The history of Chinese food is an interesting one which dates back to 400,000 years; to the era of the Peking Man which started using fire for cooking. Some historians claim that Chinese cuisine was established during the Chinese stone age when people began to produce noodle and to cultivate rice.

Each Chinese dynasty introduced some new innovations, ie. the Zhou dynasty is responsible for the appearance of well-known Chinese food tradition as chopsticks, and the Qing Dynasty is associated with most of today’s Chinese food popular dishes. During the Tang dynasty, stir-frying (a famous Chinese food cooking technique) was created to conserve the fuel.

story specialists, Chinese cuisine has never been so widespread as it is today. They believe that the preparation of food is an art and not simply a craft. The art of cooking Chinese food can include dishes and food preparation techniques which are difficult to develop and may require the expertise of a chef with lots of experience.

Chinese food history experts think there are two basic philosophies that had the biggest effect on Chinese food – Confucianism and Taoism which influence the entire Chinese culture. Both these philosophies have influenced the way that the Chinese people cook and the way that they enjoy their food.

After Confucius standards of etiquette food is cut into small pieces before being served, and there should be no knives on the table. This is a custom that is definitely unique to the Chinese culture. Confucius also emphasized the importance of the texture and color of a dish, and taught that food must be prepared and eaten with harmony.

Taoism focused on such important concepts as healing powers of food and its healthiness; they search for foods that will increase their health and longevity. In this way, Chinese discovered using ginger as a garnish and a good remedy for upset stomach and cold.