Geng (dish)
Encyclopedia
Gēng is a dish in Chinese cuisine. Its thickening agent is usually starch
Starch
Starch or amylum is a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by all green plants as an energy store...

 which makes the soup translucent and smooth. Many soups can be cooked in this way, such as expensive shark fin soup
Shark fin soup
Shark fin soup is a popular soup item of Chinese cuisine usually served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets, or as a luxury item in Chinese culture. The shark fins provide texture while the taste comes from the other soup ingredients.There is controversy over the practice of shark...

, Madame Song's fish soup (宋嫂鱼羹), and corn soup
Corn soup
Corn soup is a soup traditionally made of corn It is normally made in corn producing areas of the world, however is now widespread due to greater corn distribution. The basic recipe is some type of soup base with corn added followed by whatever ingredients give it its distinct style...

.

History

Geng dishes have been important in Chinese cuisine since early dynastic China, during or prior to the Shang Dynasty
Shang Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty or Yin Dynasty was, according to traditional sources, the second Chinese dynasty, after the Xia. They ruled in the northeastern regions of the area known as "China proper" in the Yellow River valley...

 (1600BC -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.

In modern times, geng dishes consist of different ingredients commonly found in the night market
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.-Geographical spread:...

s of Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

, and quite commonly in Fujian
Fujian cuisine
Fujian cuisine is one of the native Chinese cuisines derived from the native cooking style of the province of Fujian, China. Fujian style cuisine is known to be light but flavourful, soft, and tender, with particular emphasis on umami taste, known in Chinese cooking as "xiānwèi" , as well as...

 and Taiwanese cuisine
Taiwanese cuisine
Taiwanese cuisine has several variations. In addition to the following representative dishes from the people of Hoklo ethnicity , there are also Aboriginal, Hakka, and local derivatives of Chinese cuisines .Taiwanese cuisine itself is often associated with influences from mid to southern...

. In Taiwan, the character for geng is sometimes written as "焿" and sometimes as "粳".

Cultural significance

Due to its cultural prevalence, the food has been featured in various Chinese cultural sayings and idioms:
  • "Share a cup of Geng" (分一杯羹): To boldly partake in a pool of profit or spoils, regardless of the pleasantness of the source of these profits.
  • "Shop-closing Geng" (閉門羹): To shoo-off customers or guest 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
    Wang Jian (Tang poet)
    Wang Jian was a Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty, with one of his poems being included in the famous anthology Three Hundred Tang Poems.-Poetry:...

     (王建), implying the trials of a new bride to appease and gain acceptance in her new family.

The traditional Chinese spoon
Chinese spoon
The Chinese spoon or Chinese soup spoon is a type of spoon used in Chinese cuisine with a short, thick handle extending directly from a deep, flat bowl. It is used for eating soups, stews, or loose solids such as rice, and is commonly made using porcelains and ceramics. Chinese spoons have...

is called "diào gēng" (調羹), which means "the implement that carries geng".
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