Ban Zhao at the table

Under the Eastern Han, the meal is organized around a fundamental pair: fàn, cooked grain (mostly millet, rice for the wealthy), and gēng, the pottage that accompanies and moistens it. Around this base gravitate the cài (vegetable or meat dishes) and, indispensable, the jiàng—fermented pastes and sauces that season every bite. At the table of a court lady, each diner has their own low tray (àn) and one eats kneeling, in order and moderation.

The umami soul of Han cuisine: salted cereal or soybean pastes left to ferment, and the small black soybeans (dòuchǐ), attested since the Han. They replace plain salt with added fermented depth. This is the basso continuo of all these dishes.