This is a list of historical Chinese sources referring to Chinese cuisine. Not long after the expansion of the Chinese Empire during the Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD), Chinese writers noted the great differences in culinary practices among people from different parts of the realm. These differences followed to a great extent the varying climate and availability of foodstuffs in China.
Pre-Han dynasty
Documents compiled before 206BC.
Title
Chinese name
Date
Author
Description
Zhouli zhushu (Notes and Commentaries on the Rites of Zhou)
Along with Qian Jin Yi Fang (Supplement to the Formulas Worth a Thousand Gold), both significantly contributed to the development of Chinese medicine.[14] Book 26 refers to food treatments.
A menu from a banquet hosted by Wei Juyuan to thank the emperor for his promotion. It lists 58 dishes and includes descriptions of their cooking methods and ingredients.[15][16]
The earliest complete dietary work. Based on Meng Shen's book Buyang fang (Prescription to Replenish and Nourish), Zhang Ding expanded it and renamed it as such.[19] (Fragment)
A miscellany of Chinese and foreign legends and hearsay, reports on natural phenomena, short anecdotes, and tales of the wondrous and mundane, as well as notes on such topics as medicinal herbs, tattoos, wine and foods.
Lingbiao lu yiji (Strange Southern Ways of Men and Things)
嶺表錄異記 岭表录异记
written between 889 and 904
Liu Xun (劉恂)
A book documenting the climate, environment, products, and customs of southern China during the Tang Dynasty. More than 60% of its content is related to food, including descriptions of ingredients, unique delicacies, cooking and dining utensils, and culinary customs.[28][29][30]
Shanfujing shoulu (The Manuscript of the Diet Minister's Classic)
Documents compiled during the Song dynasty (960–1279). The population of China doubled in size during the 10th and 11th centuries. This growth came through expanded rice cultivation in central and southern China, the use of early-ripening rice from southeast and southern Asia, and the production of abundant food surpluses.[32][33]
A cookbook consists of 14 entries with descriptions of the processing and preparation of delicacies[34][35]
Shipu
食譜 食谱
Qingyilu (Records of the Unworldly and the Strange)
淸異錄 清异录
950
Tao Gu
A collection of more than 600 historical records and anecdotes spanned from Sui, Tang, the Five Dynasties and the early Song dynasty, under 37 categories including fine cuisines, vegetables, and fruits.[36][37]
Taiping Yulan (Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era)
Recorded 98 kinds of bamboo shoot about heir names and aliases, characteristics, cultivation, tastes, processing and preservation methods[38][39]
Benxinzhai shushipu (Vegetarian Recipes from the Study of the True Heart)[40]
本心齋蔬食譜 本心斋蔬食谱
13th century
Chen Dasou (陳達叟)
Lists 20 vegetarian foods with recipes.
Shanjia qinggong (The Simple Foods of the Mountain Folk)[41]
山家淸供 山家清供
13th century
Lin Hong
This cookbook introduces food and beverages of hermits in the mountains[42] and usages of sugar in cookery.[43] It also mentions a cultural proverb related to pasta.[44]
Deals with five points of etiquette for shidafu (gentlemen or officials) when eating meat[46][47]
Shouqin yanglao xinshu (A New Book on Supporting Parents for Longevity)[48]
壽親養老新書 寿亲养老新书
1307
Zou Xuan
A book mainly discusses the knowledge and methods of health care for the elderly, including dietary management, food preparation and other health care contents.[49][50]
Beishan jiujing (The Wine Classic of North Mountain)
北山酒經 北山酒经
between 1535 and 1615
Zhu Gong (朱肱)
The first book extant entirely focused on wine and wine making[51][52]
Yushipi (Fine Dishes Notes)
玉食批
Song Dynasty
Unnamed royal kitchen servant
A list of fine dishes served as daily meals to the princes of Emperor Lizong.[53]
The earliest Chinese cookbook written by a woman and one of the first to mention the use of soy sauce
Fanshenglu or Xihulaoren fanshenglu
繁胜录 or 西湖老人繁勝錄
A record of the urban life in Lin'an, similar to the Ducheng jisheng[68]
Jin dynasty
Documents compiled during the Jin dynasty (1115–1234).
Title
Chinese name
Date
Author
Description
Shiwu bencao (Materia Medica on Food)
食物本草
Li Gao (李杲), a major medical scholar of the time[69]
A compilation of the rich dovuments on food as medicine in China as of Ming dynasty.[70]
Yuan dynasty
During the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), contacts with the West also brought the introduction to China of a major food crop, sorghum, along with other foreign food products and methods of preparation.
The book recorded the author's homemade recipes, condiments, tea and wine, which reflects the style of Wuxi cuisine.[80][81][82]
Jujia biyong shilei quanji (Collection of Necessary Matters Ordered for the Householder)[83]
居家必用事類全集 居家必用事类全集
1301
An encyclopedia that became a precursor to encyclopedias of the late Ming, and has a chapter devoted to "foods of the Muslims"[84][85] (gengji庚集, jiji己集)
Zhuanshi (A History of Cuisine)
饌史 馔史
A compilation of anecdotes about diet extracted from Tang and Song books mentioned above on this page.[86]
Ming dynasty
China during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) became involved in a new global trade of goods, plants, animals, and food crops known as the Columbian Exchange. Although the bulk of imports to China were silver, the Chinese also purchased New World crops from the Spanish Empire. This included sweet potatoes, maize, and peanuts, foods that could be cultivated in lands where traditional Chinese staple crops—wheat, millet, and rice—couldn't grow, hence facilitating population growth.[87][88] In the Song dynasty (960–1279), rice had become the major staple crop of the poor;[89] after sweet potatoes were introduced to China around 1560, they gradually became the traditional food of the lower classes.[90]
Title
Chinese name
Date
Author
Description
Yiya yiyi(Yiya's Thoughts Remained)
易牙遗意
Han Yi
More than 150 recipes of condiments, beverages, pastry, dishes, preserved fruits, etc.[91]
Tian chu ju zhenmiao zhuan ji (Heavenly Chefs' Collection of Wonderful Dishes)
天厨聚珍妙馔集
A collection of fine dining recipes
Shenyin or Quxian shenyin shu (Quxian's Reclusive Life)
神隐 or 臞仙神隐书
Zhu Quan
A record of the rustic, hermit-like life of a practitioner of Taoism, including details of farming, the food process and the diet.[92]
A work on dietary therapy, in which 251 items of food and ingredients were recorded, each with its medical attribute.[93]
Bianmin tu zuan (Illustrated Farmer's Guide)
便民图纂
Kuang Fan
An encyclopedia of farmers' daily use. Volume 15 covers food and other topics.[94]
Yecai pu (Wild Vegetable Manual)
野菜谱
1524
Wang Pan
A collection of 60 edible wild herbs, each with an illustration.[95]
Songshi yangsheng bu (Song's Book of Nourishment)
宋氏养生部
1504
Song Xu
It recorded 1010 food items, 1340 recipes and 160 methods of processing and preserving foods.[96]
Yunlin yishi
云林遗事
Gu Yuanqing
A collection of stories about Ni Zan, includes a chapter about his diet.
Shiwu bencao (Food Materia Medica)
食物本草
Wang Ying
Greatly contributed to the development of medical foods.[93]
Shipin ji (Food Collection)
食品集
1537
Wu Lu
It documents 350 types of food, divided into seven sections: cereals, fruits, vegetables, animals, poultry, insects and fish, and water. For each food, it describes its nature and taste, toxicity, advantages and disadvantages of consumption, functions and indications. It also includes cooking methods for the foods.[97]
Guang junpu (Broad Mushroom Manual)
广菌谱
Pan Zhiheng
A documentation of 19 species of edible mushrooms and 4 species of edible non-macrofungi[98]
A combing and recording of tea production and consumption from the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty.
Gezhi jingyuan (Mirrored contexts for thorough investigations)
格致镜原
Chen Yuanlong
An encyclopedia of which the volume 6 covers food and drink.
Nongpu bianlan (Overview of agriculture and gardening)
农圃便览
1755
Ding Yizeng
The book provides information on techniques for growing staple foods, legumes, fruits and flowers, as well as forecasting or treating and processing agricultural products, including brewing, cooking and medical treatment. [113]
Xingyuan lu
醒园录
Li Huanan
A culinary book with recipes for dishes, pastries, snacks, brewing methods as well as food preservation methods.[114]
Yangsheng suibi
养生随笔
1773
Cao Tingdong
Health care knowledges for the elderly, the 5th volume is dedicated to congees listing 100 recipes[115]
A documentation of 26 edible mushrooms commonly found around Suzhou, and also listed inedible, poisonous mushrooms of the area[116]
Jihai cuo (Notes on Marine Products)
记海错
1814
Hao Yixing
A book recording common marine animals and plants along the coast of northern China[117]
Zhengsuwen (Recognition of misused Characters)
证俗文
Hao Yixing
A dictionary to rectify Chinese characters often misused in everyday life. The first volume covers names and terms relating to food and drink[118]
Xilüe (On Vinegar)
醯略
Zhao Xin
A collection of texts on vinegar from over 100 ancient Chinese works.[119]
Yangxiaolu (Gourmet's Note)
养小录
1698
Gu Zhong
In 22 categories, the book describes the preparation of 276 drinks, condiments, dishes and pastries.[120]
Yangzhou huafang lu
扬州画舫录
1795
Li Dou
The book describes life in the merchants' quarters of Yangzhou, including its food and teahouses.[121]
Tiaoji yinshi bian (Conditioning the sick body through diet)
调疾饮食辨
1823
Zhang Mu
The book contains the medicinal properties of more than six hundred kinds of foods[122][123]
Qing jia lu
清嘉录
Gu Lu
The book describes the folk customs, human history and natural scenery of the Suzhou area.[124]
Tongqiao yizhao lu
桐桥倚棹录
Gu Lu
A local journal describing the landscape, scenic spots, temples, monuments, and handicrafts in the area of Huqiu and Shantang in Suzhou.[125]
Suixiju yinshipu
随息居饮食谱
1861
Wang Shixiong
The book includes more than330 food items and provides a detailed discussion of the tastes, characteristics and effects on the body of various drinks and foods, as well as their medical uses from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine.[126]
^Métailié, Georges (2015). Science and Civilisation in China, vol. VI, Biology and Biological Technology, Part 4, Traditional Botany: an Ethnobotanical Approach. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN978-1107109872.
^Alternative translations are Important Arts for the People's Welfare, The Manual of Important Arts for the People, Essential Techniques of Keeping Order among the Common People, The Art of Feeding the People, Important Technology for the People's Welfare, or Essential Farming Skills of the People of Qi.
^Alternative translations are Pharmacopoeia of Foods for Treating Illness, Nutritional Therapy; a Pharmacopoeia of Natural History or Health Food and Curative Herbs
^Ebrey, Patricia Buckley (1999). The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN0-521-66991-X
^Crosby, Alfred W., Jr. (2003). The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492; 30th Anniversary Edition. Westport: Praeger Publishers. ISBN0-275-98092-8.
^Gernet, Jacques (1962). Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, 1250–1276. Translated by H. M. Wright. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN0-8047-0720-0, 136.
^Crosby, Alfred W., Jr. (2003). The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492; 30th Anniversary Edition. Westport: Praeger Publishers. ISBN0-275-98092-8, 200.
Chang, Kwang-chih; Eugene Newton Anderson (1977). Food in Chinese Culture: Anthropological and Historical Perspectives. Yale University Press. ISBN0-300-01938-6