🌿 Folk Prescriptions

China has had vegetarian customs since pre-Qin times. With the introduction of Buddhism, Han Buddhist monks practiced fasting and eating vegetarian meals, leading to the development of temple vegetarian cuisine, which became distinctive in people’s daily diets and promoted vegetarian practices in society.
During the Liang Dynasty, a chef at Jianye Temple in Nanjing was renowned for his exquisite skills in preparing vegetarian dishes—“one melon could yield dozens of dishes, one vegetable could transform into dozens of flavors.” In Tang Dynasty, Meishan Wuzu Temple in Hubei produced delicacies like stir-fried spring rolls, blanched tender shoots, braised mushrooms, and white lotus soup—delightful treats for Buddhist followers. The spring rolls were made using wild vegetables from the temple’s mountain, combined with tofu skin, fermented bean paste, wheat gluten, and various seasonings, then wrapped in greens or oil paper and pan-fried.
From Song, Yuan to Ming and Qing dynasties, temple vegetarian cuisine evolved into high-quality full vegetarian banquets. Many dishes imitated meat—such as vegetarian chicken, duck, fish, and ham—matching not only in appearance but also in flavor. Temple chefs could make “pork” from white radish or eggplant with leavened dough, “fried fish” from soy products and yam paste, “quail eggs” from mung bean flour and water, and “crab roe” from carrots and potatoes—showcasing culinary ingenuity that satisfied diverse palates.
A famous dish, “Arhat Vegetarian Stew,” is made from eighteen ingredients symbolizing reverence for the Eighteen Arhats. Yufu Temple in Shanghai prepares it with dried shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, fresh mushrooms, straw mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, hair algae, ginkgo nuts, vegetarian chicken, vegetarian sausage, potatoes, carrots, bamboo shoots, winter bamboo shoots, bamboo shoot tips, fried wheat gluten, black fungus, golden needle mushrooms, and seasonings. It boasts a rich appearance and fresh taste, rivaling the flavor of chicken, duck, fish, and meat. Other famous vegetarian dishes include Yangzhou Daming Temple’s “Braised Bamboo Shoots with Eel-like Strips” (main ingredient: shiitake mushrooms) and Chongqing Ciyun Temple’s “Reheated Preserved Pork” (main ingredient: wheat gluten)—both mimicking the look, color, taste, and texture of real meat.
Temple vegetarian cuisine is widely popular among the public. The Shujin Tofu Soup (also called “Wen Si Tofu”), favored by Jiangsu people during Ming and Qing dynasties, was originally created by Master Wen Si of Tianning Temple. The pickled radish and preserved turnip praised by Qing dynasty gourmet Yuan Mei were once breakfast dishes for monks at Cheng’en Temple. Temple mixed vegetables have now become common home cooking in southern China.