Chinese Cuisine

China covers a large territory and has many nationalities, hence a variety of Chinese food with different but fantastic and mouthwatering flavor. Since China's local dishes have their own typical characteristics, generally, Chinese food can be roughly divided into eight regional cuisines, which has been widely accepted around. Certainly, there are many other local cuisines that are famous, such as Beijing Cuisine and Shanghai Cuisine.

Shandong Cuisine

Consisting of Jinan cuisine and Jiaodong cuisine, Shandong cuisine, clear, pure and not greasy, is characterized by its emphasis on aroma, freshness, crispness and tenderness. Shallot and garlic are usually used as seasonings so Shangdong dishes tastes pungent usually. Soups are given much emphasis in Shangdong dishes. Thin soup features clear and fresh while creamy soup looks thick and tastes strong. Jinan cuisine is adept at deep-frying, grilling, frying and stir-frying while Jiaodong division is famous for cooking seafood with fresh and light taste.

Shandong is the birthplace of many famous ancient scholars such as Confucious and Mencius. And much of Shandong cuisine's history is as old as Confucious himself, making it the oldest existing major cuisine in China. But don't expect to gain more wisdom from a fortune cookie at a Shandong restaurant in the West since fortune cookies aren't even indigenous to China.

Shandong is a large peninsula surrounded by the sea to the East and the Yellow River meandering through the center. As a result, seafood is a major component of Shandong cuisine. Shandong's most famous dish is the Sweat and Sour Carp. A truly authentic Sweet and Sour Carp must come from the Yellow River. But with the current amount of pollution in the Yellow River, you would be better off if the carp was from elsewhere. Shandong dishes are mainly quick-fried, roasted, stir-fried or deep-fried. The dishes are mainly clear, fresh and fatty, perfect with Shandong's own famous beer, Qingdao Beer

Sichuan Cuisine

Sichuan Cuisine, known often in the West as Szechuan Cuisine, is one of the most famous Chinese cuisines in the world. Characterized by its spicy and pungent flavor, Sichuan cuisine, prolific of tastes, emphasizes on the use of chili. Pepper and prickly ash also never fail to accompany, producing typical exciting tastes. Besides, garlic, ginger and fermented soybean are also used in the cooking process. Wild vegetables and animals are usually chosen as ingredients, while frying, frying without oil, pickling and braising are applied as basic cooking techniques. It cannot be said that one who does not experience Sichuan food ever reaches China.

If you eat Sichuan cuisine and find it too bland, then you are probably not eating authentic Sichuan cuisine. Chili peppers and prickly ash are used in many dishes, giving it a distinctively spicy taste, called ma in Chinese. It often leaves a slight numb sensation in the mouth. However, most peppers were brought to China from the Americas in the 18th century so you can thank global trade for much of Sichuan cuisine's excellence. Sichuan hot pots are perhaps the most famous hotpots in the world, most notably the Yuan Yang （mandarin duck） Hotpot half spicy and half clear.

Guangdong Cuisine

Cantonese food originates from Guangdong, the southernmost province in China. The majority of overseas Chinese people are from Guangdong （Canton） so Cantonese is perhaps the most widely available Chinese regional cuisine outside of China.

Cantonese are known to have an adventurous palate, able to eat many different kinds of meats and vegetables. In fact, people in Northern China often say that Cantonese people will eat anything that flies except airplanes, anything that moves on the ground except trains, and anything that moves in the water except boats. This statement is far from the truth, but Cantonese food is easily one of the most diverse and richest cuisines in China. Many vegetables originate from other parts of the world. It doesn't use much spice, bringing out the natural flavor of the vegetables and meats.

Tasting clear, light, crisp and fresh, Guangdong cuisine, familiar to Westerners, usually chooses raptors and beasts to produce originative dishes. Its basic cooking techniques include roasting, stir-frying, sauteing, deep-frying, braising, stewing and steaming. Among them steaming and stir-frying are more commonly applied to preserve the natural flavor. Guangdong chefs also pay much attention to the artistic presentation of dishes.

Fujian Cuisine

Consisting of Fuzhou Cuisine, Quanzhou Cuisine and Xiamen Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine is distinguished for its choice seafood, beautiful color and magic taste of sweet, sour, salty and savory. The most distinct features are their "pickled taste".

Jiangsu Cuisine

Jiangsu Cuisine, also called Huaiyang Cuisine, is popular in the lower reach of the Yangtze River. Aquatics as the main ingredients, it stresses the freshness of materials. Its carving techniques are delicate, of which the melon carving technique is especially well known. Cooking techniques consist of stewing, braising, roasting, simmering, etc. The flavor of Huaiyang Cuisine is light, fresh and sweet and with delicate elegance. Jiangsu cuisine is well known for its careful selection of ingredients, its meticulous preparation methodology, and its not-too-spicy, not-too-bland taste. Since the seasons vary in climate considerably in Jiangsu, the cuisine also varies throughout the year. If the flavor is strong, it isn't too heavy; if light, not too bland.

Zhejiang Cuisine

Comprising local cuisines of Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shaoxing, Zhejiang Cuisine, not greasy, wins its reputation for freshness, tenderness, softness, smoothness of its dishes with mellow fragrance. Hangzhou Cuisine is the most famous one among the three.

Hunan cuisine

Hunan cuisine consists of local Cuisines of Xiangjiang Region, Dongting Lake and Xiangxi coteau. It characterizes itself by thick and pungent flavor. Chili, pepper and shallot are usually necessaries in this division.

Anhui Cuisine

Anhui Cuisine chefs focus much more attention on the temperature in cooking and are good at braising and stewing. Often hams will be added to improve taste and sugar candy added to gain

                                                       中国菜

中国是一个地域辽阔的多民族国家，因此各式各样的菜肴都有着不同的味道，而且都很美味，令人垂涎三尺。由于很多中国菜都有自己的地方特色，因此，一般来说中国菜可以大致分为大家公认的八大地方菜系。当然也还有很多其他比较有名的地方菜系，比如北京菜和上海菜。

鲁菜

由济南菜和胶东菜构成的鲁菜以清淡为主，并且因清、鲜、嫩、脆而著称。鲁菜系里葱和蒜通常用作调味品，因此鲁菜一般吃起来都比较辛辣。清汤清而鲜，奶汤油而浓。济南菜擅长炸，烤，煎和炒，而胶东菜则以烹制海鲜见长，口味以鲜和清淡为主。

山东是很多古代名人的故乡，比如孔子和孟子。鲁菜的历史就像孔子其人一样悠久，而且也是中国历史最长的菜系。但是不要期望从山东的餐馆里可以吃到什么幸运饼，从而获得更多的智慧，因为幸运饼本就不是中国的。

山东省三面环海，而黄河也弯弯曲曲地从中间流淌而过。因此海鲜成了山东菜的重要组成部分。最有名的是糖醋鲤鱼。真正的糖醋鱼必须是从黄河里捉来的鲤鱼。但是近年来由于黄河的大量污染，你能吃到其他地方捉来的鲤鱼就已经很不错了。山东菜以煎，烤，炒和炸为主，清淡，鲜嫩而略带油腻，如果能再来点山东本地的青岛啤酒那就更完美了。

四川菜

四川菜被西方人叫做Szechuan Cuisine，是世界上最有名的中国菜之一。四川菜主要以香辣为特点，口味多样，特别强调对辣椒的使用。当然也少不了那些可以增添一些特殊味道的胡椒和花椒。而且蒜，姜和豆酱在做菜的时候也都会加一些。野生的蔬菜和动物也会被选来用作调味料，而炸，煮，腌和炖则是主要的烹饪技巧。可以说没吃过四川菜就等于没来过中国。

如果你吃的四川菜很清淡的话，那你吃的很可能不是正宗的川菜。四川菜里都会有红辣椒和花椒，它们可以让这些菜有一种特殊的辣味，汉语叫做“麻”。它通常会在嘴里留下麻麻的味道。然而，大部分的花椒却是在18世纪从美洲传入中国的。所以你要感谢全球贸易，是它让四川菜变得这么好吃。

粤菜

粤菜源自广东中国最南部的一个省—广东。大部分的海外华人都来自广东。因此粤菜也许是国外最常见的中国菜式。

广东人以能吃各种各样的味道而闻名，他们还能吃很多不同种类的肉和蔬菜。实际上，中国北方人也说广东人，天上飞的只有飞机不吃，地上跑的只有火车不吃，水里游的只有轮船不吃。当然这有些言过其实，不过粤菜确实是中国种类最为丰富的菜式之一。也还有很多蔬菜都是来自世界的其他地方。粤菜很少用调味料，要的就是蔬菜和肉最为自然原始的味道。被西方人所熟知的粤菜尝起来清淡而且松脆鲜嫩，通常喜欢用猛禽或者野兽来做菜。其最基本的烹调技法主要有烤，炒，煎，炸，炖，煲和蒸。其中蒸和炒是最常用的技法，这样可以更好地保持菜原来的味道。粤菜的厨师特别注重菜式的艺术感。

闽菜

闽菜主要由福州菜，泉州菜和厦门菜组成，以善做海鲜著称。色泽鲜艳，味道特别，甜而酸，而且咸，还有一股薄荷味。最独特的地方还是它们的腌菜味。

江苏菜

江苏菜也叫淮扬菜，在长江下游地区特别受欢迎。水产品作为主要的烹饪材料，其新鲜程度特别重要。江苏菜特别讲究雕刻的功夫，要很精致，而且其本身也因雕刻香瓜的技艺而闻名于世。烹调的方法主要有煨，炖，烤和煮等等。淮扬菜味道清淡，鲜嫩，而且还略带甜味，不仅如此，菜的外形也很精致优雅。江苏菜主要以精选烹饪材料和制作方法精细而著称，并且不太辣，也不太乏味。由于江苏一年四季气候变化比较大，所以菜式也会随之不断变化。如果菜的味道很浓，它也不会浓到过犹不及，如果菜的味道很淡的话，也不会淡到索然无味。

浙江菜

浙江菜主要由杭州菜，宁波菜和绍兴菜这几大地方菜系组成，特点是不油腻。不仅如此，它还因菜肴鲜嫩柔滑，略带清香而闻名于世。然而杭州菜却是三大菜系中最为有名的。

湖南菜
湖南菜主要由湘江地区，洞庭湖地区和湘西山区的地方菜构成，以其浓厚的辣味为特点。红辣椒，胡椒和葱通常是必备的调料。

安徽菜

做安徽菜的厨师特别讲究做菜时的火候，而且擅长炖和蒸。通常会加一些火腿来改善菜的味道。