Sour, sweet, bitter, pungent, salty——these five flavors are widespread in the foods. When making the dishes, these five flavors should be allocated well with each other, so as to increase appetite, prevent and cure diseases, strengthen the body, and prolong the life.

First, sour
The sour flavor is produced by the organic acids such as acetic acid, and it is widely existing in foods such as green plum, apple, squid, apricots, peanuts, kumquat, purslane, orange, hawthorn, pork, wild duck and so on. Sour flavor has the effect of invigorating the spleen and promoting the appetite. However, it is inappropriate to eat too much sour foods, otherwise, it may cause digestive disorders.

Second, sweet
Sweet foods include maize, sorghum, black rice, black beans, yam, lily, lotus seeds, mushrooms, beef, herring, carp, turtle, milk, crystal sugar and so on. Sweet foods can enrich the blood. But eating too much sweet foods will increase the blood sugar, and lead to heart disease.

Third, bitter
Bitter foods include alfalfa, plum, liver, mutton, asparagus, lettuce, arrowhead, bitter herbs, wolfberry, balsam pear, goat liver and so on. Bitter flavor has the effect of clearing away the heat and eliminating the dampness. However, excessive intake of bitter foods may bring some side effects, leading to indigestion.

Fourth, pungent
Pungent foods include taro, rabbit meat, ginger, leek, garlic, amaranth, coriander, chili, pepper, cinnamon, white wine, rapeseed, mule meat, carrots and so on. Moderate intake of pungent foods can stimulate the motility of the stomach and intestines, increase the secretion of digestive juice, promote blood circulation, and relieve rheumatic pains and colds. But eating too much pungent foods is harmful to human health. It may bring too much fire in the body, lead to tongue blistering, and affect the function of the gastric mucosa. People who suffer from constipation, skin diseases, and hemorrhoids should keep away from pungent foods.

Fifth, salty
Salty foods include tits, pigeon, pork blood, chicken blood, silkworm, jellyfish, chestnuts, meat, pork kidney, duck blood, crab, oysters, clams, seaweed, salt and so on. Salty flavor can regulate the osmotic equilibrium between the cells and blood, and maintain the normal metabolism of water and salt. However, patients who suffer from heart disease should not eat too much salty foods.

According to the specific characteristics of the above five different flavors, we can make different types of dishes, so as to help people maintain their health and prolong their life.