The Diversity of Chinese Regional Cuisines
Regional cultural differences vary greatly within China, giving rise to the different styles of food across the nation. Traditionally there are eight main regional cuisines, or Eight Great Traditions. Four of the Eight Great Traditions are given greater emphasis, namely, Cantonese Cuisine, Shandong Cuisine, Sichuan Cuisine and Huaiyang Cuisine, which are considered to be the dominant culinary heritage of China.
In modern times, Beijing cuisine and Shanghai cuisine on occasion are also cited along with the classical eight regional styles as the Ten Great Traditions. There are also featured Buddhist and Muslim sub-cuisines within the Chinese cuisine, with an emphasis on vegetarian and halal-based diets respectively.
Four Prominent Regional Cuisines
Cantonese Cuisine
The name of this cuisine can be derived from the old name of the city of Guangzhou. Cantonese cuisine is famous for its various dishes, beautiful presentation, as well as wide and strict selection of ingredients. Some surprising customs and eating habits are retained in Guangdong, among which eating snakes is an example.
Moreover, fresh vegetables, which are cooked for the shortest time possible in order to maintain the original crispness, are included in Cantonese cuisine. Other qualities of Cantonese cuisine are lightness, sweetness, and a tendency to be slippery.
The best-known dishes include a stew of snake and cat, roast suckling pig and the various kinds of porridge. Hundreds of cakes and refreshments are often served together with the main dish.
Shandong Cuisine
As a part of the northern cooking style, Shandong cooking probably should be called the cooking tradition in kitchen in the North China Plain. Besides, Shandong cuisine includes some of the dishes on the menus of the emperors of the former dynasties.
Pancakes and wheat buns are the representative staple food here. Popular dishes of Shandong cuisine include fried stomach and nine-bends pig intestines and Dezhou braised chicken. In addition, as Shandong is located on China’s eastern seaboard, Shandong Cuisine includes a variety of seafood dishes.
Sichuan Cuisine
Sichuan Cuisine is well-known for its hot, spicy, tongue-numbing and sour tastes. Besides, flavors of Sichuan dishes can be rather complex for it combines various spices together to make the unique flavors. Popular dishes of Sichuan cuisine include Mapo Tofu, Fish-flavored Pork Shreds, Diced Chicken with Chili and Peanuts and Twice-cooked Pork.
Sichuan cuisine also attaches great importance to the balance of color, taste, form, flavor and texture. No wonder tourists both at home and abroad have a strong liking for it.
Huaiyang Cuisine
Huaiyang dishes have a great variety. Rooted from the Yangtze River Valley, Huaiyang dishes borrowed widely from the surrounding areas. Due to the fact that diverse vegetables are available in this region, widespread use of vegetables is another feature of Huaiyang dishes. Many of the dishes are fried or served with vinegar or sesame oil. Spices like ginger, garlic, and sometimes red peppers are also used. Seasonings of Huaiyang dishes are usually sweeter because more sugar and dark soy are used in the preparation. Abundant production of seafood and lake food also contributes to the varieties of Huaiyang Cuisine.
Famous dishes of Huaiyang cuisine include Lion’s head meatballs, saline duck, the West Lake fish with vinegar and Wuxi soft pork ribs.
The Top Ten Famous Dishes in China
The top ten famous dishes in China refer to ten kinds of dishes from various parts of China.
- Beijing Roast Duck is made of high-quality duck, full of color and taste. Meat of the duck is not fat.
- The main features of Sichuan Mapo Tofu are tongue-numbing, spicy, hot, fragrant, crisp, tender, fresh and refreshing.
- The West Lake Fish with Vinegar is a traditional dish in Hangzhou in which the fish is tender with a crab flavor.
- The Flying Dragon Soup is a famous traditional cuisine in Heilongjiang Province, which is delicious and regarded as a nourishing soup.
- The Wuwei Smoked Duck is one of the most representative dishes along the Yangtze River, where the unique methods of smoking and marinating are used.
- The dish of Dongpo Meat is usually based on a square-shaped pork, half fat and half lean, which is fragrant, but not greasy with features of bright red color, and rich mellow juice.
- In cooking the Steamed Multiple Preserved Hams, chef usually uses pork, chicken and bacon and then adds chicken soup and seasonings and the final taste is strong, salty and sweet, pliable and not greasy.
- For the dish of Spicy Chicken, much spicy seasonings are used, but the taste is crispy and tender.
- The Dong’an Chicken is made from small roosters, which results in a hot and spicy taste.
- The last dish with brand name is the Steamed Wuchang Fish, a freshly-cooked fish with mushrooms and winter bamboo shoots, decorated with red, white and black ingredients.
