When you are in your home country eating a native cuisine, the taste is altered to suit that country. So for example chicken chow mien which is a popular Chinese dish in the UK, doesn’t resemble the true taste of what it should be like. So why not get a flight from Air China and Travel to Shanghai or any other city and taste the delights of the rich Chinese cuisine.
Due to China’s large population feeding everyone has proven to be difficult, thus their cuisine has had to be adapted in order to use the ingredients available. In the past there has been limited supply of meat, whilst a plentiful supply of rice and noodles, which is why the basis of their food are rice and noodle dishes which are mixed with a little meat and vegetables. In order to save fuel, the cuisine was adjusted to making food which could be cooked quickly, such as stir-fry, vegetables etc.
China has regional cuisines which differ. Cantonese style of cooking includes rice and stir-fries which are lightly seasoned, so it’s quite healthy for you. Rice can be eaten as part of most meals. Whereas Mandarin’s cuisine is more inclined to have items made from wheat flour such as; dumplings, pancakes and noodles. So if you’re on a low carb diet, be prepared to loosen your waistband.
Dumplings are one of the most popular dishes in China; they can be eaten steamed, boiled, fried or baked. There are many Chinese saying about them such as, ‘if you eat dumplings with Chinese liquor, your future would be richer.’ You can have almost anything in your dumpling ranging from vegetables to meat, fish and all sorts. Dumplings in themselves are enough to eat just by itself as a meal and it can be eaten for lunch or dinner.
Peking duck is another popular dish which is widely consumed in China. It also means roast duck. Traditionally this was made in wealthy households and top restaurants, where it took a chef 3 months training in order to get the right skills to make the perfect duck. One roast duck can be cut into 125 strips, with each strip containing both skin and meat. The way it is eaten is simple. You get a thin, small pancake and put strips of the duck inside, along with thin slices of cucumber, green onions and a sweet source. They are truly delightful and something you cannot leave without trying. Peking was actually the name of the capital city Beijing before the Cultural Revolution in late 1960’s.
Due to the Chinese ‘waste not, want not’ ethos, nothing is wasted and therefore they use every flower, plant, animal to create foods, such as; lotus petals, chicken’s feet, donkey, insects, snakes and dogs. This is something that can be overwhelming to many westerners, but as the saying goes, ‘if you don’t try, you won’t know’. So during your China Travel be sure to be open minded and try new things, after all that’s what life is all about.
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