Chapter 9 Section 2 New Breakthroughs in Food Manufacturing

In 1961, a Han Dynasty tomb portrait stone "Cooking Picture" was unearthed in Dahuting, Mi County, Henan Province, which can prove that tofu and bean products were produced in the Han Dynasty (Figure 5)."Douji" [tangsugar] (sweet soybean milk or bean curd brain) in the Han Dynasty was called a fashionable food in "Yalt and Iron", which reflected that tofu was a new food in the early Western Han Dynasty.Legend has it that tofu was invented by the King of Huainan, who was a gourmet, and it is possible for his diners to create tofu.With soymilk as the base material, two types of soy products can be made: one is stewed tofu (tofu family products include tofu, tofu nao, dried tofu, thousand sheets, bean gluten, fermented bean curd, etc.); the other is tofu skin products.When the soy milk is cooked, the fat and protein in the soy milk continuously condense into a layer of film, which floats on the surface of the pot, and when it is picked up and dried, it becomes bean curd skin or bean curd stick, whose nutritional value can be compared with that of milk skin.The technology of making tofu in China has further opened up the way to use soybean protein, which not only enriches the content of diet, but also makes a great contribution to the world in the development of plant protein.

In the past, it was believed that the method of distilling wine was introduced from abroad during the Song and Yuan Dynasties.In fact, China had mastered the distillation method as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty (Figure 6).There is a bronze distiller from the Eastern Han Dynasty in the Shanghai Museum. After testing, it can still distill wine.It can be seen that as early as the early years of AD, China had mastered the knowledge of distillation and had distillation equipment. In 1964, a retort and an altar for shochu were also unearthed from the Jin Tomb in Lianxian County, Guangdong Province.

Before the Warring States Period, all kinds of animal oils were used for cooking and snacks.By the Han Dynasty, soybean oil, sesame oil and rapeseed oil had been used.Cane sugar could be manufactured as early as the Warring States Period. In the Han Dynasty, the sugar cane industry in South of the Five Ridges was quite developed. It was recorded in Yangfu's "Yiwu Zhi" in the Eastern Han Dynasty that sugarcane was widely grown in South of the Five Ridges and could be made into rock sugar, which was called "stone honey" at that time.Cane sugar in Lingnan, because of mastering the process of making solid sugar, greatly facilitates storage and transportation. It is not only a tribute, but also a best-selling product in the market.Sucrose is not only an important source of calories for the human body, but also an important raw material for seasoning, snacks, preserves and medicines.

During the Neolithic period, stone mills and pestles (or wooden beaters) were used to crush rice, wheat, and beans. In Xia, Shang, and Zhou, stone mortars and pestles were often used, and there were clarifiers for sifting powder (Erlitou Culture layer unearthed).In the Han Dynasty, it developed into stone mortar and wooden pestle.Later, the hammer was inlaid with an iron sleeve, which further enhanced the pressure of the pound (chong charge).Wooden pestles can be pedaled and water-powered, and can produce rice flour and flour in large quantities. Huan Tan's "Xin Lun" said: "Use water to pound, and the benefit is a hundred times." In the Han Dynasty, there was a sieve, and the rice flour and flour produced were very fine. , It has been put on the market in large quantities, which has greatly increased the dim sum and pasta in the Han Dynasty.In the past, it was said that steamed buns were invented by Zhuge Liang.In the early 1970s, a group of Han Dynasty portraits of brick kitchens were unearthed in Jiayuguan, Gansu. There are images of ladies kneading noodles and holding trays to serve steamed buns or steamed buns. It can be seen that the Han Dynasty has been able to make fermented buns.This group of portraits depicts meat-cutting and barbecue pictures in bricks. Meat strips are hung on the wall. One person sits cross-legged next to a wooden table and cuts meat skewers, while the other holds an iron hairpin and grills on the charcoal fire of the ceramic stove.This pottery stove is a round jar with a big belly, with charcoal in it, the mouth of the jar is narrow, and there is a flat ring inside the neck, on which biscuits can be baked. The kebabs and sesame biscuits of the Han Dynasty are all from the minority areas in Northwest China. Introduced, this group of portrait bricks is a group of realistic works and a group of historical materials.In the Han Dynasty, noodles were collectively referred to as "cakes". The seasoned dough was divided into small pieces and flattened, and the crispy ones that were baked on the neck of the oven were called "seed cakes"; those that were fried with oil on a flat iron pan were called "pancakes"; Steamed buns or buns steamed in a steamer are called "steam cakes"; noodles, noodles or dumplings boiled in water are called "soup cakes".Rice flour or flour is kneaded into balls and fermented, then sugar and dates are pressed and steamed into thick pieces, which are called "bait". Yang Xiong's "Dialect": "Bait is called cake", which is noodle cake or rice cake.Due to the deployment and use of raw materials such as honey, sucrose, maltose, nuts, dates, chestnuts, bean paste, ginger, onion, sesame, eggs, butter, lard, vegetable oil, flour, glutinous rice flour, indica rice flour, yellow rice flour, and charcoal stove , The appearance of iron pots has made great progress in the varieties of Han Dynasty cakes.

In the early Western Han Dynasty, in Chang’an Shanglin Garden, there was a greenhouse dedicated to cultivating winter melons and vegetables for the royal family. The "Han Shu Zhao Xinchen Biography" records: "The Taiguan Garden grows winter green onions and leeks, and then uses the roof [wuwu] , Burning fire day and night, waiting for warm air to grow.” It is a pity that the records are concise, and only use the word “cairu” to summarize the vegetables grown in the greenhouse. Of course, many vegetables grown in the south are indispensable in this greenhouse.In terms of transplanting techniques, as early as in the literature of the Spring and Autumn Period, there was an idiom of "South Orange and North Trifoliate Fructus", which was found in "Yanzi Chunqiu", which shows that at least there were attempts at transplantation in the Spring and Autumn Period.In the Han Dynasty, although most of the Lingnan fruits planted in the "Fuli Palace" specially created by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty failed to survive or bear fruit, most of the melons and fruits from the Western Regions were successfully transplanted.At that time, the Ligong Garden around Chang'an was full of alfalfa and grapes.Zhang Qian and dozens of groups of envoys and caravans from the Han Dynasty brought back many improved and new kinds of melons and fruits from the Western Regions, and they were widely propagated not only in the Yellow River Basin, but also in the Yangtze River Basin.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, many iron smelting sites of the Han Dynasty have been found in Nanyang, Gongxian, Zhengzhou and Lushan in Henan, Tengxian in Shandong, Liguoyi in Jiangsu and Qinghe Town in Beijing, especially in Nanyang and Gongxian. The two largest.Fuels used in ironmaking furnaces include firewood, raw coal, and briquettes. It can be seen that China knew how to burn coal at least in the Western Han Dynasty.Coal was called "carbon charcoal" in the Han Dynasty.During the Eastern Han Dynasty, natural outflowing oil was discovered in northern Shaanxi, which could be burned by fire, and the local people used it as fuel; in Sichuan, it is known to use underground natural gas "fire wells" (artesian wells) to boil salt.Limited by the technical level, oil and gas can only be used in situ for a long time, and have not been exploited in large quantities.Coal was mined and transported without geographical restrictions, and gradually became popular in the Yellow River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin.

Due to the advancement of ironmaking technology, the appearance of steel-edged kitchen knives provides new sharp tools for cutting in the slaughtering and cooking industries.Iron kettles and woks (huohuo) can withstand high temperatures, and provide more favorable conditions for stewing and stir-frying. The stove reform was carried out in the Han Dynasty.Before the Warring States period, floor stoves and pottery stoves with single fire holes were mostly used.In the Han Dynasty, pottery stoves with multiple fires appeared, which not only save energy, but also can be used for multiple purposes. At the same time, they can cook rice, stir-fry vegetables and boil water at the same time, which saves time and is convenient for cooking.At this time, the chimney (chimney) of the stove was also improved. Before the Warring States period, it was mostly straight, and the fire leaked and burned the pillars. High chimneys can not only prevent fire and prevent soot from spreading indoors, but also improve the ability to draw wind and stir the fire, and can improve cooking speed and cooking quality.In the Han Dynasty, there was also a simple stove - an iron tripod, placed on a refractory brick or slate fire pit, which could be used for cooking, and the whole family could sit around to keep warm.This kind of iron tripod is more stable and durable than the three stones placed in the firepit in ancient times. It also allows the air to circulate in the firepit to ensure that the firewood burns thoroughly and reduces smoke.It is widely welcomed in ethnic minority areas, and many places are still using it until now.

Tableware of the Han Dynasty, celadon bowls and plates gradually became popular, and gradually replaced the previous rough pottery and bamboo and wood tableware among the people.Among the nobles, a large number of light and beautiful lacquerware are used. There are many kinds of lacquerware tableware, including ear cups, basins, tripods, pots, boxes, plates, bowls, spoons, chopsticks and food tables, etc., and the colors are mostly black, red or purple; The patterns and decorations of lacquerware are gorgeous and colorful, and some are inlaid with gold and silver edges.More than 180 pieces of lacquerware were unearthed from the tomb of Mawangduishi (daidai) Hou in Changsha.At that time, lacquerware was expensive, and generally only nobles, bureaucrats, landlords and big merchants could enjoy it.