Food in the Yuan Zaju : Reflecting Mongolian Culture

Zaju refers to folk literature created during the Yuan Dynasty by Han Confucian scholars who were unable to pursue their official careers under the imperial examination system. Its style is characterized mainly by natural language expression, but it also reflects the era in which it was created through narratives about food. Examples are dishes made of lamb, which is a representative food of Mongolia. To shed light on food as an embodiment of culture, this study examined the characteristics of three lamb-based cuisines featured in Yuan Zaju.BR First, lamb and wine symbolize wealth and dowry. In A Slave to Money (Kanqiannu), lamb and wine are used as indicators of fortune and prosperity. In Lu ZhaiLang and The Rescue of a Courtesan, they serve as tools for conveying meanings related to weddings. The dowry given by a groom to a bride includes lamb, wine, and silk. Deviation from this tradition renders marriage impossible, as is evident from the customs prevalent at that time. The culture formed by the custom of eating lamb at engagement banquets arose in Mongolia, and the custom of a groom's gifting of lamb and wine to a bride before marriage during festivals was observed in the Song Dynasty.BR Second, barbecue and curdled milk represent the food culture of northern nomads. In the past, they reflected not only the food cultures of Mongolia but also that of the northern nomadic tribe Xiongnu. In Autumn in the Han Palace, the use of barbecue and curdled milk indicates how different this culture is from the Han Dynasty. This difference can be inferred as both geographical and psychological distance from a heterogeneous culture that these Han Chinese refused to assimilate.BR Third, the lamb soup popular among the Mongolian people is used to satirize their lives. This type of soup is prepared through one of the representative methods of cooking lamb, and its ingredients can be easily found in The Secret History of Mongolia. Although lamb soup in The Injustice to Dou E and The Black Whirlwind Twice Brings Heads as Tribute is poisoned, it is also the food that leads criminals to their deaths. Eating lamb soup is not only a process of filling physical emptiness but also an act of sharing spiritual culture, which is understood as sharing an entire culture. In Zaju, people of Mongolian culture greet death nihilistically, bringing laughter to Han-centered creators and audiences, who are thus liberated from the oppression of reality.