Three meals a day officially originated from Song Dynasty , but there have been some changes since Han Dynasty . Before the Qin and Han dynasties, people only ate two meals. One is because at that time, the productivity level was low and the grain output was insufficient. The common people basically lived in poverty. Even if they had two meals a day, it was already very good, such as some families with more difficult conditions, even one meal a day.
Secondly, in ancient times, in order to regulate the management of social order, people were strictly implemented, and after dark, people were not allowed to walk on the streets, so people could only wash and go to bed after dark. If they sleep early, they naturally did not need to eat any supper. Therefore, at this stage, people only eat one meal around eight or nine in the morning and the second meal around three or four in the afternoon.
Since the Han Dynasty, people gradually began to eat breakfast, which was called "cold utensils" at that time, which was a simple meal after washing up in the morning. It was also from this time that people had three meals a day, including morning, noon and evening.
The economy and culture of the Song Dynasty developed rapidly, the traditional curfew system was broken, and the market was divided into morning markets and night markets. At that time, the citizens living in economically developed areas could go shopping together after dark, listen to operas, drink wine, and taste snacks. As a result, midnight snacks gradually appeared in the Song Dynasty, and people gradually developed the habit of three meals a day.
Therefore, the emergence of the ancient habit of three meals a day has been since the Song Dynasty. First, because of the improvement of productivity and abundant material resources, people's living environment and living standards have been greatly improved, and second, because of the changes in traditional policies and systems. Although the policies were rigorous in the Ming and Qing dynasties and the curfew was restored, people still followed the habit of eating dinner, and the custom of three meals a day was passed down.
