Confucius is widely recognized as a teacher and a philosopher. He lived about 2,500 years ago and was born in Qufu, a province in Shangdong, China, during the Spring and Autumn Period. He worked for the State of Lu for many years but was later dissapointed with the government and started travelling to other kingdoms to espouse his political beliefs. He returned home during his last years and spent his time teaching his disciples.
His teachings accorded particular importance to the behaviors and rituals between individuals of different relationships such as that between parents and their children, husbands and their wives, rulers and their subjects, etc. It was based on the moral concepts of Li, Yi, and Ren (礼,仪,仁), and its essence can be summed up as not doing to others what one do not wish to be done to oneself and grant to others what one recognizes as desirable for oneself.
His teachings were embraced by the rulers, nobility, scholars and common people throughout the dynasties that follow and have become an integral part of Chinese life and culture today.
It is interesting to note that even as Confucius espoused his lofty philosophies of the state and the people, the preparation and consumption of food did not escape his scutiny. The Analects captures his views:
食不厭精、膾不厭細。食饐而餲魚餒而肉敗、不食。色惡不食、臭惡不食。失飪不食、不時不食。割不正不食、不得其醬不食。肉雖多、不使勝食氣、唯酒無量、不及亂。沽酒、市脯、不食。不撤薑食。不多食。
Over the centuries, a new type of cuisine that embodies his views on the preparation and consumption of food as well as the practices of Li and Yi has gradually evolved into what is known as Kongfu cuisine (孔府菜) which reached its peak during the Ming and Ching Dynasties. Classical Kongfu cuisine can be divided into two broad categories:
1. Internal cuisine - this was for the daily fare of the household members.
2. External cuisine - this was for emperors, kings, nobility and government officials to commemorate Confucius, birthdays, weddings, among other occasions. It places special emphasis on refinement, nutrition, grandness, and the protocols of Li and Yi. The grand banquets had themes that centered on bird nest, shark's fin, sea cucumber, etc. as well as ManHan grand banquet (满汉全席), and whole goat banquet (全羊宴). There were different menus for officials of different ranks.
However, irrespective of the types of cuisine, attention to the freshness of ingredients, their seasonality, and matching with the appropriate sauce is of great importance.
Some notable dishes from Kongfu cuisine are:
- 孔府一品锅
- 八仙过海
- 御笔猴头
- 诗礼银杏
In 1947, the 77th generation of Confucius left the ancestral residence. The kitchens stopped operating and Kongfu cuisine entered into its last chapter in the book of culinary history.
Or, did it?
Are Confucius's views still relevant in today's fast food culture? Does 食不厭精 still apply to our cuisines today?
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