Chinese Culture >> Chinese Food Articles >>
Chinese food holds a popular place among the entire population of
the world. You can find a Chinese restaurant in every major city and in many
smaller areas of the world as well. Why is
Chinese food
so popular? Is Chinese food healthy? What is the history of Chinese food?
The history of
Chinese food
is an interesting one. Unlike many cultures the Chinese believe that the
preparation of food is an art and not simply a craft. The art of cooking Chinese
food can include dishes and food preparation techniques which are difficult to
develop and may require the expertise of a chef with lots of experience. One
such technique is noodle pulling (scroll down to the bottom of the page to learn
more about this technique). Noodle pulling requires skill and lots of practice
and results in a delicious noodle dish. This article will refer to noodle
pulling later on, but for now, let's go back to the history of Chinese food.
Chinese food and the way it is prepared is very much influenced by the two major
philosophies, which influence the entire Chinese culture. These dominant
philosophies are Confucianism and Taoism. Both have these philosophies have
influenced the way that the Chinese people cook and the way that they enjoy
their food.
Confucius was the man behind the Confucianism beliefs. Among many other
standards Confucius established standards for proper table etiquette and for the
appearance and taste of Chinese food. One of the standards set by Confucius (you
might have noticed this at an authentic Chinese restaurant) is that food must be
cut into small bite size pieces before serving the dish. This is a custom that
is definitely unique to the Chinese culture.
Knives at the dinner table are also considered to be a sign of very poor taste
by those who embrace Confucianism beliefs. The standards of quality and taste
that Confucius recommended required the perfect blend of ingredients, herbs and
condiments--a blend which would result in the perfect combination of flavor.
Confucius also emphasized the importance of the texture and color of a dish, and
taught that food must be prepared and eaten with harmony. Interestingly enough,
Confucius was also of the opinion that an excellent cook must first make an
excellent matchmaker.
Taoism and Chinese Cuisine Those who follow the Taoism beliefs focus on the
health benefits of particular foods vs. the presentation of the same. Taoists
search for foods that will increase their health and longevity. They search for
foods that have healing powers. Many times these benefits were often referred to
as life giving powers. For instance, the Chinese found that ginger, which can be
considered to be a garnish or a condiment was found to be a remedy for upset
stomachs or a remedy for colds.
Is Chinese Food Healthy? Chinese food, when authentic is probably the healthiest
food in the world. Some restaurants, which are not authentic, prepare their menu
with highly saturated fats or with meats that contain unhealthy amounts of
animal fat. These Chinese restaurants are not recommended and they are both
neither authentic nor healthy.
Good Chinese food however, is prepared and cooked with poly-unsaturated oils.
Authentic Chinese food does not require the use of milk-fat ingredients such as
cream, butter or cheese. Meat is used, but not in abundance, which makes it easy
for those who love authentic Chinese food to avoid high levels of animal fat.
Many believe that authentic Chinese food is really the ideal diet.
About the Author
I am sandeep kumar from rajpura. I am graduate from pbi uni in arts.