying, Pu, Yu, basin, cup and spoon was derived. "Man is a knife, I am a fish" is actually a common chopping block in modern life.

bronze wine vessels have replaced pottery, wood and even stone tools, and wine vessels such as bottles, barns, pots and mats have been widely popularized. However, because it was in a slave society at that time, it was also hierarchical in terms of etiquette. "Emperor Jiuding, vassal seven, doctor five and scholar three" refers to the tableware culture under the influence of the ethical code system.

7. Tableware in Qin and Han Dynasties

Compared with the pre-Qin period, both productivity and social economy in Qin and Han Dynasties reached a certain height. Therefore, people's requirements for tableware have gradually developed from food to more exquisite utensils. At this time, tableware is a piece of exquisite works of art full of humanistic colors.

bowls, chopsticks, spoons, plates, clocks and lamps; Pots, pots, baskets, cases, pots, barns, etc., have appeared in people's field of vision. The "basket" is neither pottery nor bronze, but a kind of food container made of bamboo. The round one is called the basket and the round one is called the barnyard grass. In fact, the development of tableware reached a new climax in the Han Dynasty.

There are various forms of chopsticks, such as wooden chopsticks, bamboo chopsticks and iron chopsticks. The most surprising thing is that there were bowls and plates made of celadon in the Han Dynasty. And among ordinary people, it gradually replaced pottery and bamboo tableware. This shows that productivity has been improved again and people's lives have been greatly changed.

the author thinks that strictly speaking, the development of tableware in Qin and Han dynasties, especially in Han dynasty, played an important role in the development of diet in ancient society. If we analyze its essence from the root, we can find that the types of tableware in the Han Dynasty are more complete, and the colors and designs are particularly rich.

This change in the shape of tableware has a great influence on the development of tableware in later generations. Moreover, it is particularly important for everyone to pay attention to that all kinds of tableware have also appeared relatively fixed special purposes. For example, bowls can only hold rice or porridge, while plates must be used to hold dishes. At the same time, in order to facilitate the dietary needs, a complete set of tableware was also made.

compared with the tableware in the Qin dynasty, the tableware in the Han dynasty is more light and exquisite. In fact, this has a lot to do with the share of meals, and it is more practical in terms of function. In fact, the biggest feature of tableware in the Han Dynasty was that it was designed as a work of art.. Each tableware has decorative patterns, and the appearance is more artistic.

8. Attractive food in the Han Dynasty

As one of the most powerful dynasties in ancient society, the Han Dynasty has made remarkable achievements in all aspects of development. Especially at the level of food culture, it has opened up a new idea. The staple food of Han people is more colorful, and millet, millet, wheat, rice, soybean and carved beard are the main characters on the table of ordinary people.

In the Han Dynasty, there were already familiar cakes, but at that time, there was no fermentation technology, so we could only eat "dead noodles" cakes. Meat mainly includes pigs, sheep, cattle, dogs, chickens, fish, etc. Besides oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, there are also ginger, onion, pepper, cinnamon and fennel.

Tea drinking and drinking became a new fashion in the society at that time, and many scholars in the Han Dynasty were particularly particular about tea drinking. Rangers who live at the bottom of society often get together to drink and have fun. And the tableware and wine containers they use have become more and more exquisite and artistic.

9. Tableware in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties

When the long history flowed to Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, due to social productive forces and material resources, they all developed by leaps and bounds. Therefore, people living in the society at that time could not only use tableware made of porcelain, but also tableware made of gold, silver, glass and other materials, and began to appear in BLACKPINK along the historical context.

Of course, tableware made of these materials can only be used by the upper class, and ordinary people can only use ordinary coarse porcelain tableware. But in any case, it can be proved that the development of tableware at this time has been in by going up one flight of stairs.

Although there are historical data to prove it, porcelain appeared as early as the middle Shang Dynasty, the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. But the real time to replace pottery was in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, due to the progress of porcelain technology, celadon and black glazed porcelain gradually appeared in people's field of vision, and after the appearance of porcelain tableware, tableware made of other materials was gradually forgotten by people. Because the superiority of porcelain has been confirmed by the world.

Conclusion

The author thinks that from the historical perspective of tableware, development and evolution in ancient China, the changes of food culture in ancient dynasties have been analyzed. It is not only more convincing and exploratory, but also shows the changes of ancient productivity and the improvement of the manufacturing technology level of material materials. It can be said that tableware from scratch from pottery to porcelain is actually the best proof of the history of ancient food culture.

Because primitive people who lived in the early days of primitive society, under the historical background of eating animals and drinking blood, had no sense of budding food culture at all. However, with the development of society and the progress of productivity, it was only after the appearance of pottery clay, wood, bronze ware, bamboo and even gold, silver, glass and porcelain tableware that the ancient food culture was officially declared to have taken shape.