This is a list of historical Chinese sources referring to Chinese cuisine. Not long after the expansion of the Chinese Empire during the Qin dynasty (221207 BC) and Han dynasty (202 BC220 AD), Chinese writers noted the great differences in culinary practices among people from different parts of the realm. These differences followed to a great extent the varying climate and availability of foodstuffs in China.
Pre-Han dynasty Documents compiled before 206BC. Title Chinese name Date Author Description (Notes and Commentaries on the Rites of Zhou)Government officialsAn annotated version of the Rites of Zhou (Ceremonies and Rites with Commentaries)Banquet rites, single food offering rites, secondary food offering rites, and other rites mentioned (Book of Rites)Eight different delicacies and others are mentioned. (Master Lü's Spring and Autumn [Annals]) during the Qin dynastyUnder the patronage of Lü BuweiAn encyclopedic Chinese classic text compilation (Basic Taste) (The Four Groups Practice Calendar)mid 2ADEastern Han dynasty Minister Official Que ShiA book of mainly agricultural practices where food related topics are partially mentioned
Pre-Sui states Documents from before the Sui dynasty (581–618). TitleChinese nameDateAuthor Description (Classic of Poetry)1000–600BCNorthern Wei dynasty Lu ShiA collection of poetry from the 11th to 7th centuriesBC (Plants of the Southern Regions)Claims to have been completed in 304AD. Often considered a Song-era forgery.Western Jin dynasty scholar and botanist Ji Han ()Chinese subtropical flora (Book of Birds)The naming of birds with their characteristics and other elements (Food record)Northern and Southern dynasties eraYu CongRecipe book with a focus on southern cuisine (Essential Methods of the Common People)Alternative translations are Important Arts for the People's Welfare, The Manual of Important Arts for the People, Essential Techniques of Keeping Order among the Common People, The Art of Feeding the People, Important Technology for the People's Welfare, or Essential Farming Skills of the People of Qi.533 and 544BCNorthern Wei dynasty official Jia SixieAncient Chinese agricultural textsNeedham, 1995, p. 189Wenhua Li, 2001 Agro-Ecological Farming Systems in China Taylor & Francis, p. 26 -27 (Section of Volumes 1–7)
Sui dynasty Documents compiled during the Sui dynasty (581–618).
TitleChinese nameDateAuthor Description (Book of Foods)Sui dynasty Xie FengThe book collects 53 cuisines of various types from the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Sui Dynasty. (Excerpts of Books in the Northern Hall)Joseph Needham, Donald B. Wagner, Ling Wang (2008) Science and Civilisation in China Cambridge University Press, p. 372 Yu Shinan, an official and calligrapherThe oldest surviving leishu, which is a kind of Chinese reference book or encyclopedia. Includes a chapter covering beverages and foods.
Tang dynasty Documents compiled during the Tang dynasty (618–907).
TitleChinese nameDateAuthorDescription (Encyclopedia of Arts and Letters)Ouyang Xun, a calligrapherА poetic encyclopedia; book 72 covers food. (Essential Formulas Worth a Thousand Gold)Sun Simiao, known as the King of MedicineAlong with Qian Jin Yi Fang (Supplement to the Formulas Worth a Thousand Gold), both significantly contributed to the development of Chinese medicine. Book 26 refers to food treatments. (Recipe Manuals)Wei JuyuanA menu from a banquet hosted by Wei Juyuan to thank the emperor for his promotion. It lists 58 dishes and includes descriptions of their cooking methods and ingredients.Wilkinson, 2002, p.649 (Materia Medica for Successful Dietary Therapy)Alternative translations are Pharmacopoeia of Foods for Treating Illness, Nutritional Therapy; a Pharmacopoeia of Natural History or Health Food and Curative Herbs684 or701704 and 721–739Meng Shen and Zhang DingPeng Yoke Ho, F. Peter Lisowski Concepts of Chinese science and traditional healing arts p.35The earliest complete dietary work. Based on Meng Shen's book Buyang fang (Prescription to Replenish and Nourish), Zhang Ding expanded it and renamed it as such. (Fragment) (The Classic of Tea)written between 760 and 780Lu YuThe very first monograph on tea in the world that records Chinese methods of tea cultivation and preparation (Note on Brewing Tea)An alternative translation is "Record of Waters for Boiing Tea"Zhang Youxin (), a tea expertDiscusses the way of tea brewing and suggests a trend towards more study of teaGleaming Qing Ming—Exhibition of China Tea Culture Literature Tea Cultural Museum of Macao (A Revised Mirror for the Dietitian)published in 850UnknownFood therapyPeiwen Li, Li Peiwen (2003) Management of Cancer with Chinese Medicine Donica Publishing Limited, p. 353 (Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang)published approximately in 853Duan ChengshiA miscellany of Chinese and foreign legends and hearsay, reports on natural phenomena, short anecdotes, and tales of the wondrous and mundane, as well as notes on such topics as medicinal herbs, tattoos, wine and foods. (Strange Southern Ways of Men and Things)written between 889 and 904Liu Xun ()A book documenting the climate, environment, products, and customs of southern China during the Tang Dynasty. More than 60% of its content is related to food, including descriptions of ingredients, unique delicacies, cooking and dining utensils, and culinary customs.August Johan Bernet Kempers The kettledrums of Southeast Asia p. 179Joseph Needham, Colin A. Ronan The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China p. 251 (The Manuscript of the Diet Minister's Classic)856Yang YezhuanIntroduces many formulae for diet therapyLosso, 2007 p. 102
Song dynasty Documents compiled during the Song dynasty (960–1279). The population of China doubled in size during the 10th and 11th centuries. This growth came through expanded rice cultivation in central and southern China, the use of early-ripening rice from southeast and southern Asia, and the production of abundant food surpluses.Ebrey et al. 1999, p. 156Brook, 1998, p. 96
TitleChinese nameDateAuthorDescription (Chef's Manuals)Southern SongZheng Wang ()A cookbook consists of 14 entries with descriptions of the processing and preparation of delicaciesJoseph Needham, Ling Wang Science and Civilisation in China p. 127 (Records of the Unworldly and the Strange)950Tao GuA collection of more than 600 historical records and anecdotes spanned from Sui, Tang, the Five Dynasties and the early Song dynasty, under 37 categories including fine cuisines, vegetables, and fruits. (Imperial Readings of the Taiping Era)977 to 983Li FangAn encyclopedia (Volumes 843–867 are on diets) (Treatise on Bamboo Shoots)Zang Ning, a monkRecorded 98 kinds of bamboo shoot about heir names and aliases, characteristics, cultivation, tastes, processing and preservation methods (Vegetarian Recipes from the Study of the True Heart) Association française d'études chinoises (1997) Etudes chinoises L'Association, p. 1013th centuryLists 20 vegetarian foods with recipes. (The Simple Foods of the Mountain Folk)Alternative translations are Pure Dinner at a Mountain House, or The Simple Life of a Mountain Dweller.13th centuryLin HongThis cookbook introduces food and beverages of hermits in the mountains and usages of sugar in cookery.Mazumdar, p. 29 It also mentions a cultural proverb related to pasta.Published in 1646Lin HongTao ZongyiTao Ting. (Five Considerations When Scholar-officials Eat)*between 1045 and 1105 Huang Tingjian, a calligrapherDeals with five points of etiquette for (gentlemen or officials) when eating meatHuang, Tingjian, 1045–1105 City University of Hong Kong Prof. Jo Mun-su (조문수교수) 궁중음식 Jeju University (A New Book on Supporting Parents for Longevity)An alternative translation is New Writings on Fostering the Longevity and Nourishing the Old Age of One's Parents1307Zou XuanA book mainly discusses the knowledge and methods of health care for the elderly, including dietary management, food preparation and other health care contents. 2005 元史论丛/第十辑/元代社会文化暨元世祖忽必烈国际学术研讨会论文集 p. 407Fabrizio Pregadio The encyclopedia of Taoism p. 269 (The Wine Classic of North Mountain)between 1535 and 1615Zhu Gong (朱肱)The first book extant entirely focused on wine and wine makingCatharina Yung-Kang Wang Ang, KeShun Liu, Yao-Wen Huang 1999 Asian foods: science & technology CRC Press, p. 389 Bob Flaws 1994 Chinese Medicinal Wines & Elixirs Blue Poppy Enterprises, Inc., p. 15 (Fine Dishes Notes)Song DynastyUnnamed royal kitchen servantA list of fine dishes served as daily meals to the princes of Emperor Lizong. (The Record of Tea)Cai XiangA renowned tea bookKit Boey Chow, Ione Kramer, 1990 All the tea in China China Books, p. 8 (Note on the Lychee)1059Cai XiangThe first monograph on any fruit tree written by a Chinese writer, in which over 30 varieties of fruit are mentioned including the lycheePeter Valder, 1999 The Garden Plants of China Timber Press p. 301 International Conference on the History of Science in East Asia, Alan Kam-leung Chan, Gregory K. Clancey, Hui-Chieh Loy, 2001 Historical perspectives on East Asian science, technology, and medicine World Scientific p. 173 (Dongxi Tea Tasting Record)circa 1064Song Zi'anA record of tasting teas from various origins in the region of today's Fujian, and analyzing their making process (Essentials in Tea Tasting)1075Huang RuA collection of 10 articles on practices that should be avoided in tea making, and the influence of geographical conditions on tea quality (Note on Oranges)1178Han Yanzhi|A record of 27 citrus species around Wenzhou and their characteristics and cultivation methods (Book of Crystal Sugar)1154Wang ZhuoThe first ancient Chinese monograph on sugarcane cultivation and cane sugar production methodsXuanhe Era Tea Tribute from Beiyuan1121-1125Xiong FanA record of 41 tea products from Fujian offered as tribute to Emperor Huizong of Song1186Zhao RuliA supplement descriptive record to Xuanhe Era Tea Tribute from Beiyuan (Notes on Crabs)1059Fu GongThe earliest records of knowledges on crabs in China (Crab Charts)Southern SongGao SisunA collection of knowledges and cultures about crabs in China as of Song Dynasty (Mushroom Manual)Southern SongChen RenyuA documentation of 11 species of edible mushrooms, the earliest of its kind in China1127Meng Yuanlao 1126–1147Journal of daily life in Kaifeng of 1102~1125 (The Famous Sages of the Capital)1235Nai De WengDescriptively recorded the life of the citizens and the prosperity of commerce in Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song DynastyZhou MiRecollections of past urban life in Lin'an, the capital of the Southern Song dynasty (Marketplaces and Shops in Southern Song)Zhou MiOriginally a volume of Wulin jiu shi, recorded all kinds of markets and shops in Lin'an. (Records of Dreams of Glory)Wu ZimuFrom the imperial court ceremonies to commoner's diet and daily life, another recollections of Lin'an.Madame WuThe earliest Chinese cookbook written by a woman and one of the first to mention the use of soy sauce or or A record of the urban life in Lin'an, similar to the Ducheng jisheng
Jin dynasty Documents compiled during the Jin dynasty (1115–1234). TitleChinese nameDateAuthorDescription (Materia Medica on Food)Li Gao (), a major medical scholar of the timeLosso, 2007, p. 102A compilation of the rich documents on food as medicine in China as of the Ming dynasty.
Yuan dynasty During the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), contacts with the West also brought the introduction to China of a major food crop, sorghum, along with other foreign food products and methods of preparation.