Ancient Chinese Food and Drink

Ancient Chinese Food and Drink is one volume in the "Chinese Traditional Folk Culture · Culture Series" published by China Commerce and Trade Press, compiled by Wang Hui and published in November 2015. Taking Chinese food culture as its subject, the book approaches it from aspects including the origins of food and drink, dietary thought, dining etiquette, food vessels, regional culinary schools, food anecdotes, and food classics, seeking to sketch the overall picture of ancient Chinese food culture within a limited space. It begins with concepts, explaining the meanings, content, basic features, and social functions of "food and drink" and "food culture," and traces the historical development of Chinese food from its sprouting in primitive society, its formation in the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, initial development in the Qin and Han, all-round development in the Wei, Jin, Sui, and Tang, maturity in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing, down to modern times. It then turns to the folk-custom level: the daily food customs and traditional festival foods of the Han people, the daily and festival food customs of ethnic minorities, the dietary life of different strata—the imperial court, the nobility, literati and scholar-officials, ordinary urban residents, and religious communities—and the food customs in life-cycle rites such as birth, weddings, birthdays, and funerals. In the section on culinary culture, the book introduces the categories of food ingredients and the selection of materials, recounts the history of major seasonings one by one—salt, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, Sichuan pepper, and chili—and discusses the evolution of chopsticks, cooking utensils, and serving vessels. The latter part also covers beverages such as wine, tea, and soup; local flavor snacks and famous dishes and banquets; the dietary thought of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism; and food classics such as the Huangdi Neijing, Yinshan Zhengyao, and Suiyuan Shidan. The book is illustrated and written in accessible language; it is a popular reader on traditional culture aimed at the general public.