Eight Plates and Eight Bowls originates from ancient Manchu dietary customs. The "Eight Bowls" refer to eight distinct dishes: four cold dishes and four hot dishes. Among the cold selections are two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes; the hot ones also consist of two meat and two vegetable servings.

The bold, hearty Eight Plates and Eight Bowls perfectly match the Manchu people’s unrestrained, forthright temperament. The plates are large and substantial, while the bowls are deep, oversized tall vessels. When all these big dishes fill the table, guests cannot help but lift their bowls and drink freely, enjoying complete carefree delight.

During the prosperous Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, political stability and economic growth fueled an unprecedented boom in the catering industry, with the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast standing as its pinnacle. The feast was divided into Top Eight Delicacies, Middle Eight Delicacies and Lower Eight Delicacies. The Manchu Eight Bowls belonged to the Lower Eight Delicacies, and local Manchu flavors flourished alongside it.

The Eight Bowls won immense popularity among common folk. Research on Manchu Banner People’s Sacrificial Rites records that feasts featured five bronze sacrificial vessels and eight bowls, commonly known as the Eight Bowls. Wealthy families served this spread for festivals, celebrations, welcoming or sending off guests, and weddings. The Eight Bowls incorporated all classic cooking techniques of the era: braising, stewing, marinating, roasting, simmering, stir-frying, steaming and quick pan-frying.

The eight signature dishes are: stir-fried small tofu with preserved vegetables, marinated shrimp tofu and egg, braised pork trotters, blanched frogs, chicken stew with wild mushrooms and vermicelli, pork stew for Lunar New Year offerings, imperial Chinese toon fish, and Amazun Meat. Amazun Meat, also called Nurhaci Golden Meat, is the most iconic dish, passed down from the reign of Nurhaci, the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty. A Brief History of the Manchu People notes that after unifying Northeast China, Nurhaci built sacrificial shrines and erected poles for heaven worship; sacrifices were held before military campaigns and major state affairs. Notes from Bamboo Leaf Pavilion states that sacrificial livestock had to be solid black with no stray hairs, slaughtered and cooked right before the shrine.