Influenced by the philosophy of Yin-Yang and Five Elements, Confucian ethics, traditional Chinese medicine nutrition theory, cultural and artistic achievements, food aesthetic fashion and national character in China's traditional culture and education, China's cooking skills have been created in history, forming a profound China food culture.
From the perspective of evolution, China's food culture lasted for 65,438+700,000 years, divided into four stages: raw food, cooked food, natural cooking and scientific cooking. There are more than 60,000 kinds of traditional dishes, more than 20,000 kinds of industrial foods, colorful banquets and colorful flavor schools, which won the reputation of "the kingdom of cooking".
In terms of connotation, China's food culture involves the development and utilization of food sources, the use and innovation of tableware, the production and consumption of food, the service and reception of catering, the operation and management of catering and food industry, and the relationship between catering and national security, catering and literature and art, and catering and life realm.
From the extension point of view, China food culture can be classified from the perspectives of times and techniques, region and economy, nationality and religion, food and tableware, consumption and level, folk customs and functions, showing different cultural tastes and reflecting different use values.
Specifically, China's food culture emphasizes the theory of nourishing and benefiting (mainly vegetarian, paying attention to medicinal diet and nourishing) and paying attention to "color, fragrance and taste". The four attributes, namely, the harmonious five-flavor theory (with unique flavor and delicious taste, and the reputation of "tongue dish"), the changing cooking method (based on kitchen rules, flexible and mobile), and the catering concept that pleases the soul (gentle and elegant, education and catering), are different from the natural beauty of overseas catering culture.
From the perspective of influence, China's food culture directly affects Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and other countries, and is the axis of the oriental food culture circle; At the same time, it has indirectly influenced Europe, America, Africa and Oceania, such as vegetarian culture, tea culture, sauce and vinegar, pasta, medicated diet, ceramic tableware and soybeans in China, all of which have benefited billions of people all over the world.
In a word, China's food culture is a long-standing regional culture with broad vision, deep level, multi-angle and high taste. It is the material wealth and spiritual wealth that people of all ethnic groups in China have created, accumulated and influenced neighboring countries and the world in the aspects of food source development, tableware development, food preparation, nutrition and health care, food aesthetics and so on in the production and life practice of more than 6,543,800 years.
Characteristics of China's Food Culture
China is a country with a long history of food culture. I have lived in the world for more than 20 years, eating and drinking, and I have learned something. Now I will summarize the following characteristics of food culture, and I hope you can teach me:
First of all, the flavor is diverse. Because China is vast in territory and abundant in natural resources, with different climate, products and customs, it has formed many flavors in its diet for a long time. There has always been a saying in China that "south rice is north", and the tastes are divided into "sweet in the south, salty in the north, sour in the east and spicy in the west", mainly including Bashu, Qilu, Huaiyang, Guangdong and Fujian.
Second, the four seasons are different. Eating according to seasons all year round is another major feature of China cooking. China has been seasoning and side dishes according to seasonal changes since ancient times, with rich flavor in winter and light and cool in summer; Stewed in winter and frozen in summer.
Third, pay attention to beauty. China's cooking is not only superb, but also has a tradition of paying attention to the aesthetic feeling of dishes, and paying attention to the harmony of color, fragrance, taste, shape and container of food. There are many ways to express the beauty of dishes. Both carrots and cabbage hearts can be carved into various shapes, which are unique, achieving the harmonious unity of color, fragrance, taste, shape and beauty, giving people a special enjoyment of high spiritual and material unity.
Fourth, pay attention to interest. China pays attention to taste in cooking for a long time, and has strict requirements not only on the color, aroma and taste of snacks, but also on the naming, tasting methods and the rhythm of dining and entertainment. The name of China cuisine can be said to be superb, appealing to both refined and popular tastes. The names of dishes are not only named according to the realism of main ingredients, auxiliary materials, seasonings and cooking methods, but also according to historical anecdotes, myths and legends, and celebrities' eating interests and dishes, such as family portrait, general crossing the bridge, lion's head, beggar chicken, auspicious dragon and phoenix, Hongmen banquet and Dongpo meat.
The fifth is the combination of food and medicine. China's cooking technology is closely related to medical treatment. Thousands of years ago, there was a saying that "medicine and food are homologous" and "medicine and food are homologous". Using the medicinal value of food raw materials, various delicious dishes are made to prevent and treat some diseases. "
In ancient China, people also emphasized that eating should be in harmony with the rhythm of the universe. They should eat different kinds of food in spring, summer, autumn and winter, and even consider factors such as season and climate when processing and cooking food. These thoughts were formed as early as the pre-Qin period, and were clearly recorded in the Book of Rites and the Moon Order. They opposed the reversal of seasons. For example, there will be disasters in spring, summer, autumn and winter. Of course, we are also opposed to eating out-of-season food. Confucius said that "don't eat from time to time" has two meanings: one is to eat regularly, and the other is not to eat out-of-season food. Contrary to contemporary consciousness, some people eat out-of-season food to show off. During the Western Han Dynasty, the palace began to plant "leeks and shavings" in greenhouses, and Shi Chong, a rich man in the Western Jin Dynasty, also had greenhouses. This ideology, which emphasizes adapting to the rhythm of the universe, is indeed unique to China's food culture. This awareness only remains in the modern holiday eating customs (there are some in Chinese medicine, but it is not taken seriously).
The theory of "yin-yang and five elements" is a world model set by traditional thought and is also considered as the law of the universe. Man is one of the "three talents", and diet is indispensable to human life, so the cooking of diet must follow this law. Therefore, not only the flavors are divided into five kinds, but also the theory of "five flavors" has emerged (in fact, people can feel more than five kinds of flavors, but it was not too few to distinguish five kinds two or three thousand years ago), and a large number of grains, livestock, vegetables and fruits are included in "five grains" and "five meats" respectively. This makes people feel absurd. What is even more surprising is that "all drinkers raise yang"; Where food is eaten, Yin Qi is nourished "(The Book of Rites, Suburb Sacrifice). It is believed that only when drinking and eating are in harmony with the yin and yang of heaven and earth can we "communicate with God" and heaven, so as to achieve the effect of "harmony between man and nature". Therefore, we should strictly follow the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements when offering sacrifices to heaven. This statement was inherited by later Taoism and became a starting point of their diet theory. For example, people think that eating food can increase the yin of the body, such as "grains can not replenish the body but can prolong life" and "people who eat gas can live longer" To cultivate and gain yang, we must eat as little as possible, and the best state is not to eat, and adopt the realm of "avoiding the valley".
The beauty of neutralization is the highest aesthetic ideal of China traditional culture. "If you are in the middle, you will be the foundation of the world; Harmonious people are also people in the world. To be neutral, the status of heaven is unknown, and everything is nurtured "(The Book of Rites, The Doctrine of the Mean). What do you mean "in the middle"? We can't simply sum it up with "zhong". This "medium" means just right and appropriate. It's a bit like "zhong" in Henan dialect. Harmony is also a cooking concept. There is a famous sentence in the ancient book Shangshu, which means that the key to making a good soup is to reconcile salty (salty) sour (plum) flavors, which is a metaphor for governing the country. In Zuo Zhuan, Yan Ying also talked with Qi Jinggong about what "harmony" is, pointing out that "harmony" is not "sameness", but coordination based on different opinions. Therefore, China philosophers believe that all things in the world find their place in a "neutral" state for reproduction and development. This aesthetic ideal is based on the harmonious unity of individual and society, man and nature. This idea of realizing "the beauty of neutralization" through tuning is inspired and influenced by ancient cooking practice and theory, which further affects people's whole diet life, especially for ancient literati who pursue artistic life and artistic life.
Contrary to "neutralization", going to extremes in cooking is considered not authentic. Although those foods that are "too salty, too spicy and too sour" will be sought after by some people with abnormal physical conditions, in the long run, they are harmful to the health. The disadvantages of extremism in social and political life are even more unspeakable.
As mentioned above, the dietary life of the Chinese nation embodies the characteristics of traditional culture. Although some features are incomprehensible or unscientific to modern people (for nearly a century, the word "science" has almost become a religious belief in China, and it is only a ruler to measure right and wrong in various fields, but it is unquestionable in itself), can it be said only by the word "science"? If we pay more attention to "culture", then studying China people's diet is not only a necessary part of studying China culture, but also a key to studying China culture.
At present, food culture is still a vague concept. Some researchers generally say that it includes three aspects: what to eat, how to cook and how to eat; Some researchers believe that food culturology has bred six sciences, namely, cookery, food manufacturing, dietotherapy, food folklore, food literature and art and food manufacturing; Some researchers also advocate increasing food aesthetics, food commerce, food utensils and so on. I am too ignorant to dabble in so many subjects. The food culture I understand mainly refers to the relationship between food and people and their social significance. Therefore, although I also discussed food, dishes, food processing, cooking, eating habits and even dining environment, tableware, tableware and so on. In the History of Chinese Food Culture, I introduced and commented on their relationship with people and their social significance. As for the pure technological process that has little to do with people, except the necessary knowledge introduction, most of it has been omitted, aiming at highlighting the material enjoyment brought by diet life.