Sweet and Sour Pork, Kung Pao Chicken, Ma Po Tofu, Wontons, Dumplings, Chow Mein, Peking Roasted Duck, Spring Rolls......
I guess you guys more or less have heard about these well-known typical Chinese dishes. Maybe some of you have been crazy fans of Chinese traditional cuisines for a while, may even have tasted respectable different flavors of cuisines. Well, I don't know whether you have noticed that there are so many various tastes of cuisines all over China, with the high richness in cooking methods, food materials and variety of flavors.
They are actually divided into the cuisines of Sichuan, Shanghai, Cantonese, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Hunan and Anhui, based on various geographic locations, climate and dietary habits.
So, why not make up your mind which is your favorite with a food tour through China? There's so many for you to try!
1. Guangdong/Cantonese Cuisine
Guangdong Cuisine ?? Yuècài in Mandarin, has been the first to win international reputation since 20th century by drawing some advantages from western-style food. I believe when it comes to cantonese food, the first thing that comes to mind besides its abundant morning tea must be the cuisines made of various exotic animals.
Actually Guangdong Cuisine has a large wide variety of food materials which can be made into ever-changing forms and flavors with an emphasis on the principles of freshness, softness and smoothness. Foods vary from light diet in spring and winter to strong flavors in winter and autumn with a preference for stewing, steaming and braising.
So, during the food tour of Guangdong Cuisine, you will experience pleasant surprises when trying its venisons and health conscious soups.
2. Sichuan Cuisine
Your first impression on this cuisine must be “How spicy! How hot!”. Yeah, usually we call Sichuan Cuisine ?? Chu?ncài in Chinese. Hot pot must be the first choice that you want to have a try when you're in the midst of Chengdu and Chongqing, from which we also can see this cuisine features a heavy flavor of sweet, sour, piquant, hot-spicy, heavy-oil and strong-taste.
So a lot of consideration in seasoning and they can't cook without chili, pepper, Sichuan pepper and ginger, known to people with its pungency, sour and spicy-numbness, like Ma Po Tofu and Poach beef with hot chili.
3. Jiangsu Cuisine
In Chinese we call Jiangsu Cuisine ?? S?cài, which features fresh food ingredients, moderate taste of salt and sugar, adept culinary skill. The locals are really passionate for the cuisines like seafood feast and fresh sweet soups with sensuous and multi-coloured appearance.
What makes it so particular is the elegant and sophisticated cooking skills that can produce richly fragrant and visually aesthetic dishes. Their chefs also put much attention to study new gourmet in order to improve people's health by making great use of the food materials.
4. Zhejiang Cuisine
Zhejiang Cuisine is called?? Zhècài in Mandarin. It features the delicate flavor, using seafood ingredients, freshwater fish, bamboo sprouts, and a wide variety of cooking methods.
Zhejiang Province is located on the south of Jiangsu province and neighbors Shanghai, the largest city in China, so their cooking style similar, but it is less prepared with elaborate detail. They take more notice in serving fresh food which is often served raw or almost raw, more like Japanese food. Most food ingredients are in current season and unsalted, but expectedly Ningbo cuisine is very salty relatively.
Fujian Cuisine ?? M?ncài in Chinese, stressing mild flavor like a light sweet and sour taste, whose food ingredients most from the sea and hills. As a coastal area, Fujian Province is noted for extremely high-quality seafood cuisines and soups, unlike other Chinese cuisines of mouth-numbed spices. With the addition of many wild delicacies from land and sea, Min Cuisine has its own unique flavors, which are a culinary adventure of flavors.5. Fujian/Min Cuisine
6. Hunan Cuisine
In Chinese ?? Xi?ngcài is usually called Hunan Cuisine. This series of cuisines is also quite spicy, but this “spicy” is different from that of Sichuan Cuisine. Its spicy taste feels like it goes deep into your heart and soul in a second. Featuring with a hot and sour taste, it favors sautéing, stir-frying, steaming and smoking.
So if you enjoy Sichuan cuisines, you may perhaps enjoy Hunan dishes also, for they are much spicier. Besides Hunan dishes will be easier on the tongue and mouth for they don't use peppercorn.
Located in a rich agricultural area that produces a wide range of vegetables and herbs which are also served up to many delicious cuisines.
7. Anhui Cuisine
?? Hu?cài, means Anhui Cuisine which features many kinds of wild plants and animals as ingredients, inclinination to stewing and steaming food with heavy oil.
Actually Anhui cuisine seems much wilder than Fujian dishes. As an inland province surrounded by high mountains like the Yellow Mountains, many a different wild food ingredients are from these natural fields. The local villagers are really fond of these natural sources so the locals protect the environment well. Maybe some of the best dishes made of these wild food ingredients give off an odd taste. But from the perspective of health care, you won't regret trying them!
8. Shandong Cuisine
?? L?cài in Mandarin is translated into Shangdong Cuisine. This cuisine has been known for its salty and crispy flavor, especially braising and seafood, for it is also an coastal area with rich seafood resources.
As one of the primitive areas with ancient civilizations, Shandong has established a culinary style with a northern symbol. With a long coastline out there, seafood is its forte. They always do their best to maintain the original flavor and taste of the seafood by utilizing other simple food materials to braise them together under mild heat-control. They really like vinegar and salt when cooking. Unlike southern cuisines, they prefer cooked wheat foods, including noodles, steamed buns etc.
Categories: western Cuisine Food cuisines border justify ingredients jiangsu chengdu chongqing guangdong shandong shangdong sichuan zhejiang
