Chinese Cuisine

- styles originating from the diverse regions of China, as well as from Chinese people in other parts of the world- stretches back for thousands of years and has changed from period to period and in each region according to climate, imperial fashions, and local preferences.- Over time, techniques and ingredients from the cuisines of other cultures were integrated into the cuisine of the Chinese people due both to imperial expansion and from the trade with nearby regions in pre-modern times, and from Europe and the New World in the modern period.- Styles and tastes also varied by class, region, and ethnic background- leading Chinese to pride themselves on eating a wide variety of foods while remaining true to the spirit and traditions of Chinese food culture.

Prominent styles of Chinese cuisine outside China

Singaporean Malaysian Indonesian Indian American

The Eight Culinary Traditions of China

AnhuiCantonesFujianHunanJiangsuShandongSzechuanZhejiang

Cantones Cuisine

-Dim sum, literally "touch your heart",-term for small hearty dishes-prepared using traditional cooking methods such as frying, steaming, stewing and baking.- rice rolls, lotus leaf rice, turnip cakes, buns, shui jiao-style dumplings- yum cha, dining style of cantones.,combines the variety of dim sum dishes with the drinking of tea.- Yum cha literally means 'drink tea'.

Szechuan Cuisine

-is a style of Chinese cuisine originating from the Sichuan Province of southwestern China

-famed for bold flavors, particularly the pungency and spiciness Garlic  chili peppers Sichuan peppercorn  Facing heaven pepper Peanuts sesame paste ginger

ANHUI

- derived from the native cooking styles of the Huangshan Mountains region in China- similar to Jiangsu cuisine, but with less emphasis on seafood and more on a wide variety of local herbs and vegetables- Anhui province is particularly endowed with fresh bamboo and mushroom crops

Shandong

- commonly and simply known as Lu cuisine. -Shandong Cuisine features a variety of cooking techniques and seafood ingredients.- The typical dishes on local menu are braised abalone, braised trepang, sweet and sour carp, Jiuzhuan Dachang and Dezhou Chicken.

Braised Abalone Braised Trepang Sweet and Sour Carp

Jiuzhuan Dachang Dezhou Chicken

Fujian- influenced by Fujian's coastal position and mountainous terrain.-  Woodland delicacies such as edible mushrooms and bamboo shoots - Slicing techniques are valued in the cuisine and utilized to enhance the flavor, aroma and texture of seafood and other foods.  often served in a broth or soup-with cooking techniques including braising, stewing, steaming and boiling.

A bowl of Fujian thick soup, or geng

Jiangsu Cuisine

-also known as Su (Cai) Cuisine - one of the major components of Chinese cuisine, which consists of the styles of Yangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou and Zhenjiang dishes. - It is very famous all over the world for its distinctive style and taste. It is especially popular in the lower reach of the Yangtze River.- prefer in cooking techniques such as braising and stewing

Hunan

-well known for its hot spicy flavor, fresh aroma and deep color. - Common cooking techniques include stewing, frying, pot-roasting, braising, and smoking.- high agricultural output of the region

Zhejiang-derives from the native cooking styles of the Zhejiang region. -having a fresh, soft flavor with a mellow fragrance.

The cuisine consists of at least four styles, each of which originated from different cities in the province:

• Hangzhou style, characterized by rich variations and the use of bamboo shoot.• Shaoxing style, specializing in poultry and freshwater fish

• Ningbo style, specializing in seafood

• Shanghai style, a combination of different Zhe styles, is also very famous for its dim sum

Other regions and ethnic groups with unique dishes and styles in China

• Xinjiang

-reflects the region's many ethnic groups, and refers particularly to Uyghur cuisine. - Signature ingredients include roasted mutton, kebabs, roasted fish and rice.- Because of the distinctive Muslim population, the food is predominantly halal

• Mongolian

-  Mongolian hotpot is very famous in China, and popular with the Han ethnic group too.

• Tibetan- traditionally served with bamboo chopsticks, in contrast to other Himalayan cuisines, which are eaten by hand.- Small soup bowls are used, and the wealthier Tibetans ate from bowls of gold and silver.

•Yunnan - Yunnan only began to come under significant Chinese influence some 1000 years after Sichuan was annexed. - As the most geographically, ethnically and culturally diverse province in modern China, it naturally features a wide variety of cuisine.

Staple foods

Rice-major staple food for people from rice farming areas in southern China.- Steamed rice, usually white rice, is the most commonly eaten form. -used to produce beers, wines and vinegars.-one of the most popular foods in China and is used in many dishes. Glutinous rice ("sticky rice") is a variety of rice used in many specialty Chinese dishes.

Noodles

- Chinese noodles come dry or fresh in a variety of sizes, shapes and textures and are often served in soups or fried as toppings-Shou Mian are symbolic of long life and good health according to Chinese tradition.

- Noodles can be served hot or cold with different toppings, with broth, and occasionally dry .-Noodles are commonly made with rice flour or wheat flour, but other flours such as soybean are also used.

Soybeans -Tofu is made of soybeans and is another popular food product that supplies protein.

- Other products such as soy milk, soy paste, soy oil, and fermented soy sauce are also important in Chinese cooking.

Wheat

In wheat-farming areas in Northern China, people largely rely on flour-based food, such as noodles, breads, jiaozi (Chinese dumplings), and mantou (steamed buns).

Vegetables

Common vegetables used in Chinese cuisine:

 Chinese leaves, bok choy (Chinese cabbage), Chinese spinach (dao-mieu), on choy, yu choy, bitter melon, and Chinese broccoli or gailan (guy-lahn). Other vegetables include bean sprouts, pea vine tips, watercress,celery, carrots, fresh mustard greens, and (Western) broccoli.

A variety of dried or pickled vegetables are also eaten, especially in drier or colder regions where fresh vegetables traditionally were hard to get out of season.

Gailan Watercress

Herbs and seasonings

- fresh ginger   - garlic  - scallion - white pepper and sesame oil are widely used in many regional cuisines. -Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, fennel, cilantro, parsley, and cloves are also used.- To add extra flavors to dishes, many Chinese cuisines also contain dried Chinese mushrooms, dried baby shrimps, dried tangerine peel, and dried Sichuan chillies.- When it comes to sauces, China is home to soy sauce, which is made from fermented soy beans and wheat. Oyster sauce, clear rice vinegar, chili, Chinkiang black rice vinegar, fish sauce and fermented tofu (furu) are also widely used. A number of sauces are also based on fermented soybeans, including Hoisin sauce, ground bean sauce and yellow bean sauce.

Desserts

- are sweet foods and dishes that are served with tea, along with meals,or at the end of meals in Chinese cuisine - seasonal fruits serve as the most common form of dessert consumed after dinner.- Chinese desserts are frequently less sugary and milder in taste than western style desserts. Some restaurants do not serve dessert at all.

Deep-fried mantou, a popular Chinese dessert, served with sweetened condensed milk

Pan-fried water chestnut cake, a type of Chinese gao dessert

Delicacies

Cold dishes- baobing, which is shaved ice with sweet syrup

- Soups - Chinese Pickles Chinese Sausage- There are different types of Chinese sausages depending upon the region in which it is produced. Chinese sausage is darker and thinner than western sausages. The most common sausage is made of pork and pork fat. Flavor varies depending on the ingredients used, but it generally has a salty-sweet taste. Chinese sausage can be prepared in many different ways, including oven-roasted, stir-fried, and steamed.

Baobing

Chinese Sauges

TOFU PRODUCT

Stinky tofu – a type of fermented tofu that has a strong odor. Like durian. Often paired with soy sauce or something salty or spicy.

Doufulu - another type of fermented tofu which has a red skin and salty taste.-more of a pickled type of tofu and is not as strongly scented-- . Doufulu has the consistency of slightly soft blue cheese, and a taste similar to Japanese miso paste, but less salty

Snacks

Prawn crackers are an often-consumed snack in Southeast China and Vietnam

Fortune cookies In contrast to their

popularity in the US, fortune cookies are almost completely absent from Chinese cuisine within China.

MAJOR CHINESE FOOD

Chinese New Year Food 

Chinese New Year Foods are very important to Chinese people. All family members come together to eat at this time. Chinese New Year foods are not only delicious but it is traditional to eat certain foods over this festival. Chinese Dumplings, Fish, Spring Rolls, Nian Gao are usually seen as delicious and eaten at this time.

Chinese Vegetarian Food

Most Chinese vegetarians are Buddhists, following the Buddhist teachings about minimizing suffering. In addition, many Yoga enthusiasts in China are vegetarians or vegans.

Chinese Medicinal Food - food with the function of dietetic therapy, which is made by taking medicine and food as materials and processing them through cooking. It is the product of the combination of Chinese traditional medical knowledge and cooking experience.

Chinese Halal Food

Chinese halal food blendes the original Middle East flavors with traditional Chinese dishes, creating its own style. Small muslim restaurants can be found in almost every city and town all over the country.

Chinese Dining Culture

China is a country with a long history of ritual and etiquette - eating is highly important feature of China’s culture, so naturally dining etiquette has developed to a high degree

-Dining etiquette is said to have its beginnings in the Zhou Dynasty (1045-256 BC). -- Through thousands of years of evolution it has developed into a set of generally accepted dining rituals and practices.

Eating Ambience

Being surrounded by much loud talking and laughing is a typical ambience at a Chinese restaurant. Chinese people like a noisy and upbeat atmosphere when having a gathering and meals are no exception. People regard it as a rule of thumb that if the dishes of a restaurant are good and tasty then the restaurant will be noisy and busy. The crowds at a restaurant indicate the deliciousness of the dishes. If you want a quiet place to enjoy your meal, some restaurants provide private rooms with one or more tables. Also called Baoxiang.

Seating Arrangement of an Banquet

The seating arrangement is probably the most important part of Chinese dining etiquette. Dining etiquette in ancient times was enacted according to a four-tier social strata: 1. the imperial court, 2. local authorities, 3. trade associations and 4. farmers and workers. The respect structure in modern dining etiquette has been simplified to: 1. master of the banquet and 2. guests.

Chinese Dining EtiquetteAs a guest at a meal, one should be particular about one’s appearance and determine whether to bring small gifts or good wine, according the degree of relationship with the master of the banquet. It is important to attend and be punctual. On arrival one should first introduce oneself, or let the master of the banquet do the introduction if unknown to others, and then take a seat in accordance with the master of the banquet’s arrangement. The seating arrangement is probably the most important part of Chinese dining etiquette.

Chopsticks

- Chopsticks were developed about 5,000 years ago in China- Chinese eating utensils normally are chopsticks, spoons, bowls- Chopsticks are two long, thin, usually tapered, pieces of wood. - Bamboo has been the most popular material of chopsticks.- The wealthy had chopsticks made from jade, gold, bronze, brass, agate, coral, ivory, and silver- Chopsticks are called "Kuaizi" in Chinese which resembles the pronunciation of other two words, soon and son.

When using chopsticks to eat, people need pay attention to some rules or common conventions:

-Do not stick chopsticks into your food, especially not into rice. Only at funerals are chopsticks stuck into the rice that is put onto the altar.- Do not move your chopsticks around in the air too much, nor play with them.