How Recipes Are Categorized Into Dish Types in the HowToCook Repository

Recipes are categorized into dish types by organizing Markdown files into subdirectories under the dishes/ folder, where each folder name represents a specific culinary category such as vegetable_dish, meat_dish, or dessert.

The Anduin2017/HowToCook repository uses a simple but effective folder-based taxonomy to classify recipes. Instead of relying on metadata tags or databases, the project leverages the filesystem itself to encode how recipes are categorized into dish types, making the structure immediately browsable and machine-readable.

The Folder Hierarchy as a Classification System

The primary mechanism for categorization resides in the dishes/ directory at the repository root. Each subdirectory within dishes/ represents a distinct dish type:

dishes/
├─ vegetable_dish/   # 素菜 (vegetable-based recipes)

├─ meat_dish/        # 荤菜 (meat-based recipes)

├─ staple/           # 主食 (rice, noodles, dumplings)

├─ dessert/          # 甜品 (sweet dishes)

├─ drink/            # 饮品 (beverages)

├─ condiment/        # 酱料 (sauces and condiments)

├─ soup/             # 汤类 (soups)

└─ breakfast/        # 早餐 (breakfast items)

Individual recipe files are nested two levels deep: first by dish type, then by dish name. For example, dishes/vegetable_dish/鸡蛋羹/鸡蛋羹.md places the steamed egg recipe firmly in the vegetable dish category, while dishes/meat_dish/回锅肉/回锅肉.md categorizes the twice-cooked pork as a meat dish.

How the README Indexes Dish Types

The top-level README.md serves as the human-readable index that maps Chinese culinary terms to these folder names. It groups links under headers like “素菜” (vegetable dishes) and “荤菜” (meat dishes), directing users to the corresponding subdirectories【/cache/repos/github.com/Anduin2017/HowToCook/master/README.md†L63-L88】.

This dual-layer approach—filesystem folders for machines, README sections for humans—ensures that recipes remain categorized consistently whether accessed programmatically or browsed manually.

Adding New Recipes Using the Template

The repository enforces categorization through its contribution workflow. Authors must copy the template from dishes/template/示例菜/示例菜.md and place it within the appropriate dish type folder【/cache/repos/github.com/Anduin2017/HowToCook/master/dishes/template/示例菜/示例菜.md†L5-L10】.

This physical placement requirement guarantees that every new submission is explicitly categorized by its location in the hierarchy, preventing uncategorized or ambiguously classified recipes from entering the collection.

Programmatically Accessing Dish Type Categories

Because dish types are encoded as directory names, you can extract categorization data using simple path parsing.

List all recipes in a specific category (Bash)

# List every markdown recipe under the “vegetable_dish” category

find dishes/vegetable_dish -name "*.md" -type f

Extract dish type from file path (Node.js)

const path = require('path');

function getDishType(recipePath) {
  // recipePath → 'dishes/vegetable_dish/鸡蛋羹/鸡蛋羹.md'
  const parts = recipePath.split(path.sep);
  // parts[1] is the type folder (e.g. 'vegetable_dish')
  return parts[1];
}

// Usage
const recipe = 'dishes/meat_dish/回锅肉/回锅肉.md';
console.log(getDishType(recipe));   // → meat_dish

Summary

• HowToCook categorizes recipes into dish types using a filesystem-based hierarchy under the dishes/ directory.
• Each subdirectory name—such as vegetable_dish, meat_dish, staple, or dessert—represents a distinct culinary category.
• Recipe files are nested within these folders, making their classification immediately apparent from their path.
• The README.md provides a human-readable index that maps these folders to Chinese culinary terms like 素菜 and 荤菜.
• New contributions must use the template in dishes/template/示例菜/示例菜.md and be placed in the appropriate category folder, enforcing consistent classification.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main dish type categories in HowToCook?

The primary categories include vegetable_dish (素菜), meat_dish (荤菜), staple (主食), dessert (甜品), drink (饮品), soup (汤类), condiment (酱料), and breakfast (早餐). Each category exists as a subdirectory under dishes/.

How does the repository distinguish between vegetable and meat dishes?

Vegetable dishes reside in dishes/vegetable_dish/ while meat dishes are stored in dishes/meat_dish/. The README.md explicitly links to these folders under the headers “素菜” and “荤菜”, creating a clear separation between plant-based and meat-based recipes.

Can a recipe belong to multiple dish types?

No, the current filesystem-based architecture assigns each recipe to exactly one dish type folder. A recipe like dishes/meat_dish/回锅肉/回锅肉.md cannot simultaneously exist in vegetable_dish/. Cross-category dishes must choose their primary classification or be duplicated, though the repository discourages this.

Where is the template for adding new recipes located?

The canonical template is located at dishes/template/示例菜/示例菜.md. Authors copy this file into the appropriate dish type subdirectory (e.g., dishes/dessert/) and rename it to match their recipe, ensuring the new entry follows the established format and resides in the correct category from the start.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}