China cuisine has a long history and is one of the splendid cultures created by the Chinese nation. According to the research of archaeologists, the cooking history of China is a long development process. The survival of early humans depended on smaller animals and gathering fruits to satisfy their hunger. The obtained food is not processed, eaten raw and swallowed. Especially animal food, is eaten with hair and blood. This stage is called "feeding on hair and blood" period. Later, with the panic of society, human beings made progress, knowing how to peel and remove hair and cook with fire. Take another step forward from the bottom of life. Therefore, the formation of China food culture can be roughly divided into five stages: germination, formation, development, prosperity and prosperity. .
The first stage: the budding stage (mainly the Paleolithic Age), when the applications of fire were: natural fire, kindling and artificial fire; The processing methods of cooked food include: barbecue, pit heating and slate cooking.
The second stage: the formation period (mainly Neolithic period), the appearance of ceramic cookware, the new method of processing cooked food, the method of fixing tableware and cookware from the surface, and the method of processing staple food and dishes separately.
The third stage: development period (Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties), bronze cooking period:? Invented metallurgical process to make copper tableware. Cookware has high-temperature cooking method; ? There is a division of labor in the pattern of kitchen and meal: the processing place is separated from the meal, and there are ways to reconcile the five flavors; ? Food nutrition has a preliminary understanding in diet: Grains are nutrients-rice, millet, millet, wheat and rice; Five animals are beneficial-cattle, sheep, deer, dogs and rabbits; Five fruit gangs-jujube, plum, apricot, chestnut and peach; The five courses are fillings-sunflower, forest, leek, alfalfa and onion. 、
The fourth stage: the prosperous period, the cooking period from Qin and Han Dynasties to the Southern and Northern Dynasties: there are many raw materials-wheat flour, vegetables, bean products and vegetable oil; Examples of cooked food-hotels with both wine and food, restaurants of all sizes; Fast cooking at high temperature-scalding, hanging soup, steaming, boiling, frying and baking in the oven; Your banquet-roast duck, roast goose, steamed pig's head, big dishes, many varieties; Sino-foreign exchanges-Chinese food was introduced to Japan, South Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and western food was also introduced; Dietotherapy-use fennel beans, Amomum villosum, elm paste, long peppers and fermented beans. ? And the cooking period of the Southern Song Dynasty: the scale was enlarged and the shape was exquisite; Diversified management, clear dishes; The division of labor is clear, and each has its own unique skills. Cooking period in Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties: In Yuan Dynasty, there were food exchanges between China and foreign countries, mainly with southern Europe, western Asia and central Asia; In the Ming Dynasty, the development of cooking food was accelerated, and there was communication between the north and the south, which began to move northward. During the Qing Dynasty, Manchu people entered the Central Plains, and it was the heyday of the Qing Dynasty from Kangxi to Jiaqing for more than 100 years. Further south, wild vegetables are developed, large iron pots are sealed, coal shops, Muslim restaurants, western food and so on.
The fifth stage: heyday, modern cooking period. After the Revolution of 1911, China cuisine entered a new period, with antique dishes appearing in the market and some court chefs also entering the market. For example, Tan Zongtan, the creator of Tan Jiacai, was a native of Nanhai, Guangdong, and a court official in the late Qing Dynasty. He has loved good food all his life. Tan Zhenqing, the son of Tan Zongjun, pays more attention to diet than his father. When Tan Zongjun was an official, he had been to Jiangnan, Sichuan and other places. He studied local dishes. Later, he went to Beijing, where he successfully blended southern cuisine and northern cuisine into a unique local cuisine.
"Luxury dishes" have also appeared in Shanghai, Nanjing and other places in the south. During the period of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, the cooking technology of coastal cities moved westward to Sichuan, which promoted the development of Sichuan cuisine. After War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression's victory, Sichuan cuisine expanded its influence in China. In 1950s, Bangzi cuisine was renamed as eight major cuisines. Sichuan, Shandong, Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan, Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangsu.
The characteristic of China's diet is that China has an ancient civilization and a long food culture. I have lived in this world for more than 20 years, eating, drinking and learning something. Now let me sum up the following characteristics of food culture:
The wind 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 "southern rice goes 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 in Bashu, Qilu, Huaiyang, Guangdong, Fujian and other places.
Four seasons are different. Eating according to seasons all year round is another major feature of China cooking. China has been seasoning dishes according to seasonal changes since ancient times, with strong winter and light summer; Stewed in winter and frozen in summer.
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 the harmony of color, fragrance, taste, shape and container of food. There are many ways to express the beauty of dishes. No matter carrots or cabbage hearts, they can be carved into various shapes and have a unique style, achieving a harmonious unity of color, fragrance, taste, shape and beauty, giving people a special enjoyment of a high degree of unity of spirit and material.
Pay attention to interest. China's cooking has long paid attention to taste, and it has strict requirements not only on the color, aroma and taste of snacks, but also on their naming, tasting methods, rhythm during meals and rhythm during entertainment. The name of China cooking can be said to be exquisite, exquisite and popular. 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 the images of famous people's food interests and dishes names, such as' family portrait',' general crossing the bridge',' lion's head',' beggar chicken',' auspicious dragon and phoenix',' hongmen banquet' and' Dongpo meat'.
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. China's food culture creates an atmosphere of unity, courtesy and harmony in the form of China's food. On the other hand, it is also related to the dietary characteristics of China people. Dishes can be placed in the center of the table at the same distance from each diner. People sit around the dining table to propose a toast and persuade dishes. There may be some hygiene problems, but this diet is very helpful to enhance feelings. Perhaps this is related to China people's longing for "reunion", and it also reflects the influence of the category of "harmony" in China's classical philosophy on later generations. Therefore, even today when people pay more attention to healthy diet and healthy diet, it is difficult to bid farewell to this traditional diet mode. In a word, China's food culture has four principles: the unity of medicine and medicine, the principle of original flavor, and Confucius and Mencius' esophagus. Features: long history, rich forms, diverse materials, many cooking skills, national characteristics, many cuisines, unique tableware and so on. If we pay 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. This is the proper meaning of China's food culture.