Manchu-Han Banquet
This imperial banquet became popular during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and its first record was made in the reign of Qianlong. The method Manchu people used for cooking was usually either toasting or boiling. After their occupation of the Han areas and in order to strengthen their control of the whole country, they promoted a large number of former Han officials, landlords and scholars. At the beginning, in order to satisfy both the Han and the Manchu, banquets during the Qing Dynasty were divided into two forms -- the Han banquet and the Manchu banquet. Different cooking utensils, dinner sets, materials, and cooking methods were used in preparation of the banquets.
Manchu-Han Banquet
In the middle of the Qing Dynasty, the folk customs and cultures of the Manchu and Han became gradually blended. It is said Emperor Qianlong once made an order to allow Han dishes to come to the imperial kitchen, which promoted the development of a Qing Dynasty palace food culture where the two styles became mixed. During the period of Emperor Kangxi and Qianlong, when society and politics were stable and economy was flourishing, luxurious customs became popular. It is said that when Emperor Kangxi first tasted the complete Manchu-Han banquet, and wrote down the four characters -- Man Han Quan Xi (The Complete Manchu-Han Banquet), the banquet hence became popular among the imperial family as well as the nobles and officials.
The materials used to cook the food were varied, and a characteristic of the food was that it looked very beautiful and tasted delicious. As time went on, Mongolian, Hui and Tibetan foods were added in this banquet, so the Complete Manchu-Han Banquet has actually become a multi-ethnic banquet. The exquisite appearance of the food had never been seen before and it became the most colorful and luxurious banquet in Chinese history.
Following the development of cooking methods, courses in the Manchu-Han banquet have undergone considerable changes, its contents have become richer, its appearance has further improved, and today there are more than 200 kinds of courses, including varied materials from the mountains and sea. Indeed this banquet has become a symbol of traditional Chinese culture. Due to the fact that its courses are very rich, it is impossible to eat all the courses at the same sitting, therefore such a banquet is usually eaten at several sittings. It can be eaten for lunch, dinner and supper or some people eat it over a two-day period, others over a three-day period.
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