Reasons why Tibetans don't eat fish, Hui people don't eat pork, and Manchus don't eat dog

Tibetans have their own unique food structure and eating habits. Butter, tea, tsamba and beef and mutton are known as the "four treasures" of Tibetan diet.

There are two reasons why Tibetans do not eat fish. One is that water burial is one of the various burial customs of Tibetans. Fish is a scavenger. Tibetans believe that their ancestors' flesh was eaten by fish. Eating fish is eating their ancestors' flesh.

Secondly, Tibetans have believed in Tibetan Buddhism for more than 1400 years and cannot bear to kill. Besides, killing a fish is not enough for one person to eat, not enough to fill his stomach, and killing a cow can feed his family for many days. Therefore, it is better to kill less than more in order to reduce sins.

In 1950, when Zhang Guohua led the 18th PLA Army into Tibet, food was extremely scarce. After learning that Tibetans do not eat fish, they immediately ordered soldiers not to go into the water to catch fish.

Hui is the most widely distributed minority. Muslims believe in Islam, and most of them are Muslims. Not eating pork is absolute loyalty to Allah. The Koran stipulates that unclean food shall not be eaten, and pigs are regarded as unclean animals.

In the eyes of Hui people, pigs represent ugliness, greed and filth. Many countries use pigs to describe a person as stupid, ugly, dirty, lazy, etc. Not eating pigs means keeping away from its bad habits.

In addition, pure Muslims are also prohibited from drinking alcohol. Therefore, many Hui restaurants will also sign "No Drinking" and ban taking out pork dishes.

The seventh census shows that the Manchu population ranks third among China's ethnic minorities. The Manchu people's fear of eating dog meat can be traced back to the time before the Qing soldiers entered the customs.

The Manchu people were formerly nomadic people in the north, who lived by hunting and grazing. Hunting should be guided by dogs, and dogs should be used to chase and catch prey; Grazing also depends on dogs to guard sheep. Therefore, in the minds of the Manchu ancestors, dogs are left and right arms, productive labor, and the guardian god of the family. So Manchu people have a strong preference for dogs.

Another legend is the story of "dog rescue", which is not recorded in the official history. When Nurhachi attacked the Ming Dynasty, he was surrounded by Li Chengliang, the general of the Ming Dynasty, and set fire to him. Nurhachi was actually knocked down by the thick smoke. At this time, a big yellow dog ran to him and wetted himself at the water's edge, then rolled on Nurhachi, putting out the fire on him, and finally the dog died of fatigue. After that, Nurhachi ordered the Manchu people never to hurt dogs, let alone kill or eat dog meat, and even prohibited wearing dog skin hats.