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.
The cooking skills of the "eight major cuisines" in China have their own charm, and the characteristics of the dishes are also different.
(1) Shandong cuisine: Shandong cuisine is a Shandong cuisine, which consists of jinan cuisine, Jiaodong cuisine and Confucian cuisine. Jinan cuisine pays special attention to making soup. There are strict rules on the use and cooking of clear soup and milk soup. These dishes are famous for their freshness, crispness and tenderness. Jiaodong cuisine originated from Fushan, Yantai and Qingdao and is good at cooking seafood. Its taste is mainly fresh and tender, with emphasis on lightness and color. Confucian cuisine is a concrete manifestation of "never getting tired of eating essence, never getting tired of eating essence", and its wide range of materials and rich banquets are comparable to those of imperial meals moved to the palace in the past. Shandong cuisine is very heavily seasoned, pure and mellow, and there are few complex synthetic flavors. It reflects the original flavor of raw materials as much as possible. Another feature is that there are many kinds of pasta. Wheat, corn, sweet potato, soybean, sorghum and millet can all be made into pasta with different flavors and become famous feasts. Shandong famous dishes include fried scorpion, Dezhou boneless braised chicken, abalone with original shell, Jiuzhuan large intestine, sweet and sour Yellow River carp and so on. Shandong cuisine is the earliest cuisine and has an important influence on other cuisines, so Shandong cuisine is the first of the eight cuisines.
(2) Sichuan cuisine: The flavor includes the characteristics of local dishes such as Chengdu, Chongqing, Leshan and Zigong. The main characteristics are diverse tastes and subtle changes. Zanthoxylum bungeanum, capsicum, capsicum and bean paste are the main condiments. Spicy, sour and spicy, pepper and hemp, sesame sauce, mashed garlic, mustard, red oil, sweet and sour, fish flavor, strange taste and other flavors are all thick and mellow, with the special flavor of "one dish after another" and "all kinds of dishes are delicious". The five famous dishes of Sichuan cuisine are shredded pork with fish flavor, kung pao chicken, pork slices with husband and wife, Mapo tofu and Sichuan-style pork. Sichuan cuisine is the most distinctive cuisine in China, so it is famous all over the country.
(3) Jiangsu cuisine: Originally Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine, it is a famous cuisine in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. It covers a wide area, including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Shanghai, as well as parts of Jiangxi and Henan. It has the reputation of "the first in the southeast" and "the first in the world", and its reputation is spread far and wide at home and abroad. Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine can be divided into Huaiyang cuisine, Nanjing cuisine, Xuzhou cuisine, Sunan cuisine, Zhejiang cuisine and Anhui cuisine. Later, Zhejiang cuisine and Anhui cuisine have their own characteristics and become one of the eight major cuisines. In this way, Huaiyang cuisine has become the most famous dish in Jiangsu cuisine. Huaiyang cuisine takes Yangzhou and Huai 'an as the center, the Grand Canal as the main dish, Zhenjiang in the south, Hongze Lake and Huaihe River in the north and coastal local flavor dishes in the east. Huaiyang cuisine has strict selection of materials, pays attention to freshness, highlights the main ingredients, is skilled in knife work, is good at stewing, stewing and roasting, attaches importance to mixing soup, pays attention to original flavor, is good at modeling, and is lifelike in melon and fruit carving. The taste is moderate and salty, suitable for both north and south, and can be used to cook "whole eel seats". Huaiyang is fine, beautiful in shape, diverse in taste, beautifully made, delicious and delicious, with different seasons.
In addition to the Huaiyang cuisine mentioned above, Jiangsu cuisine also includes Nanjing cuisine, Suzhou cuisine, Xuzhou cuisine and other local cuisines. Nanjing cuisine is good at stewing, stewing, forking and roasting. Pay special attention to seven flavors: sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, fragrant and smelly; Fresh, rotten, crisp, tender, crisp, thick and fat. Nanjing cuisine is famous for its elaborate preparation of duck gizzards, and is known as "Jinling duck gizzards are the best in the world". Su cuisine is good at stewing, stewing, stewing, stewing, paying attention to maintaining the original flavor, delicate color, fresh and tender in season, moderate in sweetness and saltiness, crisp and delicious, fresh and delicious. In recent years, it has also cooked "Wuxi Ganlong River South Banquet", "Wuxi Xishi Banquet", "Suzhou Cuisine Banquet" and Taihu Boat Cuisine. The flavor of Xuzhou cuisine belongs to Shandong cuisine in history. With the changes of the times, its cuisine has always been between the two major cuisines of Sulu, with moderate fresh and salty, clear but not light, strong but not turbid. No matter what food is taken from, it pays attention to the role of "diet therapy and food supplement". In addition, Xuzhou cuisine mostly uses big crabs and dog meat, especially whole dog seats. Jiangsu famous dishes include stewed chicken with mushrooms, goo goo meat, Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish, sweet and sour pork ribs, whitebait in Taihu Lake and hairy crabs in Yangcheng Lake. Others include braised lion's head, braised silver carp's head, roasted whole pig's head, steamed crucian carp, crystal pig's trotters, three-piece set of duck, eel, roasted tiger's tail, fried butterfly slices, wax gourd cup, diced buns, roasted jadeite, crab-yellow soup packets and thousand-layer oil cakes. Jiangsu snacks are very distinctive. Qinhuai snacks, Suzhou cakes and soup packets are all famous.
Among many time-honored brands, Deyue Building in Suzhou is worth mentioning, which was built in Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty. Emperor Qianlong came to Suzhou Deyuelou for dinner during his southern tour. Because of its delicious dishes, Deyuelou is called "the first restaurant in the world".
(4) Cantonese cuisine: Cantonese cuisine developed from the specialties of Guangzhou, Chaozhou and Dongjiang, although it started late, has a great influence. Most Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong, Macao and other countries in the world are mainly Cantonese cuisine. Guangdong cuisine has its own unique flavor, absorbs the advantages of various cuisines and forms a variety of cooking forms. Guangzhou cuisine is clear but not light, fresh but not vulgar, with exquisite materials and diverse varieties. It is also compatible with many western dishes, and pays attention to the momentum and grade of the dishes. Chaozhou belonged to Fujian in ancient times, so Chaozhou cuisine combines the flavor of Fujian and Guangdong, and is good at cooking seafood and sweets, with mellow taste, among which soup dishes are the most distinctive. Dongjiang cuisine, also known as Hakka cuisine, came from the Han nationality in the Central Plains and lived in the mountainous area of Dongjiang. Its dishes have a strong local flavor and are good at frying, frying, roasting and stewing. On the whole, Cantonese cuisine is characterized by wide selection of ingredients, novelty and freshness, light taste, rich taste, clear but not light, tender but not raw, oily but not greasy, with five flavors (fragrant, loose, soft, fat and strong) and six flavors (sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty and fresh). Strong seasonality, light in summer and autumn, strong in winter and spring, and many dishes have unique flavors.
In addition, Cantonese people, especially Guangzhou people, have an inexplicable obsession with cooking soup, and there are quite a few kinds of soup, which is also an important reason why Cantonese cuisine stands out from other different cuisines. Cantonese people will definitely taste a pot of "old fire soup" after going home for a long time (such as studying or working outside)
Cantonese cuisine includes barbecued pork, fried chicken, Long Hudou, roast suckling pig and beef in oyster sauce.
(5) Fujian cuisine: Fujian cuisine is a cuisine mainly formed by local flavor dishes in Fuzhou, southern Fujian and western Fujian. Fuzhou cuisine is fresh, refreshing, sweet and sour, and pays special attention to the preparation of soup. Another feature is that it is good at using brown sugar as an ingredient, which has the functions of preventing deterioration, deodorizing, enhancing fragrance, improving taste and color matching. Minnan cuisine, represented by Xiamen, also has fresh and light characteristics, and pays attention to the use of spices such as Chili sauce and mustard sauce. West Fujian is located at the junction of Guangdong, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces, with Hakka dishes as the main body and many rare products unique to mountainous areas as raw materials, which has a strong mountain flavor. Fujian cuisine is characterized by frying, frying, stewing, frying, stewing and steaming. He is especially good at cooking seafood, with exquisite knives and interesting people, mostly soup. It has a unique flavor of fresh, fragrant, rotten, light and slightly sweet and sour. Fujian snacks have another advantage. They are made of all kinds of seafood in coastal shoals and flavored with special flavor. They are delicious.
The most famous flavor dishes are: the Buddha jumps over the wall, chicken soup, Ai Shan roast duck, seven-star fish balls, braised chicken, fried eel, half moon sauce, swallow skin wonton, Fuzhou noodles, fried oysters and so on.
(6) Zhejiang cuisine: Zhejiang cuisine has a long history, and its flavor includes the characteristics of dishes in Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shaoxing. Hangzhou dishes pays attention to the freshness, liveliness and tenderness of raw materials, mainly fish, shrimp and seasonal vegetables, and pays attention to knife work, with fresh and tender taste and outstanding original flavor. Ningbo cuisine is salty and good at cooking seafood. Pay attention to freshness, softness and smoothness, emphasize original taste and taste. Shaoxing cuisine is good at cooking seafood and poultry. The dishes emphasize the fragrant, crisp and glutinous taste in the mouth, and the soup is rich in flavor and rich in pastoral flavor.
Zhejiang cuisine has the characteristics of bright color, delicious taste, crisp, soft and refreshing, small and exquisite dishes, beautiful shape and so on. Good at stewing, frying, stewing and steaming, authentic. There are many kinds of jiaozi, cakes, soups and cakes in Zhejiang dim sum, which are delicious.
The famous dishes are: Longjing shrimp, West Lake water shield soup, fried eel back with shrimp, West Lake vinegar fish, fried bell, crab catching, fresh eel, pickled yellow croaker, rock sugar turtle, oyster scrambled eggs, honey lotus root, Jiaxing zongzi, Ningbo dumplings, Huzhou thousand-noodle steamed stuffed bun and so on.
(7) Hunan cuisine: Hunan cuisine includes the characteristics of dishes in Xiangjiang River Basin, Dongting Lake Area and Xiangxi Mountain Area. Xiangjiang River Basin centered on the Yangtze River, Hengyang and Xiangtan is the main representative of Hunan cuisine. It is characterized by strong oil color, heavy material benefits, fresh fragrance, sour and spicy taste, softness and tenderness, especially stews and preserved vegetables. The dishes in Dongting Lake area are good at cooking fresh river, poultry and livestock. It is characterized by large quantity, thick oil, salty, spicy and soft, and is famous for stewing and boiling. Xiangxi cuisine is good at cooking delicacies, smoked bacon, all kinds of bacon and chicken. Its taste is mainly salty, sweet and sour, with strong Shan Ye flavor. One of the biggest characteristics of Hunan cuisine is spicy and the other is wax.
The famous dishes are: Donganzi Chicken, Steamed Bacon, Anzu Shark's Fin, Crystal Sugar Xianglian, Red Pepper Bacon, Hundred-page Maoniu, Huogong Stinky Tofu, Jishou Sour Meat, Heart-changing Eggs, etc.
(8) Anhui cuisine: the flavor of Anhui cuisine includes the characteristics of dishes in southern Anhui, along the Yangtze River and along the Huaihe River. Southern Anhui cuisine includes Huangshan Mountain, Shexian County (ancient Huizhou) and Tunxi. Pay attention to firepower, be good at cooking game, heavy in oil, simple and affordable, and keep the original flavor. Many dishes are stewed with charcoal fire. The soup is clear and mellow, and the original pot is full of fragrance. Although there are not many aquatic products in southern Anhui, the cooked and salty "osmanthus fish" is well known. The dishes along the Yangtze River are represented by Wuhu and Anqing, and then spread to Hefei. Good at cooking fresh river animals, pay attention to knife work, pay attention to color and shape, and make good use of sugar to flavor, especially smoked dishes. The dishes along the Huaihe River are represented by Bengbu, Suxian and Fuyang. The dishes are salty and spicy, the soup is thick and heavy, and it is also seasoned with coriander.
The famous flavor dishes are: Wuwei smoked duck, Maofeng smoked shad, Fuliji roast chicken, square spicy fish, stewed chicken with stone ears, cloud meat, mung bean pancakes and butterfly noodles.
Kong Ziyun: Food is the most important thing for the people. Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine and Guangdong cuisine are called "the eight major cuisines", and together with Beijing cuisine and hubei cuisine, they are called "the ten major cuisines". There are eight cuisines and four flavors here. These four flavors are Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Guangdong cuisine and Huaiyang cuisine.
At the foot of the emperor in Beijing, Beijing cuisine is well done, because Beijing cuisine is complex and diverse, with various flavors and many famous dishes, which are difficult to classify. In the past, Shandong Pavilion was the largest restaurant in Beijing. At that time, there were so-called ten halls, namely Qingfeng Hall and Juxian Hall. The eight houses refer to the names of Tongheju and Casserole House; Eight buildings refer to the architectural names of Dongxing Building, Zhimei Building and Taifeng Building; There are also eight Da Chun, which refer to the names of Qing Lin Chun and other spring brands. Most of these restaurants are Shandong-style. By the time of the Qing Dynasty, there were various ethnic groups such as Han, Manchu, Mongolian and Hui in Beijing. So Manchu snacks like Aiwowo and Saqima, which are deeply loved by the royal family, are very popular today.