, nourishing, assisting, benefiting and filling
The concepts of nourishing, assisting, benefiting and filling were first seen in the "Huangdi Neijing Suowen": "Five grains are nourishment, five fruits are help, and five animals are For benefit, take the five vegetables with their combined smells to replenish the essence and qi. These five are pungent, sweet, bitter and salty, and each has its own benefits: some are loose, some are strong, some are slow, some are sharp, some are hard, some are soft. "Four Seasons and Five Treasures, Diseases Follow the Appropriateness of the Five Flavors." Because it encompasses the nutritional and health-preserving concepts of Chinese medicine such as the balance of yin and yang, the coordination of internal organs, the harmony of nature and flavor, and adapting to different conditions, it is regarded as the ancient balanced dietary theory; Also because it conforms to China's national conditions, people's sentiments and health and fitness requirements, and has been used for thousands of years, many scholars believe that the organic combination of grains, fruits, livestock and vegetables is exactly the traditional Chinese tradition. Meal structure.
Here, "grains are nourishing" refers to grains such as rice, wheat, beans, millet, etc., which can nourish the true qi of the five internal organs, "benefit the spleen and stomach, and are the basis of all blessings", so "get grains" Those who prosper." "Five fruits are helpful" refers to various fresh fruits, ten fruits and hard fruits, which can assist grains and balance nutrition, which is what Li Shizhen pointed out as "auxiliary grain food to support people's livelihood." "Five animals are beneficial" refers to animal foods such as cattle, sheep, pigs, dogs, etc., which can improve health. "Fresh and delicious, popular among the people" can make up for the lack of vegetarian food. "Five vegetables are sufficient" refers to various vegetables, which can enrich the vitamins, minerals and crude fiber needed by the human body, "assist grain qi and clear up stagnation"; for".
Under the guidance of this idea, Chinese cooking has always paid attention to the combination of cooking ingredients, such as rice side dishes, meat and meat dishes, dim sum stuffing, noodles with steamed seeds, meat and vegetable stir-fry, and meat and vegetable stir-fry. , "Don't eat heavy meat in every meal", "eat meat" on holidays, eat preserved fruits before meals, and keep fruits after meals, etc. What's more noteworthy is that most Chinese dishes are not made from one kind of raw material, but two, three, four or even more kinds, such as "Family Portrait", "Luohan Zhai", "Dragon Tiger Fight", "Buddha jumps over the wall" and the like, in this way, the idea of ??nutritional balance is directly implemented in every dish. Obviously, this is beneficial to nutrition and health.
On the other hand, China has traditionally attached great importance to the integration of food and medicine. As early as the pre-Qin Dynasty, doctors and chefs had a tacit understanding of each other, and medicines and food were often consistent. Later, although food and medicine were separated, diet was still guided by medicine, and doctors mostly used food power to treat diseases. In particular, ancient medicine's theories on drug processing, clean eating, eight precepts, five seasoning prohibitions, food poisoning, seasonal tonics, etc. have all been directly or indirectly absorbed by the Recipes and Food Classics, enriching the content of cooking theory. Therefore, the selection of ingredients in Chinese cooking has always focused on eating plants and animals that are both medicinal and edible. Their roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits are cleverly combined with skin, meat, bones, meat, and organs to satisfy appetite and nourish the body. Pungent for the body, it can cure diseases, strengthen the body, maintain health and prolong life. This is a special meaning of nourishing, assisting, benefiting and replenishing, which is also in line with the theory of nutrition and health preservation of traditional Chinese medicine. Chinese cooking is based on medicine. Dishes (such as bird's nest porridge, ginseng chicken, cordyceps beetle, gourd duck) are very popular, and this is why
2. Five-flavor blend
Some gourmets have made some food from some countries. Food writers have made vivid comparisons, saying that French food is a food for the nose (heavy aroma), Japanese food is a food for the eyes (heavy color), Chinese food is a food for the tongue (heavy flavor), and American food is fashionable (changes quickly). , Soviet and Russian cuisine is about affordability (large portions), while Turkish, African and Indian cuisine are about discipline (high religious influence). Although this statement is not comprehensive, it has some truth, and it points out the characteristics of these dishes. and the fascinating mystery.
The emphasis on "taste" in Chinese cuisine is derived from the Five Elements Theory in Zhongkuang! The original Five Elements Theory attributes natural phenomena and human activities to water, fire, wood, and metal. The Five Elements Theory believes that the taste attributes of water, fire, wood, metal, and earth are salty and bitter respectively. , sour, pungent, and sweet, collectively known as the five flavors. The five flavors are governed by the five elements. If a cook wants to harmonize the five flavors, from difference to balance, he must master the skill of "harmony" to achieve the ultimate aesthetic of "harmony". . The ancestors also stipulated that the seasonality of the diet should be consistent with the five flavors and elements, which is "more sour in spring, more bitter in summer, more pungent in autumn, more salty in winter, and sweeter".
The emphasis on "harmony" in Chinese cuisine is also related to the Confucian Doctrine of the Mean and the highest realm of classical philosophy and aesthetics. The essence of "harmony" is to maintain moderation, coordination, moderation, and moderation, which is reflected in the food. The proper unity of opposing factors such as soft and hard, sweet and salty, thickness, size, raw and cooked, cold and hot, meat and fish, and shade; the complementation of color, aroma, taste, shape, utensil, name, time, and treatment; Among them, the appropriate balance between the amount of heating and the amount of water applied is crucial. "Changlan·Original Flavor" clearly puts forward eight standards: "It will not be harmful if it is cooked for a long time, it will be sweet but not sour, and it will not be sour." But not cool, salty but not weak, pungent but not strong, light but not thin, fat but not greasy (the products of Yanyue Past will not deteriorate, the stewed food will not lose its shape, the sugar should not be too sweet, the vinegar should not be too sour, The salt should not be salty and astringent, the spicy should not be too choking, the soup should be fresh and juicy but not light, and the meat should be plump but not greasy). This is all about taking the "harmony of five flavors" as a style and a style in the aesthetics of life. To pursue a realm, a sense of beauty, and a kind of enjoyment.
Chinese cuisine puts "five-flavor blending" at the top of the list of dish production and quality appraisal. Therefore, in ancient times, the emphasis was on timing, palatability and original taste, while today we emphasize refreshing, appetizing and refreshing food. According to the general rule of food aesthetics that "the taste is the same as the taste", famous chefs in the past advocated the emphasis on fresh and salty food, using less seasoning, keeping everything natural, returning to simplicity, trying to show the natural beauty of the raw materials, and advocating lightness; according to "Everything has no fixed taste, and those who taste it will appreciate it" are special requirements for food aesthetics. Skilled chefs from all over the world also flexibly use taste, ingredients, knives,
spoons, water, fire, utensils, stoves and other essentials to master the dishes. Texture exerts a positive influence, making it follow the local customs, changing according to people, events, times and places, striving to achieve the ultimate goal of "one dish with one style, one hundred dishes with one hundred flavors". Therefore, the flavor uses a wide range of ingredients; there are many changes in flavor types; the seasoning power is fine; the sense of taste is deep; the focus is on showing the simple connotation of the flavor of the main ingredients; the dialectical unity of the richness, difference and uniqueness of the flavor; It is combined with local customs, religious beliefs, and national habits; the taste varies from time to time, place to place, table to table, and person to person; the long aftertaste after tasting and the characterization of cuisine according to flavor are all Chinese cooking The essence of craftsmanship and the soul of Chinese cuisine.
3. Mutual transformation of odd and positive
Chinese cooking is a study of change and innovation. On the one hand, there is dialectics in cooking, and there is a relationship of unity of opposites; on the other hand, there are positive and negative patterns in the cooking rules, which can adapt to changes in the situation and grasp the initiative on the stove.
The dialectical method in cooking is manifested in many ways. For example, the meat and potatoes in the selection of ingredients, the size of the knife edge, the water and fire in the heating, the thick and light seasoning, the soft and crisp texture, the cold and hot in the dishes, these are all internal aspects of cooking. A reflection of contradiction, it defines the attributes of the dish. For example, cooking raw materials and cooking techniques are the relationship between internal and external factors. Internal factors are the basis of finished dishes, and external factors are the conditions for finished dishes. External factors work through internal factors to promote the transformation of internal contradictions in the raw materials, thereby producing ideal dishes. Another example is that cooking must also handle the relationship between the general and the special. For example, most dishes go to great lengths to eliminate the odor, but Tunxi stinky mullet and Changsha stinky dry seeds try their best to intensify it. As for the laws of affirmation and negation, they are everywhere in cooking; negating an old dish and affirming a new dish marks the progress of cooking technology; constant negation and constant affirmation promote the prosperity of food culture.
The same is true when analyzing cooking and seasoning. Cooking is the process of heating, which mainly manifests quantitative changes; cooking refers to the maturity of dishes, which focuses on qualitative changes. The difference between many cooking methods is obviously reflected in the "degree" of heating amount and water application. Therefore, whether the raw materials are "cooking resistant" and the amount of heat energy should be the main contradiction in cooking. As for "adjusting", we should also highlight the main ingredients, main flavors and main seasoning power. This is the dominant side of the contradiction. Whether it is convection seasoning, diffusion seasoning, penetration seasoning, or chemical decomposition of flavor substances when exposed to heat, Whether it is a step-by-step process or a final decision, we must follow the law of mutual transformation of quality, control the "degree" of seasonings, and skillfully combine it with heating and water application to cope with the situation.
The so-called "zhengge" refers to the universal kitchen rules, which can control complexity with simplicity, draw inferences from one instance, and are universally applicable. For example, purchase raw materials and carefully select them, make the best use of preliminary processing materials, and make comprehensive use of them; pay attention to nutrition when cutting side dishes, and pay attention to hygiene during the operation; apply oil and water properly and evenly, use stoves and heat transfer media flexibly; correctly control water temperature and oil temperature, Timely feeding, seasoning and use of fire; flexible operation of turning ladles and pots, ordering water, using soup, thickening, and pouring oil just right; taking out the pot in a timely manner and loading the dishes neatly, and orderly ordering of dishes; close cooperation between stoves and tables, each fulfilling its responsibilities And look after each other, and so on. The so-called "change of style" refers to "temporary emergency measures" adopted without following the procedures. If the parts of the ingredients are changed, the techniques will be changed accordingly; the texture of the raw materials is not ideal, and the seasoning is remedied with fire; the combination of raw materials is different, and the proportion of seasonings is changed. Adjustment; The variety of seasonings is not complete, and similar ones can be substituted; when the firepower cannot be as desired, you may as well adapt to the situation and cook the dish according to the fire; when the cooking utensils are not handy, you should adapt to the situation and adapt to the utensils; if the paste is too large or too small, adjust appropriately Adjust the firepower according to the season; if the gravy is too thick or too thin, increase or decrease the amount of stock to mix it evenly; the seasons are spring, summer, autumn and winter, so the techniques should be differentiated; if the guests are divided into east, west, north and south, the taste should also be adapted.
The use of cameras in positive and negative forms is also a dialectical method in cooking. This is the unity of principle and flexibility, the balance between the universality of contradictions and the particularity of contradictions. The reason why Chinese cuisine is different from Western cuisine and industrial food, and has created tens of thousands of varieties, is precisely because it has the extremely vital characteristic of "change amidst change, and change amidst change".
4. Relaxing the mind and emotions
Cooking is an art of eating and an aesthetics of eating. In cooking, it has the form of beauty such as natural beauty, social life beauty, and artistic beauty (such as the color, aroma, taste, shape, utensil, name, time, and treatment of dishes), as well as the reflection of human physical strength and intelligence in dishes. The essence of this beauty. The chef performs aesthetic activities (making dishes) according to his own aesthetic consciousness (that is, the standard for judging beauty), and the guests gain aesthetic feelings (appreciation, evaluation, and enjoyment of the dishes), and they can get both. Psychological satisfaction, refreshing and refreshing.
Cooking is a creative physical and mental work.
When the chef is operating at the stove, his eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body must concentrate on it, which is quite hard. When the delicacies he makes are presented one after another in front of the guests and are enjoyed and praised, it means that the chef's labor has created social value and has been recognized by society. This is the greatest comfort and reward for workers, and it is also the most spiritually pleasurable moment. This is a force side of things.
On the other hand, when guests taste the delicacies, they can not only satisfy their hunger and satisfy their appetites, but they can also learn about the names, colors, shapes, and tastes of the dishes. Tools, smell the fragrance, taste, feast your eyes, enhance your knowledge, and obtain spiritual enjoyment. This is another object of pleasure. Especially those exquisitely made craft dishes, which integrate taste art, color art and plastic art. The concept is elegant, the objects have auspicious meanings, and the style is loved by the Chinese nation. The composition distinguishes the guest and the host, emphasizes the virtual and the real, emphasizes density, rhythm, and similar shapes. Combined with the spirit, the color is bright and the technique is simple. It is hygienic and nutritious. Just like a handicraft, its charm can make guests feel happy.
The reason why Chinese cooking can soothe the soul and please the emotions is related to the guiding ideology of Chinese food production. Since ancient times, Chinese people have regarded the beauty of food as the main object of life aesthetics. They not only require eating well, but also eating happily. They have always combined eating with appreciation, attaching great importance to food, good reputation, and beautiful feelings. , the coordination of beauty, interest and charm. Since this is the case, it undoubtedly increases the difficulty of cooking and raises the requirements for cooking skills. The cooking process of Chinese cuisine is more complicated than that of Western cuisine, and this is also the main reason. Therefore, superb knife skills, beautiful shapes, luxurious and exquisite containers, with ornamental value, and daily enjoyment of the soul should be another characteristic of Chinese cooking.
To sum up, it is no accident that Chinese cuisine is well-known in the world and is known as the "Culinary Country". This is the inevitable result of the perfect combination of the four characteristics of nourishing and supplementing, harmonizing the five flavors, transforming the strange and positive, and refreshing the mind and emotions during its nearly ten thousand years of development. Among these four material characteristics, the more fundamental ones are "taste" and "nourishing". Therefore, to put it more generally: "Taste as the core and nourishment as the purpose" are the essential characteristics of Chinese cooking.
I found this from a book! ! worn out!