Eight Regional Variations
For most foreigners, “Chinese food” usually implies a lot of deep-fried, strong-flavored and greasy dishes that all taste similar. However, for Chinese people, “Chinese food” is a concept as useless as “German beer,” because, like Chinese culture in general, Chinese food is extremely diverse. China covers a large territory and has many nationalities; hence there is a wide variety of Chinese foods, each with quite different but fantastic and mouthwatering flavors. Because China's local dishes have their own typical characteristics, Chinese food can be divided into eight regional cuisines, the distinction of which is now widely accepted. Certainly, there are many other local cuisines that are famous, such as Beijing Cuisine and Shanghai Cuisine.
Shandong Cuisine
Consisting of Jinan cuisine and Jiaodong cuisine, Shandong cuisine, clean, pure and not greasy, is characterized by its emphasis on aroma, freshness, crispness and tenderness. Shallots and garlic are frequently used as seasonings so Shandong dishes taste pungent. Soups are given much emphasis in Shandong cuisine. Thin soups are clear and fresh while creamy soups are thick and taste strong. Jinan chefs are adept at deep-frying, grilling, pan-frying and stir-frying while Jiaodong chefs are famous for cooking seafood with a fresh and light taste.
Typical menu items: Bird's Nest Soup; Yellow River Carp in Sweet and Sour Sauce
Sichuan Cuisine
Sichuan Cuisine, known more commonly in the West as “Szechuan,” is one of the most famous Chinese cuisines in the world. Characterized by its spicy and pungent flavors, Sichuan cuisine, with a myriad of tastes, emphasizes the use of chili. Pepper and prickly ash are always in accompaniment, producing the typical exciting tastes. Garlic, ginger and fermented soybean are also used in the cooking process. Wild vegetables and meats such as are often chosen as ingredients, while frying, frying without oil, pickling and braising are used as basic cooking techniques.
It can be said that one who doesn't experience Sichuan food has never reached China.
Typical menu items: Hot Pot; Smoked Duck; Kung Pao Chicken; Water-Boiled Fish; Tasty and Spicy Crab; Twice Cooked Pork; Mapo Tofu
Guangdong (Cantonese) Cuisine
Tasting clean, light, crisp and fresh, Guangdong cuisine, familiar to Westerners, usually has fowl and other meats that produce its unique dishes. The basic cooking techniques include roasting, stir-frying, sauteing, deep-frying, braising, stewing and steaming. Steaming and stir-frying are most frequently used to preserve the ingredients' natural flavors. Guangdong chefs also pay much attention to the artistic presentation of their dishes.
Typical menu items: Shark Fin Soup; Steamed Sea Bass; Roasted Piglet; Dim Sum (a variety of side dishes and desserts)
Fujian Cuisine
Combining Fuzhou Cuisine, Quanzhou Cuisine and Xiamen Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine is renowned for its choice seafood, beautiful color and magical tastes of sweet, sour, salt and savory. The most distinct feature is their "pickled taste."
Typical menu items: Buddha Jumping Over the Wall; Snow Chicken; Prawn with Dragon's Body and Phoenix's tail
Huaiyang Cuisine
Huaiyang Cuisine, also called Jiangsu Cuisine, is popular in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Using fish and crustaceans as the main ingredients, it stresses their freshness. Its carving techniques are delicate, of which the melon carving technique is especially well known. Cooking techniques consist of stewing, braising, roasting, and simmering. The flavor of Huaiyang Cuisine is light, fresh and sweet and its presentation is delicately elegant.
Typical menu items: Stewed Crab with Clear Soup, Long-boiled and Dry-shredded Meat, Duck Triplet, Crystal Meat, Squirrel with Mandarin Fish, and Liangxi Crisp Eel
Zhejiang Cuisine
Comprising local cuisines of Hanzhou, Ningbo, and Shaoxing, Zhejiang Cuisine is not greasy. It wins its reputation for freshness, tenderness, softness, and smoothness of its dishes with their mellow fragrance. Hangzhou Cuisine is the most famous one of the three.
Typical menu items: Sour West Lake Fish, Longjing Shelled Shrimp, Beggar's Chicken
Hunan Cuisine
Hunan cuisine consists of local cuisines of Xiangjiang Region, Dongting Lake and Xiangxi coteau areas. It is characterized by thick and pungent flavors. Chili, pepper and shallot are usually necessities in this variation.
Typical menu items: Dongan Chicken; Peppery and Hot Chicken
Anhui Cuisine
Anhui Cuisine chefs focus much more attention on the temperature in cooking and are good at braising and stewing. Often ham will be added to improve taste and candied sugar added to gain freshness.
Typical menu items: Stewed Snapper; Huangshan Braised Pigeon
2.
Introduction of Chinese Dishes
Have you ever come to China? Have you ever taste the delicious traditional Chinese dishes? Have you ever feel hungery when facing the Chinese food pictures? If answers are negtive, read this passage may be your wise choice to know about the remarkable Chinese food.
Famous as it is, traditional Chinese food can be largely seperated into eight main series.First to be introduced is the Sichuan dishes. It comes to be known as hot. It has some famous dishes such as boiled fish,mini chicken pudding and so on. The second is Shandong dishes which is famous of tasty and freshing. Such as Dezhou out-bond chicken. Then the Guangdong dishes has its best soup. The most famous dish of them is burned goose. The forth is Jiangsu dishes, known as healthy to our bodies. Such as Sanding steamed stuffed bun. The next is Minnan dishes which we know as acid. Such as the Buddha skip the wall. The Zhejiang dishes is good at cooking seafood. For example, the Longjing shrimp is very nice. The seventh is Xiang dishes. It is known to all over China as its heavy taste and its benefit. Such as spice plants and the beef. The last is Hui dishes which is well in cooking wild plants and animals,for instance, smoked duck.
The series mentioned above are only part of our splendid Chinese dishes. Others such as Dongbei dishes can also make you remember lifelong. Cannot wait to eat? Go to the nearest traditional Chinese resturant now and have a taste of the fresh Chinese dishes.
3.
Hong Kong Food
Hong Kong is the culinary capital of Asia. A gastronomical tour of Asia without a visit to Hong Kong would be incomplete. Hong Kong is a place which offers superb cuisine from around the world and an infinite choice of restaurants.
Here is concise information about food recipe in Hongkong:
Hong Kong Hits!
If you are on a tour of Hong Kong, never fail to bite into Dim Sum, the tasty collection of delicacies served in bamboo steamers, or crisp Peking Duck carved at your table. Be sure to try Jumbo Restaurant, counted among the world's most luxurious floating restaurant. And Hong Kong also holds Ocean City Restaurant and Night Club, which seats more than 4800 people.
Dim Sum
Dim Sum is the most famous in the long list of dishes in a Hongkong meal. Impressively shaped, bite-size portions of dumplings with lightly seasoned fillings of meat and seafish, fluffy buns with various fillings and glutinous rice - all deliciously steamed - just ignite the tastebuds.
Hot Pot
Hot Pot is best savored with a pot of tea. Served in little bamboo steamers or pretty plates, dim sum is light in content. It is a favorite dish of the Chinese. There are few better ways to pass time than eating some bites of Hot Pot accompaniements and drinking the soup.
Chinese
Hong Kong is best known for Chinese menu, specially Cantonese style of cuisine. Cantonese people give very much attention to the freshness of their food. This cooking is lighter to some extent than most regional Chinese cuisine.
Preparation methods usually involve stir-frying in shallow water or oil in a wok. Flavors and nutrition of the food is preserved as cooking time is short. Much oil is not consumed for steaming vegetable and fish. Ingredients like ginger, garlic, onion, vinegar, and sugar are used for preparing sauces.
Indian
To find authentic Indian cuisine is not tough in Hongkong. Restaurants serving dishes like 'tanduri chicken' and 'naan' abound in the island. Recipe in these restaurants is affordable and satisfying. A conventional method of Indian cooking is the roasting of meats and poultry in a oven, which is made of clay. Indians are fond of savoring the food cooked in Tandoori style and Hong Kong fulfils their need. All other popular varities of Indian food are also available in Hong Kong.
Southeast Asian
Cuisine connected to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore is known as Southeast Asian food. Flavor of all Southeast Asian foods is to less or more extent similar. There are minor differences in the spices and and the way they are used.
People from this region are present in Hong Kong in good numbers and this reflects in the popularity of Southeast Asian food.
Western
Western style of food is particulary popular in the young generation of Hong Kong. Number of restaurants prepare mouth-watering Western cuisine. Fast food joints are abundant in Hong Kong. Brands like McDonald's and Burger King are present in every corner of Hongkong. These joints are specially patronised by office-goers, who can get a quick and filling diet at lunchtime here.
Hawker Food
Hawkers register their presence in every Asian country and they are there in Hong Kong too. Visitors can savour varieties of hawker food along the streets and night markets. Popular dishes sold by these hawkers are wantan noodle, beef noodle, soy bean curd and fishballs on sticks.