The people upstairs are too "the same", right? ~~

The origin of Hunan cuisine can be traced back to the Warring States Period in our country’s history. At that time, Hunan was called "Southern Barbarians". During the Warring States Period, the main residents in Hunan were Chu and Yue people. At that time, due to the influence of climate and geographical environment, the diet had formed characteristics different from those in the Central Plains region, and these characteristics were followed until the Han Dynasty.

From "Chu Ci" We can see in "Calling the Soul" that the food sources in Hunan at that time mainly included plant rice, millet, yellow beam and wild waterfowl such as wild ducks, wild geese, swans, soft-shell turtles, turtles, etc. The cooking techniques mainly included roasting, grilling, frying, boiling, There are 10 kinds of steaming, stewing, vinegar cooking, stewing and sauce, forming sour, bitter, salty and sweet flavors, among which sour and bitter are very local characteristics. "Chu Ci Shi" says: "The most bitter thing is tempeh." It refers to the Hunan folk condiment tempeh for two thousand years; to this day, the tempeh produced in Liuyang is still famous throughout the country.

By the Han Dynasty, the local style of Hunan cuisine was already very prominent. The Bamboo Slips unearthed from the Western Han Dynasty Tomb in Mawangdui, Changsha There are detailed records of the diet at that time in the "Food List". There are nearly 100 kinds of exquisite dishes in the "Food List", among which there are 24 kinds of soup in 5 categories, and there are 72 kinds of food, such as fish skin, sirloin, deer side dishes, chicken, etc. At this time, the cooking methods of Hunan cuisine also developed to 16 kinds, such as soup, broiling, frying, boiling; steaming, steaming, stewing, preserved, cured; fried, minced, etc. The main seasonings include salt, sauce, black bean, koji, sugar, honey , leek, plum, cinnamon, pepper, dogwood, etc. There were also many unique sour dishes at this time, and there were 10 kinds of sour rice and sour soup in the "Food List".

By the Tang and Song Dynasties, China's feudal society had entered a mature stage. At this time, food culture deliberately sought new forms in form, and Hunan cuisine was no exception. The rich, fragrant and light styles had been established. There are no heavy modifications to the dishes in terms of form, in order to completely preserve the natural form of the raw materials, and there are also explanations. A fish symbolizes "surplus" for many years. If there is a mandarin fish, it also means "wealth", and a chicken is used to replace the phoenix. The deer represents "lun", the sheep represents "auspiciousness", and the turtle and crane symbolize longevity. At this time, the menu of Hunan cuisine was classified according to birthdays, weddings, funerals, promotions, etc., and is still used today.