Chinese Cuisine

China is a vast melting pot of cultural diversity illustrated by its regional cuisines. Sichuan, Fujian and Cantonese amongst other regional styles each provide a different facet to the most Oriental of cuisines. Chinese cooking uses meat, vegetables, sauces, rice and noodles in an endless variety of ways to create dishes in perfect balance. Chinese food is traditionally eaten with chopsticks and chine spoons are used for soups and some rice dishes.

• Anhui
• Cantonese
• Fujian
• Hunan
• Jiangsu
• Shandong
• Sichuan
• Zhejiang

Anhui (Eastern) cuisine is derived from the native cooking styles of the Huangshan Mountains region in China and similar to Jiangsu cuisine. Anhui chefs are known for their work with wild game, fish and herbs, and producing unfussy, simple dishes. Chefs, in this region in particular, are extremely precise in their method of cooking and everything is created to exacting standards. Typical ingredients such as bayberry, tea leaves, bamboo shoots, dates and game are sourced from the mountainous region. Fry and stir fry methods are less frequently used in Anhui cuisine, and instead braising and slow cooking are favoured. One of the oldest and most famous dishes of this area is Braised Turtle with Ham.

Cantonese (Southern) cuisine originates from Guangdong Province in Southern China, or more precisely, the area around Guangzhou (Canton). Of the various regional styles of Chinese cuisine, Cantonese is the most popular around the world. A "Chinese restaurant" in a Western country will serve mostly Cantonese food or an interpretation of the key dishes. There is a lengthy coastline where fish is plentiful and it is steamed, blanched, or poached, and often served simply with vinegar, ginger, spring onions and Chinese parsley. Well known sauces such as oyster, soy and hoisin are also popular. Dim sum, little fried, baked or steamed dumplings made with meat, vegetables and fish are part of the Chinese teahouse culture, although they are found on every street corner as quick and easy street food.

Fujian (South Eastern) cuisine is derived from the native cooking style of the province of Fujian, China. Well-known dishes include: oyster omelette, Popiah, yu wan (Fujian fish balls), and ban mien bian ruo (noodles with dumplings). Fujian cuisine is famed for using seafoods, and for the visual presentation of its dishes. It also focuses greatly on a chef's knife-skills: finely sliced jellyfish is an art, and soup dishes are popular. Buddha Jumps Over A Wall- a mixture of seafood, chicken, duck, and pork simmered in a rice wine jar- is one of the most famous dishes, and is so called, because the dish is so delicious that even the Buddha would jump over a wall to eat it once he smelled it.

Hunan (Central) cuisine is sometimes called Xiang cuisine. Hunan cuisine is well known for its hot, spicy flavor, fresh aroma and deep color. It shares characteristics with szechuan cuisine, but is drier in texture and uses smoking and curing techniques to more effect. Ingredients are usually stewed, fried, pot-roasted, braised or smoked. Due to the high agricultural output of the region, ingredients for Hunan dishes are plentiful and varied. Hunan cuisine is particularly known for its liberal use of chilli peppers, shallots and garlic. Favourite dishes include Dongan chicken and Changsha vermicelli.

Jiangsu (Eastern) cuisine is derived from the native cooking styles of the Jiangsu region in China. The Jiangsu region is known as "a land of fish and rice", a region plentiful in the staples of a traditional Chinese diet. In general, Jiangsu cuisine's texture is characterized as soft i.e the meat tastes very delicate but would not separate from the bone when being picked up. Other characteristics include the strict selection of the freshest ingredients according to the seasons, emphasis on the matching color and shape of each dish and emphasis on using soup to improve the flavour. Jinling salted dried duck is a particular favourite of this region.

Shandong (Northern) is more commonly known as Lu cuisine. It is derived from the native cooking styles of the Shandong region in China. It borders the coast and it is this part in particular that is wonderfully fertile providing a plentiful supply of fruit and vegetables for the capital, as well as a multiplicity of seafood. Shandong cuisine consists of two major styles: Jiaodong style that is characterized by seafood cooking, with light tastes and Jinan style that is famed for its soup and utilizing soups in its dishes. The highly prized and very expensive Sharks Fin soup is a delicacy.

Sichuan cuisine, Szechuan cuisine or Szechwan cuisine is a style of Chinese cuisine originating in the southwestern part of China . It is most famous for its 'hot and numbing' flavour, largely created by the inclusion of chillies and the Sichuan peppercorn or Fagara. Translated, Sichuan means "Four Rivers". Szechuan cuisine often contains food preserved through salting, drying, smoking and pickling and is generally spicy. The Sichuan peppercorn is almost universally used in the regions' dishes. The 'peppercorns' (they are actually small berries which grow on a bush, and then are dried) produce a fragrant, numbing, almost citrusy spice, and come from an indigenous plant. The finest Sichuan pepper in China is grown in the mountainous regions of western Sichuan - or Hanyuan country. Other ingredients that are commonly used, include chillies, ginger and spicy herbs. Broad bean chilli paste is also a staple seasoning in Sichuan cuisine. Common preparation techniques in Sichuan cuisine include stir frying, steaming and braising, but authentic Sichuanese chefs would claim to use fifty-six distinct cooking methods.

Zhejiang cuisine is encompassed by four different styles, each originating from a city in the province: both Shaoxing and Wenzhou make use of fish with the former concentrating on freshwater and the latter on shellfish. They both utilise poultry as well. Freshness and salty notes to dishes are key in the repertoire of dishes from the Ningbo region, while Hangzhou is varied and makes great use of bamboo shoots in its cooking. Zhejiang cuisine is best represented by Hangzhou dishes, including Hangzhou roast chicken (commonly known as Beggar's chicken), Songsao Shredded Fish soup, Dongpo pork and West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce