Chinese cuisine

Chinese food enjoys a high reputation in the world not only for its exquisite taste and charming appearance but also for its sheer abundance. Diversity of climate, products and customs creates widely different food styles and tastes throughout the country.

The food is so varied it's hard to generalise about its characteristics. However, leaving aside ‘delicious', most Chinese food is remarkable for its aromatic nature and colourful appearance. Even with simple meals you'll often find your senses are tested to the extreme while each new dish seems to bear the hallmark of the region and the people who created it.

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. Here are some brief descritions of the main ones:-

Shandong Cuisine: Consisting of Jinan cuisine and Jiaodong cuisine, Shandong cuisine, clean, pure and not greasy, is characterised by its emphasis on aroma, freshness, crispness and tenderness. Shallots and garlic are frequently used as seasonings so Shandong dishes taste pungent.

Sichuan Cuisine: Known more commonly in the West as Szechuan Cuisine, is one of the most famous Chinese cuisine in the world. Characterised by its spicy and pungent flavours, Sichuan cuisine, with a myriad of tastes, emphasizes the use of chilli. 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.

Guangdong Cuisine (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.

Fujian Cuisine: Combining Fuzhou Cuisine, Quanzhou Cuisine and Xiamen Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine is renowned for its choice seafood, beautiful colour and magical tastes of sweet, sour, salt and savory. The most distinct feature is their “pickled taste”.

Jiangsu Cuisine: Also called Huaiyang Cuisine, is popular in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Using fish and crustaceans as the main ingredients, it stresses their freshness. Cooking techniques consist of stewing, braising, roasting, and simmering.

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.

Hunan Cuisine: It consists of local cuisine of Xiangjiang Region, Dongting Lake and Xiangxi coteau areas. It is characterised by thick and pungent flavours. Chili, pepper and shallot are usually necessities in the variation.

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.

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