Traditional symbol for the forces of yin and yang, sometimes described
as two fish swimming head to tail. The left half is yin and the right
half is yang. Taken literally, yin and yang mean the dark side and
sunny side of a hill.
People commonly think of yin and yang as opposing forces. However, it
is really more appropriate to view them as complementary pairs. The
Chinese believe problems arise not when the two forces are battling,
but when there is an imbalance between them. Floods, divorce, or even
a fire in the kitchen - all can be attributed to disharmony in the
forces of yin and yang.
How does the concept of yin and yang relate to food?
A basic adherence to this philosophy can be found in ANY Chinese dish,
from stir-fried beef with broccoli to sweet and sour ****k. There is
always a balance in color, flavors, and textures.
However, belief in the im****tance of following the principles of yin
and yang in the diet extends further.
Certain foods have yin properties, while others have yang properties -
Cooling or warm, fat or non-fat, high-calorie or low- calorie, and
etc.
Almost no foodstuff is purely yin or yang - it's more that one
characteristic tends to dominate. It also reinforces that it is not so
much the individual ingredients, as the the balance and contrast
between ingredients in each dish, that is im****tant. Interestingly,
cooking methods also have more of a yin or yang property, as the list
below demonstrates.
http://chineserecipww.blogspot.com/#
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