Food in Chinese Culture

No double, the Chinese are most fastidious about their food in the world. Thus food become a central aspect of Chinese cultural inheritance. As early as 2000 years ago, Lao Tzu- founder of Taoism, developed the first systematic theory of food hygiene and nutrition. At roughly the same time Confucius developed the art of cooking. So it can be seen that there is a very strong link between food and the indigenous religions of China. Indeed, it was Confucius who taught that social ritual was a medium for teaching virtue, and consequently he who laid down the rules to be followed in recipes and the correct customs and etiquette to be observed at the table. As a result, traditional classical Chinese teaching promoted the belief that a true scholar not only mastered the art of poetry, calligraphy, music and strategy, but also was a master of fine cuisine, which included food, wine and tea. Confucius said "Everyone eats and drinks, but few can appreciate taste". To be a true scholar required mastering taste. As a result, a great wealth of material was written on food, taste and cooking.

The art of cooking surely lies in taste. The Chinese believe that the most important elements that help us appreciate taste are colour, aroma, flavour and texture. All of these elements must be combined to make a harmonious whole: it is the ability to create this harmony that the Chinese believe to be the art of cooking.

Interestingly, although the art of food appreciation is not really recognised in the West, the art of wine tasting is. Wine is judged on its colour, bouquet (aroma), flavour and body- exactly the same dimensions that were developed in China in appreciating food.

Colour
Colour is individual to each ingredient, and can change during cooking. At the same time the intensity of colour can change according to the colour of the other ingredients in the dish.

Aroma
Aroma and flavour are very closely related. The most common ingredients used in Chinese cooking to bring out the aroma of ingredients are spring onions, garlic, ginger and wine.

Flavour
Each school of cuisine has its own classification of flavours; however there are five primary flavours: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and piquant.

Texture
There are generally accepted to be five primary textures in Chinese cuisine: tenderness, crunchiness, crispiness, smoothness and softness. The selection of contrasting textures is as important as the selection of different flavours.

Very few Chinese dishes have only one ingredient, as this would offer no contrast and therefore no opportunity to harmonise. This goes against the principle of Yin and Yang. So usually, there will be a main ingredient and a number of supplementary ingredients. Take pork for example. Its colour is pink and texture tender. It is most likely to be found with a green vegetable which is either crispy or crunchy such as celery (crunchy) or green peppers (crispy).

The concept of harmonisation doesn't stop with individual dishes, but is carried through the whole meal. No meal is made up of a single dish, but dishes are served in pairs, and often in fours. Similarly, the order in which food is served is dictated by the requirements of harmony. Monotony is to be avoided, and similar types of food are not served one after the other. From the individual dishes, to the sequence of serving, the meal must be harmonious.

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