Chances are you’ve been to a Chinese restaurant and marveled at its cuisine. However, the reality is that most of these establishments serve recipes that are very much adapted to the tastes of local diners. That is to say, it is not authentic Chinese food, although some dishes are like those enjoyed in the Asian country.
And as the gastronomy of the country of the Great Wall is becoming more and more important, today we are going to talk about its gastronomic richness. We are not going to detail specific recipes or focus everything on authentic Chinese dishes. What we are going to do is to take you on a journey through different areas to learn more about exactly what food is like in China.
Cantonese cuisine
We will start talking about food in China with a tour of Cantonese cuisine. This is the most popular of all internationally and is the one usually served in Chinese restaurants around the world. The most common dishes here are seafood and rice as the main protagonists. As regards their flavors and seasonings, most often they tend to have sweet touches.
Sichuan Gastronomy
The province of Sichuan is home to China’s most popular food for its inhabitants. The highlight is the spiciness provided by the famous Sichuan pepper. In fact, their dishes are characterized by strong and spicy flavors with ingredients such as garlic, ginger and chili.
Juangsu
This province is located next to Shanghai, the largest city in the country. His style of cooking is very refined, what many define as gourmet or haute cuisine. Here the cooking techniques take center stage and the dishes have very artistic finishes on a visual level.
Zheijiang Cuisine
This province also borders Shanghai, which makes the cuisine quite similar to that of Juangsu. However, here the dishes and preparations are somewhat simpler and are based, above all, on the freshness of the ingredients. Many of the products used are usually served raw.
Fujian Dishes
Here there are two protagonists in its gastronomy: seafood and soups. When it comes to soups, they tend to use few spices and try to keep them fairly light. And, in addition to products from the sea, they also use products from the mountains, achieving great contrasts.
Hunan
If Sichuan cuisine appeals to you, Hunan cuisine will appeal to you even more. Especially because it is spicier, so it is not suitable for all palates. By not using peppercorns, the cuisine is tastier than that of Sichuan and thanks to being an agricultural area they have many vegetables and herbs to season their dishes.
Gastronomy in Anhui
This province is in the interior of the country, in an area surrounded by high mountains. The main characteristic of this cuisine is that it uses many wild foods and herbs. Good country and mountain food.
Sahngdong's kitchen
The last type of food in China we are going to talk about comes from Sahngdong, which was one of the first civilized areas of the country. Seafood is the main product here and is only accompanied by simple ingredients. In addition, the most commonly used cooking method is roasting.
