CLICK BLUE LINKS

Learn the famous
Chinese regional cuisines

---

Four most famous

Cantonese

Mandarin

Shanghai

Sichuan

Six other well known
Chinese regional cuisines:

Hunan + Yunnan

Jangzu + Shandong

Tibetan + Fukien

---

Does Chinese cuisine exist?

---

What the outside world defines as Chinese cuisine is really a mental composite of distinct regional cuisines.

To understand Chinese cuisine, you need to know its regional cuisines.

Still, there are some overall basics for the nation's culinary and dining styles:

---

Chinese Ingredients

---

Major
cooking ingredients

Rice

In south China, rice is the main food. In north China, cereal grains, such as wheat (in the form of noodles, dumplings and steamed buns) reign in the north.

Meat

Pork and chicken are the two leading meats in China, though in the north, lamb is very popular.

Vegetarian

Buddhist monks, forbidden to eat meat, evolved a rich and diversified vegetarian cuisine. They developed recipes for bean curd and wheat gluten (developed from wheat flour). These mimic meat or simply provide variety.

Seasonings

Chinese cooks makes use of comparatively few herbs. Spices, condiments and dried foods are used more frequently.

---

Pseudo Chinese food

---

Westernized

Several preparations known as "Chinese" beyond China's borders are not Chinese. These include fortune cookies and Chop Suey (both invented in America).

---

Click

Chinese cuisine - Page two

for more pointers

Clickable Chinese
regional cuisine map

---

Test yourself

---

---

CNTO

---

Explore my
candid country, region
and other travel guides
Click links for tips & insights

©2012 HQP - Hillman Quality Publications / hillmanwonders.com