Diverse Regional Cuisines in china

In the Western world, it used to be that Chinese food called to mind a single, homogenous cuisine packaged in cute pint-sized containers known as Chinese take-out. These days, with the proliferation of Asian food markets, TV food shows, and Internet food blogs, it’s become increasingly obvious that there is much, much more to Chinese cuisine than egg rolls and chow mein. Moreover, it stands to reason that a country as large and as geographically and ethnically diverse as China would naturally have a wide range of culinary styles. While there are various ways of classifying these regional cuisines, an extensive variety of flavors, ingredients, cooking methods, and cultural influences has evolved over the centuries to distinguish the north, south, east, and west schools of Chinese cooking.

THE NORTH

The northern school of cooking is largely defined by the refined cooking of Beijing (also known as Mandarin or Peking cuisine) and its former palace kitchens; the classic style of Shandong, where the wok is said to have originated; and the hearty, cold-weather food of Tianjin and cities bordering Russia such as Harbin, where a version of borscht made with red cabbage is quite popular. While the areas in the south, east, and west favor rice, the north is China’s bread basket—wheat-based noodles, dumplings, steamed buns, breads, and pancakes are popular fare. Foods are typically flavored with the liberal use of vinegar, garlic, scallions, leeks, and salt, and tend to be oily. The preferred methods of northern cooking are boiling, steaming, and stir-frying.

THE SOUTH

The food of the Guangdong and Hainan regions largely define the southern regional school of cooking. The Cantonese food from Guangzhou, located in the subtropical province of Guangdong, is the most commonly defined cuisine outside of China—most Chinese restaurants in the Western world feature Cantonese derivatives. Cantonese food is known for its exotic ingredients and fresh, natural flavors. Fermented black beans, hoisin sauce, and oyster sauce—available in a vegetarian form made with soy sauce and mushrooms—are popular condiments in a Cantonese kitchen. Steaming and stirfrying are the two primary Cantonese cooking techniques. Hainan’s tropical island cuisine, while strongly tied to Guangdong’s, combines special local characteristics with milder seasonings that make it lighter. Steaming, braising, and boiling are popular Hainanese cooking methods.

THE EAST

The regions of Jiangsu, Zhenjiang, and Shanghai largely define the eastern school of cooking, which is typically characterized as sweet and oily. Sugar, vinegars, and wines are frequently employed to create this sweetness as well as to impart subtlety of flavors. Salt is another common ingredient, particularly in the dishes of Jiangsu, which are often described as salty-sweet. Zhenjiang is famous for its fragrant black vinegar, a popular condiment throughout China. Because of Shanghai’s status as the world’s largest port and its sizeable international population, a variety of dishes with French and Russian roots dominate menus, as well as dishes originating from China’s other three regional cuisines. Favored cooking methods in eastern cooking include steaming, stewing, braising, and frying.

THE WEST

Sichuan and Hunan cuisines are the most well known in China’s western regional school of cooking, with Yunnan cuisine increasingly gaining recognition. Both Sichuan and Hunan cuisines derive their notably spicy flavors from the use of chili peppers, both fresh and dried, and the famous Sichuan peppercorn—which is not really a pepper, but a dried berry. Also common in Sichuanese cooking are garlic, ginger, and star anise; broad-bean chili paste is a staple seasoning. Hunan cuisine’s liberal use of fresh chili peppers makes it even spicier than Sichuan’s; it also tends to be oilier, fresher, and simpler in taste. Pickling, salting, drying, and smoking are used extensively for food preservation in the hot, humid climate of both provinces. Stir-frying, steaming, and braising are common cooking techniques in Sichuan, while stewing, stir-frying, braising, baking, pot-roasting, and smoking are popular in Hunan. The cuisine of Yunnan Province is a unique blend of the different cooking and preparation styles of its numerous ethnic minority groups with the spicy foods of neighboring Sichuan Province. Mushrooms and flowers, namely chrysanthemums, figure prominently in local dishes, while clay pot stewing is a popular cooking method.

hancheng

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