The logic of hot and cold: cognitive and cultural dynamics of food beliefs in a Uyghur community

Hot-cold food classification systems offer a valuable window into how cultural knowledge is organized, transmitted, and revised. Drawing on ethnographic and survey data from a Uyghur community in southern Xinjiang, this study provides both a detailed descriptive account of local hot-cold food beliefs and an analysis of the cognitive and cultural dynamics that sustain them. While hot foods are generally viewed as health-promoting and cold foods as undesirable, considerable ambiguity surrounds the classification of many items. Quantitative analysis reveals that ambiguity is inversely related to perceived hot-cold salience: prototypical items such as lamb are classified more consistently, while peripheral items elicit disagreement. Although cultural transmission remains the dominant source of knowledge, participants frequently revise specific beliefs in light of personal bodily experiences—typically without questioning the broader hot-cold framework. Notably, even foods like chili peppers, widely regarded as “hot” cross-culturally, are locally classified as “cold” based on perceived adverse effects. Together, these findings highlight how traditional classification systems balance stability and flexibility, and how they continue to shape everyday health practices in contemporary Uyghur society.