Chinese Cuisine

Chinese cuisine enjoys the same international reputation to that of France and Italy for its scent, taste, and design.

Since China has a vast territory, and the produce, climate and living habits are quite different in each place, the flavor of food is quite different: southerners like light food, northerners prefer a heavily seasoned taste, Sichuan people like hot food, Shanxi people like sour food and so on. China has all kinds of cuisine of special local flavor, among which that of Shandong, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Fujian, Hunan and Anhui are all quite representative.

Shandong cuisine is quite famous in northern China. Since Shandong is close to the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea, it includes much seafood. Famous dishes are “roast prawns”, “conch braised with soy sauce” and “fried carp of the Yellow River with sweet and sour sauce”.

Sichuan cuisine is hot, spicy and sour. Famous dishes are “chicken with special hot sauce”, “shredded pork with chili sauce” and “peppery hot bean curd”.

Jiangsu cuisine is moderately salty and sweet, and is quite delicious. Famous dishes are “steamed shad”, “Nanjing pressed duck” and “Chicken in watermelon”.

Guangdong cuisine features exquisite, plentiful and varied raw materials, novel and strangely cooked foods, light, delicious, tender and refreshing taste, sour, sweet, bitter, hot and salty flavoring. Famous dishes are “Steamed mandarin fish”, “white cut chicken”, “steamed fragrant potato and pork” and “white gourd soup”.

Zhejiang cuisine is developed from the local dishes of Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shaoxing. Famous dishes are “fish of the West Lake in vinegar gravy”, “shrimp meat in Longjing” and “beggar’s young chicken (mud-baked young chicken)”.

Fujian cuisine often takes marine products as its raw material. It tastes light and delicious and the color is beautiful. Famous dishes are “fried prawns in the shape of a pair of fish” ,”fish balls in clear soup”, “chicken slices in wine sauce” and “Buddha jumps over the wall”.

Hunan cuisine is mostly seasoned with chili, and features sour, hot, delicious and fragrant tastes. Famous dishes are “chicken with chili and pepper”, “steamed dish of cured meat and fish”, “stewed shark’s fin with soy sauce” and “lotus seeds in crystal sugar”.

The most famous dishes in Anhui cuisine are made of the choicest delicacies of mountain and wilderness: “pheasant stewed with potherb mustard and winter bamboo shoots”, “stewed ham and subterranean stem of bamboo” and “braised chicken of Fuliji (a county in Anhui)” are all famous local dishes.

Besides, roast duck and dip-boiled mutton slices of Beijing, doupi (a kind of fried pancake made of glutinous rice, minced meat, cubes of bamboo shoots, etc. Wrapped in sheets of rice and mung bean flour mixed with eggs) of Hubei Province, and “white meat with pickled Chinese cabbage” of the Northeast, are all famous dishes in terms of their bright color and good taste.