Chinese Culinary Arts中国饮食文化

Chinese culinary arts are rather complicated, and in different places, there are different ways for preparing dishes. Many different cuisines unique to certain areas are formed, for instance, Shandong cuisine（菜肴）, Beijng cuisine, Shanghai cuisine, Sichuan cuisine,Jiangsu cuisine, Zhejiang cuisine, Anhui cuisine, Hunan cuisine, Hubei cuisine, Fujian cuisine, Shanxi cuisine, Henan cuisine, north-eastern China cuisine, royal style cuisine, Muslim style cuisine and vegetarian cuisine.

Each cuisine has its own specialty.（例子不背）For example, the Fujian cuisine has a dish called “happiness and longevity”. Its preparation is like this: first put some of the most nutritious ingredients (sea cucumber, dried scallop, shark’s fin, ham, tendons of beef, dove’s eggs, chicken, duck, etc) into a jar, then add some bone broth, Shaoxing rice wine and spices, next, cover the mouth of the jar with a lotus leaf, and last, simmer it on the stove. It’s not hard to imagine how delicious and nutritious the dish would be. This dish has another well-known name—“Buddha jumping over the wall”. It may sound strange, but there’s an interesting story behind it. It is said that during the Qing Dynasty, a restaurant in Fuzhou (the capital city of Fujian Province) was very famous for its dishes. One day, the restaurant made the dish “happiness and longevity”, the aroma of the dish was so appetizing and spread so far that a monk in a nearby temple just couldn’t resist the temptation. In the end, he put aside the Buddhist discipline, jumped over the wall into the restaurant, and ate to his heart’s content. What happened to the monk afterwards, we do not know, but the reputation of the dish “Buddha jumping over the wall”spread afar.

Generally speaking, there are three essential factors（要素）by which Chinese cooking is judged, namely: “color, aroma and taste”. “Color” refers to the layout（布局）and design of the dishes. “Aroma” implies not only the smell of the dish, but also the freshness of the materials and the blending of seasonings（作料）. “Taste” involves proper seasoning and fine slicing techniques（切片技术）. These three essential factors are achieved by careful coordination of a series of delicate activities（微妙的活动）: selecting ingredients（材料）, mixing flavors, timing and cooking, adjustment of the heat, and laying out the food on the plate.

What is worth mentioning is that there’s a lot of cultural background knowledge involved in the naming of Chinese dishes. Often, it’s hard, even for the Chinese people themselves, to tell what is actually in a certain dish until it is served on the table. Of course, one can always turn to the waiter or waitress for explanation. In most cases, waiters and waitresses are ready to satisfy one’s curiosity.

Apart from having regard for the above-mentioned three essential factors —“color, aroma and taste”, Chinese cuisine attaches great importance to nutrition. As a matter of fact, Chinese cuisine has long been closely related to traditional Chinese medicine. Ginseng, walnut, Chinese angelica and the fruit of Chinese wolfberry are often used as ingredients in certain Chinese dishes.

中国饮食文化

Chinese culinary arts are rather complicated, and in different places, there are different ways for preparing dishes. Many different cuisines unique to certain areas are formed, for instance, Shandong cuisine（菜肴）, Beijng cuisine, Shanghai cuisine, Sichuan cuisine,

Chinese culinary arts are rather complicated, and in different places, there are different ways for preparing dishes. Many different cuisines unique to certain areas are formed, for instance, Shandong cuisine（菜肴）, Beijng cuisine, Shanghai cuisine, Sichuan cuisine,

Generally speaking, there are three essential factors（要素）by which Chinese cooking is judged, namely: “color, aroma and taste”.

These three essential factors are achieved by careful coordination of a series of delicate activities（微妙的活动）: selecting ingredients（材料）, mixing flavors, timing and cooking, adjustment of the heat, and