Library

Among Yuan Mei's many hobbies, good food, good friends, good travel, and good house repairs are all related to his delicious food. His chef was Wang Xiaoyu, a generation of famous chefs, and the two had a deep "knowledge" of each other; he made many friends and traveled far and wide, and was able to taste delicious food; Suiyuan, where he lived in seclusion after resigning, is a famous local food production base. Yuan Mei admires the way of eating. Forty years of gastronomic practice have made him understand and follow the rules on the selection and matching of food ingredients, the use of condiments, the control of cooking heat, eating requirements and steps. In "Suiyuan Food List", Yuan Mei describes in interesting language 326 kinds of northern and southern dishes, meals, and fine wines and teas that were popular from the 14th to the 18th century. It not only shares food experience and production techniques, but also summarizes food theories. It can be called a cook's treasure book and a tasting guide for experienced gourmets. The theories put forward in the book such as the best original taste, moderate harmony, and dietary hygiene still have strong guiding and reference significance for today's food culture and health thinking. The criticism of some bad habits in food preparation and dining tables is enough to make people wake up.