Chinese regional cooking styles

As China is a huge country geographically, it is diverse in climate, ethnicity and subcultures.Not surprisingly, therefore, there are many distinctive styles of cuisine. Historically there were eight great culinary traditions(Anhui, Guandong, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Szechuan and Zhejian).

Today there are four main regional cooking styles in China: Beijing, Szechuan, Hunan and Cantonese, though still many provincial variations and ethnic minority specialities.

Beijing

Beijing cuisine is also known as Mandarin cuisine. Many of the foods in this region are wheat-based (as opposed to rice-based-), so Beijing cuisine consists of variety of dumplings, baked and steamed breads and various types of noodle. Mandarin-style meals usually include vegetable dishes, soups, tofu(soya mmo bean curd)and fish. The food is mild in taste, and vinegar and garlic are common ingredients. Dishes are frequently stewed or braised, while dumplings are filled with a meat or vegetable mixture and steamed.

Szechuan

Food from the Szechuan (or ‘Four Rivers’basin is characteristic of the south-western region of China.

Featuring a liberal use of garlic, ginger spring onion and chilli, Szechuan food is distinguished by its hot, peppery flavours. It is the spiciest style of Chinese cooking and certainly very tasty.

Hunan

The traditional cuisine of Hunan Province is richer than that of Szechuan and may be either spicy or sweet and sour. Chicken, pork, fish and shellfish are all popular ingredients cooked in this manner.

 Cantonese

From Canton or Guangdong Province in the south-eastern region of China(which includes Hong Kong),tonese food tends to be more colourful and less spicy than the other regional styles of cooking and is usually stir-fried, which preserves both the texture and flavour of ingredients. Dim sum or ‘tea lunch’, usually consisting onng of tasty little dumplings and pastries stuffed with meats and vegetables, is served at many Cantonese restaurants during the lunch hour. Freshness is supreme to the Cantonese, and sauces are kept mild and subtle so as not to overpower the fresh taste of the ingredients.

Healthy principles

The Chinese way of looking at health lies in one of the fundamental principles of its traditional philos-ophy, that food and medicine share the same roots. The firm belief that food has healing powers and therapeutic effects has led to the cultivation of many different edible plants and herbs in China, and as the benefits of disease prevention and health preservation that they offer have been recognized, so they have become standard ingredients in Chinese home-cooked dishes. At the same time, there has been a pursuit of refinement in Chinese cooking The quantities of different ingredients and thei  combination are essential considerations. Whether making main dishes or soups, foods are combined according to their relative nutritional content to achieve the goal of an overall balance in nutritional til intake. And it is recommended to eat only until the stomach is about 70-80% full, a practice that has been passed down through the generations as a secret to long life.

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