Chaozhou cuisine, referred to as Chaozhou cuisine, is called "chilling" in Hong Kong. It is an important part of the traditional diet culture of Han nationality. Chaozhou cuisine can be traced back to the Han Dynasty. After the prosperous Tang Dynasty, influenced by the cooking skills of the Central Plains, it developed rapidly. Nowadays, Chaozhou cuisine has developed into one of China's famous dishes with unique Chaozhou cultural characteristics, enjoying a good reputation at home and abroad. Chaozhou cuisine is one of the eight major cuisines in China and is famous for its high cost. Because of its exquisite selection of materials, meticulous knife work and various cooking methods, it is called the highest-end food in China. Chinese food is famous all over the world, and Chaozhou food is the pinnacle of Chinese food. Being brave in innovation is one of the most important reasons why Chaozhou cuisine is famous in the world.

The main dishes of Chaozhou cuisine are Chaozhou-style "cold cicada", thick mushroom mustard, unicorn abalone slices, ginseng boiled pork loin and so on. Chaozhou cuisine represented Guangdong in Shanghai World Expo in 20 10, and Chaozhou cuisine represented Chinese food in Yeosu World Expo in Korea in 20 12. 20 14 In August, Chaozhou was successfully selected as the "Best Food City in China" recommended by global netizens in the "2014 China City List" hosted by China Radio International online.

According to historical records, in the Tang Dynasty, when Han Yu praised the delicacy of Chaozhou cuisine, he said, "Holding a vest column, it looks strange." There are dozens more, beyond reproach. "In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Chaozhou cuisine entered its heyday, and many famous shops, teachers and dishes appeared in Chaozhou. In modern times, due to the exchange between overseas Chinese and Chaozhou cuisine, Chaozhou cuisine has absorbed the essence of famous dishes at home and abroad, and the dishes are more colorful and the quality is also improving.

Many dishes of Chaozhou cuisine have the same seasoning as Minnan cuisine. Such as oyster sauce, salted oysters, steamed fish (referring to the ancient practice of adding shredded mushrooms and diced white meat), sand tea sauce and so on. Many characteristics of Chaozhou cuisine, such as being good at cooking seafood, emphasizing soup over oil, advocating lightness and paying attention to health, are also characteristics of Minnan cuisine. Many "Fu Lao" who entered the tide from Fujian and their ancestors are also famous families in the Central Plains. They either moved to the south to escape the war, or occupied their residence after being dismissed from office. In short, most of them come from wealthy families and are the so-called "Zhong Ming Shi Ding family". It was they who brought the advanced food culture and fine cooking skills of the Central Plains, and finally made Chaozhou cuisine sublimate from "vulgarity" to a delicacy.

Frozen red crab, fish rice, raw salted shrimp and red roasted goose are all Chaozhou specialties. In Chaoshan people's home cooking, four kinds are certain, namely, Chaozhou brine, Chaozhou raw salt, Chaozhou stir-fry and the so-called "chilling" in Chaozhou. What is the meaning of "chilling" in Chaozhou? Fresh seafood is steamed, cooled and frozen, and then eaten with garlic oil or bean paste (especially famous in Puning, Jieyang). It has a unique taste and no fishy smell, but it is particularly delicious. This practice was inadvertently discovered by former fishermen, so it was handed down.

Chaozhou cuisine has a wide variety and unique flavor. The common feature is that he is good at cooking seafood; Depressed but not greasy; Vegetarian dishes are ready; The soup is delicious and keeps its original flavor; Wide range of materials; Clever knife work; Pay attention to modeling; Pure taste; Pay attention to diet therapy; Supplemented by various condiments (sauces). Pay attention to color, taste, fragrance, shape, utensils and sauce, and have the characteristics of being clear, light, fresh, tender, skillful and elegant. Different dishes, with different sauces and sauces, are salty, sweet and sour, and each has its own stress. Among the sauces, Nanjiang, plum sauce, fish sauce, red soy sauce and Sanzang sauce are especially Chaozhou specialties. When all kinds of dishes are served, they must be accompanied by sauces, such as raw lobster with orange oil; Raw crabs must be paired with Jiang Mo vinegar; Roasted goose must be served with mustard in plum sauce; Stewed eel and stewed water fish must be accompanied by red soy sauce. There are many sauces and dishes, which are very spectacular.

Chaozhou cuisine not only pays attention to color, taste and fragrance, but also deliberately pursues pleasing to the eye in shape. Chefs use bamboo shoots, radishes, potatoes, etc. Carving various flower-and-bird shapes as decorations or food mats forms a unique art of "multicolored dishes". The banquet of Chaozhou cuisine is unique, with 12 dishes, including pickles and desserts. There must be two beets at the wedding banquet, which is called "sweet at the end". Kung fu tea was interspersed at the dinner to relieve boredom and stimulate appetite. Wait, this is very different from Guangzhou cuisine and Dongjiang cuisine.

Chaozhou cuisine is good at cooking vegetarian dishes based on fruits and vegetables. For vegetables and fruits, coarse ingredients and fine cooking are light, delicious and nutritious, such as national protected vegetables, horseshoe mud, thick mushroom mustard, sugar baked sweet potatoes and so on. , are praised by gourmets. Chaozhou cuisine is rich in materials and beautifully made. The processing methods are diversified according to the characteristics of raw materials, such as frying, frying, boiling, frying, stewing, stewing, roasting, marinating, smoking, soaking, rolling, mixing, etc., and the knife work is exquisite. Diversified production methods have formed the unique flavor characteristics of Chaozhou cuisine.

Chaozhou cuisine also has the characteristics of "three more". First of all, there are many aquatic products in Chaozhou cuisine, most of which come from the Hai nationality. Fish, shrimp, clams and clams have always been the main ingredients of Chaozhou cuisine and can be cooked into many famous dishes. Chaozhou cuisine is especially good at cooking seafood, such as open-hearth lobster, buttered mandarin duck crab, braised shark's fin, red (fire) sea cucumber, etc., all of which are mainly fresh aquatic products, with fresh taste and gloomy but not greasy. Another example is stewed eel with black ears and clear soup with crab balls. The soup is delicious and maintains its original flavor. Secondly, Chaozhou cuisine has many styles and unique characteristics. It is cooked with meat. When you eat, you can't see meat. It is made of vegetarian dishes, which makes it achieve the situation of "taste makes three out, tasteless makes three in", making the vegetables soft and rotten, full of meat, delicious and vegetarian. There are dozens of famous products, such as thick mushroom mustard, glass cabbage, national security cuisine and so on, which are the representatives of vegetarian dishes in Cantonese cuisine. Third, Chaozhou cuisine has many varieties of beets and special materials. Commonly used plants include sweet potato, taro, pumpkin, ginkgo, water chestnut, lotus seeds, oranges, pineapples, beans, etc. Meat materials such as fat pork and pork belly can also be made into first-class famous dishes, which are suitable for sweet and greasy plants. The representative works of Chaozhou cuisine beet include sweet potato taro paste, sweet lotus seeds, roasted mutton ginkgo, sweet wrinkled fried meat and so on. The beet of Chaozhou cuisine is unique, such as crispy fried meat, soft and rotten skin wrinkled meat, and sweet.