Known as Chinese cuisine or China cuisine in Japan and South Korea, and Tang cuisine in Europe and America, it is an integral part of China culture and has a far-reaching influence on the food culture in East Asia. The menu comes from dishes of various regions and nationalities in China. The characteristics of Chinese food can be summarized as follows: color, aroma, taste, meaning and shape. Known as the five major cuisines. According to the characteristics of cooking, it can be divided into four aspects: material selection, knife work, heat and seasoning.
But in any case, "Chinese food" is just a general term, which varies greatly from place to place. The representative cuisines are Hunan cuisine, Anhui cuisine, Guangdong cuisine and Sichuan cuisine.
China cooking is the epitome of China's food culture and the essence of China's food. Just like what we call Japanese cuisine and Korean cuisine, it is a general term for the whole food culture of Japan and Korea. China cooking is an organic whole.
The Japanese have always attached great importance to China's cooking skills, calling it "Chinese cuisine" ("cuisine" can also refer to cuisine). Before the war of aggression against China, they had divided "China cuisine" into Beijing cuisine in the north and Cantonese cuisine in the south, and included "Cantonese cuisine" as a word in the dictionary.
Chinese cuisine is the general name of all kinds of dishes of various regions and nationalities in China. It has the characteristics of long history, exquisite craftsmanship, rich categories, numerous schools and unique style. It is the crystallization of thousands of years' development of China cuisine and enjoys a high reputation in the world.
As early as 5,000 years ago, there were barbecues, grilled fish and other foods in China. The famous dish called "Eight Treasures" appeared in the Zhou Dynasty, which had a great influence on later generations. During the Han, Wei, Southern and Northern Dynasties, China's cooking developed rapidly, and famous dishes increased greatly. "Five-Hou mackerel" invented by Lou Hu in Han Dynasty is the earliest mixed dish in China. There are hundreds of dishes on bamboo slips unearthed from Mawangdui No.1 Han Tomb. There are more than 200 kinds of dishes in the Book of Qi Yaomin written by Jia Sixie in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Due to the introduction and popularity of Buddhism and the advocacy of Liang Wudi in the Southern Dynasties, Buddhist fasting gradually influenced the society and further developed the vegetarian dishes that have appeared in China. During the Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties, China's color and diet dishes had a new development.
In the Song Dynasty, the development of Chinese food reached a climax. There are hundreds of cold dishes, hot dishes, soups and colorful dishes in the shops in Bianjing and Lin 'an. At that time, there were dishes and vegetarian dishes marked with southern, northern and Sichuan styles in the market, which indicated that the main flavor schools of China cooking had begun to take shape in the Song Dynasty. During the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, China cuisine developed greatly, with thousands of dishes. During this period, Muslim minorities migrated to different places. As a unique flavor, Muslim cuisine occupies a certain position in China cuisine. The flavor genre of China cooking has basically taken shape. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, with the arrival of foreigners, China cuisine was mixed with some western food. Since the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), especially since 1979, the inheritance and innovation of cooking have made gratifying achievements. Traditional dishes from all over China have returned to the market. In addition to Beijing imitation cuisine, Xi 'an, Hangzhou, Kaifeng, Jinan, Yangzhou and other places have also excavated and developed imitation Tang cuisine, imitation Song cuisine, Confucius cuisine and red chamber cuisine.
There are many kinds of dishes in China, which are not only classified by region and nationality, but also processed differently by different consumers. There are two categories as follows. 1 consumer category. Due to different consumers, the level of dishes is also different, mainly including home-cooked dishes, local dishes, public canteen dishes, temple fair dishes, official dishes, palace dishes, medicinal dishes and so on. ② Processing class. Due to the variety of processing techniques of China dishes, the forms and functions of dishes are also different, which are mainly divided into cold dishes, hot dishes, large dishes, side dishes, beets and soup dishes.
There are many cooking schools in China today. Among them, Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan and Huizhou are the most influential and representative cuisines recognized by the society, that is, the "eight major cuisines" in China.
The formation of a cuisine is inseparable from its long history and unique cooking characteristics. At the same time, it is also influenced by physical geography, climatic conditions, resources and specialties, and eating habits. Some people describe the "eight major cuisines" in an anthropomorphic way: Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisines are like Jiangnan beauty; Shandong and Anhui cuisine is like the simple northern healthy Han in Gu Zhuo; Cantonese cuisine and Fujian cuisine are like romantic and elegant sons; Sichuan cuisine and Hunan cuisine are like celebrities with rich connotations and talents.
Eight Cuisines
The "eight major cuisines" in China cuisine have their own advantages in cooking skills, and the characteristics of dishes are also different.
Shandong cuisine consists of local flavors of Jinan and Jiaodong. It has a strong fragrance, likes onions and garlic, and is especially suitable for cooking seafood, soup and various animal offal. The specialties are: Fried Daha, Braised Conch and Crispy Carp.
There are two schools of Sichuan cuisine: Chengdu and Chongqing. It is famous for its strong, wide, thick and strong flavor. The specialties are: kung pao chicken, Yipin Bear's Paw, Fish-flavored shredded pork, and dried shark's fin.
Jiangsu cuisine is developed from Yangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing. Cooking is famous for stewing, stewing and stewing; Pay attention to mixing the soup and keep the original juice. The specialties are: shredded chicken soup, stewed crab powder and lion's head.
Zhejiang cuisine consists of Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing and other local cuisines, the most famous of which is hangzhou dishes. Fresh and tender, soft and smooth, mellow and glutinous, refreshing and not greasy. The specialties are: Longjing shrimp, West Lake vinegar fish and beggar chicken.
There are three schools of Cantonese cuisine: Guangzhou, Chaozhou and Dongjiang, with Guangzhou cuisine as the representative. The cooking method emphasizes frying, frying, stewing and stewing, and the taste is characterized by refreshing, light, crisp and fresh. The specialties are: three snakes, dragons, tigers and phoenixes, roast suckling pig, salted chicken, wax gourd cup and old meat.
Hunan cuisine pays attention to spicy, spicy, sour, spicy, burnt and fragrant, especially hot and sour. The specialties are: braised shark's fin, rock sugar and fragrant lotus, boiled live fish.
Fujian cuisine is developed from Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Xiamen and other places, with Fuzhou cuisine as the representative. With seafood as the main raw material, it pays attention to sweet, sour, salty and fragrant, and its color is delicious and tender. The specialties are: fried chicken with pork slices, fried fish with orange juice and Taiji shrimp.
Anhui cuisine consists of local flavors in southern Anhui, along the Yangtze River and along the Huaihe River. Southern Anhui cuisine is the main representative. Ham seasoning, crystal sugar refreshing, good at stewing, pay attention to pyrotechnics. The specialties are: Gourd Duck and Fuliji Roast Chicken.