Chinese Food
With a long history, Chinese culinary arts are famous all over the world. Chinese dishes appeal to the senses through color, shape, aroma and taste. According to different regional styles Chinese cuisine can be mainly divided into four kinds such as Sichuan, Cantonese, Shandong and Huaiyang, each distinctly different.
Sichuan (Chuan) Cuisine
Sichuan cuisine is distinctly spicy. Chili, Chinese peppers, black peppers and fresh ginger are indispensable ingredients when cooking. Sichuan dish is also famous for aromatic and spicy sauces
Cantonese (Yue) Cuisine
Guangdong cooking makes use of many ingredients. They look for fresh, tender, crisp textures. Ingredients in Cantonese food range from fish, shrimp and poultry to snake, wildcat and giant salamander.
Shangdong (Lu) Cuisine
Shangdong cuisine leads the Northern dishes. Shangdong cooks are good at cooking seafood such as sea cucumber, "squirrel fish", jumbo prawns, crab and eel.
Huaiyang (Huai) Cuisine
Huaiyang cuisine stresses the natural flavors. Dishes are strong but not greasy, and light but delicate.
Simmering, boiling or baking in earthenware pots over a low fire are a feature of this cuisine. Jiangsu specialties are "West Lake Fish" and "Beggar's Chicken", baked in lotus leaves in a clay pot.
Mongolian Hot Pot is very popular in Beijing. The pots are round with a charcoal fire underneath and a small chimney running up through the center. The meat is dipped in the pot and removed almost immediately. Shrimps, mushrooms and other vegetables may be added.
Peking Roast Duck is the most famous dish in Beijing. The crispy skin is the most delicious part of the duck. To achieve the right crispy texture, the duck is dried, and then coated with a syrup and soy sauce before it is roasted. The skin is skillfully carved. These pieces are wrapped in thin pancakes with onions or leeks, cucumber, turnip and plum sauce. Some restaurants also serve up just about every part of the duck, from the webbed feet to the beak and liver.
Chinese Dumpling, also called Jiaozi, filled with meat and vegetable, very popular during the New Year and other festival. Eating jiaozi symbolize good luck and prosperity in the next year. There is no standard filling for jiaozi. The filling can range from vegetables, meat to seafood. Jiaozi are usually boiled in water and served with vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic or pepper oil.