The Yuan Dynasty was a dynasty with unprecedented territory and great ethnic integration. During this period, with the great integration of nationalities, food culture also showed a trend of blending north and south. However, because the characteristics and ways of diet accumulated for a long time in various ethnic cultures are still rooted in the psychological composition of the people of all ethnic groups, the diet culture is still different from all ethnic groups. In terms of diet, Han and Mongolian are different. In ancient China, it was common for Han people to eat two meals a day. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, three meals a day gradually increased. By the Yuan Dynasty, three meals a day had been widely practiced among Han people, while Mongolian people often had two meals a day. The common staple foods of Han nationality are chopsticks, spoons, bowls, plates and pots. While Mongolians have knives (spoons), chopsticks, forks and knives. Knives are used to cut meat. From the content point of view, the Han non-staple food is mainly vegetables, supplemented by meat and fruit; Mongolians are mainly meat and dairy products, while vegetables and fruits are in a secondary position.
The catering industry is booming.
The catering industry in Yuan Dynasty was also very prosperous, which inherited the foundation of the development in Song Dynasty. There were many teahouses and pubs in the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, and restaurants, teahouses and restaurants (mainly selling staple food) were also quite common in towns outside the capital. It is worth mentioning that banquets were very popular in the Yuan Dynasty, which benefited from the attention paid to banquets by the rulers of Yuan and Mongolia. The most famous banquet of Mongolian nobles and bureaucrats is the "horse racing banquet". According to Mongolian custom, all state affairs are discussed and decided at banquets. Among them, the large banquet held by the Great Khan of Mongolia and the Emperor of Yuan Dynasty at festivals or other major events is called "horse racing banquet" or "sun banquet only". In addition to the "horse racing banquet", there is also a "flower viewing banquet" and so on. The popularity of banquets has promoted the development of social catering industry.
3. Rich and colorful diet
The diet in the Yuan Dynasty was very rich: rice was the most abundant in the south of the Yangtze River in the Yuan Dynasty, and local residents took rice as their staple food. Rice also occupies a certain proportion in the diet of Central Plains residents, and most residents take rice as their staple food. Mutton is the most important meat. The court gave a banquet, mainly mutton; People eat meat and generally eat sheep; The best gift is also a fat sheep. Pork accounts for a certain proportion. The Yuan Dynasty strictly controlled the slaughter of cattle and horses, so beef and horse meat accounted for a small proportion in people's diet. Wild animals also account for a considerable proportion. There are more than 20 kinds of vegetables. Pear, peach, pear, plum, apricot, jujube, chestnut, persimmon, grape and watermelon are widely produced in the north and south. "Noodles" appeared in pasta, mainly in the court at first, and then spread to the people. Drinking tea has become a common hobby of all ethnic groups in the Yuan Dynasty. Tea drinking in Yuan Dynasty was divided into "Dian" and "Jian", among which "Jian" no longer existed in Song Dynasty. In the Yuan Dynasty, koumiss and wine prevailed, but the vast agricultural areas dominated by the Han nationality mainly drank grain wine. In Mongolian, rice wine is called "quick response". In alcohol, medicinal liquor was also popular in the Yuan Dynasty, which can dispel diseases and strengthen the body, and has the effect of nourishing. It is worth noting that in the Yuan Dynasty, distillation technology was introduced from overseas and applied to wine-making technology, which soon spread all over the country. At that time, the wine brewed in this way was called shochu and white wine, and later became an important variety of Chinese wine. Like the Song Dynasty, soup was very popular in the Yuan Dynasty. There are ginseng chicken soup, four-in-one soup, orange peel refreshing soup and so on in the court. Popular among the people are apricot spring soup, cooked plum soup, tianxiang soup and Xuwen soup. Drinking soup became an important dietotherapy method in Yuan Dynasty.