元明清时期中国多民族饮食文化交流交融及其作用

The Communication and Integration of Food Cultures among China s Different Ethnic Groups in the Yuan,Ming,and Qing Dynasties and Its Function

中国是一个统一的多民族国家,各民族在历史上相互交往交流交融,互鉴发展,形成了唇齿相连、难以分离的多元一体格局,共同构成了中华民族共同体,共同创造了悠久灿烂的中华文化。元明清是中国多民族大交流、大交融的重要时期,汉族与少数民族饮食文化交流交融十分频繁,具有双向互动、双层兼备、互鉴创新的特点,相互间传播、吸收与借鉴,既涉及食材、饮食品种等物质文化层次,也涉及饮食习俗、制度与饮食思想等非物质文化层次。同时,它们的交流交融具有双重作用,既是各民族饮食文化创新发展的动力源,又是中华民族共同体蓬勃发展的助推剂,不仅极大地促进了多元一体的中国饮食文化走向辉煌,也从饮食文化这一独特领域有力地助推了中华民族共同体不断牢固与壮大。

Food culture typically represents the essence of the Chinese national community.Broadly speaking,it refers to the sum of material and spiritual wealth created and accumulated over time by people through cooking and consuming foodstuffs;in terms of structures and forms of existence,culinary culture can be divided into two areas:The first one refers to material aspects such as ingredients,dish varieties,tea and beverages,and cooking utensils and equipment.The second domain is about spiritual culture,i.e.the intangible cultural aspect including food systems,etiquette,culinary folklore,food thoughts,and nutrition science.Records show during the Yuan,Ming,and Qing Dynasties,food exchange among different ethnic groups happened frequently and played an important role in promoting the further development of Chinese food culture and solidifying the Chinese national community.Documents reveal that during the Yuan,Ming,and Qing periods,frequent exchange and integration of food cultures between Han and ethnic minorities was the most outstanding feature,characterized by two-way interaction,double-layer integrity,mutual learning,and innovation.Culinary traditions of ethnic minorities—like e.g.food,drinks and cooking techniques—were introduced to the Han regime,as a large number of Mongolian,Hui,and Manchu ethnic communities settled in the central plains and Jiangnan(south of Yangzi River)regions,leading to a high level of trade and consequent interaction.Food cultures of other ethnic peoples attracted the attention of the Han people and were absorbed by them.Related records show that various dishes,techniques of cookery,and the presentation and eating of foods of the Hui,Manchu,Mongolian,and other ethnic minorities had entered the Han areas such as the Beijing region,Jiangnan,and Southwest,and had been integrated by the Han people into their daily lives.Meanwhile,this research further demonstrates the Han people also introduced their own food culture to other ethnicities,including ingredients,food varieties and cooking techniques,culinary ideas,food systems,and customs.In the Yuan Dynasty,Han tea-drinking customs entered the dietary life of the Mongolians.Efforts to“combine medicine and food”and the ideas of diet and health preservation were adopted by the court of the Yuan Dynasty.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties,corn,potatoes,and other food materials which originated in North America gradually spread from the regime of the Han to ethnic minority regimes and became important food materials and trade products in areas inhabited by the Yi and Tibetan peoples in southwest China.Festival food traditions,Shandong cuisine,and Jiangnan cooking also gradually entered the Manchu court.In addition,the communication and integration of various ethnic culinary cultures also produced a new,integrated,and fusion-style food culture.Arguably the most eye-catching and typical banquet would be the Manchu-Han Banquet in Qing Dynasty,famous for combining the quintessence of Manchu and Han cuisines.