Zhejiang Cuisine

As Zhejiang cuisine consists of hundreds of small delicacies from its main cities, it takes in Hangzhou's fineness and diversification, Ningbo's softness and originality, and Shaoxing's pastoral interests. Hangzhou, once the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 - 1279), it is customary to endow cuisine with dainty place-names. The chief techniques of cooking lie in the methods used such as frying, quick-fry, stir-fry, braising, and steaming thus rendering the dishes both salubrious and savory.

West-lake braised fish in vinegar - is a traditional delicacy in Hangzhou. It is said that there was once a boy who made his living by fishing. When he fell ill, his sister-in-law fished for him and braised the fish she caught with a marinade of vinegar and sugar. He was said to have made an immediate recovery after eating it. The boy's story aroused the attention of the emperor and the recipe has been used ever since.

Shelled shrimps cooked in Longjing tea - as the Longjing tea is taken from the best tea in Hangzhou, which is recognized for greenness, fragrance, pure taste and elegant looks, when the living shrimps are stir-fried in the Long tea, the dish sends an artistic aroma and is quite delicious.

                                           浙江菜

浙江菜是由各主要城市的美味佳肴组成，它汲取了杭州菜精细的工艺和多样性，宁波菜的嫩滑和原汁原味以及绍兴菜的水乡风味。杭州，作为南宋的故都，总是喜欢给这些菜起一个诱人的名字。其主要的烹饪方法有炸，熘，炒，炖和蒸，因此这样做出来的菜既健康又美味。

西湖醋鱼—杭州的一道传统美食。据说曾经有个男孩以打渔为生，每当他生病的时候，他的嫂嫂就会为他捉一条鱼，然后放糖和醋一起炖。据传男孩每次吃完鱼后，病立刻就好了。男孩的故事引起了皇帝的关注，从此这道菜也就开始流行起来。

龙井虾仁儿—龙井茶不仅是杭州最好的茶，而且还因其嫩绿，芳香，味醇和诱人的色泽而备受大众的喜爱。当把虾仁儿和龙井茶一起炒的时候，这道菜诱人的香味总是会令人垂涎三尺。