Chinese cuisine
Photo: via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5
The origins of Chinese cuisine can be traced back millennia. Chinese cuisine is extremely diverse with wide regional variations, and it is not uncommon for even Chinese people themselves to find the cuisine from another region to be completely foreign to them.
UnderstandCivilians are the basis of a king's governance, while food is the basis of civilian's life. Through Imperial China, Chinese culture has influenced lands such as today's Mongolia and Vietnam.
IngredientsAccording to an old Chinese saying, there are seven things you need to open your doors (and run a household): firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea.
DishesYou'll find all kinds of meat, vegetable, tofu, and noodle dishes in China. Here are a few well-known, distinctive dishes:
SnacksVarious types of Chinese food provide quick, cheap, tasty, light meals.
FruitIn China, tomatoes and avocados are considered fruits. Avocados are uncommon, but tomatoes are frequently eaten as snacks, ingredients in desserts, or stir-fried with scrambled eggs.
BeveragesTea (茶, chá) can of course be found at restaurants and at dedicated tea houses.
RestaurantsMany restaurants in China charge a cover charge of a few yuan per person.
Dietary restrictionsChinese food is sometimes negatively associated with its use of MSG. Should you be worried? Not at all.
RespectThere's a stereotype that Chinese cuisine has no taboos and Chinese people will eat anything that moves, but a more accurate description is that food taboos vary by region, and people from one part of China may be…
See also
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Chinese cuisine" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Chinese meal.jpg, CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons