The Multifaceted Chinese Cuisine
Chinese cuisine is widely regarded as one of the richest and most diverse culinary cuisines and heritages in the world. It originated from different regions of China and has come to other parts of the world.
A meal in Chinese culture is typically seen as consisting of two general components: principal food and accompanying dishes of vegetables, meat, fish, or other materials. This cultural conceptualization is to some extent in contrast to cuisines of Northern Europe and the USA, where meat or animal protein is often considered the main dish, and also different from most Mediterranean cuisines which are based typically on wheat-derived components.
As is well known throughout the world, rice is a critical part of much of Chinese cuisine. However, in many parts of China, particularly northern China, wheat-based products predominate, in contrast to southern China where rice is dominant. Soup is usually served at the end of a meal. However, in Southern China it is more often served at the start of a meal.
Chopsticks are the primary eating tools in Chinese culture for solid foods, while soups and other liquids are enjoyed with a wide, flat-bottomed spoon traditionally made of ceramic. It is reported that wooden chopsticks are losing their dominance due to recent logging shortfalls in China and East Asia; many Chinese eating establishments are considering a switch to a more environmentally sustainable eating tools. More expensive materials used in the past included ivory and silver. On the other hand, disposable chopsticks made of wood or bamboo have replaced reusable ones in small restaurants.
In most dishes in Chinese cuisine, food is prepared in bite-sized pieces (e.g. vegetable and meat), ready for direct picking up and eating. Fish are usually cooked and served as a whole, with diners directly pulling pieces from the fish with chopsticks to eat, unlike in some other cuisines where they are first filleted. This is because, in China, it is desired for fish to be served as fresh as possible.
In a typical Chinese meal, each diner is given his or her own bowl of rice while the accompanying dishes are served in communal plates (or bowls) that are shared by everyone sitting at the table, a communal service known as “family style” in Western countries. In the Chinese meal, each diner picks food out of the communal plates on a bite-by-bite basis with their chopsticks. This is in contrast to western meals where it is customary to dole out individual servings of the dishes at the beginning of the meal. Many non-Chinese are uncomfortable with allowing a person’s individual utensils to touch the communal plates; for this hygienic reason, additional serving spoons or chopsticks may be made available. The food selected is often taken together with some rice either in one bite or in alternation.
A sweet dish is usually served at the end of a formal dinner, such as sliced fruits or a sweet soup which is served warm.
In the traditional Chinese culture, cold beverages are believed to be harmful to the digestion of hot food, so items like ice-cold water or soft drinks are traditionally not served at meal-time. Besides soup, if any other beverages are served, they would most likely be hot tea or hot water. Tea is believed to be helpful with the digestion of greasy foods.
Often, Chinese food outside China can range from the authentic food that has been adapted for local tastes, to something that is newly created. For example, chop suey does not exist in Chinese restaurants in China.
"A Bite of China": A Visual Feast of Chinese Food Culture
Recently, the documentary A Bite of China, which features the exquisite Chinese food, has beaten a lot of TV series and become an extremely hot topic on the Internet. A Bite of China is filled with mouth-watering images of Chinese food, ranging from haute cuisine to local delicacies. The documentary also captures the beautiful and refined process of food-making.
Produced by China Central Television, the program revolves around the Chinese people’s pursuit of food and life. The story of specific different characters is used to describe the food culture in China. The first season of A Bite of China was broadcast on May 14, 2012, the second season was broadcast on April 18, 2014, and the third season was broadcast on February 19, 2018.
Different from the past video materials that focus on Chinese cooking masters or food gourmets, A Bite of China wishes to show the exquisite cooking and the complex process. In the first season, it will present the Chinese daily diet to the audience, especially to the overseas audience, with a quick and easy narrative rhythm and exquisite as well as delicate images. The rich experience accumulated by the Chinese in the diet varies greatly. The eating habits and unique taste aesthetics, as well as the values of Eastern life are compared by the director to the wisdom of survival.
The second season of A Bite of China documents the relationship between Chinese and food by using food as a window to read about China. Through Chinese food, people can appreciate this ancient country. On top of that, this documentary will show how the Chinese people have preserved their cultural traditions, family concepts and life attitudes based on the narration of the multiple aspects related to food in people’s daily life.
The third season examines the beauty of food, reviews the cultural roots of Chinese cuisine, and digs deeper into the Chinese stories that are more valuable and charming. It explores the migration and integration of Chinese cuisine in the process of historical evolution, and discusses about the relationship between Chinese and food. A total number of more than 400 kinds of foods are pictured.
