As a resplendent part of the cultural heritage of the Chinese people, the Chinese cuisine with its long-standing tradition is regarded as one of the world’s three major culinary schools along with French and Turkish haute cuisine. In the course of historical development, the Chinese cuisine has developed a dazzling array of cooking skills.
- Local Cuisine Shandong, Sichuan, Yangzhou, Cantonese, Fukienese,
hunanese, Zhejiang, Anhui, Beijing, and Shanghai are the ten dominant schools of cooking in China. The Cantonese school of cooking, which came about by incorporating the fine elements of miscellaneous culinary styles, is known and appreciated for its extensive range of choice of materials. Freshwater and seafoods are its forte, but it is dishes made of fowls and snakes that make Cantonese cuisine so special and exotic. The Shandong school of cooking is characterized by wide and meticulous choice of ingredients. Full-bodied flavor and gourmet quality are of the uttermost importance. High-calorie and high-protein dishes are the forte of Shangdong chefs, who have a special way of making soups. Pungency, to the degree of numbness, is a salient feature of Sichuan dishes. As the saying goes, “While China is an Epicurean paradise, Sichuan is the place to be for those hunting for the most delectable and exquisite of dishes.” Indeed, Sichuan dishes are prepared from a good variety of choice ingredients, and, seasoned in a hundred and one ways, come in diverse flavor. Huaiyang; As a crystallization of the culinary styles of such cities as Yangzhou, Zhenjiang and Huai’an, Huaiyang cooking is representative of all culinary schools in Jiansu Province. The Huaiyang cooking is representative of all culinary schools in Jiangsu Province. The Huaiyang cuisine is known for the tenderness and freshness of the materials with delicate tastes, and the fastidious way in which the chefs prepare them.
(2) Special Dishes Special Chinese dishes run the gamut form imperial haute cuisine to vegetarians’ dishes. There are also dishes prepared in the Muslim tradition, and foods that have a curative effect.
(3) Local Snacks To tempt the palate with a certain kind of refreshments during the luul of a journey is one of life’s good enjoyments. China offers a baffling array of snacks and refreshments prepared in different culinary styles, ready to serve in restaurants, eateries, and roadside food stalls. And they come in a good variety of flavors and balanced nutritious value. In the south the snacks and refreshments are mostly prepared of rice, while in the north wheat products dominate. Sweet cakes are among the most important refreshments in Beijing; while in Canton, refreshments are prepared mostly in a Western style. In Suzhou, snacks served on board pleasure boats are the most famous.
