What are the 5 basic tastes in chinese food?

Chinese medicine believes that eating certain flavors can help the five organs function to balance health, as well as to treat diseases and recover from them. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the harmony of the five flavors can not only improve the enjoyment of taste, but it also has the function of achieving balance to promote health, as well as treating diseases and helping to recover from injuries. Minorities tend to be poor, so they prefer to preserve almost everything by pickling it in vinegar to prevent it from being wasted, so most food in these regions tastes sour. According to traditional Chinese medicine, it can contract the intestines, stop diarrhea, promote salivation and quench thirst.

The classics of traditional Chinese medicine always tell us that yin and yang must be balanced in order to be healthy. Visitors to China are always surprised at how cheap eating out can be and how often the average Chinese families enjoy food at a local restaurant. Chinese people pay close attention to the color, smell, taste, and shape of food, and flavor is considered to be the lifeblood of Chinese food. In traditional Chinese medicine, these 5 flavors correspond not only to the real taste, but also to the properties of those flavors and the way they interact with the body.

Chinese sweet condiments mainly include sugar, honey and various jams, which can not only sweeten, but can also enhance flavors and reduce fish and fatness. Food culture in China is truly a way of life, so you can find small restaurants on every street that serve delicious snacks at very affordable prices. The bitter taste is generally the taste of Chinese medicinal food, which is made by adding bitter medicinal herbs. Two representative Chinese spicy dishes are Sichuan stew and Hunan steamed fish head with diced hot red peppers.

It means that the sour taste is good for the liver, the bitter taste is good for the heart, the sweet taste is good for the spleen, the salty taste is good for the kidneys, and the spicy taste is good for the lungs.