[Chinese Culture Pickup] When did the chopsticks originate?

Author:Overseas Chinese University Time:2022.09.24

The rice was grasped with my hands

There is a picture of Confucius when I was reading in the comic painting when I was in elementary school: Confucius was sitting on a straw mat, using a dwarf table like a table, but the tableware was basically the same as now, and he used chopsticks to eat. I didn't feel any questions at the time, and maybe many people don't think there is a problem in it now.

According to the "Historical Records", King Shang Ye (about the 11th century BC) first used ivory chopsticks. But archeological excavations show that chopsticks can only be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period. Regardless of when the chopsticks start, even if the people in the Confucius have begun to use chopsticks, their usage methods should be very different from the present.

"Han Feizi · Foreign Reserve Says the bottom left" records a quite interesting story: One day, Confucius met the La Gong of Lu Guo and sat down at the position he was nearby. Ai Gong gave Confucius Peach and Mi, please eat Confucius. Confucius first ate rice rice and then eat peaches. The people around him smiled secretly. Ai Gong said to Confucius: "The rice rice is not used to eat, but to remove the hair on the peach." Confucius replied: "I know this rule, but the rice is the highest position in the grain. Used as the premium sacrifice. And the peaches are the lowest of the six kinds of fruits, and they must not enter the ancestral temple when sacrificing their ancestors. I heard that gentlemen wipe their distinguished things with low things without hearing that they did not hear that the way to reverse the practice. . Now using the grain -headed rice to wipe the last peach in the fruits, it will turn up and down. This is against the righteousness. I can't do that. "

For the time being, regardless of whether Confucius is to persuade Lu Ai to say this, or he does not know the luxury of the nobles, he can find an unexpected fact from this plot: the rice that is used to remove the peach hair, you should not be equipped with chopsticks with chopsticks. Essence In this case, Confucius grabbed the rice with his hands, which may be the method of dining at the time. If you eat with chopsticks like this at the time, Confucius will not grab the rice with his hands to eat.

Chopsticks are used for picking dishes

"Book of Rites · Qu Li" records the correct practice of meals of rice rice- "The rice does not use the rice". Obviously, when eating rice rice, there is no need for chopsticks. Do not handle. "

There is such a record in the Book of Rites. When dining with people with high status, because they will eat rice in the same foodware, at this time, they cannot rub their hands. In this regard, the Confucianist Kong Yingda (574-648) of the Confucianist in the Tang Dynasty explained that the ancients had to eat with their hands. When eating with others, their hands must be clean. If you rub your hands before eating, you will be considered to be unclean, and you will be despised by people who eat together.

In addition, when dining with guests or people at high status, the meal could not be pinched into a group. At this point, Kong Yingda also explained: When eating rice in the same foodware, if you pinch the rice into a group, you will get more, so that it will give people a impression of food for food and cause personal image damage. But this just refers to the etiquette when dining with others. It is not a big deal to do so when eating alone. According to "Lu's Spring and Autumn · Shen Da", Zhao Xiangzi, the prince, was pinched into a group.

This ancient custom has even been left in Jiangnan. There is a breakfast food called "rice rice". Generally, it can only be eaten on the popular restaurant or roadside stalls. The glutinous rice and japonica rice are mixed in a certain proportion and steamed in the steamer. The fritters or sugar are squeezed into a group and sent to the guests. This kind of food is eating with hands without chopsticks, and eating is similar to Japanese rice balls. However, in recent years, this kind of food is rare, and more common is the Japanese -style rice ball supplied by convenience stores.

The Book of Rites records that people do not need chopsticks during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period. When taking vegetables, use chopsticks; when drinking hot soup, use chopsticks when eating vegetables in the soup. Soups that are not added without adding vegetables do not need chopsticks. But in modern China, people usually use spoon to drink soup. Interestingly, there are similar eating habits on the Korean Peninsula. When the Korean people eat, they use spoon without chopsticks, and use chopsticks when taking vegetables. When drinking soup, only chopsticks are used when there are vegetables in the soup. This dietary habit seems to inherit the legacy of the Spring and Autumn Period.

The sources of food and food are far away

In modern China, many people are accustomed to picking vegetables in the same utensil when they eat on the same table. But the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period are different. The rice is in the same tableware, and the dishes are divided into pots, similar to the current food system in Japan.

There is such a record in "Disciples of Disciples": "Everyone is thorough, such as guests." It can prove that the way of dining at that time was a food system. In addition, when the teachers dine, the disciples who serve must continue to inspect and continue to add food to the teacher according to the situation. If rice and dishes are taken from a food device, they cannot serve like this.

According to the description in "Pipe", as well as the description in the "Book of Rites" earlier, it can be inferred that the habits at the time were like this: the usual catering, good meals, dishes, are all foods. But if you come to the guests, the rice is prepared in the same vessel for everyone to share, and the dishes are basically one person.

The meal and dishes on the table also have detailed regulations. According to the Book of Rites, when you persuade me to eat, the rice is placed on the left side of the eating person, the soup is placed on the right side, and the fish and grilled meat are placed outside. The seasonings such as vinegar and salt are placed on the inside, and the onion and other materials are placed on the outside.

In addition, the meat dishes are placed on the left, and the whole piece of meat is placed on the right.From the perspective of the method of seasoning and materials, this is obviously a person's food case.From the perspective of the dishes on the table, it can also be inferred that the way of dining at that time was eaten.In addition, there is a certain order of serving.It is also "Tuzi Disciples", which is recorded: the correct order of serving is the dish of poultry or domestic animals, and then the vegetable soup, and finally the meal comes to the end.This also describes the etiquette of how the disciples should serve if they are dining.From this point of view, daily diet may be similar to the above descriptions.

This article is excerpted from "Chinese History on the Table" (published by CITIC Publishing Group, Zhang Jing) The picture comes from the Internet