Get
An Overview On Chinese Food And Culture
Though out conversations
with many of my friends coming from different western culture backgrounds,
I found out, their impression with Chinese Food fall into the categories
of fried rice, chicken balls or sweet and sour dies, etc. However, this
is a small sample of Chinese food and usually quite westernized.
PART
I.กกกกIn General
Try the authentic
food
There is an enormous
variety of Chinese food that differs greatly from region to region. One
interesting thing about traveling around China including Hong Kong is
to try out different food. You will find how different from what you have
known from the fast food stand and how enjoyable it will be if you just
release yourself from traditional food paradigm.
Food is a central
part of the Chinese culture
Chinese cuisine is
one of the greatest methods of cooking. Many factors and 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.
Confucius once said:
"Eating is the utmost important part of life."
A delightful and delicious
meal creates happiness, harmony, mental and physical well-being. Prosperity
is another element that has influenced Chinese cooking. During China's
long history, she had several "golden eras". When peace, good weather
and intelligent leaders were combined, both the people and the monarchs
developed their culture through art, science, and countless good recipes.
Today Chinese, after one hundred year of suffering, are again enjoying
their stability and good life. You can try out all the good Chinese food
all over the world.
Famine and Hardship
Famine and hardship
played a large role in the development of the cuisine. China has been
an agricultural civilization for thousands of years and has suffered from
poor harvests. During lean years, people would explore everything eatable
to stay alive. Many strange and incredible ingredients such as wood ears,
lily buds, etc. were discovered and added to Chinese recipes. The scarcity
of food also taught people how to avoid waste. Various fruit and vegetable
peels and even shark fins turned out to be delicacies in Chinese food.
Energy Saving
The lack of cooking
fuel from thousands of years of settlement and clear-cutting prompted
the development of stir-frying. The need to save fuel became so influential
that most Chinese dishes require a lengthy preparation but only a few
minutes cooking time. With the current energy crisis the Chinese cooking
method offers a practical way to conserve fuel while it delights the taste
buds.
Healthier and Tasteful
Most Chinese dishes
are cooked with meat and vegetables together, so the foods contain lower
calories and are less rich than Western style food. Vegetables stay bright
and crisp by cooking them for a short time over high heat, either in their
own juice or in a small amount of water. This method retains most of the
vitamins and minerals.
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PART
II. กกIntroduction To Different Kinds Of Chinese Food
Food with Culture
Famous for its abundance
and exquisite, Chinese food culture has occupied an important part in
the nation's tradition cultures. China is of long history with a vast
territory. Due to the diversity of the climate, products and customs,
there are widely different food styles and taste in local regions. Through
creation by past dynasties, the long standing cooking art has formed rich
and colorful local dishes. Among them, "the eight major dishes"
enjoys the upper reputation, which consists of Shandong, Zhejiang,
Sichuan, Jiangshu, Guangdong, Hunan, Fujian and Anwhui.
The 8 Major Dishes
Shandong dishes
are divided into two factions as Jinan and Jiaodong dishes. They are good
at clear dishes, pure but not greasy.
Zhejiang dishes
are both delicious and sweet smelling, both soft and slide, clean and
not greasy. They consist of Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shaoxing branches.
Sichuan dishes
have enjoyed the fame that every dish has its own characteristic and none
two share the same taste. Chengdu and Chongqing dishes are two mail branches.
What is typical of this southwestern province of China is the spicy taste
of its food. Many Sichuan dishes are prepared using chili pepper oil,
which gives a special taste to the food. The most famous Sichuan dish
is the Gongbao (Kung Pao) chicken, fried with peanuts and
chili pepper.
Jiangsu dishes
lay stress on the original taste with proper sweetness and salty. They
consist of Yangzhou, Suzhou and Nanking branches.
Guangdong dishes
have Guangzhou, Chaozhou and Dongjiang three styles of dishes. They are
good at choice seafood and pay more attention to the cooking skills. They
act carefully at light food with tender and slide taste, from which they
earn the praise of " It has a best taste in only in Guangzhou."
Hunan dishes
consist of Xiangjian, Dongting Lake and Xiangxi coteau three local dishes.
Their tastes lay stress on thick, arid and peppery food, mostly using
seasoning like hot peppery, shallot and capsicum.
Minghou, Fuzhou Ximen
and Quanzhou dishes are the representatives of Fujian dishes.
They use choice seafood as the main material with elaborately cooks beautiful
color and delicious taste of oil. They are good at frying, gliding, decocting
and pay attention to the dishes' sweetness, salty, and the appearance.
The most distinct features are their "pickled taste".
Anwhui dishes
pay more attention to the taste, color of dishes and the temperature to
cook them. They are expert in cooking delicacies from mountains and sea.
In addition to the
eight major dishes, there are Beijing dishes, Shanghai dishes, Hubei dishes,
Liaoning dishes, Henan dishes which also enjoy great reputation. What's
more, the steamed dishes and vegetable dishes have their own charms. Actually,
Chinese dishes have earned world's fame. The Chinese eateries could be
found everywhere throughout the world. Many foreigners regard having a
Chinese meal as a high honor. กกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกกก
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