The origin of Chinese cooking in the Pre-Qin period has a long history. According to research from the Chinese archaeological community, people in Beijing 500,000 to 600,000 years ago began to use fire to cook food. This is how cooking began. Thus, animals were cooked with fire. The dietary method of satisfying hunger and quenching thirst with food has gradually been sublimated into a civilized enjoyment of human beings. "Cooking" first appeared in writing, in the "Book of Changes" 2,700 years ago: "Cooking with wood and Xun fire." It means cooking food. The raw materials are cooked on firewood lit by the wind. With the development of productivity and the improvement of living standards, cooking methods have also been continuously improved. During the pre-Qin period, agriculture and animal husbandry in most areas of our country had significant development, providing food and beverages. It has relatively rich animal and plant resources. Due to the gradual improvement of hunting and fishing tools, it is also more common to eat poultry and fish. The commonly used food raw materials at that time were "grains" (millet, millet, wheat, bean, and hemp), "five grains" and "five grains". "vegetables" (squash, hyacinth, xiè, green onions, leeks), "five animals" (cows, sheep, pigs, dogs, chickens), "five fruits" (jujubes, plums, chestnuts, apricots, peaches), etc., In particular, seasonings also increased rapidly during this period, such as salt (salt began to be eaten in the Neolithic Age), glutinous rice, plums, glutinous rice, honey, pepper, ginger, wine, etc. This laid the foundation for the diversification of Chinese dishes in the future. This period was also very Pay attention to the selection of materials. "Zhou Li? Tianguan" "Orcists control the field beasts (gǔ net) and identify their names", which means that they should be good at identifying and appraising the materials used. In order to select high-quality raw materials, relatively specific standards have also been formulated. In particular, the requirements for sacrificial supplies are stricter. "Book of Rites? Qu Li": "When offering sacrifices to the ancestral temple, the ox is called Yi Yuan Da Wu, the pig is called Gang Hye, the pig is called Tú (fat) fat, the sheep is called Soft Hair, and the chicken is called Han. Yin, the dog is called soup offering, the pheasant is called sparse toes, the rabbit is called bright vision, the preserved meat is called Yin sacrifice, the gǎo (dried) fish is called merchant sacrifice, the fresh fish is called preserved meat (tǐng long dried meat) sacrifice, and the water is called Qingdi. , Wine is called Qingzuo, millet is called Xiang (same as 'fragrant') combined, Liang is called Xiangqi, Ji is called Jiazhu, rice is called Fengben, salt is called Xianlu (cuó salt)..." These are valuable experiences in selecting raw materials. , is still applicable today. As early as the Shang Dynasty, metal tools began to be used in cooking. Among the cultural relics unearthed from the Yin Ruins are thin-edged copper knives and copper cauldrons with ears. With the use of metal knives, knife skills began to appear in the field of cooking technology. Technology. According to the "Book of Rites", during the sacrifice, the animals were first divided into 7 pieces, and then divided into 12 pieces after being cooked. It can be seen that during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the grading and selection of animal meat were quite sophisticated. .One of the Zhou Dynasty's requirements for knife skills is that "the meat should never be too thin". For example, when cutting beef, it must be "thinly sliced ??and must be done properly." In addition to knife skills, people during the Shang Dynasty also began to master the heat technology. As the Shang Dynasty With the emergence of relatively complete stoves, people began to understand the relationship between heat and cooking, and regarded heat as the "rules" for eliminating fishy smell, removing odor and smell, and noticed that mastering heat requires "slowing down and slowing down", and there are "nine boils and nine changes". " etc. During the pre-Qin period, China also had the world's earliest food carvings. "Guanzi? Xisi" says: "Carve the eggs and then yuè (boil) them." It can be seen that China had carvings in the Spring and Autumn Period at the latest With the development of cooking technology, a large number of delicacies have come out. For example, the famous "Zhou Bazhen" was a banquet specially for the Emperor of Zhou during the Zhou Dynasty. Ken Liu Cai and Chun Nao and Chun Mu two rice dishes, which reflects the food civilization of the Yellow River Basin and set the precedent for later generations to banquet with eight delicacies. The diet of the nobles of Chu at that time was also very distinctive. According to the "Songs of Chu? Dazhao" The food list shows that the aristocrats of Chu State were very particular about their food at that time. There were 7 staple foods, 16 kinds of dishes, and 4 kinds of drinks. The tastes were sour, sweet, bitter, pungent, and salty, and the cooking methods included roasting, grilling, frying, etc. These all illustrate that our country In the pre-Qin period, cooking technology has developed to a very high level. During the Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, this was the second stage of the development of Chinese cooking. In more than 800 years of history, due to the great development of agriculture, handicrafts, and commerce, foreign trade has become increasingly important. Frequently, in feudal countries with authoritarian centralized power, culinary culture continued to emerge with new characteristics. At the end of this period, wars were frequent, feudal separatism occurred, and the ruling class was extravagant and corrupt, seeking all kinds of novel stimulations. Chinese cuisine learned a lot from the great social changes The essence of the food consumed by all ethnic groups is ready to change and glow with new vitality. First of all, on the basis of the five grains, five livestock, five vegetables, and five fruits in the pre-Qin period, there has been a major breakthrough in the selection of ingredients. Jia Sixie in "Essentials for Elevating the People" It recorded 31 dishes from the Yellow River Basin. After Zhang Qian passed through the Western Regions, he introduced new varieties such as eggplant, garlic, watermelon, cucumber, lentils, and sword beans, further expanding the food source. During the Han and Wei dynasties, the number of pigs raised in the world accounted for 10% of the total. In the first place, it replaced cattle and sheep and became the main raw material for meat dishes. At the same time, cooking utensils and utensils also changed significantly. Pots and pans changed from thick and heavy to light and thin. Sharp and lightweight iron knives were widely used, and knife skills were improved. The chimney of the stove It also changed from the previous vertical upwards to "deep curved fire", and gradually used coal, which was beneficial to controlling the heat. When the rulers of the upper class ate, they used celadon vessels, lacquered dishes and bowls, and gold and jade wine vessels. Qin and Han Dynasties Since then, the division of labor in the kitchen has become increasingly sophisticated, and a new situation of division of labor has emerged, which is conducive to improving cooking technology and efficiency. Various delicacies have emerged in large numbers. For example, "Huainanzi" records: "Today, cattle are slaughtered and their meat is cooked, or It is thought to be sour or sweet, and when boiled and roasted, it has all kinds of flavors. It is originally the body of a cow." That is, using various parts of a cow and using different cooking methods to make a variety of dishes. Zhang Heng of the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote in "Nandu" In "Fu", Nanyang cuisine in Zhongzhou was called "hundreds of names and thousands of varieties", and Mei Cheng of the Western Han Dynasty praised Wu and Chu cuisine as "the most beautiful in the world" in "Qifa", which reflects that the cooking technology at that time had reached a very exquisite level. This period appeared