Function of Traditional Foods and Food Culture in China
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JARQ 38 (4), 213 – 220 (2004) http://www.jircas.affrc.go.jp REVIEW Function of Traditional Foods and Food Culture in China Li-Te LI1*, Li-Jun YIN1 and Masayoshi SAITO2 1 College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University (17 Qinghua Dong Lu, Haidian, Beijing, 100083, China) 2 Food Science & Technology Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS) (Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305–8686, Japan) Abstract Chinese people have exploited traditional foods through their long history, and developed an abundant food culture. Especially, preserving health by dieting has been an important part of the traditional food culture in China, which is based on the theory of Chinese medicine. Some of the traditional foods are on the verge of being lost, but improvements in traditional foods will benefit agricultural industries, especially those in poor regions. The theories of traditional Chinese healthy food need more system- atic study based on modern science and technology. Some of the fermented soybean foods such as sufu and douchi were reported to contain functional materials. We found that isoflavones composition in the fermented food changed during fermentation, which was closely related to ß-glucosidase activ- ity. Through these researches, we can use the wisdom of healthy eating habits accumulated over the centuries as beneficial knowledge for the health of people. Discipline: Food Additional key words: human health, fermented food important to meet the consumer’s needs which are Introduction derived from improving living standards, because tradi- tional foods play an important role in keeping people’s Through the long history of Chinese civilization, health in good condition. Traditional foods also contrib- traditional Chinese foods and cooking have developed ute to increase the value of agricultural products, and as a into a fine art or a sub-culture, which nowadays is often result, they vitalize the rural economy in China. referred to as Chinese food culture. More and more Chi- In this paper, we introduced Chinese food culture nese foods have become popular all over the world, and some of the functions in Chinese traditional foods. because of their appealing taste and health benefits. Uti- The current statuses of the studies on functional proper- lization of functional food in a diet has been the main ties in Chinese traditional food as well as some of the theme of Chinese food culture throughout its long his- prospects of research on traditional foods in China were tory, because Chinese people have believed that food is also presented. not just an energy source but a kind of medicine to be taken to cure diseases. Chinese philosophy of diet and food function In recent years, traditional foods in China are facing an increasing challenge of the incursion of Western An old Chinese medical and herb book introduced foods, especially fast foods. In addition, people put for- some functional foods. Chinese people had already ward more requirements for food quality with the change started to explore the relationships between food and of life styles, and they are more concerned about food human health some 6,000 years ago12. A Chinese royal sanitation as well. Improving the traditional foods in document written 2,800 years ago described the cooking China using modern knowledge and technology is benefi- staff of the emperor in the Zhou Dynasty (1050 B.C.–256 cial to preserve this precious culture. Furthermore, it is B.C.). It stated that nutritionists were responsible for rec- *Corresponding author: fax +86–10–62737331; e-mail [email protected] Received 24 March 2004; accepted 7 July 2004. 213 L. Li, L. Yin & M. Saito ipes of daily meals, which should contain proper nutrition wax gourd, cucumber, lotus seed, and green bean are con- and healthy ingredients23. There had been many ancient sidered as food of the negative. Not all food has the same works on healthy foods in China, although many of them level of the negative or the positive, so they are further have been lost at present. A few works survived and now classified into different categories from strong heat, mild they demonstrate their scientific and historical values. warm to ice cold according to their property of the nega- Traditional Chinese foods are mostly based on rice, tive and the positive29. wheat and other grains. In addition to those materials, Now we can understand the old diet theory of the Chinese people incorporated as diverse food materials as negative and the positive with the modern knowledge of possible, and combined them properly to make their medicine. Many of ‘the negative deficiency’ symptoms meals healthy and tasty. A medical book entitled “The are actually caused by malnutrition or indigestion. Some Yellow Emperor’s Internal Classic”, which was written mild foods of the positive are easily digested and nutri- about 2,500 years ago, provided a healthy food guideline, tious, which is surely beneficial to the patients. So are such as different kinds of food which must be taken in the foods of the negative for the symptoms of the posi- order to nourish the internal organs and enhance body tive. ‘The positive excess’ may also be called ‘accumu- energy25. Another old Chinese book entitled “Important lating much more pathogenic fire’, and it is usually Technology of Qi Dynasty,” which was written about caused by excessive stress, lack of sleep, decreased 1,500 years ago, classified the common food materials immunity caused by eating too much, and maladjustment into more than 200 types of cereals, 100 types of vegeta- of internal secretion. These people should eat foods bles and about 100 kinds of animal meat products8,24. which contain low energy and much edible diet fiber13. This book introduced the Chinese dietary structure at that time. Taking diverse foods is now recognized as a princi- Materials and functions of traditional Chinese ple of healthy diet. It is quite remarkable that they foods already realized the benefit of taking diverse foods at that ancient time. A characteristic of Chinese food is to use vegetables The function of food resembles Chinese medicine in as high nutritional materials. A legend said that a person many aspects. Traditional Chinese physicians often named Shen Nong tasted many plants and classified them explained the function of medicine and food by “the five into edible vegetables, inedible weeds and herbs some elements theory” and “the negative (Yin) and the positive 6,000–7,000 years ago. Confucius (552–479 B.C.) (Yang) theory”. According to the five elements theory, emphasized the necessity of vegetables in the food menu, everything in this world is a result of interactions among and he said that eating vegetable was not only for elimi- metal, wood, water, fire and earth, and each of them cor- nating one’s hunger but also for having an effect on responds to the tastes of food, i.e. pungent, sour, salty, health preservation30. There are many old sayings about bitter and sweet, respectively8,24. Therefore, healthy diet the importance of eating vegetables in China. For should properly combine all the five elements. The nega- instance, “put green onion and garlic in every dish, then tive (Yin) and the positive (Yang) theory as well has a you can be as healthy as you wish” and “eat carrots for long history. In the Song Dynasty (960 A.D–1279 A.D), breakfast and ginger for dinner, then you will never need a book entitled “Curing Disease through Dieting (1085 a doctor.” All these show the importance of vegetables20. A.D.)” mentioned that: “those herbs and foods that taste The medicine meal, which is cooked along with sweet and pungent are usually associated with the posi- medicinal herbs, is a special health diet in China. Most of tive, and those that taste sour and bitter are associated the medicine meal is to nourish liver and lungs, and to with the negative”3. According to this theory, almost all strengthen physiological conditions of the people, there- foods have a property of either the positive or the nega- fore it is not used for treating a specific illness. In gen- tive, and therefore foods should be properly combined so eral, the medicine meal mainly consists of two types of that they will make the human body reach a harmony of ingredients: one group includes not-so-conventional but the positive and the negative. Some of the typical symp- edible materials, such as terrapin, black-bone chicken, toms of excessive negative are blood-deficiency and feel- holothurians, mushroom, ginger, jujube, garlic, wolf- ing cold. So someone with excessive negative needs berry, and so on; the other group includes many kinds of food of the positive. The typical food of the positive Chinese herbs. These materials, together with other includes animal liver, egg, red sugar, jujube, etc. The spices, can be used as seasoning condiments to stew symptoms of excessive positive are normally associated chicken, cook meat and make hot pot. Among the foods with high blood pressure, inflammation, fever etc, which cooked with medicinal herbs, some are used to recuperate can be treated by food of the negative. Such foods as from weakness and keep energy, and others are used to 214 JARQ 38 (4) 2004 Food Culture and Function of Traditional Foods in China treat certain symptoms. For example, ginger soup is used wine or distilled liquor) beverage, sugar, chiang (Chinese for cold and fever. Weakness and anaemia could be cured wheat-based miso) and spices. by red jujube boiled with black auricularia, auricula judae The procedure and images for making douchi are and soup cooked with honey and pear. shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, respectively10. Soybeans were Chinese people cultivate many kinds of grains washed, and soaked for 3–4 h at room temperature.