Yi Yin

The Sage Cook-Minister

Cook turned chief minister of Shang founder Tang, famed for governing like seasoning a dish.

Yi Yin rose from the kitchen to become the chief minister of Tang, founder of the Shang dynasty. He compared government to seasoning a cauldron, and his culinary metaphors became a classic of political thought; when drought struck and Tang prayed at the mulberry grove, Yi Yin held the realm together. Later ages honored him as patron of cooks and model of the minister who rules by taste rather than force.