Abstract: China's food culture is a regional culture with a long history, with broad vision, deep levels, many angles and high grade. Thousands of years of production and life practice of people of all ethnic groups in China have formed the characteristics of Chinese food that pay attention to color, fragrance, taste, meaning and shape; In the friendly exchanges with outlands, I have continuously enriched my own food culture and deeply influenced the food culture in East Asia.

Keywords: diet, culture, food, staple food

There is a saying in China: Food is the most important thing for the people. In the pursuit of food for thousands of years, the Chinese nation has gradually formed its own unique food culture, and China has also won the reputation of "the kingdom of cooking" and become one of the three major gourmet countries in the world. Because the author has a special preference for food, I want to talk about the evolution of China's food culture with the ancient history of China.

First, the emergence of four major cuisines in the pre-Qin period.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the difference between the north and the south gradually became obvious, and Shandong cuisine, the earliest local flavor dish in China, was formed in the north. In the south, Chu people, who occupy the "land of plenty", took advantage of superior natural resources and combined with the characteristics of Nanyi to form the embryonic form of Su cuisine.

In the west, the "land of abundance" after Li Bing's flood control attracted a large number of immigrants, which combined with the dietary customs of the ancient Shu country to form the embryonic form of Sichuan cuisine. In contrast, Cantonese cuisine appeared relatively late. When Emperor Gaozu was crowned king of Vietnam, he made use of the advantages of mild climate, abundant products, various edible animals and plants and convenient land and water transportation in the Pearl River Delta to establish the political, economic and cultural center of Lingnan. The diet here is relatively developed, and all kinds of delicious food such as "flying, diving, moving and planting" have been handed down to this day. The eclectic diet fashion has produced Cantonese cuisine.

Second, the catering culture in Qin and Han Dynasties-the formation period of catering culture in China.

The Qin and Han Dynasties were the heyday of China's feudal society, and the whole Chinese nation showed a thriving trend. During this period, our communication with other places became more and more frequent, and many kinds of food were introduced. After Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions, he introduced pomegranate, grapes, walnuts, watermelons and other fruits, cucumbers, spinach, carrots, celery, lentils, green onions and other vegetables through the Silk Road, which enriched our food culture.

Tofu, known as "the fifth invention of China", was also served at this time. According to the historical data "Compendium of Materia Medica", it was initiated by Liu An, the king of Huainan, the first relative of Liu. In addition, the soy sauce, lobster sauce and vinegar I commonly use now are all produced during this period. Douchi in the Eastern Han Dynasty should be produced in large quantities, and vinegar brewed artificially was also produced in the Han Dynasty, which was called "Qiang" at that time. Soy sauce is called clear sauce.

Catering etiquette has also been established. For example, if a guest is mixing soup, the host will apologize and say that it is not good. If the guest drinks pickles, the host should also apologize and say that the prepared dishes are not enough. After eating, the guests should get up and clean up the popular dishes on the table and give them to the host waiting next to them. The host will get up and tell the guests not to work, and then the guests will sit down. Tasting delicious food is a very enjoyable thing, so many red tape in today's society are ignored.

Third, the peak of food culture-Tang and Song Dynasties

As the proudest history of China people, the food culture has developed and prospered, and the inclusive Tang and Song Dynasties naturally developed with the economic and political development, reaching a peak.

In the Tang Dynasty, the status of wheat and rice gradually rose. In the early Tang Dynasty, wheat, as a staple food, was very luxurious and was considered as a "hybrid". After the mid-Tang Dynasty, the growth of urban population and the popularization of cake food greatly promoted the development of wheat farming. The "two tax laws" implemented in the first year of Jianzhong, Tang Dezong has clearly taken wheat as the object of collection, and wheat has achieved the status of keeping pace with millet. The staple food of the Song Dynasty was similar to that of the Tang Dynasty, but rice became more and more important, and finally reached the position of being the staple food of China in modern times.

The phenomenon of paying too much attention to diet was particularly serious in the Tang Dynasty. The dishes are divided into three grades: high, medium and low. High-end dishes at court banquets, the most famous of which is barbecue. Barbecue means that the scholar has just become an official or has been promoted. In order to cope with the congratulations of relatives and colleagues, we must invite a meal. Shangshu ordered Zuo Fu to shoot Wei Juyuan and held a "tail-burning" banquet for Tang Zhongzong at home, which is rare in the world. The 58 dishes on the banquet can be said to be the representative of high-grade dishes in the Tang Dynasty. Gong Li soup is a kind of health food invented by Li Deyu, Prime Minister of Tang Wuzong. It costs 30,000 yuan to decoct with gemstones, pearls, realgar, cinnabar and seashells!