As a big gastronomic country, China has a long history of gastronomic culture. Whether it is flying in the sky, running on the ground, or swimming in the water, it can be turned into a delicacy on the table of Chinese.
Once if there was a report that a country was invaded by alien organisms, the first thing netizens would think of was: "Don't be afraid, let it come to China, let the Chinese foodies solve it."
But did you know that the Chinese, who do not refuse flowers, birds, fish and insects, only do not eat these five animals?
Why can these five animals be kept away from the Chinese diet?
Let's take a look at who they are today.
OneCats
Although cats are very common, it is rare to hear of people eating them. Is it because it's a domestic pet? Not really.
Dogs, who are also favored in the pet world, are called "dog meat can't be on the table", but there are still many people who eat dog meat.
In fact, in ancient times, the status of cats was indeed higher. People from all walks of life raise this cute little animal, so there are not so many people who eat cats.
Cats are also considered to be highly spiritual animals, able to ward off evil spirits and bless people's health and luck. One of the reasons why I don't eat cats is because the ancients believed that cats were psychic.
Everyone knows that a cat's eyes seem to glow at night, which in the eyes of the ancients is able to pass through yin and yang. The ancients, who were in awe of nature, did not bring it to the table.
Moreover, in ancient times, whenever the rat plague was rampant, the grain in the granary would be looted by rats. And cat and mouse have undoubtedly helped.
So in traditional Chinese culture, cats are considered to be human companions. So there are a lot fewer people who eat **.
At the same time, cats, as carnivores, will catch mice and some other small animals for food. Cats are more likely to be infected with parasites if they eat food that carries a lot of germs, such as mice.
If humans eat a cat infected with parasites, it will also cause some damage to the human body.
Not to mention that in ancient times, medical technology was not developed, and a small illness could kill people, and people actually paid more attention to food safety.
Of course, daring to try is one of the qualities of the Chinese people. Someone stood up and became the first person to eat crabs, but came to the conclusion that the taste of this ** is really not suitable for consumption.
*Poor taste and sour taste. As soon as these words came out, people who wanted to taste ** were suddenly uninterested.
Although ** has a certain medicinal value, Li Shizhen still said in the "Compendium of Materia Medica" that ** has a poor taste and is not suitable for consumption.
The nutritional value of ** is not as good as meat such as pork and beef, or seafood products such as fish. So there's really no need to eat **.
IIRaven
Also a common bird, turtle doves are made into delicious dishes and served on the table for people to eat, and crows are indeed avoided by everyone when they see them, let alone eat them.
The black feathers of the crow are mysterious and weird, and they do not conform to human aesthetics. It doesn't matter if it's terrible, and the voice is hoarse and ugly.
And in ancient times, the crow symbolized bad luck and made people feel creepy.
Crows feed on carrion and may have even eaten human corpses. This makes people even more annoying about crows.
Because of the extreme disgust, I don't want to try to eat such uncomfortable foods.
Crows are omnivores and are easily associated with blood, which is why it is often believed that the presence of crows is often accompanied by death and misfortune.
Its habits are annoying, and its hoarse and ugly cry is always miserable and chilling, and it is also regarded as a bad omen.
In fact, there are historical records of the auspicious crow, but in general, Chinese culture still considers it a negative symbol.
Crows eat cereals, berries, insects, carrion, and eggs of other birds. Because crows eat cereals, farmers hate them and often hunt them.
This is even more damaging to the crow's reputation.
Although there are many places abroad where crows are made into a dish to taste, due to China's negative culture and the avoidance of crows, Chinese hardly eat crows.
If the crow is not cleaned properly and eaten, it will also give the rotten meat bacteria a chance to enter the human body and cause harm.
And it is said that the crow itself has a bit of firewood, and it is all lean meat, which is not very tasty, and even emits a very fishy smell, so fewer people eat it.
Chinese people have extremely picky tongues about food, and once an ingredient is not to taste, few people will try it again.
However, it is recorded in traditional Chinese medicine that crows can be used in medicine, so they are not as terrible as they think. The reluctance to eat crows is more due to psychological factors.
IIIGoldfish
As we all know, whether it is freshwater fish or deep-sea fish and shrimp, we have made delicious dishes and served them on the table of Chinese.
But in my impression, it seems that Chinese never eat goldfish. Why is that?
In fact, goldfish is not used in food production in the first place. Goldfish exist more as an ornamental fish.
Goldfish is not an evolution of a natural species, but a new species formed by artificially crossing crucian carp with other species of fish.
Goldfish are also not highly nutritious, and they are more expensive than ordinary crucian carp. So who would greatly increase the cost of cooking in order to eat a fish that is not so tasty.
And because it is a hybrid, the question of whether it is safe to eat is also controversial. Not everyone is willing to take the risk of eating GMOs.
Even genetically modified soybeans, everyone will doubt its food safety, let alone goldfish.
Not to mention that goldfish also symbolizes auspiciousness, and good-looking goldfish** can even be sold for thousands.
Its ornamental value is so high that selling it as an ornamental item is far more profitable than cooking it into a regular fish dish. If there is no market, naturally there will be no people eating goldfish.
Because goldfish is more expensive, if you eat goldfish, it will greatly increase the cost of cooking, and it is not worth it. Goldfish are more suitable as pets.
In fact, there are also people who have eaten goldfish by accident. But according to the person's recollection, the goldfish was not delicious.
Goldfish have more spines and less meat than ordinary fish, so it is very troublesome to pick the spines when eating.
And even after several cooking processes, the goldfish still has a lingering fishy smell that smells very disgusting.
So don't look at the beautiful appearance of the goldfish, it really doesn't taste very good.
FourthWeasels
I don't know if you have heard of "Huang Pizi" and "Wong Tai Sin"? In fact, this is the name of the weasel in Chinese folklore.
And the status of the weasel in it is not low, it is not a very positive image, but it is not a negative.
Weasels are often shown to be treacherous and cunning. Moreover, weasels will eat domestic chickens, bringing certain losses to farmers.
But in fact, weasels also catch rats to help farmers protect their granaries.
And it is said that the weasel has the intelligence of a human, and it has a very vindictive personality.
If you offend it, you will take revenge on humanity. In serious cases, they will even exchange their own lives for your life.
Adhering to the principle that more is better than less, naturally no one dares to provoke it at will, let alone stew it and eat it.
Weasels hunt wild rats and other small animals in the wild and feed on them to survive. So the hygiene of the weasel is also uncertain.
And the weasel has a strong body odor, which can be smelled a little closer. So there are almost no more people who want to eat weasels.
The Compendium of Materia Medica records that the internal organs of weasels, especially the heart and liver, have a relatively foul smell and contain a slight toxicity.
Therefore, no one is willing to try a major event related to their own life.
And the number of weasels is not too much. In order to protect species diversity and prevent weasels from falling into an endangered situation, Chinese will not eat weasels.
FiveSwallows
The swallow was also known as the "Xuanniao" in ancient times and was one of the totems of the ancestors. Nowadays, everyone regards it as auspicious and willing to build a nest under the eaves of their homes.
As the so-called swallow does not enter the bitter cold door, it is a bit of a feeling that a dog comes to get rich and a pig comes to get rich. Therefore, when a swallow comes to a house to build a nest, it is generally an indication that good things will happen to the owner's house, and good luck will always be there.
So no one wants to hurt this blessed little animal.
Swallows are insectivorous and beneficial birds, mainly preying on small mosquitoes such as mosquitoes and flies. Swallows give birth to two litters of chicks a year, and in order to feed the chicks and themselves, they hunt a surprising number of insects.
Therefore, it is the right choice not to hurt the swallows. And swallows are migratory animals.
The journey is far away, and I am constantly running on the road, and it is inevitable that I will be infected with some miscellaneous bacteria, viruses, avian flu and the like. It carries unknown dangers, so there is still a certain risk in eating it in the stomach.
Moreover, according to research, swallows have an acidic substance in their body, which will cause certain harm to the human body.
Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life, so that no one will eat swallows.
And now that people's quality of life has improved and they have rebuilt their houses, many people feel that the nest of swallows is really affecting the aesthetics, so they prevent swallows from nesting under their own roofs.
This has led to a drastic decline in the number of swallows. Fortunately, the state has listed the swallow as a national second-class protected animal.
Conclusion
Although Chinese are known for being "not picky eaters", they also encounter foods that are difficult to swallow. Many of these five animals have never eaten them.
Human beings have evolved for so many years, from primitive humans to the current modern civilization, we have long stood at the top of the food chain.
But we can't just kill a certain animal for our own appetite.
It can lead to the extinction of a species, which will affect biodiversity and, ultimately, the survival of humanity. Living in harmony with nature is the best way forward.
So do you know what animals the Chinese have never tasted? Share it.