Foreign Foods

4 min read

Over the thousands of years of its history, China’s traditional culture has proved itself to be both highly inclusive and very robust. Over time it has absorbed and integrated ideas and concepts from foreign civilizations, whilst maintaining its own unique national character. China’s eating culture reflects this wider dynamic. Chinese people not only accept new foodstuffs, but also actively search out new things to eat. As a result, new foods have been imported into China since ancient times. This process has not only changed the eating habits of Chinese people, it has also broadened the range of sources from which their food comes.

New types of food started to be imported into central China from the country’s outlying provinces and from foreign countries in the pre-Qin period. However, this only began to take place on a significant scale during the powerful Western Han Dynasty(over 2,000 years ago), when exchanges between China and foreign countries became increasingly frequent. Among the foodstuffs that were spread into China’s central plains region (inhabited by the Han people) at this time were grapes, pomegranates, benne(sesames), broad beans(fava beans), butternuts(walnuts), cucumbers, watermelons, muskmelons, carrots, fennel, celery and coriander(caraway). These came from China’s Xinjiang province and from countries in Central and West Asia. They arrived inCentral China along the famous Silk Road. As a result, many foods that did not originate in China gradually began to appear on the dining tables of the Chinese people.

Potatoes spread to China via its southeastern coastal area. They were only planted in Fujian and Zhejiang at first, but later spread all over the country. Peanuts originated from Brazil in America, and the Chinese now eat them or crush them to extract oil(peanut oil has a pure flavor and is a top-grade vegetable oil). Sunflowers spread to China from America in the 17h century.

By the 19h century the Chinese had began to extract and use the oil from their seeds(so further diversifying the range of vegetable oils they used). Mung beans originated in India, and this type of In late autumn and early winter, farmers in She County, Anhui, put harvested maize, pumpkins, dogwood, peppers, and other crops on their roofs to dry.

In recent years, picking strawberries has become a fad. This has driven the development of leisure and tourism agriculture around many large cities in China.

bean spread to China during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). Spinach spread to China fromPersia during the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty(who was on the throne from 626 to 649). Eggplants originated in India and spread to China alongside Buddhism during the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589). Wild cabbages, tomatoes and other vegetables spread to China during the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). Cauliflowers spread to China in the late 19h century.

Pepper is a very common flavoring which has been enjoyed in China for more than 300 years. It spread to China from Peru and Mexico in the late Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). Sugar, the most important raw material for sweet flavorings, began to be produced in China after Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had dispatched envoys to study sugar boiling techniques in Central Asia.

Shark’s fins and edible bird’s nests, which are now regarded as precious foods by the Chinese, spread to China from Southeast Asia at the beginning of the 14h century. They became luxuries during the Qing Dynasty(1616-1911).

Most of the fruits that spread to China in the early period of its history are from West Asia(such as grapes), Central Asia(such as early apples), the Mediterranean (such as olives), India(such ascitrus) and Southeast Asia(such as coconuts and bananas). Other fruits that have only been eaten by modern Chinese people include pineapples, tomatoes, guavas, strawberries, apples, durians and grapefruits. These spread to China from Southeast Asia, America and Oceania.

Foreign ingredients first entered Chinese recipes during the Tang Dynasty. For example, manyChinese Muslim dishes were created using ingredients brought into the country by Arabians.

These made a great contribution to the diversification of Chinese eating habits and culinary skills.

In modern times, Western-style foods have spread to China. Western restaurants have opened in many trading ports and other cities, and, in addition, some culinary techniques combining Chinese and Western approaches have been developed. This fusion of styles is prominently manifested in Guangdong dishes, which are classed as one of China’s four main cuisines.

Thanks to the extensive spread of the modern Western culture, many Western drinks are now being enjoyed in China. These include non-alcoholic drinks such as coffee, cocoa, aerated water and fruit juice and alcoholic drinks such as beer, whisky and red and white wine. The introduction of coffee has not stopped Chinese people from continuing to enjoy their traditional habit of drinking tea. However coffee, along with cocoa, now plays an important role in China’s food production industry. These two products have greatly diversified the types of biscuits, pastries, candies, ice creams, and other products that are made in the country.

The introduction of Western foods and cooking techniques has led to the development of a number of Chinese-style Western dishes and Western-style Chinese dishes. These include Western duck liver, prawns cooked in a Western style, chicken in paper wrapping and sizzling beef. All of these delicacies integrate Chinese and Western culinary methods and ingredients.

In recent years, the level of economic and cultural exchange between China and foreign countries has increased tremendously. Trade in animals and plant products has boomed as more and more ordinary Chinese families have begun to cook and eat imported food. Like other countries, China is therefore facing the threat of a large-scale invasion of foreign species which could damage the country’s native biodiversity. As a result, trade laws and regulations are gradually being established to safeguard China’s ecology.