Chinese Cuisine: Medicine Cusine

Chinese medicine cuisine is an important part in Chinese cuisine. Its origins can be traced to as early as B.C 1046. It developed in Han Dynasty (A.D 200). In Chinese traditional medicine, medicine can be characterized as 'four properties and five flavors. The ‘'four properties'’ refer to 'cold', 'cool', 'warm', and 'hot', and the 'five flavors' refer to 'spicy', 'sour', 'sweet', 'bitter', and 'salty'. Chinese medical doctors believe that some kinds of food have the 'four properties and five flavors' as well, which can not only serve for meal, but are also beneficial for health. This theory is called 'the homology of medicine and food in traditional Chinese medicine, and this is also the basis for Chinese medicine cuisine.