Weng Yun-hsia, formerly a senior researcher at the Foundation of Chinese Dietary Culture, points out that in ancient China special "palace vegetarian food" was provided for the emperor and his wives and concubines. In the Yuan dynasty there was even a "vegetarian office" responsible for cooking and seasoning it.
曾任中國飲食文化基金會資深研究員翁雲霞指出，中國古代就有專供帝王后妃食用的宮廷素菜；從元代起，宮廷中甚至還設有專門烹調素食的「素局」。