Chinese food is very popular all over the world. Almost every big city and some smaller towns have Chinese restaurants. Let’s find out why Chinese food is so popular? Is Chinese food useful? What is the history of Chinese food?
The History of Chinese Food
Chinese food has a very interesting history. Unlike many cultures the Chinese believe that the preparation of food is an art and also very complicated. The art of cooking Chinese food can include dishes and special food preparation techniques which are very complex and sometimes require the expertise of a chief with a great experience. One of such examples is noodle pulling technique. You should have certain skill and lots of practice in order to make a delicious noodle dish.
The art of Chinese food and its preparation is greatly influenced by the two major philosophies. They also have played a major role in the development of the Chinese culture. These dominant philosophies are called Confucianism and Taoism. They both have changed the way that Chinese people cook and the way that they get satisfaction from their meals.
 Confucianism and Chinese Cuisine
Confucius was the man who created the Confucianism beliefs. In spite of many other standards he also made up special rules of table etiquette and the standards for proper look and taste of the Chinese food. One of the standards set by Confucius (you might have noticed this at an authentic Chinese restaurant) includes that before serving the dish the food must be cut into small bite size pieces. This is surely a unique custom of the Chinese culture.
According to the Confucianism beliefs it is considered as a sign of a bad taste if knives are placed at the dinner table. The standards of quality and taste that are recommended by Confucius include the perfect mixture of ingredients, herbs and condiments—which can create a perfect combination of flavor. Confucius also emphasized the importance of the texture and color of a dish. It was taught that you should prepare and eat food with harmony. It should be mentioned that Confucious also said that an excellent cook must first make an excellent matchmaker.
Taoism and Chinese Cuisine
The followers of Taoism emphasized the health benefits of certain foods vs. the presentation of the same. Taoists choose foods that can improve their health and longevity. They also look for foods with healing powers. Many times these benefits were also known as ‘life giving powers’. For instance, the Chinese found that ginger, which can be considered to be a garnish or a condiment was used as a remedy for upset stomachs or a remedy for colds.
The usefulness of Chinese food
When Chinese food is authentic it is probably the healthiest food in the world. But some non authentic restaurants add you their menus highly saturated fats or meats with harmful animal fat content. You shouldn’t go to such restaurants because they are both neither authentic nor healthy.
Good Chinese food is prepared and cooked using poly-unsaturated oils. Authentic Chinese food does not include milk-fat ingredients such as cream, butter or cheese. Meat is used, but in small amounts. It is useful for people who love authentic Chinese food and can avoid high levels of animal fat. Many people believe that authentic Chinese food is the ideal diet.
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