Hu Sihui (Fourteenth Century)
Hu Sihui was a nutritionist active in China in the fourteenth century during the Yuan Dynasty. His origin is unclear (possibly Chinese or Mongol), but it is known that he had been appointed to the royal court office in the period 1314–20, ultimately rising to the position of Royal Dietician.
He wrote the well-known text Yinshan Zhengyao, or The True Principles of Eating and Drinking, a work of three chapters containing 219 recipes, of which most, though certainly not all, have some perceived medical or therapeutic value. The work was presented to the emperor in 1330.43 The first chapter includes a section on ‘Rare and Precious Dishes’ containing ninety-five recipes.44 The second chapter includes recipes for various infusions/liquid foods, with notes on their therapeutic value; a section on ‘food for immortals’, i.e. diets to allow extreme longevity; food for the seasons; the five tastes (moderation is advised here, e.g. too salty a diet should be avoided); and a section on foods as remedies for the sick, among others. The third chapter is an illustrated compilation of different food types, which includes eight seasonings and twenty-eight flavourings. Sabban notes that the most frequently used condiments were scallions, ginger, vinegar, a non-specified amomum, pepper, coriander and tangerine peel, which may be typical of the fourteenth century in China. Cosmopolitan influences were common, e.g. meat coated in asafoetida then browned in ‘Arab fat’ or mastic soup, also Middle Eastern; foreign words sometimes were used in recipes to add a certain glamour and appeal, and the exoticism of imported spices added to this effect. Asafoetida, used in several dishes, is a popular Indian and West Asian spice. In addition to those listed above, spices included dill, galingale, turmeric, saffron, fagara, black pepper, long pepper, mustard, basil, cinnamon, cardamom, mastic, camphor, fenugreek, sesame and nard. Many of these spices are non-native to China and would have been imported; interestingly, pepper seems to have been used in preference to the native fagara, probably because of its greater pungency. Alkanet and saffron were also used to colour food.More on the topic Hu Sihui (Fourteenth Century):
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