Cold and hot as terms for yin and yang foods

[Benjamin Barrett]

I recall being told a few decades ago that certain foods are classified as hot and others as cold in Cantonese cooking, regardless of temperature (or spiciness) and that a balance is an important consideration in meal preparation. I don't see these definitions of hot/cold on Wiktionary or the Oxford Dictionary site. 

According to https://ethnomed.org/clinical/nutrition/chinese_food_cultural_profile, hot is yang and cold is yin (and perhaps this is a pan-Chinese concept).

Other mentions:
Vietnamese: http://bit.ly/1B2pkXD
Chinese (bottom of 796): http://bit.ly/XZzN8l
Taiwan with a mention of neutral foods: http://bit.ly/Z11xtE
Steamed crabs as cold: http://www.chinahistoryforum.com/topic/5286-chinese-food-for-the-summer/

Benjamin Barrett
Formerly of Seattle, WA

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