Today’s Menu: Zhajiangmian 炸酱面
Thick wheat noodles topped with zhajiang sauce (made by stir frying ground pork or beef with soybean paste), sliced cucumbers, carrots and radish
A Brief History
Zhajiangmian originated from Shandong province and it is an iconic Northern Chinese dish, since wheat products are characteristic of Northern China. It is termed as one of the ‘top ten noodle dishes’ in China. The origins of zhajiangmian is not clear, but there are folktales [1] that tell how Empress Dowager Cixi, who was a picky eater, fell in love with zhajiangmian (though she termed it as “杂酱面” instead of 炸酱面) during their escape from the Imperial Palace to Xi’an, following the Eight Nation Alliance [2].
The northern origins of zhajiangmian is not surprising, due to the importance of wheat products such as noodles in the region In fact, the earliest empirical evidence of noodles found was at Lajia, an archaeological site in Northwest China [3]. They were found to be dated 4000 years ago, made using two kinds of millet, which was a grain native to China. This is prior to the first written documentation, Mozi, which indicated the existence of the bing during the fourth and second centuries B.C. [4]
In the North, there is a common custom, known as the lao beijing ming feng xi su (老北京民风习俗) [5], that relates noodles to the three different stages of life. Also known as xi san mian (洗三面), literally translated as ‘wash three noodles’, this phrase means the following [6]:
- On the third day of the birth of a newborn, conduct a xi san (洗三) ritual, where family and friends are invited to eat noodles (of the newborn) to wish the newborn a long life.
- From then onwards, every year on his/her birthday, they ought to eat chang shou mian (长寿面) or longevity noodles to get well wishes and good fortune.
- On the third day after his/her death, family and friends should eat jie san mian (接三面), which represents the unbreaking ties between the dead and his/her family and friends.
Zhajiangmian Today
Social Role
Interestingly, the xi san mian custom mentioned above still remains prevalent in Chinese societies today. Noodles play an important role as it has become a symbol for different phases of one’s life. At birthdays, the Chinese eat longevity noodles (长寿面), while at the time of marriage, they eat noodles with gravy (打卤面), which represents flavored life. [7]
Migration of Zhajiangmian
The Koreans adopted the zhajiangmian and named it the jajangmyeon, which is one of its national dishes today. Instead of soybean paste used in zhajiangmian, fermented black bean paste is used as the sauce in the Korean version. The origin [8] of the jajangmyeon can be traced to the opening of Incheon Port in 1883, which led to the migration of Chinese people from Shandong (the east coast of Shandong province is only about 700km from the west coast of South Korea [9]). As such, Incheon became the birthplace of the jajangmyeon.
Modern Manufacturing Process
With technological advancement and industrial revolution, the manufacturing process of noodles have changed from being hand-made to machine-made. In addition, with reduced transportation costs, it is now increasingly easy to find wide varieties of food in every corner of China [10], instead of being solely limited to the big cities (which was the case in the past). In 1958, the invention of instant noodles by Momofuku Ando further revolutionized the eating habits of people all around the world [11]. Instant noodles now dominate aisles of supermarkets all over the world, especially in China. In 2013, the total consumption of instant noodles in the world was 105.59 billion, and China ranked top for a total consumption of 46.22 billion bags [12]. As seen in the picture below, Zhajiangmian (or jajangmyeon) can now be enjoyed within 3 minutes, in the form of instant noodles. This is a huge decrease from the total cooking time for zhajiangmian (which increases to a few days if one were to hand made the noodles). Perhaps this is why instant zhajiangmian has become so much more appealing in modern societies, where less time and greater convenience is preferred.
Nutritional Benefits
People’s perception of food has evolved over the years, from being a source of energy to avoid hunger in the past, to desiring high quality and safe, nutritious food [13]. With the end of the one-child policy in China, as well as the increased awareness of food safety and nutrition among the population, there is now a greater demand for nutritious food in China. In the case of Zhajiangmian, the nutritional value varies accordingly to the proportion of noodles, poultry, oil and gravy.
Traditionally, noodles are considered cereal food, which should take the largest bulk of the diet as it is the main source of energy. However, with greater affluence and mindset change (where cereal food such as noodles and rice are considered inferior to animal meat), consumption of animal products have far exceeded that of cereal food. According to a report on the status of nutrition of Chinese residents in 2015, the daily fat intake of Chinese residents was too much, at more than 30% of total dietary energy [14]. As such, adhering to the traditional way of eating more cereal does appear to be a healthier choice (perhaps we should ask for more noodles and less meat when we order zhajiangmian). The gravy in the zhajiangmian is also high in fat and salt, hence we should add the gravy sparingly [15]. Vegetables, such as sliced cucumber and carrots, should also be added to increase the nutritional value of the dish. One should also note that the nutritional value of instant zhajiangmian is likely to be much lower, especially with the addition of food preservatives.
Link to Youtube Video of Zhajiangmian Recipe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFGQnSt4J4s
References:
[1] 刘辉, 2016. 老北京吃面习俗：二伏面、送亲面、洗三面、生日面. [Online]
Available at: http://www.chinanews.com/cul/2016/03-10/7792060.shtml
[Accessed 18 10 2019].
[2] Dillon, M., 2016. Encyclopedia of Chinese History. In: s.l.:Taylor & Francis, p. 124.
[3] Roach, J., 2005. 4,000-Year-Old Noodles Found in China. [Online]
Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/4-000-year-old-noodles-found-in-china/
[Accessed 18 10 2019].
[4] Serventi, Silvano., and Françoise Sabban. “9. China: Pasta’s Other Homeland.” Trans. Shugaar, Anthony. Pasta: The Story of a Universal Food. Columbia University Press, 2002. 271-311
[5] 曲小月, 2008. 老北京民风习俗——老北京的民情与礼俗. Beijing: Beijing Book Co. Inc..
[6] Translated from: 所谓洗三面，就是小孩子刚出生第三天，举办个“洗三”仪式，亲戚朋友来吃孩子的面条，祝福他“长命百岁”；以后每年过生日，都得吃“长寿面”“挑寿”，意思是祝福他“福寿绵长”；人死之后的第三天，亲戚朋友要吃“接三面”，意思是表示对死者的感情连绵不断
[7] Zhang, N. & Ma, G., 2016. Noodles, traditionally and today. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 3(3), pp. 210.
[8] Hyang, K. K., 2009. [캠페인]자장면에 한국 이미지를 가미하자. [Online]
Available at: http://weekly.khan.co.kr/khnm.html?mode=view&code=115&artid=19517
[Accessed 18 10 2019].
[9] Hayes, J. L., 2017. Korea’s ‘Black Day’ noodle dish and its Chinese roots. [Online]
Available at: https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/2077137/koreas-black-day-noodle-dish-and-its-chinese
[Accessed 18 10 2019].
[10] Meng, S. & Jen, J. J., 2017. Development of the Food Industry in China. Food Safety in China: Science, Technology, Management and Regulation, Chapter 4, p. 46.
[11] Zhao, G., 2005. The story of instant noodles created by hunger. J China Agric, Volume 28, p. 24.
[12] Anon., 2013. Investigation on the current situation of processed food in market (Korea), s.l.: The South Korean Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Livestock.
[13] Meng, S. & Jen, J. J., 2017. Development of the Food Industry in China. Food Safety in China: Science, Technology, Management and Regulation, Chapter 4, p. 45.
[14] Jotheeswaran, A. T., 2015. Report of the status of nutrition and chronic diseases of Chinese residents, s.l.: World Health Organization.
[15] Zhang, N. & Ma, G., 2016. Noodles, traditionally and today. Journal of Ethnic Foods, 3(3), pp. 212.