All About Chinese Food

Food is very important in China as can be seen from the common greeting ‘Chi guo le ma 吃过了吗’ meaning ‘have you eaten yet?’. Another well known saying is ‘mín yǐ shí wéi tiān 民以食为天’ which roughly translates as ‘food is as important as the heavens above’.Up until the last twenty years China was widely praised for its healthy diet and nutritional balance of food.

Base of Chinese Food

Traditionally the base of Chinese food has grain as the source of carbohydrate. In the north this comes from wheat in the form of noodles; dough and buns; in the south it comes from rice. This base is accompanied by several dishes of vegetables and meats often in a spicy sauce. Soybean curd is the protein source for vegetarians as an alternative to meat [it is known as Tofu in Japan; 豆腐花dòufǔhuā or 豆花 dòuhuā in China]. The meat and vegetables are cut up finely so they can be cooked quickly and picked up with chopsticks; when there was little money for fuel it was important to cook quickly and efficiently. Following the foundation of the PRC there were periods of shortages of food which led to famine, in the 1980's food coupons were still needed to exchange for rations of staple foods.The (this is the Cantonese pronunciation of cooking pot 镬 guō) is the versatile cooking vessel of choice. Compared to other eastern cuisines the style is for fresh foods with a few spices principally ginger; garlic and spring onions. Chinese cuisine has heavily influenced those of it's neighbors:Japan; Korea; Vietnam and the Philippines.If you think traditional Chinese foods are about chop suey and fortune cooking, you are mistaken. Both are modified or invented American-Chinese dishes, designed to please US customers. To understand what is real Chinese cuisine, take a peek at China’s kitchens of the past.

The Bund's version of 红烧肉 Grandma's Pork or red-cooked pork was very good. The sauce was syrupy and fragrant, coating firm pieces of fatty belly pork. The firmness means that the fatty layer is still intact and bouncy. The belly meat also has smaller seams of fat which makes the meat moist and tender. I wonder if this is the famous 婆婆肉 Grandma's Pork or 红烧肉 Red-Cooked Pork. It seems 红烧 red cooking is a typical Shanghai cooking style.

A wide range of contrasting flavors are provided by sauces that may include ginger; soy sauce (made from fermented soybeans); sugar; garlic and vinegar. Peppers and chillies are added in different amounts according to the regional cuisine; for example Sichuan is known for its fiery peppers. Flavors are intended to contrast with the neutral taste of boiled rice and so spicy dishes should not be eaten on their own. Pork has generally been the most widely consumed meat particularly in the North; chicken and then beef are the next most common meats. A good meal should have diversity, not just in flavors, colors and ingredients but in the method of cooking, so there should be something boiled, stir-fried, steamed and roasted.

Imported foods

Chinese cuisine has incorporated new foods as they became available from elsewhere in the world. With the opening up of China in the Tang dynasty spinach; almonds; lettuce came in from Central Asia. Sweetcorn, chillies, potatoes and squash arrived in the Ming dynasty with the creation of trading contacts with South America. In the last 100 years, tomatoes have become a major part of the diet. Feeding 20% of the world's population on only 7% of the world's arable land has always been a big challenge.Milk and dairy products were rare in China, indeed Chinese can not digest them completely. Lactose intolerance has been measured at 90% of the population in Asia. With only limited agricultural land, cows are an inefficient way of producing food and this accounts for the small dairy industry. Traditionally the name for milk (奶 nǎi) was used for human mother's milk rather than from animals. The dairy-rich diet of Westerners has led Chinese people to report that Westerner's skin smells like rancid milk. However, in recent years, the dairy industry in China has grown considerably and dairy products are bought as luxury foods.

With many disastrous famines in China over the centuries it is not surprising that the cooking of unusual animals and parts of animals takes place. There is also a long-held belief that certain foods have medicinal benefits. Food has been always seen as not just sustenance but also medicine. So some foods are consumed for healthy living; for instance mushrooms and noodles were believed to bring long life. The balance of hot (spicy) and cool; meat and vegetable is tied up with the long-held tradition of Yin and Yang. The various flavors and textures need to be balanced with their opposites, eating a meal of just one kind of food is intrinsically unbalanced. The tradition of meals of many balanced dishes can make it difficult for vegetarians, despite a large number of Buddhists in the country, as some chefs find it impossible to cook without using some sort of meat product. There is also an aesthetic sense involved too, a good meal is not just about the sense of taste, color, texture and smell are carefully balanced as well. Foods will be added to compliment the balance of colors just as much as for taste. For some occasions the color of the dishes will have significance too (yellow for new births; red for a wedding). A contrast in textures is often sought, so crispness is contrasted with smoothness. The order of dishes is important, duck cannot precede or follow a chicken dish for example.

Categories of Food

To achieve a good diet a mixture of 'hot' (yang) and 'cold' (yin) foods must be cooked accounting for the season. The following lists give a rough guide to the relative 'heat' of a variety of foods.

An Elegant Party (detail), an outdoor painting of a small Chinese banquet hosted by the emperor for scholar-officials from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Although painted in the Song period, it is most likely a reproduction of an earlier Tang Dynasty (618-907) work of art. The painting is attributed to Emperor Huizong of Song (1100AD-1125 AD).

History

In China, traditions go back a very long way, the etiquette of eating gets a mention in the Analects of Confucius (500 BC) in chapter ten he writes of the virtuous man's approach to food.

The Lǚshì Chūnqiū 吕氏春秋 (an encyclopedia written c.240BCE) identifies five flavors: sweet; sour; bitter; spicy and salty. The five flavors were each associated with one of the five elements of Chinese tradition: earth, wood, fire, metal and water respectively. Each flavor was also associated with a particular season of the year. The book describes nine different methods of boiling and it was considered that the transformation of flavors during cooking is ‘beyond all knowledge’. In Ancient China millet in the north and rice in the south were the basic ‘grain food’ 饭 fàn combined with 'vegetables' 菜 cài. Much later many foods from Central Asia arrived during the cosmopolitan Yuan era including Sorghum, wheat, broad beans and alfalfa. When Spanish started trading in the Ming dynasty more exotic foods came from America including chilli peppers, maize, sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes. It is hard to think how Chinese food would have tasted without these 'new' ingredients.

Banquet

A traditional welcome for a guest is a lavish banquet of ten or more dishes. The banquet often starts with a drink of tea with the host sitting at the head of the table with the chief guests on either side. The eldest guests are seated first. Sometimes the host will start by serving the guests, you should wait for the host to give the signal to start eating. It is rude to arrive late, if applauded on entry it is customary to applaud back in response. Traditionally the first food will be cold starters: vegetables; eggs and pickled meats. The following main course is a large selection of dishes. People help themselves from central serving dishes and eat with chopsticks. Chopsticks have served as a natural extensions of the fingers since the Zhou dynasty (3,000 years ago). They used to be made of wood but now are more common in plastic, some people when eating out carry their own chopsticks with them. The food is finely chopped and shredded so it can be picked up with them. However, rice is eaten by bringing the bowl to the mouth and then shoveling it with the chopsticks.

A lot of food may be left over at the end of the meal, as an empty dish suggests the host has not provided enough food and the guest remains hungry. Most dishes include both meat and vegetables, some have only vegetables and there are usually some fish dishes. The flavors are designed to complement and harmonize so there are some spicy, some sour and some sweet. Large amounts of boiled rice are served later on in the meal after the flavors of the main dishes have been savored and the meal becomes more a means of filling the stomach. An informal meal will have rice served at the same time as the main dishes but the food ordered should bear in mind sharing rather than choosing for personal favorites. In northern China, a thin soup is served at the end of the meal to help calm the stomach. There are very many fine, thin, clear soups to choose from. China has only a few traditional desserts but a great range of fruit is available instead. Finally, warmed towels are often provided to wipe the hands and face.Traditionally people eat noisily and take care to serve their neighbors making sure the best bits are shared around equitably. It is impolite to refuse an offered dish, it should at least be tasted. Alcohol at formal meals is normally drunk as a series of toasts. Originally ceramic bowls rather than glasses were used for drinks. A call of ‘Gānbēi 干杯’ meaning literally ‘empty glass’ is called when a toast is to be drunk. Green Tea is often drunk during the meal and it is expected that you serve tea for your neighbors. The spout of the teapot should not be left pointing directly at anybody. To indicate thanks it is traditional to tap fingers on the table, this goes back to a story of the Emperor Qianlong who when he visited restaurants in disguise, his attendants when served by the Emperor who should have kowtowed in thanks used the finger tapping gesture instead. At the end of the meal the host may stand at the door personally wishing each guest farewell 'zai jian'再见.

Northern China

Steamed meat or vegetables wrapped in dough - Jiaozi 饺子 - are popular in the north. Similarly, there are meat filled steamed bread snacks - Baozi 包子. Breakfast in the north is traditionally rice porridge with pickled vegetables. Some dishes use chili peppers to help keep out the winter cold. The range of food available is rather less than in the south. The port city of Tianjin with its long history shows the influence of Russian and Japanese cuisine. Dishes include: ‘Drunken Empress Chicken’ - inspired by Yang Guifei with lashings of Shaoxing spirit. ‘Phoenix Tail Prawns’ where the tail is battered and deep fried. ‘Lamb in Sweet Bean Sauce’ the classic sweet and sour sauced dish. ‘Hot Candied Apples’ - a simple dessert and ‘Mandarin fish’ a fish and wine dish wrapped up in pig's intestine.Inner Mongolia is famous for lamb dishes, ‘Mongolian hotpot’ is sliced lamb with vegetables and noodles. ‘Shanxi Tounao’ is a thick soup of mutton; lotus; yam; herbs and rice wine. ‘Mongolian’ stews also feature. These dishes show the influence of the Mongol dynasty. A form of jiaozi called ‘Shumai’ are steamed stuffed dumplings made from wheat flour and filled with ground pork.

Beijing

Beijing as the Imperial capital could afford to import a lot of luxury foods. Shark's fin; Bird's nest; Peking duck and Abalone are amongst the best known. ‘Peking Duck’ was an Imperial treat, the locally raised ducks are dried and brushed with a sweet marinade. It is served with pancakes; cucumbers; onions with a sweet plum sauce. The ducks are also used to produce liver pate. During the 70s and 80s piles of cabbages were a common sight of winter in Beijing, there was little choice of food in those days.

Shandong

Shandong (Lu cuisine) has a very ancient tradition of cooking and by many is regarded as the oldest and best. ‘Sweet and Sour Carp’ is a famous dish traditionally made with local Yellow River carp. ‘Bird's Nest Soup’ made of bird saliva is a prized delicacy. ‘Scallion Lamb’ is another well-known dish.

Eastern Central China

For centuries the rivers and mild climate of Central China have made it the land of fish and rice. Shanghai's cuisine comes from many sources and is famous for fish dishes such as ‘Hairy Crab’.

It is noted for good vegetarian (Buddhist) restaurants. Generally the cuisine is a bit sweeter than other areas and a bit heavier as more oil is used. Hunan dishes can be hot, even hotter than Sichuan. Famous dishes include ‘Farmer Style Pork’ and ‘Fish Head with Chopped Chilli’, Nanjing as an Imperial capital has many dishes including ‘Beggar's Chicken’ (a whole chicken stuffed with herbs and vegetables and wrapped in clay and cooked). The story of the dish is that originated when a chicken stolen from the Emperor that was buried to conceal it. Other dishes include: ‘Lion's Heads’ - Pork meatballs braised with vegetables (Jiangsu); ‘Tofu casserole’ - Bean curd with sea cucumbers, mushrooms, bamboo shoots; ‘Squirrel Fish’ - A deep fried battered bream served with sweet and sour sauce; ‘Three layer Shreds’ - Shredded ham; chicken; pork with bamboo shoots and black mushrooms; ‘Eight Treasure Buddha’ - Vegetarian dish with many ingredients; ‘Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs’ - Pork rib meat in bite sized chunks.

The province of Anhui is noted for white bamboo shoots much used in vegetarian dishes with mushrooms. Jiangsu province (Su) cuisine emphasizes fresh ingredients with sweet and salty flavors. Zhenjiang, Jiangsu produces 'Chinkiang (aka Zhenjiang) vinegar' - a black rice vinegar. Fujian province (Min) cuisine is famous for soups, and flavors that are subtle and light. ‘Fish Ball’ and ‘Buddha Jumps Over the Wall’ (named after a Buddhist monk who could not resist the fine aroma of the dish), are well known dishes as well as ‘Sour Mustard Beef’. Zhejiang province (Zhe) cuisine is fairly similar to Min cuisine - it has a fairly light style and is artistically presented. The city of Jinhua, Zhejiang is famous for hams. ‘Dongpo Pork’ is a favorite dish of Hangzhou named in honor of the Song poet Su Dongpo (Su Shi).

Cantonese

Guangdong province in southern China is known for shellfish and fish cuisine. The world famous ‘Cantonese Cuisine’ is named after ‘Canton’ the old spelling for Guangzhou the provincial capital. Perhaps best known is Dimsum, Dimsum literally means 'dot on the heart' (dianxin 点心) which is boiled dough with a variety of spicy and savory fillings; it is a form of the more general 'little eats' (xiaochi 小吃) common all over China; quite often for breakfast. Cantonese cuisine involves a lot of steaming and boiling; it is less spicy than the other cuisines and also lower in oils and fats. A wide range of sauces are used including hoisin sauce (based on soya and chillies). A common dish is ‘Cantonese Barbecue Pork’ char siu or (叉烧 chā shāo). Due to the migration of many Chinese people away from this region there are more Cantonese restaurants around the world than any other style of Chinese cuisine. A large number of Cantonese words for food have made it into English: Bok choy; Chop suey; Dimsum; Longan; Loquat; Lychee; Shumai; Wok and Wonton.

Very exotic foods like Thousand Year Old Eggs ; cats; snakes; dogs are restricted to the far southern provinces of Guizhou; Guangdong and Guangxi. ‘Dragon Duel Tiger’ is the name of an unusual mix of snake and cat meat. Further east in Guangdong province, Chaozhou has a rich cuisine with many fish and salty dishes. Hong Kong has a very wide range of cuisines with little distinctly special; reflecting its position as a cosmopolitan trading port. Macau retains quite a few Portuguese dishes in its cuisine from is time as a colony.