Abstract: The pursuit of natural flavors refers to the concept and practice of valuing the inherent taste of food, representing the natural aspect of flavor. This tendency has persisted throughout Chinese history. Since the pre-Qin period, the preference of natural flavors began to emerge, expressions such as “shi bu er wei” and “wei wu wei” vaguely conveyed an advocacy of natural flavors, while the flavorless taigeng provided an example of unseasoned food. Literati of the Song Dynasty demonstrated a strong pursuit of natural flavors through their aesthetic appreciation of simplicity and practice of rural living. At that time, people preferred the light and bland taste from unseasoned food, though the standard for what counted as “unseasoned” was not strictly defined. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, umami flavors emerged as a distinct and highly sought-after taste within natural flavors, which required meticulous cultivation through culinary practices. Under the shared discourse of naturalness and simplicity, the pursuit of natural flavors manifested varying standards yet consistently relied on frameworks of health, virtue, and aesthetics. Then the flavors became a cultural symbol of through which literati consolidated their identity and distinguished themselves from others. The changes mentioned above were adjustments within this very system.

Key Words: Natural flavors; Flavorlessness; Light flavor; Umami flavor; Naturalness

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