The Historical Evolution Of Traditional Chinese Fermented Food ’Zha’

This article used the literati’s notes,official histories,miscellaneous histories and biographies,agricultural books,and local chronicles as the basic materials,and through the methods of excerpting,listing and collating,and horizontal and vertical comparison.The erroneous and ambiguous temporal positioning of the origin of ‘Zha’ in the pre-Qin period or the Qin and Han dynasties is corrected,a clear conceptual distinction is made between ‘Zha’and ‘Zu’,an accurate and evolving definition of ‘Zha’ is redefined,and the developmental flow of the types of ingredients and production processes of ‘Zha’ in various periods of Chinese history is sorted out.This article determined that ‘Zha’ was produced in In the Eastern Han Dynasty.It was initially a fish fermented food brewed with salt and rice(grits)as auxiliary ingredients and fish as the main ingredient.During the Wei,Jin and North and South Dynasties,the production technology of ‘Zha’ was basically mature and the range of raw materials was expanded,and preserved pork appeared at this time.In addition to salt and rice(grits),seasonings such as orange peel,cornelian and wine also became auxiliary ingredients for ‘Zha’.The number of literary works about ‘Zha’ increased significantly,and people began to consciously give meaning to ‘Zha’ other than food,such as using ‘Zha’ to imply integrity,sending ‘Zha’ to pay for the faraway.From the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the Song and Yuan Dynasties,the development of ‘Zha’ reached its peak,with fish,livestock,melons and vegetables becoming the raw materials for ‘Zha’.Rice,grits,quills and wine also being used as auxiliary ingredients for ‘Zha’.The close connection between ‘Zha’ and people’s social life reflects the pursuit of exquisite food life,the coexistence of frugal and extravagant social customs,the carrying of people’s emotional attachment and cultural identity,and the metaphorical power order.Breaking away from the previous status of ‘Zha’ as an accessory in the narration of socio-historical events,the researcher seeks to explore the reasons behind the association of ‘Zha’ products with social life and the impact on social customs,cultural psychology,and other aspects.From the Ming and Qing dynasties to the modern era,‘Zha’ was in decline.The types of ‘Zha’ and methods of making them basically followed those of the previous generation,but the fermentation of rice and grits was gradually replaced by the fermentation of wine and dregs as auxiliary ingredients.In particular,wine and dregs not only made ‘Zha’ easy to use,but also had a unique flavor,and in the late Qing Dynasty,the folk of Jiangsu and Zhejiang gradually called ‘Zha’ as ‘Zaoyu’.In addition,Li Yu,Yuan Mei and other gourmand advocated the concept of pursuing the fresh taste of food during this period,and ‘Zha’gradually receded from the stage of history.This paper pays attention to the new change of using wine and lees to make ‘Zha’ in the Qing Dynasty,and analyzes the deeper reasons for the gradual decline of ‘Zha’ in terms of the development of production technology and the progress of dietary concepts,pointing out that ‘Zha’ products have lost their shape and kept their spirit,not disappearing completely,but appearing in another ‘deformed’ form,which is a useful addition to the study of preserved fermented food.To this day,‘Zha’ is mostly found in the minority areas of southwest China,with meat and vegetables as raw materials and rice grits and rice flour as auxiliary ingredients,and is mostly eaten as a home-cooked dish and as a food for the New Year festival.