According to historical records, when Han Yu was in the tide in the Tang Dynasty, he praised the delicacy of Chaozhou cuisine and said, "Zhang holds a vest column, so it looks strange." There are dozens more, beyond reproach. "By the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Chaozhou cuisine had entered its heyday, with many famous shops, famous teachers and famous dishes in Chaozhou. In modern times, due to the communication between overseas Chinese and Chaozhou people, Chaozhou cuisine has absorbed the essence of famous food at home and abroad, and the dishes are more colorful and the quality is also improving.
Many dishes in Chaozhou cuisine have the same or similar seasonings as those in Minnan cuisine. Such as oyster sauce, salted oysters, steamed fish (referring to the ancient method 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, valuing soup over oil, advocating lightness and paying attention to health, are also characteristics of Minnan cuisine. Many "Fu Lao" and their ancestors who entered the tide from Fujian 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 is they who brought the advanced food culture and fine cooking skills of the Central Plains, and eventually sublimated Chaozhou cuisine from "vulgarity" to a kind of delicious food.
Chaozhou cuisine has a wide variety and unique flavor. * * * The same feature is that he is good at cooking seafood; Depressed but not greasy; Vegetarian dishes are made; 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. 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 paste, fish sauce, red soy sauce and Sanzang sauce are especially Chaozhou specialties. When all kinds of dishes are served, they should be accompanied by saucers, which are numerous and 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. Carve various flower and bird shapes as decorations or food mats to form a unique art of "colorful dishes". Chaozhou cuisine has a unique banquet with 12 dishes, including pickles and desserts. There must be two beets at the wedding banquet, which are called "sweet from head to tail". Kung Fu tea is interspersed between the banquets to relieve boredom and increase appetite.
Chaozhou cuisine is good at cooking vegetarian dishes with fruits and vegetables as raw materials. For vegetables and fruits, coarse materials are cooked carefully, light and delicious, and rich in nutrition, such as national security 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. According to the characteristics of raw materials, the processing methods are diversified, such as frying, frying, boiling, frying, stewing, stewing, roasting, marinating, smoking, soaking, rolling and mixing, and the knife work is exquisite. Diversified production methods have formed the unique flavor characteristics of Chaozhou cuisine.