Kuai (dish)
Encyclopedia
Kuai is an Chinese
dish consisting of finely cut strips of raw fish
or meat
, which is popular and commonly eaten in the early history and dynastic times of China
. According to the Book of Rites (禮記) compiled between 202 BCE–220 CE, kuai consists of small thin slices or strips of raw meat, which are prepared by first thinly slicing the meat and then cutting the thin slices into strips. In modern times, the dishes are more often referred to as "raw fish slices" or as "yusheng
" (魚生, yúshēng). Commonly used fish in ancient times include carp
(鯉) and mandarin fish
(鳜), but salmon
(鮭) is also used in modern times.
Sauces were an essential part of kuai dishes, with green onions
used for preparation of sauces in spring and mustard seed
used for sauces in autumn (膾，春用蔥，秋用芥, Book of Rites). According to many classical texts, kuai served without sauces was deemed inedible and should be avoided (不得其醬不食, Analects).
(1045–256 BC), and are mentioned in the Shi Jing
, Classic of Rites
, Analects of Confucius
, and Mencius
. A related preparation method is xuan (軒), which involve slicing the raw meat in large thin pieces in the manner of carpaccio
, however the term "kuai" was used to refer to this method. Kuai is the preferred preparation of raw beef and lamb, or fish such as the carp, while meats from wild deers and boars were prepared as xuan. Thinness in the slices or strips was an important factor for judging the quality of the dish (膾不厭細, Analects). During this dynasty and the ensuing Warring States Period
kuai made from all fauna were widely consumed.
During the time of the Qin
(221–206 BC) and Han Dynasties
(206 BC–220 CE) kuai made from the meat of land fauna became less popular with the term used to refer more and more to thinly slice raw fish. The dish was widely consumed by all classes and coincides with the appearance of the character "鱠" (kuai) with its fish radical
(魚) during this period (alongside the character 膾 with the "" meat radical). In addition, characters such as "燴" (kuai) with the fire radical were introduced to indicate fish that has grilled to the rare stage
and then thinly sliced, similar to Japanese Tataki
. Indeed kuai and raw fish were so commonly consumed that Ying Shao
(應劭) in his Fengsu TongYi
(風俗通義), a manuscript that described the odd and exotic practices of various cultures and peoples, stated that "In Zhu-A, raw fish is not consumed" (祝、阿不食生魚, chap. 釋忌), alluding to the perceived oddity of not eating fish raw. It is also during this period that the renowned dish jinji yukuai (金齏玉膾) along its accompanying baheji sauce (八和齏) was created (齊民要術 Qi Min Yao Shu
, scroll 8).
Although the dish was not widely consumed during later dynasties in China, it enjoyed a very high status in Chinese cuisine. Chinese physicians of the time sometimes recommended against it due to the very real possibility of serious illness due to fluke
s and other parasitic organisms, however many prominent Chinese individuals (including Cao Zhi
and Chen Deng
) maintained a strong affinity for the dish. It was believed that the application of strongly flavored spice
s such as mustard
or Sichuan pepper
could render the dish safe to consume.
Consumption of kuai in China declined sharply by the time of the Qing Dynasty
. Since that time, most Chinese food has been cooked, though a Chaozhou
dish called yusheng
uses raw fish as its primary ingredient.
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
dish consisting of finely cut strips of raw fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
or meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
, which is popular and commonly eaten in the early history and dynastic times of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. According to the Book of Rites (禮記) compiled between 202 BCE–220 CE, kuai consists of small thin slices or strips of raw meat, which are prepared by first thinly slicing the meat and then cutting the thin slices into strips. In modern times, the dishes are more often referred to as "raw fish slices" or as "yusheng
Yusheng
Yusheng, yee sang or yuu sahng , or Prosperity Toss, also known as lo hei is a Teochew-style raw fish salad. It usually consists of strips of raw fish , mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients...
" (魚生, yúshēng). Commonly used fish in ancient times include carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
(鯉) and mandarin fish
Mandarin fish
The mandarin fish or Chinese perch is a freshwater fish that lives in China. Its back is yellow, green or brown with many irregular black spots and patches. It has a big mouth and small round scales. Mandarin fish live in still water and move to deep water in winter...
(鳜), but salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
(鮭) is also used in modern times.
Sauces were an essential part of kuai dishes, with green onions
Scallion
Scallions , are the edible plants of various Allium species, all of which are "onion-like", having hollow green leaves and lacking a fully developed root bulb.-Etymology:The words...
used for preparation of sauces in spring and mustard seed
Mustard seed
Mustard seeds are the small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are usually about 1 or 2 mm in diameter. Mustard seeds may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are important spices in many regional foods. The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard , brown...
used for sauces in autumn (膾，春用蔥，秋用芥, Book of Rites). According to many classical texts, kuai served without sauces was deemed inedible and should be avoided (不得其醬不食, Analects).
History
Raw fish and meat dishes, know collectively as kuai, were first documented in China in the Zhou DynastyZhou Dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty was a Chinese dynasty that followed the Shang Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty. Although the Zhou Dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in Chinese history, the actual political and military control of China by the Ji family lasted only until 771 BC, a period known as...
(1045–256 BC), and are mentioned in the Shi Jing
Shi Jing
The Classic of Poetry , translated variously as the Book of Songs, the Book of Odes, and often known simply as its original name The Odes, is the earliest existing collection of Chinese poems and songs. It comprises 305 poems and songs, with many range from the 10th to the 7th centuries BC...
, Classic of Rites
Classic of Rites
The Classic of Rites , also known as the Book of Rites, Book of Customs, the Record of Rites, was one of the Chinese Five Classics of the Confucian canon. It described the social forms, governmental system, and ancient/ceremonial rites of the Zhou Dynasty...
, Analects of Confucius
Analects of Confucius
The Analects, or Lunyu , also known as the Analects of Confucius, are considered a record of the words and acts of the central Chinese thinker and philosopher Confucius and his disciples, as well as the discussions they held....
, and Mencius
Mencius
Mencius was a Chinese philosopher who was arguably the most famous Confucian after Confucius himself.-Life:Mencius, also known by his birth name Meng Ke or Ko, was born in the State of Zou, now forming the territory of the county-level city of Zoucheng , Shandong province, only thirty kilometres ...
. A related preparation method is xuan (軒), which involve slicing the raw meat in large thin pieces in the manner of carpaccio
Carpaccio
Carpaccio is a dish of raw meat or fish , thinly sliced or pounded thin and served as an appetizer.- History :...
, however the term "kuai" was used to refer to this method. Kuai is the preferred preparation of raw beef and lamb, or fish such as the carp, while meats from wild deers and boars were prepared as xuan. Thinness in the slices or strips was an important factor for judging the quality of the dish (膾不厭細, Analects). During this dynasty and the ensuing Warring States Period
Warring States Period
The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, or the Warring Kingdoms period, covers the Iron Age period from about 475 BC to the reunification of China under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC...
kuai made from all fauna were widely consumed.
During the time of the Qin
Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...
(221–206 BC) and Han Dynasties
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
(206 BC–220 CE) kuai made from the meat of land fauna became less popular with the term used to refer more and more to thinly slice raw fish. The dish was widely consumed by all classes and coincides with the appearance of the character "鱠" (kuai) with its fish radical
Radical (Chinese character)
A Chinese radical is a component of a Chinese character. The term may variously refer to the original semantic element of a character, or to any semantic element, or, loosely, to any element whatever its origin or purpose...
(魚) during this period (alongside the character 膾 with the "" meat radical). In addition, characters such as "燴" (kuai) with the fire radical were introduced to indicate fish that has grilled to the rare stage
Temperature (meat)
Temperature is a description of how thoroughly cooked a cut of meat is based on the color, juiciness and internal temperature when cooked. The gradations of cooking are most often used in reference to beef but are also applicable to lamb, pork, poultry, veal, and seafood .Gradations, their...
and then thinly sliced, similar to Japanese Tataki
Tataki
Tataki , also called tosa-mi, is a manner of preparing fish or meat in Japanese cuisine. The meat or fish is seared very briefly over a hot flame or pan, briefly marinated in vinegar, sliced thinly and seasoned with ginger .The method originated in Tosa Province, now part of...
. Indeed kuai and raw fish were so commonly consumed that Ying Shao
Ying Shao
Ying Shao , also called Ling Shao in the Shi Yu, style name Zhongyuan , was a Chinese writer and historian of the late Eastern Han period , an author of the famous work Fengsu Tongyi, an encyclopedic work about the folk customs and legends that existed in the Eastern Han state...
(應劭) in his Fengsu TongYi
Fengsu TongYi
Fengsu Tongyi , or "Penetrating Customs", is a book written in about 195AD, by author Ying Shao, who lived during the later Eastern Han period...
(風俗通義), a manuscript that described the odd and exotic practices of various cultures and peoples, stated that "In Zhu-A, raw fish is not consumed" (祝、阿不食生魚, chap. 釋忌), alluding to the perceived oddity of not eating fish raw. It is also during this period that the renowned dish jinji yukuai (金齏玉膾) along its accompanying baheji sauce (八和齏) was created (齊民要術 Qi Min Yao Shu
Qi Min Yao Shu
Qí mín yào shù Qí mín yào shù Qí mín yào shù (TC: 齊民要術; SC: 齐民要术; Literal translation: Main techniques for the welfare of the people） is the most completely preserved of the Ancient Chinese agricultural texts, and was written by the Northern Wei Dynasty official Jia Sixie. The book is believed to...
, scroll 8).
Although the dish was not widely consumed during later dynasties in China, it enjoyed a very high status in Chinese cuisine. Chinese physicians of the time sometimes recommended against it due to the very real possibility of serious illness due to fluke
Trematoda
Trematoda is a class within the phylum Platyhelminthes that contains two groups of parasitic flatworms, commonly referred to as "flukes".-Taxonomy and biodiversity:...
s and other parasitic organisms, however many prominent Chinese individuals (including Cao Zhi
Cao Zhi
Cao Zhi was a poet who lived during the late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. His poetry style, greatly revered during the Jin Dynasty and Southern and Northern Dynasties, came to be known as the Jian'an style....
and Chen Deng
Chen Deng
Chen Deng, style name Yuanlong , was a strategist during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He was the son of Chen Gui.-Biography:...
) maintained a strong affinity for the dish. It was believed that the application of strongly flavored spice
Spice
A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...
s such as mustard
Mustard seed
Mustard seeds are the small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are usually about 1 or 2 mm in diameter. Mustard seeds may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are important spices in many regional foods. The seeds can come from three different plants: black mustard , brown...
or Sichuan pepper
Sichuan Pepper
Sichuan pepper is the outer pod of the tiny fruit of a number of species in the genus Zanthoxylum , widely grown and consumed in Asia as a spice. Despite the name, it is not related to black pepper or to chili peppers...
could render the dish safe to consume.
Consumption of kuai in China declined sharply by the time of the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. Since that time, most Chinese food has been cooked, though a Chaozhou
Chaozhou
Chaozhou is a city in eastern Guangdong province of the People's Republic of China. It borders Shantou to the south, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou to the northwest, the province of Fujian to the east, and the South China Sea to the southeast...
dish called yusheng
Yusheng
Yusheng, yee sang or yuu sahng , or Prosperity Toss, also known as lo hei is a Teochew-style raw fish salad. It usually consists of strips of raw fish , mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients...
uses raw fish as its primary ingredient.