''Gēng'' () is type of thick or clear soup found in

Chinese cuisine Chinese cuisine encompasses the numerous cuisines originating from China, as well as overseas cuisines created by the Chinese diaspora. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many o ...

. Its thickening agent is usually starch which makes the soup translucent and smooth. Many soups can be cooked in this way, such as expensive

shark fin soup Shark fin soup is a traditional soup or stewed dish served in parts of China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. The shark fins provide texture, while the taste comes from the other soup ingredients. It is commonly served at special occasions such as ...

, Madame Song's fish soup (宋嫂魚羹), and corn soup.

History

Geng dishes have been important in Chinese cuisine since early dynastic China, during or prior to the

Shang Dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and ...

(1600 BC -1046 BC). In the past, the term "geng" was used to refer to any cooked soup or stew, with households serving it daily and for festive events. Beef thick soup

In modern times, geng dishes consist of different ingredients commonly found in the

night market Night markets or night bazaars are street markets which operate at night and are generally dedicated to more leisurely strolling, shopping, and eating than more businesslike day markets. They are typically open-air markets popular in East Asia, So ...

s of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, and quite commonly in

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

and

Taiwanese cuisine Taiwanese cuisine (, Bopomofo:ㄊㄞˊㄨㄢˉㄌㄧㄠˋㄌㄧˇ, or , Bopomofo:ㄊㄞˊㄨㄢˉㄘㄞˋ) has several variations. The earliest known cuisines of Taiwan are that of the Taiwanese indigenous peoples. Over hundred years of histor ...

. In Taiwan, the character for geng is sometimes written as "" and sometimes as "". The Lao (, ) and Thai language (, ) terms for curry, stew, or soup, are believed to have been derived from the

Middle Chinese Middle Chinese (formerly known as Ancient Chinese) or the Qieyun system (QYS) is the historical variety of Chinese recorded in the '' Qieyun'', a rime dictionary first published in 601 and followed by several revised and expanded editions. The ...

pronunciation of ''geng'' (). The Vietnamese term for soup, (e.g.,

canh chua ''Canh chua'' (, ''sour soup'')The term ''canh'' refers to a clear broth with vegetables and often meat, and ''chua'' means "sour". or ''cá nấu'' ("cooked fish") is a Vietnamese sour soup indigenous to the Mekong Delta region of Southern ...

), descends from the Sino-Vietnamese form of 羹.

Cultural significance

Due to its cultural prevalence, the food has been featured in various Chinese cultural sayings and

idioms An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language, ...

: *"Share a cup of ''geng''" (分一杯羹): To boldly partake in a pool of profit or spoils, regardless of the pleasantness or the morality of these profits' origin. The expression is typically attributed to

Liu Bang Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was Empe ...

's infamous rebuff against

Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dyna ...

during the Chu-Han contention. Xiang had previous routed Liu's army and captured his family as hostages, and publicly threatened to cook Liu's father alive if he refuses to surrender. Liu responded humiliatingly (and rather shamelessly) by pointing out that he and Xiang were once sworn brothers, and if Xiang was willing to commit

patricide Patricide is (i) the act of killing one's own father, or (ii) a person who kills their own father or stepfather. The word ''patricide'' derives from the Greek word ''pater'' (father) and the Latin suffix ''-cida'' (cutter or killer). Patricid ...

by killing "our father", then "share me a cup of ''geng'' when you are done cooking". *"Shop-closing ''geng''" (閉門羹): To shoo-off clients or guests that a host does not wish to receive by a disingenuous action or excuse. *"Washing hands to make ''geng''" (洗手作羹湯): From a poem of Wang Jian, implying the trials of a new bride to appease and gain acceptance in her new family. The traditional Chinese spoon is called "diào gēng" (調羹), which means "the implement that carries geng".

References

Chinese soups {{China-cuisine-stub

History

Cultural significance

See also

References