Under the influence of the yin-yang and five-element philosophy in traditional Chinese cultural education, Confucian ethics and moral concepts, traditional Chinese medicine nutrition and health theory, as well as cultural and artistic achievements, dietary aesthetics, national character traits and many other factors, labor The people have created Chinese cooking techniques that will shine through the annals of history, forming a broad and profound Chinese food culture.

From a historical perspective, China’s food culture has lasted for 1,700 years and is divided into four stages of development: raw food, cooked food, natural cooking, and scientific cooking. It has launched more than 60,000 traditional dishes, 20,000 kinds of industrial food, The colorful feasts and dazzling flavor genres have won the reputation of "Culinary Kingdom".

From a connotation perspective, Chinese food culture involves the development and utilization of food sources, the use and innovation of tableware, food production and consumption, catering services and reception, and the management of the catering and food industries. It is profound and broad!

From an extensional perspective, Chinese food culture can be classified from multiple perspectives such as era and techniques, region and economy, ethnicity and religion, food and tableware, consumption and level, folk customs and functions, showing different The cultural tastes reflect different use values ??and are colorful.

From the perspective of characteristics, Chinese food culture highlights the nutrition and health theory of nourishing and replenishing food (vegetarian food mainly, emphasizing medicinal diet and tonic), and the realm theory of harmonious five flavors (distinctive flavor, palatable ones are treasured, there is "tongue dish") " reputation), unique and mutually changing cooking methods (based on kitchen rules, flexible), and a refreshing and enjoyable view of food (gentle and polite, entertaining through food), etc., have four attributes that are different from the food culture of overseas countries. Natural beauty.

Chinese food culture directly affects Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and other countries, and is the axis of the Eastern food culture circle. At the same time, it also indirectly affects Europe, America, Africa and Oceania, such as China's vegetarian culture, tea culture, sauce and vinegar, pasta, medicinal diet, ceramic tableware and soybeans, benefiting billions of people around the world.

Chinese cooking is not only technically exquisite, but also has a tradition of paying attention to the aesthetics of dishes, paying attention to the coordination of color, aroma, taste, shape and utensils of food. The expression of the beauty of dishes is multi-faceted. Whether it is a carrot or a cabbage heart, it can be carved into various shapes, unique, and achieve the harmonious unity of color, aroma, taste, shape and beauty, giving people a spiritual and material height. Unified special enjoyment.

In short, Chinese food culture is a long-standing regional culture with a broad vision, depth, multi-angle, and high taste. It creates, accumulates and affects the material wealth and spiritual wealth of surrounding countries and the world in terms of resource development, tableware development, food preparation, nutritional health care and food aesthetics. Chinese cuisine embodies the food culture tradition of the Chinese nation. It also has many unique features compared with the cuisine of other countries in the world. Variety of flavors. The Chinese nation has a vast territory. Due to the differences in climate, products, and customs in various regions, many different cuisines have been formed in the Chinese diet since ancient times. In terms of regional division, there are four major cuisines: Bashu, Huaiyang, Qilu, and Guangdong and Fujian. The seasons are different. All year round, preparing food according to the seasons is the main feature of Chinese cooking. China has always followed seasonal seasonings and side dishes, with rich and mellow flavors in winter and light and cool flavors in summer. In winter, it is usually stewed and simmered, and in summer, it is often eaten cold and frozen. Various vegetables change with the four seasons and should be eaten at the right time. Pay attention to the beauty of the dishes. Pay attention to the coordination of color, aroma, taste, shape and utensils of food. The expression of the beauty of dishes is multi-faceted. Chefs use their smart skills and artistic accomplishment to create a variety of delicacies, uniquely achieving color, The unity of aroma, taste and shape also gives people the special enjoyment of a high degree of unity of spirit and material. Pay attention to fun. Chinese cooking has paid attention to taste since ancient times. It not only has strict requirements on the color, aroma, taste, shape, utensils, quality and nutrition of meals and snacks, but also has strict requirements on the naming of dishes, the way of tasting, the choice of time, and the rhythm of eating. , entertainment interspersion, etc. all have certain elegant requirements, novel ideas, and full of fun. Combination of food and medicine. Chinese cooking technology is closely related to medical care. In China, we have always attached great importance to "medicine and food come from the same source" and "medicine and diet have the same effect". We use the medicinal value of food raw materials to cook various delicious dishes to achieve the purpose of preventing and treating certain diseases. Medicine and food have the same origin, that is, medicine and food have the same origin. "Huangdi Neijing Taisu" writes: "What is eaten on an empty stomach is food, and what the patient eats is medicine", reflecting the idea that "medicine and food have the same origin". (6) Decoction. It is the most commonly used dosage form in traditional Chinese medicine. It was called decoction in ancient times, now it is called decoction, and among the people it is called decoction. Soup is very common on the dining table in the south, with different methods. Among them, the special health-preserving and green soup: Tangbaobao is the main representative, and its health-preserving effect is recognized by the public.

Soup in dietary therapy refers to a type of soup that uses a small amount of food or an appropriate amount of traditional Chinese medicine and a large amount of water to make a soup with more soup and less ingredients.

The soup can be mixed with medicines in the following three different ways: First, put it in directly after washing, or wrap it in clean gauze and put it in. After the soup is cooked, discard the medicine and eat it. Ginseng, wolfberry, lotus seeds and other edible medicines and medicinal and edible products can be eaten together. The second is to add the medicine to water and decoct it to extract the juice, and then pour it in during cooking. Third, if the raw materials are ginseng and other precious medicines, in addition to being sliced ??and fired, they can also be processed into powder and put in before the pot is served, so that they can be fully utilized and not wasted.

The most commonly used way to cook soup is to add water and boil it. Water should be added all at once. If you have to add water halfway, be sure to add boiling water. When it comes to heat, it is advisable to boil over high heat first, then simmer over medium to low heat until the vegetables are cooked and the soup is ready.

The soup can also be steamed or stewed over water. Put the raw materials in a container, add enough water and condiments, cover it, then put it in a steamer to steam, or put it into a pot and stew it until The raw materials are cooked until they are rotten, which is a good way to warm the body. "Food is the most important thing for the people." With the rise of returning to natural food, traditional food is becoming more and more popular among people. In fact, the origin of these foods has its own wonderful legends.

Steamed Buns

It is said that during the Three Kingdoms period, Meng Huo, the master of the Nanman Cave in the south of Shu Kingdom, was always attacking and harassing Meng Huo. Zhuge Liang personally led troops to conquer Meng Huo. There are very few people in the Lushui area, the miasma is very heavy and the Lushui water is poisonous. Zhuge Liang's men came up with a superstitious idea: kill some "Southern Barbarian" prisoners and use their heads to sacrifice to the River God of Lushui. Of course, Zhuge Liang could not agree to kill the "Southern Barbarian" prisoners, but in order to boost morale, he came up with a way: use the flour and dough brought by the army, shape it into a human head and steam it, and use it as a sacrifice to replace the "Barbarian" prisoners. "He went to worship the river god.

Since then, this kind of pasta has been passed down and spread to the north. But being called "mantou" was too scary, so people replaced the word "man" with the word "man" and wrote it as "mantou". Over time, steamed buns became the main food of northerners.

Mung Bean Cake

Zongzi are eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival, with almost no exceptions across the country. However, in addition to rice dumplings, the traditional food of the Dragon Boat Festival also includes mung bean cake. For example, in places such as Wuhan, Nanjing and Wuhu, mung bean cakes will be eaten on this day. People in Xi'an also eat rice dumplings on this day, but they must be eaten together with mung bean cake, both of which are indispensable. People in Xi'an give gifts to relatives and friends during the Dragon Boat Festival, including rice dumplings and mung bean cakes. This is a time-honored custom. Maybe people say less and know less. As early as the 10th year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1872), commercial mung bean cake had been launched, and together with the crystal cake, it became a famous food in Xi'an and Shaanxi, and is famous far and wide. Xi'an is an area inhabited by Hui people, and the Hui and Han compatriots live in harmony. The Hui people are good at running small businesses, especially making small food in family workshops. Their halal mung bean cakes are very popular. Han people also did it, but relatively few. Previously, most of them were produced and put on the market before the Dragon Boat Festival. Since the reform and opening up, it has been sold all year round, and a number of new food companies have been added, and mung bean cake is much more exquisite than before. Many new varieties have been added, such as date paste filling and nut filling, which have a good taste and a long aftertaste.

Crystal Cake

Crystal Cake is a famous snack in Weinan, Shaanxi Province. It is characterized by its golden surface and silver side. It is said that Kou Zhun, Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty, was an upright and fair official and won the hearts of the people. One year, Kou Zhun returned to his hometown of Weinan from Bianliang, Kyoto, to visit relatives. It was his fiftieth birthday. The village party members sent birthday peaches, noodles, and birthday plaques to express their congratulations, and Kou Zhun hosted a birthday banquet for him. After drinking for three rounds, his subordinates suddenly brought an exquisite paulownia wood box. Kou Zhun opened it and saw that it contained 50 snacks that were as bright as crystal stones. On top of the snacks, there is a piece of red paper with a poem neatly written on it: "The public has crystal eyes and a crystal heart. It can distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and it is innocent and untainted." The signature is an old man from Weibei. . Later, Kou Zhun's chef also made this kind of snack, and Kou Zhun gave it a nice name based on its characteristics, called "crystal cake".

Tiedan

Tiedan is a famous snack in Taiwan Province. According to legend, the iron egg was run by a restaurant on the ferry bow, which was nicknamed "Haijiao Grand Hotel" by the seamen (Haijiao). "Huang Zhangzi from the small noodle stall, one rainy day, because the business was not good, so he kept returning the braised eggs. Because the sea breeze kept blowing, the braised eggs became smaller and darker, and the braised eggs became darker. Unexpectedly, However, customers liked the chewier and more delicious black braised eggs. Later, in 1983, Minsheng Daily reporter Lin Mingyu interviewed him and wrote a report titled "Grandma's iron eggs, she insists on getting them." The report caused a stir Many people noticed, and some media even came from as far away as Japan to cover it. After that, the iron egg became a famous snack in Tamsui.

But now you don’t have to go to the bow of the ship to eat iron eggs. Many manufacturers have made iron eggs into ready-to-eat vacuum-packed foods, mainly companies in Taiwan and Hunan, because they are easy to carry and can be eaten. Let everyone enjoy delicious food at work or on vacation.

Bingtang

According to legend, during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, there was a girl named Fusang who was the maid of Zhang Yaxian, a large sugar mill in Neijiang, Sichuan. Once, when Zhang Ya was away, she scooped up a bowl of syrup and was about to drink it. Zhang Ya came first. Fusang quickly poured the syrup into the lard can, hid it in the firewood pile, and put some chaff on top to cover it up.

A few days later, when Fusang took out the lard jar, it was filled with many crystal-like things, which were hard and crispy yet pure and sweet when knocked into the mouth, and tasted better than white sugar. Fuso told about this strange phenomenon, and many people followed the same method. Because the sugar made looks like ice and tastes like honey, people call it rock sugar.

Dumplings

Dumplings are a favorite traditional food of the Chinese people. The method of making dumplings is to first make a thin and soft dough with flour, and then chop it with fresh meat, cabbage, etc. Mix the seasonings as filling, wrap them up and cook until the dumplings float to the surface. It is characterized by thin skin, tender filling, delicious taste, unique shape, and you will never tire of eating it.

Dumplings were originally called "Jiao Er" and were first invented by the Chinese medical sage Zhang Zhongjing.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, disasters occurred in various places and many people suffered from diseases. There was a famous doctor named Zhang Ji in Nanyang, also known as Zhongjing. He studied medical books diligently since he was a child, learned from many experts, and became the founder of traditional Chinese medicine. Zhang Zhongjing not only had excellent medical skills and could cure all difficult and complicated diseases at his fingertips, but also had high medical ethics. He treated both poor and rich seriously and saved countless lives. When Zhang Zhongjing was an official in Changsha, he often cured diseases for the people. One year when the local plague was prevalent, he built a big pot at the yamen gate and gave up medicine to save people. He was deeply loved by the people of Changsha. After Zhang Zhongjing retired from Changsha and returned to his hometown, he walked to the bank of Baihe River in his hometown and saw many poor people suffering from hunger and cold, and their ears were rotten by the frost. He felt very sad and determined to save them. When Zhang Zhongjing returned home, there were so many people seeking medical treatment that he was very busy, but he always kept in mind the poor people whose ears were rotten by the cold. He imitated the method in Changsha and asked his disciples to set up a medical shed and a large pot on an open space in Dongguan, Nanyang. They opened it on the winter solstice and gave medicine to the poor to treat their injuries.

Zhang Zhongjing's medicine is called "Quhan Jiaoer Soup". The method is to boil mutton, pepper and some cold-dispelling medicinal materials in a pot. After cooking, these things are taken out and chopped. , wrap the dough into an ear-shaped "Jiao Er", boil it in a pot and distribute it to patients begging for medicine. Each person has two charming ears and a bowl of soup. After people take the Quhan Decoction, their whole body becomes hot, their blood becomes smooth, and their ears become warm. After taking it for a period of time, the patient's rotten ears will be cured.

Zhang Zhongjing continued to give medicine until New Year's Eve. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, people celebrate the New Year and the recovery of rotten ears. They make New Year's food like Jiao Er and eat it on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year. People call this food "dumpling ears", "dumplings" or "partial eclipse" and eat it on the winter solstice and the first day of the new year to commemorate the day when Zhang Zhongjing opened shed medicine and cured patients.

It has been nearly 1800 years since Zhang Zhongjing was born, but the story of his making "Jiaoer Tang" to dispel cold has been widely circulated among the people. Every winter solstice and New Year's Day, people eat dumplings and still remember Zhang Zhongjing's kindness in their hearts. Today, we no longer need to use "Jiao Er" to treat frozen rotten ears, but dumplings have become people's most common and favorite food.

Dumplings that don’t need to be cooked - Snow Dumplings

Snow dumplings are a specialty of Linghu Town, Huzhou City, and Zhenyuan Tongxue Dumplings adopt Linghu’s traditional recipe and rely on pure Handmade, it is the most authentic snow dumpling. Zhenyuan Tongxue Dumplings are a traditional tea delicacy, "white as snow, shaped like dumplings". The inner shell is like a layer cake of dumplings, and the outside is coated with a layer of snow-white powder made of rice flour and icing sugar. The taste is crisp and fragrant. Crisp, sweet and slightly salty, it is an excellent tea snack.