Chinese Food Culture

Chinese food culture plays a very important role in Chinese culture. Sophisticated as the history of China, Chinese food enjoys a world-wide reputation for its nice looking, good flavor, and implied meaning. Chinese food is also very famous for its long reach from China itself to the rest of the world. Chinese food is very easily found in different countries, and it has become an impressive symbol of Chinese culture. Wherever you go, you will find it very easy to come across a China Town where delicious and unique Chinese food is served.

Chinese food has a large variety of styles. In general, there are 9 main styles of Chinese food ranging from North to South of China. Here is the brief introduction to some of the different cuisines.

Beijing is the center of politics, economy and culture. In ancient times, Beijing is the capital of many dynasties, so Beijing Cuisine traditionally represents the flavor of the ancient imperial court. You may have not been to Beijing, but the world famous Beijing Roast Duck is a dish that you cannot miss in your life. Beijing Roast Duck is shining date-red in color and unique in flavor. It is well-known by its crispy skin and tender texture. It will be sure to give you satisfaction and enjoyment when eating.

Canton (Guangzhou) is the provincial capital of Guangdong Province in the southern part of China, bordering with Hong Kong and Macao. As the river of time runs, the Cantonese cuisine finally comes to a great combination of the north and the south. Cantonese food which originates from the region of Guangzhou in southern China's Guangdong province is the most popular Chinese food outside China..A saying says that anything that walks, swims, crawls, or flies is edible. Another says that the only four-legged things that Guangzhou people won't eat are tables and chairs. It more seem to be a joke, but the Cantonese cuisine indeed includes almost all edible food. As a harbor city, Canton (Guangzhou) has access to a large range of imported food, which resulted in the huge variety of Cantonese dish we can enjoy today.

Sichuan cuisine has a long history and it is very famous throughout the world. The cuisine originated in ancient Ba and Shu states, and then widely developed during the Tang and Song Dynasties. Sichuan style includes the tastes of Chengdu, Chongqing and some other places in the province. The typical characteristics of the style are hot, spicy and sour, thus the tastes of dishes are very strong.

The strong chili taste is to stimulate the taste buds and appetite in hot and humid weather during summer, as well as to make people feel warmer during miserable winter in Sichuan Province. Well known Sichuan recipes are Sichuan beef and re-cooked pork, which is a dish of pork, cooked in boiled water, and then stir-fried in a very hot pan with cooking oil and put sauces on it finally. Cold noodles mixed with peanut sauce is a favorite snack in Chengdu and Chongqing, it can be served either spicy or not. Ma-Po bean curd is very mouth-watering that is commonly eaten with rice. It is mainly made of fine bean curd cut to small pieces and cooked with slices of pork and peppers and chilies. The taste of the dishes, of course, is very hot.

Jiangsu Cuisine originates from the native cooking styles of South China's Jiangsu Province. It has a fresh taste, with moderate saltiness and sweetness, which is thick but not greasy. Meanwhile it places an emphasis on the making of soup and retaining the original taste of the ingredients. Once it was the second largest cuisine among ancient China's royal cuisines, and it remains a major part of the state banquet in China.

Besides the above cuisines, there are other cuisines which are also very famous around China and the world such as Anhui Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine, Hunan Cuisine, Shandong Cuisine, and Zhejiang Cuisine. The delicious Chinese is right there waiting for you to counter!