Key words: contrast between China and the West, characteristics and names of dishes.
Comparison between China and the West;
1. We now analyze some characteristics of western food culture, which may deepen our understanding of China culture. At first, western food was mainly animal husbandry, and meat accounted for a high proportion in the diet. In modern times, the proportion of planting increased, but the proportion of meat was higher than that of China. Because meat is natural and delicious, westerners don't need to decorate their diet, which limits the development of cooking. Like a steak, basically. When Europeans show their wealth, they often use diet as a tool to show it, and do not pursue eating such things that are easy to satisfy in life as the supreme pleasure of life. Westerners' pursuit of life can be highly summarized by China's words, that is, "full of warmth and lust". They pursue love more. Western culture embodies a kind of "love culture", while China culture really embodies a kind of "eating culture".
2. Why can China culture reflect the culture of eating? It is necessary to understand the early geographical environment of China, because the earlier the culture, the greater the environmental constraints. China is located in the southeast of Eurasia, with vast desert grassland in the northwest and vast sea in the southeast. Although the land in the Yellow River basin is very fertile, other environments are harsh, windy and rainy, and the living conditions are very bad. China people's food culture is dominated by grains, with more meat and less food. Vegetables are the supplement, which is a typical dietary structure. Rice is the staple food and vegetables are the next meal. Why do you want to help the food swallow? That's because the staple food is not delicious, and there must be a substance to help you eat it. The primary purpose of China's cooking is to decorate the diet and refine the unpalatable food. Secondly, the handicraft industry in China is developed, so the food processing technology in cooking is second to none in the world.
The characteristics of Chinese food:
1. Regional differences make China's diet have many flavors. There is a saying called "south rice north", which is reflected in the cuisine. China has eight major cuisines: Cantonese cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine, Zhejiang cuisine, Fujian cuisine, Hunan cuisine and Anhui cuisine. The taste is "sweet in the south and salty in the north, sour in the east and spicy in the west".
2. Seasonal differences make the four seasons of China cuisine different, with rich flavor in winter and light and cool in summer; Stew in winter and cool in summer.
3. China's diet also pays attention to aesthetic feeling, with its color, fragrance and shape, popular carving and exquisite skills, which gives people special spiritual and material enjoyment.
4. There is also a very special point, the combination of food and medicine, cooking technology is closely related to medical treatment, and the medicinal value of food raw materials is used to make various delicious dishes to achieve the purpose of preventing and treating certain diseases.
China cuisine naming:
A loud and appropriate dish name can leave a deep impression and lingering aesthetic interest. In order to avoid people's aesthetic fatigue, people in the industry always try their best to give dishes an unforgettable name. China's food culture is full of romanticism (compared with the pragmatism of western food culture), just like the contrast between the introverted temperament of Asians and the flamboyant personality of Westerners. China's mastery of cooking techniques of fire and taste is both empirical and subjective, but it lacks the scientific rigor of western cooking. The naming of dishes reflects our unique cultural characteristics and romantic feelings, including metaphor, exaggeration, personification and pun, as well as realistic techniques. Throughout the history of our food culture, the naming of dishes is actually based on chapters. There are the following rough calculations:-Named after the cooking method, which is a very common and widely used naming method, very practical, and people are also very clear, such as: fried conch in sauce, boiled shrimp, fish fillets, fried shrimp, brine chicken, steamed turtle, braised saddle bridge and so on. 2. Flavor Naming This is a naming method to help consumers choose dishes according to their personal tastes, such as sweet and sour pork ribs, salted snails, fish-flavored shredded pork, strange chicken, yam with honey sauce, prawns with tomato sauce and so on. 3. Dishes named after (name) are distinguished by different place names, names of people and things. For example, dishes named after place names include Dezhou paji, Liangxi crispy eel, Huai 'an soft pocket, Nanjing salted duck, Ningbo glutinous rice balls and so on. There are many dishes named after people, such as Dongpo pork, kung pao chicken Mapo tofu, Song Saoyu soup and so on. , but named after things (the main and auxiliary materials of raw materials). Four. Quasi-color is to compare the color of finished dishes to the color of rare and precious items, and most of them are named after words such as pearl, agate, hibiscus, jade, glass, gold and silver. For example, compare egg white to hibiscus chicken slices and spinach powder to jade roast duck soup. Crystal clear shrimp is compared to crystal clear shrimp, steamed vegetables wrapped in glutinous rice are called pearl balls, and yellow and white are compared to rotten gold and silver. Five. This is a way to shape dishes into many specific or auspicious shapes, such as money, Tai Chi, dragon and phoenix, unicorn, peony, bergamot, pipa, hydrangea, purse, etc. For example, the pork tenderloin in Beijing, sweet and sour mandarin fish in Jiangsu, Tai Chi taro in Fujian, golden money meat in Guizhou, as well as anglerfish shrimp, hydrangea shrimp, unicorn bass and so on. 6. Name dishes with numbers to indicate the proportion, variety or auspiciousness of dishes, and most of them are based on one product: Shuangzhen, Sanyuan, Sixi, Five Blessingg, Liubao, Qixing, Baxian, Jiuse, Assorted Lily, Melaleuca and Wanshou. For example, there are seafood pots, Four Joy Meetballs, seven-star ducks, assorted chowder, thousand-layer cakes, and airball in Beijing. 7. Use the topic. The naming methods of dishes are mostly weddings, birthdays and promotions. For example, pine nut corn is called "happy from now on". Early birth is a beet made of red dates, peanuts, longan and lotus seeds. Fly with me is made of chicken wings boneless and stuffed with eight treasures. Finally, there are some methods of naming utensils, health care and dishes, but they are rare. (Excerpted from Mu Haihong's Essays).
Summary: China's diet is extensive and profound. We can only feel it, but we can't control it It's just being carried forward, carried forward. With its unique charm, it will continue to enjoy the fruits of China food culture for generations to come.