Chapter 11 Section 4 A large number of writings on food culture have emerged

China has been one of the world's advanced agricultural centers since ancient times. Since the Warring States period, writings reflecting planting, breeding, food manufacturing, diet and cooking, and dietotherapy have never stopped.During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were thirty or forty such writings, forming a peak, reflecting the prosperity of horticulture, food manufacturing and food culture during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.Unfortunately, most of these works have been lost.But only from the handed down "Qi Min Yao Shu", we can still see the rich content about diet and diet culture in this period.

"Qimin Yaoshu" not only summarizes the important experience in planting and breeding, but also summarizes the rich experience in food manufacturing and cooking. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, water mills have been continuously milled, and rice, noodles, beans and other miscellaneous grains can be ground into fine powder in large quantities for sale.At that time, when making biscuits, I knew how to add eggs, milk, and butter (or goat milk, suet) to the fermented noodles. The baked biscuits were crispy and delicious. ", "Cut cake".Among them, the ones that are all made of cream and flour are "broken in the mouth and fat like snow", which is close to today's butter biscuits.

During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, a large number of salty and sweet rice dumplings, glutinous glutinous rice noodles, fried dough sticks, etc. have been seen in the market. At that time, it was possible to make mixed fruit juice, which was called "plum melon method". The method was to use wax gourd juice, ebony juice, olive juice, orange juice, pomegranate juice, ginger juice, honey, add water to boil, clarify, let cool, and store Drink for several days.This cool and tangy mixed fruit juice leaves a pleasant aftertaste.Looking back, the honey mixed with a single fruit pulp looks weak in comparison.From the materials used in mixed fruit juice, it also shows the results of ethnic exchanges.

"Qi Min Yao Shu" has specific requirements for the production of refined salt, caramel, candied fruit, fruit juice, bean paste, mustard paste, fish paste, shrimp paste, meat paste, sour vinegar (Figure 7), tempeh, koji, wine, medicinal wine, cheese, and apricot cheese. There are specific descriptions of the practices and formulas of , cured meat, kimchi, pickled sauerkraut, pickled eight-treasure dish and various pastries.Various cooking techniques such as steaming, boiling, frying, roasting, vinegar [cu vinegar], soup, stuffing and vegetarian food are introduced in detail.It also lists the names and methods of nearly a hundred kinds of dishes.In addition, the origin, properties, taste, and processing of dozens of vegetables and fruits from the southeast, Lingnan, and southwest are also listed.The whole book preserves the materials of many lost books. "Qi Min Yao Shu" is a concluding work on food production and food culture in the Middle Ages in China. Published in multiple languages.