The Chinese Way of Diet

Chinese food is an art, which grew out of a highly developed civilization. Chinese cooking uses almost all of the meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables known to the western palate. It has also embraced other foodstuffs, which may appear rare to western taste.

Since ingredients are not the same everywhere, Chinese food begins to undertake a local character simply by virtue of the ingredients it uses. Generally there are four basic gastronomic areas: Shangdong, Cantonese, Sichuan and Yangzhou . These regional cusines have evolved over centuries. However, their designations have no specific geographical boundaries. Beijing food, for example, falls under the category of Yangzhou cuisine. Chefs from the four regional cuisines influence each other, and their good cooking experience is shared among themselves. Despite of that, each regional cuisine has its own history, unique techniques, distinguished dishes and prevailing taste.

One Important point is that the Chinese have readily adopted foreign foodstuffs since the dawn of history. Wheat, sheep and goats were possibly introduced from Western Asia in prehistoric times; many fruits and vegetables came in from Central Asia during the Han and the Tang dynasties; peanuts and sweet potatoes came from coastal traders during the Ming dynasty. These all became integral ingredients of Chinese food.

Chinese food is usually chopped up into thin, bite-size pieces. It aims to make knives unnecessary at the dinner table. The thinness is deliberate for quick cooking and using a minimum of fuel. Chinese food can also appear whole, like fish and pork hocks, but they are deeply cooked so that chopsticks can easily separate them.

In China the ingredients are prepared along tracks of fan and cai. Fan refers to grains and other starch staple grains; cai fundamental and indispensable. The Chinese people have a habit of eating more staple food and less non-staple food. Grains make up most of the caloric intake. Due to tradition an adult may consume two or three bowls of rice or a large bowl of noodles at one sitting. At the daily Chinese dining table, everyone has his or her own bowl of staple food. Banquet menus are quite different in composition, compared with the daily meal at home. Rice or noodles are served last. Even at the end of a banquet meal Chinese habitually eat a small bowl of rice.

For the preparation of dishes, it is a rule to use multiple ingredients and several flavors. Cooked dishes are usually placed in the center of a table to be shared by all the eaters. The way of shared dishes is conducive to family togetherness and friendship. In restaurants “public ” chopsticks or spoons are used to get food from the dishes or plates in the table center. It aims to prevent the possible spread of disease. No knives are available at the table. However, restaurants and some homes offer knives whenever they are asked for.

When overseas travelers first visit China , they usually exchange toasts and speeches. Liquor may be served for the purpose of toasting. Beer and soft drinks are also available for toasts. At the beginning of the banquet, the host is likely to make a short speech to welcome the guests and propose a toast in their honor. At this time the guests need only accept these gestures graciously. Towards the end of the meal, the senior guest should give a return speech of gratitude for the hospitality and propose an appropriate toast. Usually the meal ends when the host thanks the guests for coming or offers a final toast.

Chopsticks have been used in China for thousands of years. They are used either to grasp the food or to push it from plate to mouth. They are available for all purposes except eating soup or ice cream. Chopsticks are normally used in China , but you should not hesitate to ask for a knife or fork if you are embarrassed about you're ability to use chopsticks, your hosts will definitely help you with great patience. As days go by, you will be surprised at how quickly you will progress.

General Information about Sichuan Cuisine

Many travelers know Sichuan cuisine for its “hot and spicy” flavors or a few of its most famous dishes, but that is only the beginning. Sichuan cuisine is legendary in China for its sophistication and diversity. The regional cuisine boasts 5,000 different dishes.

The origin of Sichuan cuisine can be traced back to the Qin and Han dynasties. Yang Xiong was a well-known scholar in the Western Han dynasty. He composed an ode to Shude. The song described the local food in Sichuan . During the Three Kingdoms Period, the people in the kingdom of the Shu liked sweet food. During the Jin Dynasty, local people enjoyed pungent food.

However, pungent food at that time referred to food made with ginger, mustard, chives, or onions. Du Fu, the great Tang Dynasty poet loved Sichuan food during his stay in Chengdu . In one of his poems he said, “The Sichuan wine and dishes are extremely tasty; fish in local rivers is greatly delicious”. Down to the Song Dynasty Sichuan food became distinct. The ingredients were delicacies from land and river, edible wild herbs, and the meat of domestic animals and birds.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties many officials and officers came to Sichuan for trips or business. Their cooks came along bringing their different cooking styles that gradually were merged into Sichuan cuisine. The merge and absorption of different cooking styles greatly accelerated the development of local cooking towards a perfect art.

Sichuan cuisine has enjoyed a worldwide reputation. However, most people immediately think of Sichuan food soon after it is mentioned as a hot or spicy food. Actually these flavors were introduced only within the last 200 years. As recently as 200 years ago, there were no hot dishes in Sichuan cuisine, and few were cooked with pungent and hot flavorings. Originally, its flavorings were very mild, unlike the present popular dishes with the red or hot pepper.

Based on related research documents, the red pepper is native to Mexico , Central America, the West Indies, and parts of South America . It is called Capsicum pepper. The Spanish discovered it in the New World and brought it back to Europe . Before the arrival of Spaniards, Indians in Peru and Guatemala used Capsicum pepper to treat stomach and other aliments.

Before the Ming Dynasty, there were no red pepper in China. The pepper was introduced into China around the end of the 17 th century. Local people in Chaozhou area, Guangdong Province call the red pepper as fanjiao, which means “foreign pepper”. At the beginning the red pepper was used for medical or ornamental purposes. Later on it arrived at Southwestern China .

It is unclear how the red pepper was introduced to Sichuan . There are several different sayings about the import of the pepper. One is that Indian missionaries brought the pepper with them during their travels along China 's Silk Route . Another saying is that Chinese merchants who traded with Portuguese and Spanish sailors at various seaports brought them in. You may wonder why the red popper is so popular. Here is a common explanation. Sichuan has a humid pepper may help reduce internal dampness.

Sichuan pepper is another important ingredient in Sichuan cooking. It is known as huajiao (flower pepper). It is the Chinese pepper, and it looks like a reddish-brown fruit. The peppercorn comes from the prickly ash tree. The pepper flower creates a most sudden numbing effect on one's tongue.

In Sichuan cuisine some dishes are highly spiced and peppery hot. As a result, people often think that numbness, spicing and hot. A s a result, people often think that numbness, spicing and hotness are the main features of the Sichuan cuisine. Despite this popular belief, Sichuan dishes often contain many other flavors. There is a popular saying that states : “Food is in China , and flavor in Sichuan ”.

Flavors of Sichuan cuisine can be rather complex. Chefs often blend together many spices to create various flavors. For examples, suanla wei is the hot and sour sauce, drawing heavily on vinegar; yuxiang wei is a tasty fish-flavored sauce, drawing on soy sauce, mashed garlic and ginger; mala wei is a numbingly spicy sauce that is often prepared with bean curd; yanxun wei is a “smoked flavor ” sauce that is used with smoked duck. Besides, Sichuan chefs often use some necessary ingredients such as sesame paste, vinegar, flower pepper, fermented bean paste, fermented black beans, as well as scallions, ginger, garlic, wine and sour that is used with smoked duck. Besides, Sichuan chefs often use some necessary ingredients such as sesame paste, vinegar, flower pepper, fermented bean paste, fermented black beans, as well as scallions, ginger, garlic, wine and soy sauce.

When cooking, the chefs attach importance to careful selection, meticulous cutting and arrangement, and exquisite cooking. Sichuan cuisine uses quick stir-frying, quick-frying, dry-braising and dry-stewing methods. For example, food is quickly fried over a hot fire and immediately stirred for a short while. There are , however, other dishes that require a more laborious process, like the traditional Sichuan smoked with tea leaves during the next day before a final 45 minute steaming process.

Sichuan cuisine so carefully balances color, smell, flavor, shape, and nutrition that its dishes not only look pleasant and appealing, but also nutritious. In Sichuan recipes there are several hundred popular dishes. Sichuan cuisine is able to produce 100 different flavored dishes! Besides, Sichuan cooks provide dishes that are intentionally toned down for tourists at home and abroad. They have no difficulty in getting Sichuan food that suits their tasters whether it's in a banquet, outstanding lunches, dinners, or snacks. Below are some well-known Sichuan dishes:

Guoba Roupian

Guoba refers to the crispy bits of rice that get stuck to the bottom of the rice pot. Guoba is put on a hot plate in heap, and then a service person proceeds to sprinkle the rice with hot soup. At the same time the dish steams, erupts in fireworks and makes a hissing sound. The volcanic action doesn't stop until the rice is below the surface of the soup. Soupy additions are meat and vegetables, which soften the rice to a crunchy texture.

Zhangcha Yazi

Zhangcha Yazi is the Sichuan duck smoked with camellia and camphor leaves. Local ducks are soaked in glutinous rice juice mixed with salt, Chinese prickly ash, and peppers. Then the soaked ducks are removed from the juice and are smoked with camellia and camphor leaves. The smoking doesn't stop until the ducks' skin becomes brown. The final step is to steam or deep-fry the brown ducks. Afterwards the ducks smell good. They are dark red in color with a crunchy exterior and tasty tender meat.

Gongbao Jiding

Gongbao Jiding is the spicy chicken fried with peanuts. Almost all the local restaurants serve this dish. The main ingredients consist of chicken breast meat, dry peppercorns and peanuts. A cook cuts the breast meat into diced size, peppercorns and other necessary ingredients are added, and then it is put into hot oil to fry. When the dish is ready, fried peanuts are added.

According to a legend, a man whose name was Ding Gongbao from Guizhou province invented this dish. When he served as a governor of Sichuan Province during the Qing Dynasty, his cook often cooked the fried chicken with dry red peeper. Ding enjoyed this dish, and he himself worked with his cook to further improve its quality. Gradually this recipe became widely spread in Sichuan , and local people named the dish after Ding Gongbao.

Yuxiang Rousi

Yuxiang Rousi is the fish-fragrant sliced pork. This is a pork dish cooked with bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and Sichuan 's special seasonings and spices. The sauce is called “yuxiang ” , which means the fish fragrance. The dish has no fish, and some eaters may doubt why the dish is named after the fish-fragrance. Some explanations might be helpful. (1) The sauce makes the pork taste like fish. (2) The sauce was originally invented to cook fish. Later it was transferred to pork. Actually the sauce tastes sweet, sour, and hot. It is widely used with pork, fish, chicken, eggplant, and bean curd.

Mapo Doufu

Mapo Doufu is the Mapo bean curd. Mapo refers to a lady with a pockmarked face. Doufu means bean curd. Mapo Doufu is one of the common dishes in Sichuan . It is characterized by the use of many spices, including chopped scallions, minced garlic, minced fresh ginger, Chinese chilly sauce of crushed dried red chilly peppers and Sichuan flower peppercorn.

Mapo Doufu is a dish of small cubes of bean curd, prepared in a chilli sauce. It is said that a century ago a lady with a pockmarked face set up a shop with her husband near a bridge in Chengdu . The lady served passing peddlers and boatmen her red-hot bean curd stew. Gradually her customers named her bean curd dish after her pockmarked face.

Kugua Rouxian

Kugua Rouxian is the bitter squash with meat filling. This food is made with squash and meat. The cook hollows out a squash, and stuffs the hollowed squash with minced pork meat. Afterwards the cook steams the stuffed squash. The meat in the squash tastes mild and the squash tastes bitter. Local people like this dish because they believe that the bitter squash might be helpful to lower body temperature. This dish is very popular in the summertime.

Yutou Doufutang

Yutou Doufutang is the fish head in bean curd soup. The soup is made of fish heads, mushrooms and bean curd. The cook first deep-fries the fish heads and then adds chilli bean sauce, scallion, ginger, minced garlic, salt, pepper and cooking wine. When the fish heads are done, bean curd sheets and water are added and brought to a boil. The soup when done, is sprinkled with garlic shoots. It is tasty.

Fenzheng Niurou

Fenzheng Niurou is the steamed beef with ground rice. This dish is made mainly with beef, spiced ground rice and sweet fermented flour sauce. The cook first slices the beef and adds beans, fermented glutinous rice juice, soy sauce, prickly ash powder, hot chilly powder, mashed garlic and ground rice. He stirs the mixture well and then steams it until the beef tastes mild and tender.

Huiguo Rou

Huiguo Rou is the twice-cooked pork. It is made of pork shoulder with the skin plus garlic bolt, broad beans and sweet fermented flour sauce. The cook usually stews the pork till the meat is tender and the skin is soft. Then he slices the pork when it is cool. After wards he stir-fries the pork slices in 6-fold hot oil till the pork is slightly curled. He drops in finely chopped broad beans and continues stir-frying the pork until brown. Then he adds sweet fermented flour sauce and stir-fries until the flavor comes out. This is one of the daily dishes in Sichuan .

Yuxiang Qiezi

Yuxiang Qiezi is the dish flavored eggplant. It is made with eggplant and chilli bean sauce. The cook usually cuts the eggplants into chunks and deep-fries them until soft. Then he removes the fried eggplant. Afterwards the cook fries a chilli bean sauce until the flavor comes out, and then adds the eggplant, finely chopped scallions, ginger, soy sauce, and vinegar. Finally the cook thickens the mixture with a cornstarch solution.

Hongyou Haijiao

Hongyou Haijiao is the Sichuan chilli sauce. It is a traditional chilli sauce used in Sichuan pickles or cold dishes. It is made with vegetable oil, red chilli powder, finely chopped garlic and fresh sliced ginger. The way to produce the sauce is to heat the oil in a wok first and then add the garlic and ginger. Remove the oil from the heat and pour it into a bowl, which contains the chilli powder. Simmer the hot oil and the powder mixture until they cool down.

Sichuan Paocai

Sichaun Paocai is the local pickles made in Sichuan . This is a daily dish. Even at a formal banquet the pickles is first to place the peppercorn and the salt in a clean container and pour in boiling water. Then add wine, ginger, and hot pepper(cut into small pieces) into the container after the water is cool.

Cut the turnip, carrot, and cucumber into small pieces approximately the size of a small finger, and place them in salt water. Some more vegetables can be added. Afterwards the container is covered with a tightly fitting lid, and the vegetables are allowed to soak for about two or three days.

Famous Snacks

Sichuan cuisine includes a number of famous snack dishes. They are called “xiaochi” in Chinese. Sichuan snacks are very popular. They have unique flavors. They are cooked with various seasonings.

Chengdu snacks have a long history. They have a particular style in color, smell, taste and shape. Each restaurant in Chengdu tries to offer a variety of traditional snacks in an attempt to satisfy customers at home and abroad. Such an effort saves travelers much time in searching for snack places marked on the city guide map. A few of the more renowned snack dishes are listed here below:

Lai Tangyuan