The Qing dynasty dramatist Li Yu (1611-c.1679) once wrote about making a five-spice condiment to mix with cold noodles. But the five seasonings he used were soy sauce, vinegar, finely-chopped Sichuan peppercorns, crushed sesame seeds, and a broth made by boiling bamboo shoots or shitake mushrooms with shrimps--it was not the five-spice used to make spice-stewed meat.
清代的戲劇家李漁曾有調製五香佐料來拌麵的記述，可是，他用的五香原料是醬油、醋、椒末、芝麻屑，以及筍或香菇煮蝦子而成的鮮汁，而非滷肉用的五香，看起來，他的五香比較像現今拌麻醬麵的佐料。