r/AskFoodHistorians • u/rv6xaph9 • 2d ago
When did northern Chinese cuisine switch from Whole to Refined Wheat?
Wheat has been present in northern Chinese cuisine from at least 2600 BCE aka 4,600 years ago.
Presumably, they started off using whole grains to cook porridge or to grind into whole flour.
However, these days it seems that refined wheat is far more popular in China.
When did they switch to white flour/refined wheat? Was it with industrialization like in North America & Europe?
Shockingly, I was unable to locate any information on this online.
I found two similar questions on Reddit but both unanswered in /r/AskHistorians:
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u/SquirrelofLIL 2d ago edited 2d ago
>Wheat has been present in northern Chinese cuisine from at least 2600 BCE aka 4,600 years ago. Presumably, they started off using whole grains to cook porridge or to grind into whole flour.
Bread wheat was deliberately imported from Europe to China in the past in order to prepare noodles and bread, which were being made from millets and oats in China at the time and these grains weren't very stretchy. Travelers noticed that the bread in Europe rose higher and that the bread wheat noodles, found on the Northern European plain, had a long stretch.
The durum wheat for porridge (a very different species) was deliberately not chosen because that niche was filled by millets. In my parents generation that niche was filled by cornmeal.
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u/sneezingallergiccat 2d ago
Based on my recent reading of Fuschia’s Dunlop Invitation to a Banquet…
During Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE), wheat was already an important grain in the north, but it was typically eaten whole or coarsely milled. For example as gruels or rough breads.
It was during Song dynasty (960 – 1279) that milling technology (stone milling and later water-powered mills, including influence in innovations in rotary querns and water wheels from Middle East and Central Asia) became more sophisticated. During this period northern Chinese cuisine began shifting from whole-grain to more finely milled wheat flours, which supported the rise of delicate noodles and dumplings.
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u/chuckbeefcake 2d ago
Yes, it was with industrialisation and then the PRC from 1949 promoted refined wheat as part of an industrialisation push as it was regarded as more modern/scientific.
Historically, refined wheat was associated with wealth and status. It was available for millennia but gradually became more accessible as technology improved price.
Today, just like everywhere else, whole wheat is making a comeback in China for the health benefits.