What Is The Main Part Of A Chinese Diet?

As the world knows, rice is synonymous with the Chinese diet. A typical meal in the Chinese food culture generally consists of a source of carbohydrates or starch--rice, noodles or steamed buns--accompanied by any of a wide variety of dishes prepared with vegetables, meat or fruit.

Ancient Texts: The Fives

According to the Weston A. Price Foundation, ancient texts in China "stress the importance of the five flavors (pungent, sour, sweet, bitter and salty); the five grains (wheat, glutinous millet, millet, rice and beans); the five tree fruits (peaches, plums, apricots, chestnuts and dates); the five vegetables (mallows, coarse greens, scallions, onions and leeks); and the five domestic animals (fowl, sheep beef, horses and pigs)."

Rice

Rice was the first grain to be grown in China, and archaeological evidence in southern China confirms it was farmed along the Yang-tse River around 5000 BC. But rice was unable to grow in the colder and drier regions of northern China, where wild millet took root as the dominant grain around 4500 BC. Today, rice continues to rule the diets of the southern Chinese. Wheat-based noodles and steamed buns are more prevalent in the north.

Fruits

The Chinese use two methods for preparing fruit. The first employs sweet and sometimes dessert recipes, in which a particular fruit is the main ingredient. The second is using fruit to infuse meat and vegetable dishes with new flavors, textures, colors and fragrances.

Vegetables

The history of China's vegetable dish culture is long and innovative. Its greatest contribution to the Chinese diet occurred during the Western Han Dynasty, when the invention of protein-rich tofu enhanced the development of vegetable dishes and gave the entire food culture a boost in nutrition.

Meats

Pork and chicken are the most frequently consumed meats in China. Each may be diced, sliced, shredded or ground and added to vegetables and fruits in numerous ways. Multiple ingredients and the time-honored blending of flavors and spices are the foundation of dishes that are tasty, colorful, aromatic and healthy.