China is a country where the preparation and appreciation of food has been developed to the highest
level. The art of Chinese cooking has been developed and refined over many centuries.
Emperor Fuxi taught people to fish, hunt, grow crops and to cook twenty centuries before Christ.
However, cooking could not be considered an art until the Chou Dynasty.
The two dominant philosophies of the Chinese culture are Confucianism and Taoism.
Each influenced the course of Chinese history and the development of the culinary arts.
Confucianism concerned itself with the art of cooking and placed great emphasis on the
enjoyment of life. To the Chinese, food and friends are inseparable. A gathering without food
is considered incomplete and improper. Confucius loved and respected the art of cooking.
He established culinary standards and proper table etiquette. Most of these are still considered
to be the standards even today. The tradition of cutting foods into bite size pieces
during preparation is unique to the Chinese culture. The use of knives at a Chinese dinner
is considerd poor taste. Confucius taught that good cooking depends on the blending of various
ingredients and condiments rather than the taste of the individual elements. He believed that
in order to become a good cook one must first be a good matchmaker. The flavors of the ingredients
must be blended with harmony. Without harmony there is no taste. He also stressed the use of color
and texture in preparing the dish. Most certainly Confucianism helped elevate cooking from a menial
task to the status of an art, "the art of Chinese cooking." Taoism was responsible for
the development of the hygienic aspects of food and cooking. The principle objectives of
this philosophy were people's wish for longevity. In contrast to supporters of Confucianism
who were interested in the taste, texture and appearance, Taoists were concerned with
the life-giving attributes of various foods. Over the centuries the Chinese have explored
the world of plants, roots, herbs, fungus and seeds to find life-giving elements.
They discovered that the nutritional value of vegetables could be destroyed by improper cooking
and that many items had medicinal value. For example, ginger, a favorite condiment, is also used to
soothe an upset stomach and as a cold remedy.