In the Chinese table, there is no dish without a name. Traditional dishes of course have a traditional name, to name the dish; innovative dishes must take a novel name, to dish the name. A table feast, often also crowned with a specific name, it will be firmly imprinted in the minds of diners. An elegant name; may be a great phrase, people repeatedly comment; a clever name, may contain a vivid legend, let a person clap his hands; an interesting name, may involve a historical allusion, so that people have a long memory; if it is a common name, perhaps a funny joke, teasing you back and forth. Chinese culture is profound. By the naming of dishes can also be fully reflected.
A wonderful naming of dishes, both vivid advertisement of dishes, but also an integral part of the dishes themselves. The name of the dish gives a person the enjoyment of beauty, it is through the auditory or visual perception conveyed to the brain, resulting in a series of psychological effects, to play the role of color, shape and taste of the dish does not play.
According to the study of culinary history experts, the naming of Chinese cuisine focuses on a "elegant" word. The elegant name of the dishes, that is, the beauty of elegant, elegant, elegant. Naming of dishes elegant, summarized in four aspects: that is, the simple elegance, the interest of the elegance, the elegance of the strange, the elegance of harmonic banter. A large number of names of dishes, almost all directly from the cooking process to refine the material, taste, shape, color, texture, equipment and cooking techniques named, showing a simple elegance. Named after the ingredients, there are lotus leaf wrapped chicken, chub tofu, lamb dough fish soup, etc.; named after the flavor, there are five spices meat, ten spices vegetables, over the door, etc.; named after the shape, there are cherry meat, hoof rolls, Taiji eggs, etc.; named after the quality of crispy fish, crispy ginger, to the mouth of the crispy, etc.: named after the color, there are gold and jade jelly, Jade Dew Mission, amber meat, etc.; named after the cooking method, there are fried shredded pork, steamed pork, dry-fried eel, etc..
The season, the weather named dishes, but also shows a simple elegance, such as see the wind consumption, wind rice, snowflake pastry, spring preserved fish, summer fish grasshopper, fried autumn leaf bean cake, winter porridge and so on. There are also a large number of dishes named after numbers, also reveals a kind of simplicity, listen to the ear, think of easy to remember.
To metaphorical, sentimental, lyrical approach to the naming of dishes, it reflects a variety of interest in the elegant. The Tang and Song dynasties of the immortal sliced meat, Tongshen cake, fairy rich cake, and later the dragon and phoenix legs, golden hook phoenix tail, dragon eye buns, unicorn fish, mandarin ducks fish slice, etc., are all metaphorical approach to the name of the dishes, so that people feel the beauty of elegance. Another example is the Three Dollar Fish Crisp, Four Happiness Soup Dumplings, Five Fortunes Fish Dumplings, and Egg Rolls of Yuh Yi, which are full of all kinds of wishes and expectations, reflecting the elegance of the traditional meaning of the word. The way to give food to the ingenuity of the way, in addition to excellent cooking skills, there are unique naming reflects the elegance of the strange and clever. The first of these is "asshole", which is also known as "asshole". Bastard, also known as "mixed set", its method is seen in the "with the garden food list", it is the egg perforation, remove the yolk with clear, mixed with thick chicken juice to beat well, and then into the eggshell, steamed shells, to get the very fresh flavor of the egg of an egg. Now some areas can also eat heart eggs, pomegranate eggs and mandarin ducks eggs, etc., are with the "asshole" has a lineage of the origin of the relationship.
The name of the dish, the name of the dish, is also a common naming method of traditional dishes, showing the elegance of harmonic banter. Ma Po Tofu, Wensi beans crystal wrapped corrosion, Xiao Beauty dim sum, Dongpo meat, etc., is an example of the name of the dish, which contains a memorial to the creator of the dishes. There are also many examples of taking the name of the canon, "disaster relief cake" is the Tang Xi Zong Li ingenuity on the way to escape Shu in distress, accompanied by the courtesan offered ordinary cakes. Tang monk Hui Silence for the Taoist chanting Taoist with dried fruit, flour, vegetables, bamboo shoots made of soup, known as "Taoist soup". Five Dynasties Dou Yan official Hanlin scholar, he liked to eat sheep's eyes for the material made of soup, known as "Bachelor's soup". "Deep-fried ghost" is the Song Dynasty people hate Qin Hui and the name of the doughnut.
Dishes are named after the classics and people, and such dishes are also a historical allusion. In addition, there are also some of the name of the name of the famous dishes and borrowed poems and idioms of the famous dishes, more obvious naming power, such as the willow willow willow willow, the pearl in the palm of the hand, push the yarn to look at the moon, Yang Guan three stacks and so on that is.
Chinese cuisine naming methods, the most important and a large number of applications or realistic approach to simplicity, researchers believe that it is a realistic reflection of the composition of raw materials, cooking methods and flavor characteristics of the naming method. Its performance is to open the door, highlighting the main ingredients, simple with a little embellishment, simple in the connotation of elegance, so that a person will be roughly understand the composition and characteristics of the dishes.
The pre-Qin period did not have a complete menu handed down to the world, but by the three rites of the fragmentary account, especially the book of rites - the internal rules of a number of words, we know a little bit about the naming of dishes at the time of the law. The names of the dishes listed include ox roast, goat roast, and so on. To raw materials and cooking method combined with the name of the more, sometimes only a single list of the name of the food. The famous "eight treasures" is named mainly by the way of production, and at most, it is a compound name of ingredients and method without any modification. It is believed that Qu Yuan's "Chu Rhetoric - Invitation to Soul" mentioned the name of the dishes is also just soft turtle, cannon lamb, etc., do not see any gorgeous color.
The Han Dynasty, the naming of dishes largely inherited the style of the pre-Qin period, the name of the main ingredients and cooking method, a look at the name will know what dishes. The Han dynasty is more complete menu is in Hunan Changsha Mawangdui Han tomb unearthed, bamboo slips written on the burial in the tomb of a section of the dishes, a few dishes in the name of the inclusion of auxiliary ingredients, appear more intuitive, such as cattle white soup, dog liver roasted, deer preserved, roasted chicken, chopped fish, rabbit, and so on.
"Qimin Yaojutsu" on the name of the dish, should be the North and South Dynasties or can be traced back to the Wei and Jin Dynasties of the popular dish name, such as sour soup, chicken soup, chopped fish Brunswick soup, steamed bear, steamed chicken, roasted dolphin, liver hot, cake hot, bad meat, etc., these dish name has been quite standardized, basically food ingredients plus cooking method of naming the format, and individually emphasized the auxiliary ingredients or garnishes.
To the Sui and Tang dynasties, dish naming methods have fundamentally changed, heirloom menus rarely see the pre-Qin to the North and South Dynasties of the kind of rustic dish name, to taste, shape, color, name, place, container name into the dish name of the phenomenon has been quite common, with the adjectives with sentimental colors began to be used in the name of the dish. This is related to the culture of literary people's concern for food and the degree of literary development. The Qingyi Lu contains 53 dishes from Emperor Yang's "Food Scripture" by Xie Ji, the names of which give people a new feeling that they are already not true to their names. Tang dynasty Wei Juyuan's "burnt tail Xuan food list", also collected in the "Qing Yi Lu", food list of dozens of dishes in the name, naming style and Xie satirical "food scripture" is the same, such as the bright shrimp roasted, the princess red, seven back to the cream, gold bells roasted, see the wind to eliminate, jade dew group, longevity congee, the past the door of the incense, and so on.
Whether it is Xie Ji "food scripture", or Wei Juyuan "food list", the names of the dishes listed are the emperor's imperial meals, the name of some gorgeous, and rightfully so. However, from other sources, the name of the Tang Dynasty folk dishes, compared to the imperial meal is not inferior, it can be seen at that time this multi-faceted naming method, has been used quite common, and quite skillful. It is also in the "Qingyilu", mentioned that the Tang Dynasty Chang'an restaurant "Zhang hand beauty home" sold seasonal dishes, its name also has a strong artistic influence, such as oil painting Mingzhu, June 1 dishes, winter porridge, play the moon soup, rice brocade, and so on.
Beginning of the Song Dynasty, probably due to the social climate towards simplicity, the naming of dishes also tends to simplicity, giving people the feeling of returning to the truth. Since then, simple naming has become the most widely used method, but in the literati circle, in the royal feast, innovative naming is also still there, mostly intended to be auspicious prayers, etc.
This is the first time in the Song Dynasty that the name of the dish is used.