Social aspects of culinary traditions and food culture of Ancient China

Abstract

In Chinese, there is such a term as "harmony of the five tastes". "Harmony of five tastes" is the highest degree of harmonization of the taste qualities of a dish in traditional Chinese cuisine. The "Harmony of the Five Tastes" theory was first formed about 3000 years ago and was revered as one of the philosophies that govern the daily lives of people during the "Spring and Autumn" and "Warring States" eras. The Western Zhou Dynasty (1046–771 B.C.) had a court system of training "imperial nutritionists" who were responsible for overseeing the health and nutrition of the court and members of the royal family. "Harmony of the Five Tastes" was closely intertwined with the flow and change of seasons. "Harmony is achieved by imparting refreshing sourness to the dish in spring, tart bitterness in summer, spicy pungency in autumn and brackish intensity in winter, combined with notes of mild sweetness out of season" was a common notion shared by the social elite living some twenty centuries ago. As a dietary system, it was used not only at the court of the Zhou Dynasty, at that time these ideas were shared by aristocrats in all corners of China. And by the end of the Warring States period (around 221 B.C.), the common people of China had already developed a deep understanding of the philosophy of taste harmonization. Thus, we see that the theory of the "Harmony of the Five Tastes" has been formed over the years, based on the experience of using various methods of cooking, and reflecting the Confucian ideals regarding food as part of the meal.