What You Need to Know About Regional Chinese Cooking
China is a large country and, as you might expect, each region differs significantly in resources, climate, and cuisine. There are nearly as many different cooking styles as Chinese regions.
You can divide Chinese cooking styles into five main regions, which are Cantonese, Szechuan, Peking, Honan, and Fukien. Each region favors very different recipes.
Different Kinds of Chinese Food
The Cantonese people, who have always been great travelers, were the first to establish restaurants outside China, which is why most international Chinese restaurants cook in the Cantonese style. In Cantonese cooking, you can taste every ingredient in the dish. Stir frying with chicken broth is very popular. Not many seasonings are used, perhaps just wine, ginger or soy sauce. Cantonese cooking is renowned for bird nest soup, shark fin soup, fried rice, roast poultry and meats and lobster, as well as various fish dishes.
The Peking style of Chinese food is famous for elegant, light, and mildly spiced foods. Vinegar, green onions, garlic, chives, soy sauce, and leeks are widely used and famous Peking dishes include egg rolls, wine-cooked meat, Peking duck, and dumplings.
In the Honan region, fish and seafood are very popular and most sweet and sour dishes are originally from this region. Rice is served with many meals and Shao Xing wine, soy sauce, and ginger are typical Honan seasonings. Light clear soups, egg rolls and suckling pigs are served in many Honan homes and restaurants too.
Szechuan foods are typically highly spiced, peppery, and oily. The Szechuan region is hot and humid and specialties include mushroom dishes, fried Szechuan chicken and vegetables in chicken fat. Dried chilies, Szechuan pepper, sesame seed oil, and fermented bean curd paste appear in many Szechuan dishes. Perhaps you have also tried Kung Po chicken, which is a spicy combination of chicken, nuts, chilies, and peppercorns.
“Mandarin” and “Shanghai” refer to restaurant styles rather than areas of China. A mandarin is a Chinese aristocrat and, in the culinary sense, this word applies to the foods favored by the Chinese aristocracy in the Peking-Shantung area. Shanghai cuisine is a mixture of regional dishes.
Chinese Food and Healthy Eating
Seafood, fish, and vegetables make up a large part of their diet. There are no dairy products and only lean or semi lean meat is used. Authentic Chinese food is low in calories and nutrient rich.
A hot rice porridge called congee is a popular breakfast dish in China. Fish or meat and vegetables make up most of the other meals. The Chinese are big snack eaters, although not at any particular set time of the day. Snacks include little biscuits or cakes, fruit and nuts. They like light, subtle flavored foods more than rich, heavy ones.
Many westerners make the mistake of thinking that authentic Chinese recipes are the high fat, high calorie meals often seen in Chinese buffet restaurants and take outs. They do eat fried foods and desserts sometimes but they also enjoy a lot of vegetables and wholesome grains, in order to eat a well balanced diet.
Want some great chicken recipes like our chicken Marsala recipe then visit our site nothing but great chicken ideas.
