The diet in ancient times only had “cooking” but no “conditioning”.

Until the Yanhuang era 5000 years ago, the ancients began to make salt;

Until the early Neolithic age, the ancients began to use the sour taste of plums as seasoning;

Until the Xia and Shang Dynasties, wine also appeared in the cooking of the ancients to increase the aroma of food.

Since then, the food is no longer bland , but with the most basic salty, sour taste and bouquet. The wheel of time has turned to the present, and there are various compound seasonings, which have developed from single seasonings to compound seasonings, spanning more than 5,000 years.

Looking closely at the development history of seasonings, we can see that food technology has been developing, and modern people are increasingly pursuing health and deliciousness , Ordinary seasoning can no longer satisfy our picky taste.

First Generation Seasoning

After the application of salt, plum and wine in food seasoning, seasonings such as sauce, vinegar, fermented bean curd and natural spices such as chili, star anise and fennel appeared in ancient times. The ancients used these as daily condiments in cooking . Although these condiments have a single taste, they can also be used together to bring out a good taste. They have been used in the widest range and prevailed for the longest time in the history of our country for thousands of years, and they are still very important today. of seasonings.

Second generation Seasoning

Until the 1870s, my country’s food industry technology began to develop rapidly, and food practitioners were able to use modern industrial equipment from seafood, Some high-concentration seasonings are extracted from natural foods such as plants, such as monosodium glutamate, steviol glycosides, agar, edible gelatin, lycopene, etc., which can be used in cooking, or added to the first generation as food additives Seasoning, to increase the umami, sweetness or coloring effect of the seasoning, these are collectively referred to as the second-generation seasoning.

Third Generation Seasoning

After entering the 1890s,Single seasonings began to move towards compound seasonings. In addition to adding appropriate amount of food additives to increase the seasoning effect, It also uses two or more kinds of raw materials, which are made by special techniques.Steamed fish soy sauce, straw mushroom dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, etc., which are often used in the family, as well as hot pot base ingredients used in restaurants, Sichuan cuisine stir-fried seasoning, concentrated broth, etc. are all third-generation seasonings, which can provide food with more diversified flavors and richer taste.

Fourth Generation Seasoning

After entering the millennium, consumers are paying more and more attention to food safety issues. In addition to higher requirements for the seasoning effect of condiments, they pay more attention to seasoning food additivesAs a result, new condiments such as “0 additive” soy sauce and “180-day sun-dried” soy sauce appeared. These new condiments have different production processes or use different raw materials, and they satisfy consumers’ desire for health and delicious food. demand.

It can be said that the fourth-generation seasoning is based on the third-generation seasoning and minimizes the use of food additives. Use more concentrated and refined raw materials of the same origin as medicine and food to match the existing common condiments, to maintain more nutrients in the raw materials, and return the seasoning to a fresher, healthier and more delicious state , such as concentrated chicken paste, sea shrimp essence, concentrated mushroom extract, perilla essential oil, etc. are commonly used accessories for the fourth-generation seasoning.

From the initial “tasteless” to only “salty and sour “Two flavors, the present “sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty” has five flavors. While satisfying our needs for taste, seasonings also imperceptibly promote the progress of cooking skills and food civilization. People have endless aftertaste.