中餐：用美食書寫的古老文化

By Lidija Obradovic 譯/左娜

中餐：用美食書寫的古老文化

The Tale of One Ancient Culture Written in the Language of Food

By Lidija Obradovic 譯/左娜

作者Lidija Obradovic是塞爾維亞記者，中國國際廣播電臺專家。她撰寫并主編了一套介紹中國文化的圖書，其中包括《中國成語》《中國健康烹飪》《中國烹飪藝術(shù)》《中國文化瑰寶》《茶，一個(gè)說不完的故事》，該叢書現(xiàn)已在塞爾維亞出版。

Written By Lidija Obradovic,

Serbian Journalist and Broadcasting expert at CRI

Author and executive editor of the books published in Serbia: Chinese Idioms, The Chinese Cookbook of Health, Chinese Culinary Delights, The Chinese Cultural Treasure and The endless Story of Tea.

世界各國的美食都有其獨(dú)特的魅力。然而，圍坐在中式圓桌邊享受中國美食的確是一種難忘的體驗(yàn)。隨著圓桌一次次轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)，充滿中國風(fēng)情的各色菜式逐漸在眼前堆滿，中國美食不僅是一場感官盛宴，也喂飽了你的靈魂。麻辣鮮香的口味，青翠欲滴、搭配合理的蔬菜，或蒸或烤的魚和肉，米飯面條，還有在你出其不意時(shí)盛上來的湯和水果，中國人在搭配菜肴和即興發(fā)揮、制造驚喜上的技藝精湛，這也讓中國美食在世界脫穎而出。但這并不是全部，中國美食的背后，還有歷史、傳統(tǒng)、哲學(xué)孕育的故事，有著說不清道不明的意蘊(yùn)和想象。

Each cuisine in the world has its own unique charm. However, dinning at the Chinese round table is really an unforgettable experience. The exotic culinary mix of foods which lavishly grows with every turn of the table is a festivity for all senses and the food for the soul. Spicy fl avours, fresh and blanched vegetables with different dressings, fish and steamed and grilled meat, rice and pastas, soups and fruits in most unexpected moments, the skill of combining the dishes and great possibilities of improvisation are the things that make Chinese cuisine stand out. But that’s not all, because this feast also contains hidden stories made out of ancient philosophies, history and tradition and even hidden meanings and imagination.

圍圓桌而食

換句話說，中國美食就是用食物的語言書寫的古老傳統(tǒng)。在道教和儒教的思想影響下，中國人的生活方式就此形成。因此，當(dāng)你沉浸在眼前色、香、味的全面享受中時(shí)，你就已經(jīng)觸及到千百年來中國文化和美食歷史的根源。

儒家道德倫理最直觀地反映在中國一家人圍著圓桌一起進(jìn)餐的傳統(tǒng)上。這種方式能讓主人平等地照顧到每一位客人，對他們表示尊重，而不用擔(dān)心他們因地位和年齡的不同而感到被區(qū)別對待。上菜時(shí)，主菜放在餐桌的正中間，配菜則擺在周圍，形成扇形。新擺上來的菜總是先送到主客或家中長者面前。菜單很大程度上表現(xiàn)了尊重傳統(tǒng)和對禮節(jié)的重視。在每個(gè)傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日，端上桌的菜肴都會(huì)帶有特定節(jié)日的特色，為客人們傳達(dá)出節(jié)日的信息。中國飲食中，所有的東西都有多重含義，吃飯的圓桌也是如此。圓形代表了家庭、團(tuán)聚、統(tǒng)一、和諧、完滿和成功。

烹飪總被看作是一種藝術(shù)，早在周朝（公元前1046年到公元前256年）和儒家文化盛行的時(shí)代就是如此。歷史上記錄了很多關(guān)于烹飪的藝術(shù)和如何掌握這項(xiàng)令人尊敬的技術(shù)的內(nèi)容。因此，中國的烹飪書籍中總是充滿了菜肴誕生的故事。這些故事不僅僅發(fā)生在王侯將相身上，也有很多起源于民間老百姓的茅舍中，他們的技藝直到今天還在廣泛流傳。

Tradition of Eating at the Round Table

In other words, Chinese cuisine is a tale about an ancient culture written in the language of food. Throughout it ethics and etiquette of Confucian heritage and the study of Taoism, the way of life, stand out, therefore when you indulge yourself in all those fl avours, scents and colours of delights in front of you, you are gently touching the roots of the Chinese civilization and history of Chinese gas-tronomy, thousands of years old.

The most picturesque reflection of Confucian virtues, ethics and etiquette must be the tradition of eating at the round table. In that way the host is showing respect for all the guests equally, without taking into consideration their status and age. When the food is brought to the table, the main dishes are placed in the centre and the side dishes are put all around thus forming the shape of a fan. New delicacies which are brought are always placed starting from the main guests or the eldest family members. The menu says a lot about respecting tradition and about the importance of rituals, because every traditional holiday can be recognized by the food that is prepared on that occasion, dishes that are bursting with symbolism and the messages that the guests are receiving. Everything has more than one meaning and so does the round table, as the circle represents also a family, togetherness, unity, harmony, fulfilment and success.

Cooking has always been considered to be a form of art, even in the time of the dynasty Zhou (1046 – 256 BC) and Confucianism, among all, is full of lessons about the art of cooking and mastering that highly respected skill. Therefore an abundance of authentic stories about the birth of particular recipes emerge in the Chinese cookbooks, not only in the royal ones, but also in the houses of common people whose art remained vivacious till this day.

中國美食的健康哲學(xué)

中餐豐富的食材、口味、色澤都反映了道家思想和傳統(tǒng)中醫(yī)講究身體健康、體型勻稱、精神平衡的理念。合理的膳食會(huì)讓人們有健康的身體，延年益壽。為了達(dá)到這個(gè)目的，中國的食譜需要用特殊的口味和色澤將“陰”和“陽”兩種性質(zhì)的食物協(xié)調(diào)起來。

如此復(fù)雜的理念代代相傳，就像是一種毋庸置疑的生活方式。所以，中國的烹飪書籍總是在菜譜后附加了特定食物的療效，同時(shí)還有食物對人體各個(gè)器官以及人體肌體的整體功效。

中國人相信，人與自然形成了一個(gè)獨(dú)特的整體，而健康的基礎(chǔ)就在于找到人的肌體與自然變化之間的平衡。

中國人尊重季節(jié)的流轉(zhuǎn)變化，也會(huì)根據(jù)節(jié)氣變化來調(diào)整自己的生活節(jié)奏和飲食。了解食物的特性，在尊重營養(yǎng)規(guī)律的前提下巧妙地搭配食物，這有益健康，并且有助于合理控制體重。

接下來我們將帶大家領(lǐng)略中國美食文化的一部分——春節(jié)的傳統(tǒng)飲食習(xí)慣。關(guān)于春節(jié)的美食故事將調(diào)動(dòng)你的感官，讓你沉浸在這個(gè)古老文明的神秘世界里。

The Chinese Cookbooks of Health

The food diversity, its flavours and colours are mostly a reflection of the tendency to remain healthy, physically fit and spiritually in balance with the greatest tradition of Taoist teachings and traditional Chinese medicine. A proper diet and the preparation of food result in good health and prolong the life span. In order to achieve that, the menu needs to incorporate the Yin and the Yang foods with specific taste and colour, equally.

That complex knowledge has been shared between the generations with such an ease as if it were a part of a lifestyle which is not to be questioned. Because of this, the Chinese cookbooks include guidelines about certain food healing properties together with the recipe, as well as the information about their influence on organs and on the human organism as a whole.

Chinese have always believed that people and nature form a unique entirety and that the basis of good health lies in finding the balance between human organism and the changes in nature.

The Chinese deeply respect the Seasonal segments which alternate every two weeks and they adjust their life rhythm and food menu with the upcoming season. Knowing the characteristics of certain foods and the way to combine them as well as respecting the nutritional rules could help you become healthier and also lower your body weight.

The reading in front of you is a part of that rich treasury of Chinese cuisine. We are going to introduce the traditions of Spring Festival Feast. By provoking all your senses, you may immerse yourself in this mystical world of one ancient civilisation.

Spring Festival Feast

Spring festival, the celebration of Chinese lunar New Year, is one of the most vivid festivities in the East. That’s the time when families come together and every day, out of the fifteen, is filled with symbolism which reflects and at-tracts prosperity, health, longevity, happiness inside a home and its members as well as the urge for a better life.

在春節(jié)，擺上桌的食物都帶有吉祥喜慶的寓意

春節(jié)的盛宴

春節(jié)是東方最為豐富多彩的節(jié)日之一，是為了慶祝中國農(nóng)歷的新年。春節(jié)是全家團(tuán)圓的日子，從初一到十五，這中間的每一天都安排了充滿了象征意義的活動(dòng)，這將為一家人帶來繁榮、健康、長壽、幸福，述說著中國人對美好生活的向往。

春節(jié)除夕夜的大餐通常是所有的家庭成員團(tuán)聚的時(shí)刻。這頓大餐異常豐盛，而且中國大江南北的除夕宴都有獨(dú)特的菜式安排。

在中國的南方，除夕的餐桌上會(huì)擺上十道菜，其中包括象征團(tuán)圓和富貴的魚和象征繁榮的雞。在中文中，“魚”的發(fā)音與“余”同音，魚一定要整條擺上餐桌，包括魚頭和魚尾，這樣預(yù)示著新的一年有好的開始。吃魚不能吃個(gè)精光，而是要剩下來一些，代表這一年的食物充足有富余。

在北方，除了其他的食物外，春節(jié)還缺不了餃子。餃子用小麥粉做的生面團(tuán)做皮，里面包了不同口味的餡兒。在一鍋餃子中有一只餃子里放了一枚硬幣，吃到這枚硬幣的人將會(huì)在這一年里財(cái)運(yùn)滾滾。這個(gè)傳統(tǒng)最受小孩子們的歡迎，所以每當(dāng)除夕即將到來時(shí)，孩子們對餃子的期待也日益高漲。

中國人在準(zhǔn)備節(jié)日菜肴時(shí)會(huì)對某些食物特別留心，他們認(rèn)為這些食物有特殊的力量。銀杏象征著銀錠，因此是財(cái)富的表現(xiàn)。黑色的藻類代表著繁榮，干豆意味著幸福，竹筍則是整體的福祉。此外，桌上還要擺放蓮子，因?yàn)樗鼈兿笳髦缟F子。西瓜脯象征成長和健康，瓜子代表幸?？鞓?，花生意味著長壽，金橘是財(cái)富的化身，椰子述說著團(tuán)圓。

春節(jié)期間，豆腐、新鮮的豆類和其他白色的食物都不能上桌，因?yàn)榘咨赡軙?huì)帶來不好的兆頭。所有的菜肴都是完整呈上來的（包括魚和雞），這象征著完滿。面團(tuán)、面條象征長壽，也不能切斷。

New Year’s feast, around which the family gathers, is rich and diverse and every part of China has its own traditional menu specially prepared for this night.

In the southern parts of the country, ten dishes are placed on the table, including fish which represents togetherness and wealth, and chicken which is the symbol of prosperity. The Chinese word for fish sounds like ‘a(chǎn)bundance’ and it is necessary to serve it whole, including head and tail, as a symbol of a good start. The rule states that it should not be eaten entirely; a small part should be saved in order for the abundance to last whole year long.

In the northern part of China among all the other foods, New Year’s Jiaozi is also prepared. It is made out of wheat flour dough and filled with different stuffing. In one of these dumplings, a coin is places and the one who finds it is considered to be blessed with wealth that waits for him somewhere. This custom thrills children the most, whose appetite for Jiaozi grows bigger as the New Year’s eve approaches.

There are also certain foods which are given special attention while planning the holiday menu, because it is believed that they carry certain powers. Ginkgo is the symbol of silver ingots and therefore the symbol of wealth, very much alike the black, moss looking algae for which people believe helps in reaching prosperity. Dried legumes reflect happiness, bamboo shoots symbolise overall well-being, and for the future father, lotus seeds should be placed at the table because they predict a male offsprings. Candied watermelon symbolises growth and good health, red melon seeds indicate happiness, joy and truth, peanuts represent long life span, kumquat (fortunella) is a symbol of wealth and the coconut represent togetherness.

Tofu, fresh legumes and all other white colour food are not placed at the table during New Year’s feast, because white colour symbolises misfortune. The dishes are prepared in one piece (entire fish and chicken) because in that way they represent wholeness, and the dough, pastas and famous noodles are not being cut as they symbolise longevity.