The Variations of Chinese Cuisine

In recent years, China has become one of the most popular sources of just about any cuisine. This paved way for Chinese food to be renowned across the globe particularly countries like United States, UK, Australia and Western Europe. What many westerners usually do is they tend to group the dishes all together despite its regional variation. Different traditions have developed around different areas in China and this is mainly due to climatic conditions as well as ethnic make up. As China continues influencing the West, it worked as a win-win situation on both sides. This brought the establishment of various fast food chains along the streets of China encouraging an even freer economy.

Despite the differences of each region, what keeps them bonded together is the idea that meals should be kept pleasing to the eye, healthily balanced as well as contain the best and freshest ingredients available. As a tradition, dishes are served along with a hot tea or hot water since this is believed to aid digestion. However, beers and soft drinks have taken over and has become people's favorite in recent years. Meat like chicken and pork has become in demand and has been a huge part of working people's daily diet. Also, beef is consumed and comes in very thin slices. Vegetables, as always, are a mainstay in many Chinese cuisines and it comes in a wide array of choices.

One of the most in demand menu choices is the Sweet and Sour Pork. Dishes that contain beef as the main ingredient are usually cooked with noodles together with black bean sauce or cashews. Recipes that make use of chicken include Lemon Chicken, Honey Chili Chicken and also Chicken with Lychees. In general, Chinese food dishes are typically served accompanied with bowls of rice or noodles. Vegetables are spared from being overcooked to make it taste crispy and fresh. The most common vegetables being used are green beans, eggplant, zucchini, mung bean sprouts and mushrooms. Also, included are Chinese cabbage, Chinese broccoli as well as bok choy.

Coastal areas in China have their own traditional cuisine with seafood as the main ingredient. This includes both freshwater as well as deep-sea fish dishes. Prawns, crab, squid, shark fin and scallops are all favorite ingredients.

Chinese food dishes are never complete without a steaming hot bowl of soup. It is especially welcome during cold weather especially Chinese winters and is a great way of using up leftovers. Stock, as it is called, is often made out of meat, chicken or vegetables. Sweet Corn Soup has become a favorite among Westerners the same as Szechwan Soup, which is made from pork, ham, mushrooms, red pepper, prawns as well as chicken stock.

When talking about cuisines per region, one of the most internationally in-demand is the Cantonese cuisine. These dishes are typically made up of meat or chicken but also include Shark Fin Soup and Steamed Sea Bass. Generally, Cantonese cooks prefer to stir fry, saute, steam or deep fry. What makes Chinese food unique from other kind of dishes as it make use of soy sauce, rice vinegar or oyster sauce instead of spices to give flavor.

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The Features of Chinese Cuisine

Confucius once said "Eating is the utmost important part of life".

Food is a central part of the Chinese culture. Chinese cuisine is one of the greatest methods of cooking. Many elements have influenced its development. The Chinese people enjoy eating good food at all levels of society, so cooking has developed into a very sophisticated art.

Chinese cuisine is noted for the following characteristics:

Vegetables are the main ingredients. This explains why most Chinese women are slim and men free of cardiovascular diseases. This is because in China, an agricultural country, there is a traditional respect for land. As the old saying goes, "Live on the mountain if you live in one and live on water if you live by water". The Chinese are meticulous about food preparation. Whether it is pastries or vegetables, they always try to make it tasty and flavorful. For example, beans, a common vegetable, are exquisitely prepared into such delicious dishes as bean sprouts and bean curd.

The Chinese people like well-prepared food.

Zealous about food absorption and digestion, they are scrupulous about the temperature while cooking. Undercooked food is unacceptable to them. To the Chinese, the sight of Westerners eating undercooked steaks still oozing blood inside is horrible. In addition, warm soup is very important. Wonton, or dumpling soup, and noodles are popular nationwide. Other hot soups include jellied bean curd, rice porridge and corn porridge.

Chinese also like to eat together, a tradition that can be traced back a long time ago.

It reflects the Chinese notion of union versus division---round tables, round dishes, and round bowls all symbolize union and perfection. Dishes are usually placed at the center of the table so that everyone around the table can share them. A hot pot, in particular, adds to the atmosphere of harmony and union. Friends eat and live together. A recent book by an American Sinologist held that the Chinese collective tradition developed out of the practice of eating together.

Tea drinking is an integral part of Chinese life and the Chinese food experience. Tea is believed to be good for you. The Chinese were the first to discover the tealeaf and have been drinking tea ever since in many varieties.

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Ricky Yang - A China travel specialist who has been in tourism industry for 15 years

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Traditional Chinese Food and Shandong Cuisine

The Chinese food is distinctive for its traditional properties. Along the new cuisines, many origins of Chinese food date back many thousands of years. From simple street side snacks to lavish grand banquet, they form a unique color landscape of Chinese food. I would like to investigate the fascinating world of Chinese cuisine.

The city of Qu fu is located in the north of China, Shang dong Province. It is one of the centers of Chinese official cuisine, Shandong cuisine (Lu Cai). The colorful style of Lu Cai dates back at least two thousand years. Qu Fu is also the birthplace of another Chinese icon, Confucius. Confucius is better known for his philosophy relating politics, society and social order. How can we connect Chinese traditional food with Confucius? He was also a gourmet who believed "where food concerns, seek the finest". He did not only create refined cuisine but also he created a kind of complete food philosophy. Some of the form, structure, etiquette that Confucius brought to the dining table changed Chinese eating way. Confucian cuisine is based on the commendation, balance and nutrition. The order and system contained in Confucian cuisine is the oldest in China's recorded history and it does not only influences Shandong cuisine but also other regions' cuisine too. Shandong cuisine is the number one cuisine in China. This is a result of the decision made by the Chinese feudal dynasties, to adopt Confucianism as the philosophy of governance.

Shandong is the birthplace of Confucianism. As a result, the government drew upon Confucian principles to regulate every aspect of customs and traditions. This included what to eat, to what to wear, as well as what tool to use. According to Confucian principles, even the place of dishes on the dining table and order which each dish presented are very important. For example, there are four dishes are part of one main dish: longevity. The dishes have to be arranged in a precise order. If you are serving it on a square table, you have to arrange the four dishes in order from east, south, west and north.

While Confucius succeeded in bringing details and etiquette to Chinese cuisine, one thing did not change since patriarchy time: the notion of a woman working as a professional chef was not even into consideration and their place was at home, supporting her husband and children.

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How Does the American Chinese Food Differ From the Native Oriental Cuisine?

American Chinese food is different from the native Oriental cuisine in many ways. In the former, vegetables are used to decorate the food, whereas in the Chinese cuisines, vegetables are the main ingredients. This is very obvious in the use of carrots and tomatoes. The use of Asian leafy vegetables and a lot of fresh meat and seafood is very common in the native Chinese cuisine on the other hand. Besides, American Chinese food is generally less spicy than the native Chinese food. Usually, local ingredients common in America but no often used in China, are used to prepare the dishes. For example, the use of broccoli is very common in the Americanized version, while it is rarely used in the authentic cuisine.

American Chinese dishes are very easy to prepare and take less time in cooking. Many dishes are cooked very quickly with a lot of oil and salt. Generally, low-priced ingredients and the most common methods of cooking, such as stir-frying, pan-frying, and deep-frying are used. All the cooking can be easily done with the help of a wok. American Chinese food contains high amount of MSG which is used to add flavor to the food. But many restaurants serve 'MSG Free' or 'NO MSG' options, because some customers may be glutamate sensitive. However, cautiously done scientific research has shown no such negative effects of glutamate.

Mostly, American Chinese restaurants have menus written in English or having pictures, as they cater to non-Chinese consumers. Some restaurants have separate Chinese-language menus also featuring treats like liver, chicken feet or some other striking meat dishes that might dissuade Western clients. In New York's Chinatown, the restaurants are infamous for saying no to provide non-Chinese Americans the "secret" menu that features the genuine Chinese dishes. Thus, American Chinese cuisine differs a lot from the native oriental food in terms of taste, ingredients and the way of cooking.

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