Patrick FarrellWelcome to China, the origin of Chinese food!
July 11th 2008 20:14
Nihao!
I am writing to you from Shanghai in the People's Republic of China. Everyone in every country around the world has tasted Chinese food at some point in their life. I am here to let you in on the secrets and not so secret indredients to some famous and not so famous Chinese dishes.
You might be having Chinese take out or delivery, or you might just be venturing to Chinatown late at night after a few drinks at your local public house, but many people might not know the difference between Chinese cuisine varying from many different regions of this vast country. There may be a Chinese restaurant in your area that boasts the best Chinese food in your city but the question still remains: "where does this food come from INSIDE of China?" China has many different regions, languages, provinces, and cuisine. Each province, and in some cases cities, have a distinctly different style of cuisine; Sichuan, Henan, Hunan, Shanghai, Harbin, Guangzhou, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, etc.
In Shanghai, population twenty million, all cuisines from China are available for your consumption at the seemingly endless amounts of restaurants. On every block there is at least one small eatery, usually showing signs of no effort in terms of design or the representation of food, but it could be some the best Chinese food.
I have discovered new taste buds since I have lived here; tasting the spicy numbing flavours in Sichuan cuisine or enjoying the freshly cut Beijing duck wrapped in a small crepe-like pancake with sauce. Food can help define a country, it's people, and it's history.
Open your mouth, and maybe you can open your mind a little more.
Talk to you soon. Zaijian (Goodbye).
Padruig.
I am writing to you from Shanghai in the People's Republic of China. Everyone in every country around the world has tasted Chinese food at some point in their life. I am here to let you in on the secrets and not so secret indredients to some famous and not so famous Chinese dishes.
You might be having Chinese take out or delivery, or you might just be venturing to Chinatown late at night after a few drinks at your local public house, but many people might not know the difference between Chinese cuisine varying from many different regions of this vast country. There may be a Chinese restaurant in your area that boasts the best Chinese food in your city but the question still remains: "where does this food come from INSIDE of China?" China has many different regions, languages, provinces, and cuisine. Each province, and in some cases cities, have a distinctly different style of cuisine; Sichuan, Henan, Hunan, Shanghai, Harbin, Guangzhou, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, etc.
In Shanghai, population twenty million, all cuisines from China are available for your consumption at the seemingly endless amounts of restaurants. On every block there is at least one small eatery, usually showing signs of no effort in terms of design or the representation of food, but it could be some the best Chinese food.
I have discovered new taste buds since I have lived here; tasting the spicy numbing flavours in Sichuan cuisine or enjoying the freshly cut Beijing duck wrapped in a small crepe-like pancake with sauce. Food can help define a country, it's people, and it's history.
Open your mouth, and maybe you can open your mind a little more.
Talk to you soon. Zaijian (Goodbye).
Padruig.
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Comment by Chris Champion
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As you say, the range of food styles within China is so vast that the term "Chinese food" makes sense only outside China. Cantonese style has been the most common export, but as China continues to open itself to the world, and as tourism to (and from) China booms, the huge variety of provincial cuisines is becoming more widely known.
For years after I discovered Sichuan food, I thought there could be nothing better. And then, just a few years ago, I discovered Hunan food. Don't try it if you don't like your food with a lot of chopped fresh chillies!
Chinese food is as wonderful as it is vast and varied. I look forward to more on the subject in your blog.
Regards,
Chris