Diet culture in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties

Changes of Dietary Custom and Its Influence

The dietary habits of Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties began to develop from Qin and Han Dynasties, but there were significant changes.

First of all, the food in the Qin and Han dynasties was very rough in production technology and the categories were relatively single. However, in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, with the appearance of the gate system, the literati in the upper class gradually developed aesthetic and cultural needs for food. This obviously puts forward greater requirements for food production skills and variety. Therefore, the food culture in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties changed from crude in Qin and Han dynasties to elaborate. In other words, it laid the foundation for meticulous Chinese food.

Secondly, people used to eat two meals a day in Qin and Han dynasties, but in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, with the progress of material culture, the system of three meals a day began to appear gradually. And due to the frequent integration and communication of various ethnic groups in this period, with the introduction of new things such as Hu beds in the western regions, people began to move from the separate meal system in Qin and Han dynasties to the joint meal system.

In addition, the unique food culture brought by a large number of nomadic people in the north also injected fresh vitality into China culture, which made the food culture in this period develop in a diversified direction.

Food type

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, food types were mainly reflected in the differences between the north and the south. Because of different climate and soil, as well as different national cultures, rice is mostly planted in the south. For example, Guo Zaizhong recorded: "There are Zen rice in the south, which ripens in July ... green taro rice that ripens in June. Tired rice, white desert rice, cooked in July. " Therefore, southerners naturally take rice as their staple food, and even the monthly salary of officials is paid in white rice.

Wheat is planted in the north, and the staple food is also made of wheat flour. Among them, cakes are the most typical, including soup cakes, pancakes, spring cakes, sesame cakes and other varieties. For example, Wei's "Spring and Autumn Annals" recorded the eating situation of soup cakes: "Wipe your sweat with a towel, and your face is charming, but you know it is not rich in powder."

In addition, things like chaos and noodles can be eaten by people from both north and south. Yan Zhitui once commented: "Today's chaos is like a crescent moon, and the world is full of food." "Qi Yaomin's Book" even introduces the practice of chaos in detail: "Pumping water to cook: use fine silk sieve to make meat sauce, and let it cool thoroughly. Water guide: as big as a bamboo pole, one foot is broken. If the dish is full of water, it should be put on the pot by hand and made as thin as leek leaves, and boiled one by one. Rudder: If it is like a big finger, it is two inches long and soaked in a basin. It is advisable to reach the edge of the basin with your hand to make it extremely thin, and cook it all with water. It's not straight, it's white and cute, and it's slippery. "

Of course, apart from staple food, South Renye Fang loves aquatic products, while northerners prefer carnivores. There is a cloud in natural history: "Southeastern people eat products, while northwest people eat terrestrial animals. For people who eat water products, turtles, clams, snails and clams feel delicious, but they don't feel fishy. For people who eat land animals, raccoons, rabbits, mice and finches all feel rare, but they don't feel delicious. "

The south is located in the Yangtze River basin, with criss-crossing lakes. It has always been said that there is a land of fish and rice. It is natural for southerners to use aquatic products as ingredients. As for the north, because of living inland and the influence of climate and soil, animal husbandry is developed, and eating beef and mutton is the most common thing for northerners. There was a record in the Book of the Northern Qi Dynasty: "Ye Hui's fortunes are declining at any time, and it is not complete. It only drinks saliva, one sheep a day and one calf every three days. "

condiment

People in China have always used condiments to increase their appetite, and condiments were very rich in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. As recorded in Qi Yao Ming Shu, people often use sucrose as "stone honey": "If it is fried and exposed, it will be frozen like ice, broken like brick chess, eaten and melted in the mouth. At that time, people called it" stone honey. "

In addition, because southerners love sweets, they often use honey to make a sweet sauce called expelling foreigners. According to "Southern History", Emperor Song Ming "can always eat, especially exiled foreigners, filling honey with silver bowls and eating several bowls at a time." Of course, sauce, as an ancient condiment, has also developed greatly during this period. The Book of Qi Yaomin records in detail the important methods of making sauce, including the steps of making sauce with various meats and plants.

Douchi was particularly popular in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. Different from sugar, Douchi is a salty condiment, which is mainly used in the processing of dishes to increase the freshness of dishes. In this regard, "Qi Yao Min Shu" specifically describes the details of material selection, batch, temperature, detection, water crossing, location, season, temperature and so on.

Finally, vinegar, a condiment, is also essential. During this period, the method of making vinegar developed rapidly. Similarly, in the Book of Qi Yaomin, there are as many as 23 ways to make light vinegar. Among them, two breakthroughs have been made: learning the method of making koji and vinegar by solid fermentation, and learning the scientific method of making koji with various grains and spreading the bad with yeast.

vegetables

During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the vegetable planting industry also had new development, mainly in several types.

Sunflower, also known as winter sunflower, tastes sweet and smooth and is deeply loved by people. It is one of the home-cooked dishes on people's table. Stewed turnip, which is today's turnip, is often regarded as the key dish for famine relief because it can be eaten all over the body.

In addition, there is water shield, Tao Hongjing said: "There is water shield in the dish, which is the most common food"; There is also the oldest cultivated leek, which originated in India and was introduced into China in the Han Dynasty, such as eggplant, water shield, water shield and other aquatic vegetables.

fruit

Fruits in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were mainly concentrated in the southern region, such as Zuo Si's description in Shu Du Fu: "The garden was lined with loquat and orange persimmon. Peach blossom letter, Mei Sheng. Hundred fruits and one house, different colors, the same glory. Zhu Ying is mature in spring and mature in summer. If it's a fire, the cool wind is strong. The white dew is condensed and slightly frosted. Purple pears are moist and chestnuts are full of hair. Pu Tao is in chaos, if the pomegranate cracks. Sweet to zero, powder is cold. " It can be seen that the variety of fruits in this period is extremely rich, which greatly enriched people's lives.

food production

As mentioned above, northerners often make all kinds of cakes with wheat flour. In addition, there are actually many other methods.

For example, southerners like to eat rice, so sometimes they cook rice into porridge and then add cooked beans. This is called bean porridge. Shi Chong, a writer in the Western Jin Dynasty, loves to eat bean porridge.

In addition, in order to store fish and aquatic products, southerners usually make dried fish and take it out when necessary. Liang Shu once recorded that people at that time "only ate dried fish" for He Yuan. Of course, sometimes fish will be sliced, which is called pickling.

Northerners, on the other hand, have a unique hobby for meat and naturally have a unique way of processing meat-barbecue. The so-called roasting is actually roasting processed meat in a volcano. This method has a long history. As the nomadic people moved south, they gradually spread to the Central Plains and began to spread.

Similarly, in order to better store meat, people sometimes make it into dried meat, that is, bacon. The practice of bacon has a long history, which appeared as early as the pre-Qin period and became more and more popular in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.