Notes on the Cuisine and Beverage Practices of Ancient China (with particular reference to the Warring States period (475-221 B.C. to the Qin dynasty 221-206 b.c.).
"He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skills of the physician."(Chinese proverb)
"Enjoy yourself. It's later than you think."(Chinese proverb)"Talk doesn't cook rice."(Chinese Proverb)
"Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one."(Ancient Chinese proverb)
"Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish - too much handling will spoil it."(Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher)
"The way you cut your meat reflects the way you live."(Confucius)
"To be truly happy and contented, you must let go of what it means to be happy or content."(Confucius)
"The superior man does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue."(Confucius)
"To the ruler, the people are heaven; to the people, food is heaven."(Ancient Chinese proverb)
"Tea tempers the spirit, harmonizes the mind, dispels lassitude and relieves fatigue, awakens the thought and prevents drowsiness."(Lu Yu, The Classic Art of Tea)
"The honorable and upright man keeps well away from both the slaughterhouse and the kitchen. And he allows no knives on his table."(Confucius)
"Born to the earth are three kinds of creatures. Some are winged and fly. Some are furred and run. Still others stretch their mouths and talk. All must eat and drink to survive." (Lu Yu, Ancient Chinese Philosopher)
"Coarse rice for food, water to drink, and the bended arm for a pillow - happiness may be enjoyed even in these."(Confucius)
"Cutting stalks at noon time, Perspiration drips to the earth. Know you that your bowl of rice, each grain from hardship comes?"(Cheng Chan-Pao, Chinese philosopher)
· In the time of Shen Nong the emperor tasted and had his clerks classify a range of plants which were considered advantageous for food and medicinal purposes, by 1st century a.d. this list had grown to over 365 plants along with all the “good’ animals from land, sea, and air. All were catalogued with their medicinal and nutritive values. He recorded foods, such as the Chinese dates, sesame seeds, Chinese yams, grapes, walnuts, lily bulbs, fresh ginger, and Job’s tear seeds. During this period, the emperors sent royal physicians on missions to find herbs that would prolong life. Shen Nong had 365 herbs split into three groups: superior, medium and inferior.
The superior herbs consisted of 120 types and they were for the emperor’s use. These herbs were only beneficial and not at all harmful and they could be prepared any style for eating. Due to these qualities, the superior herbs were considered food, and some examples are Chinese dates, ginseng, Job’s tear seeds, wolfberry, poria cocos, etc. The medium herbs also consisted of 120 types and these herbs helped take car of the body. Some of these herbs were poisonous and some were not, and they had special preparation instructions. The medium herbs had medical benefits and some examples are ginger, onion, plum, almond, Chinese angelica, etc. The inferior herbs consisted of 125 types and more or less, they all contained poisons. They couldn’t be used for a long period of time, but they were good for the treatment of diseases. Some examples of the inferior herbs are herba ephedra, cinnamon bark, etc.
· In 1115 B.C. Shuh I was appointed as royal dietitian to Chen Wang. He was chief of four medial officers and his duty was to supervise all details of cooking and serving food.
· Confucius designates to seventy thousand “ages” when mankind still ate their meat raw “clawed from the living animal” as “Cho-fang,” the cook’s holiday. In the second chapter of his Mundane Meditations, he describes how the swine herd; Ho-ti went into the forest to collect food for his pigs. He left his son (Bo-bo) in care of the house. Bo-bo, being fond of playing with fire, accidentally burnt the house down and with it, a litter of nine piglets. Bo-bo, after the fire, reaches down to see if there are any signs of life in the pig, burn his fingers and then inadvertently touches his fingers to his lips. A new flavor, unlike anything he has previously known. He devours the whole thing. From him the habit of roasting spreads to his father then through the countryside…the technique is of course refined from burning down the house to spit-roasting over time.
· The earliest surviving Chinese text, the Shih ching (The book of Songs) describes feasting practices and occasionally food. For the winter, hunting and ice cutting/storing are described, in spring, a rite of expiation, the sacrifice of a lamb (seasoned with garlic and cooked on southernwood). In summer there were plums, cherries, boiled beans, mallows. In the last months before winter, rice wine was set to ferment; rice, beans, and millet are harvested. Finally, “With twin pitchers they hold the village feast, killing for it a young lamb. Up they go into their Lord’s hall; raise the drinking cup of buffalo-horn: “Hurrah for our lord; may he live for ever and ever!””
· There is further information on food in the Lun Yi (Analects); attributed to Confucius, these describe the action of a virtuous man. Among these are not consuming rice, meat, or fish that is un-sound. He must not eat what is overcooked, out of season, or undercooked. He must not eat that which has been cut crookedly or any dish which lacks the proper seasoning. He may consume wine, but not become disorderly. He must eat sparingly of dishes having ginger sprinkled on them. He may not eat dried meat from the market or wine bought from a shop.
· In Li-Chi, a handbook of ritual (202 B.C.), recipes are given for the Eight Delicacies which were to be prepared for the aged on ceremonial occasions. One item was rice and the fat from a wolf’s breast. Another entailed wrapping the liver if a dog in a casing of its own fat, moistening it and roasting it.
· During the Warring States period, a book called “Huang Di Nei Jing” or “The Emperor’s Internal Classics” was written. It contained several food prescriptions that were very effective for the healthcare of the emperor and they were recorded. In this book, it was brought up that if one wanted to diagnose a disease, one had to first ask the patient what they ate, drank, and where they resided because the physicians had to investigate and treat the original cause.
At this time foods became a part of medicine and the Nei Jing emphasized the five grains as the main foods. The five grains are for nourishment, the five fruits are for help, the five meats are for benefit and are subsidiary and the five vegetables are supplements. The physicians considered energy and taste in combination and not individually.
This book also mentioned the foods that are good for certain organs and gave directions on the use of foods in the treatment of related illnesses of these organs. It told of what tastes went with what colors. For example, the colors of the liver system are green and blue, which means sour foods such as small beans, plums and chives should be consumed. The color of the heart system is red, which means spicy foods such as millet, peach and green onions should be consumed. The color of the lung system is white, which means bitter foods such as wheat, lamb and almond should be consumed. The color of the spleen system is yellow, which means sweet foods such as brown rice, dates and sunflower seeds should be consumed. The color of the kidney system is black, which means salty foods such as pork, big beans and chestnuts should be consumed. This showed that in ancient times, the use of food in the treatment of health problems had already gone through rigorous research and use.
· The Chinese vocabulary is particularly rich as relates to food. A polite, traditional greeting is “Have you eaten?” Chinese meals are intended to please both the eyes, the palate and to ensure optimum health. The Chinese people have traditionally eaten almost anything that could be made palatable-there preparation have traditionally been guided by the principles of yin and yang. This principle holds that everything in the universe (and the universe itself) is a reflection of these principles (generically positive and negative). For optimum health and a “harmonious body,” one must consume foods that are harmoniously balanced.
· Yin foods are thin, bland, cooling, and low in richness. Yang foods are rich, spicy, warming…etc. Boiling is a yin technique, frying is yang.
· In traditional Chinese thoughts, there are five food tastes (spicy, bitter, sour, salty, and sweet). Each of these tastes is linked to the five primary elements that make up the cosmos (metal, wood, water, fire, and earth).
· In traditional Chinese thought, foods have direct effect on health. Peppery foods clean the lungs, bitter foods relieve gastroenteritis, sour foods refresh the liver, salty foods strengthen the kidneys, and sweet foods invigorate the spleen. For specific foods, ginger helps invigorate the glands, garlic warms up the body and seaweed reduces inflammation.
· Dining etiquette: one generally arrives quite early to avoid being late; it is customary for the host to serve the first serving of the first course to the guests. Traditionally the host will lead his guests through each course; the most polite person at the table will be the one who touches the food last.
· The maximum number of diners that should be seated at a table is 12. The standard yanhui round table seats this number. During a Chinese banquet, one will generally order one dish per person. A full table will consist of 1-2 cold appetizers, 8-10 middle dishes, and one or two final dishes. The challenge for the host is to demonstrate his knowledge of yin/yang by balancing the dishes and having them arrive in the proper order. In a formal banquet, rice is not served near the end of the meal. In a truly upscale banquet no rice may be served at all as in traditional Chinese culture, rice has the image of cheap food that is eaten by poorer people.
· An interesting test of friendship to the Chinese and appreciation of Chinese culture is to serve the guest a “Pindan,” a 1000 year old egg. They are made by culturing an egg with a coating of lime and clay for 6-10 weeks. The lime soaks through the shell and turns the white to a blue/brown and the yolk to a darn green. The flavor (yes I have had one) has something of a ripe fishy/cheesy character.
· Chopsticks seem to have been developed specifically for use with rice. The Li Chi states that millet (China’s original staple grain) must be eaten with a spoon. The earliest word for chopsticks seems to have been zi, which is related to the root for the word help.
· Chinese cuisine is generally classified into four regional schools:
>Peking: Northern School-this embraces the cooking styles of Shantung, Hunan, Shanxi, Chinese Moslem/Inner Mongolian style, and Shinkiang. As the capital of China it became the culinary center and drew inspiration from the various regions.
Specialties: Peking duck, Lamb fire-pot.
>Shanghai: Northern School-this covers Fukien, Kiangsu, and Anhwei. These areas are called the “Lands of Fish and Rice”
Specialties: White-cut Pork, “Lion’s Heads,”
>Szechwan: Western School-Until recently this area was largely inaccessible and developed a distinct style of cooking. It is richly flavored and piquant.
Specialties: Tea smoked duck, Chili Chicken
>Canton: Southern School-This has traditionally been the best known style of Chinese food in America due to the large number of immigrants from the province. The style is known for seeking to preserve the inherent flavor of the ingredients.
Specialties: Dim Sum, Cha Shao, Roast Suckling Pig
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