The Flavoursome Culinary Cuisines of China
Of all cuisine savoured around the globe, Chinese cuisine is the most diverse. Chinese cuisine has been evolving ever since it first emerged thousands of years ago. Over time, changes in climate and consumption preferences have significantly influenced Chinese cuisine. Even outside China, Chinese food is relished for its unique taste, presentation, and style. While most of us love to binge on Chinese whenever we can or go for Chinese takeaway Chester, most of us would be surprised to know that Chinese food is not just about Cantonese cuisine. Instead, Cantonese cuisine is one of the many cuisines from China.
Chinese food can be classified into many groups. Given the rich and vivid cultural and regional diversity in China, Chinese cuisine comprises various flavours, cooking techniques, styles, ingredients, and dishes.
In this blog, we will look into some Chinese cuisines.
Anhui (Hui) Cuisine
Anhui cuisine, also known as Hui cuisine, has derived from the Huangshan Mountains region. The cuisine is famous for its simple preparation methods and use of wild herbs. Some of the most common cooking techniques are braising and stewing. Although Anhui cuisine is similar to Jiangsu cuisine, it is comparatively less focused on seafood. Instead, most of the dishes in Anhui cuisine feature wild herbs found in the region in abundance.
Cantonese (Yu) Cuisine
Cantonese or Yu cuisine has originated in the Guangdong province. Cantonese cuisine features a wide variety of edible meats like duck’s tongue, snails, chicken feet, snakes, etc. Steaming and stir-frying are some standard cooking techniques used for preparing the dishes. The use of herbs and spices is usually moderate in Cantonese dishes.
Fujian (Min) Cuisine
Fujian cuisine is also called Min or Hokkien cuisine by the locals, derived from the Fujian province. The mountainous terrains and coastal regions of the area have a significant influence on the dishes. Ingredients like woodland mushrooms, shellfish, turtles, fish, and bamboo shoots are predominantly used in the dishes. Fujian cuisine is known for Umami taste – the dishes are tender, soft, and light yet bursting with flavours.
Szechuan (Chuan) Cuisine
On the contrary, Szechuan or Chuan cuisine is known for its bold, spicy and pungent flavours. The Szechuan dishes are flavoured with garlic, peppers, chillies, and most importantly, Szechuan pepper. Szechuan pepper is a commonly used spice in Chuan dishes with a tingling and citrusy zest. Most of the dishes use ingredients that have been preserved through drying, pickling, and salting.
Hunan Cuisine
Hunan or Xiang cuisine is very similar to Szechuan cuisine. On the spice scale, the Hunan cuisine is pretty spicy and hot. The people of this region use chilli peppers, garlic, and shallots liberally. However, the significant difference is that the Hunan dishes are purely hot and don’t give a numbing sensation as Szechuan dishes.
Jiangsu (Su) Cuisine
Jiangsu cuisine or Su cuisine uses a wide range of Chinese cooking. Some of them are Zhenjiang, Nanjing, Suzhou, Yongzhou, and Huaiyang. Although the dishes are tender and soft, they don’t fall apart while eating.