Chinese cuisine

1
Chinese cuisine
Asian Inspirations
2

• Chinese cuisine has displayed alterations and
  variety throughout the centuries. Chinese food
  and style has been mainly inspired and influenced
  by two major philosophies Confucianism and
  Taoism. These have changed the way the Chinese
  cook and enjoy their food.
• It is believed that Confucius developed table
  etiquettes that are very important to the Chinese
  even today. Confucius was of the opinion that
  food must be prepared and eaten with harmony. On
  the other hand, those who believe in Taoism focus
  on the health benefits of food and its
  presentation.
• The cuisine we identify today as Chinese has
  evolved gradually as food sources, styles and
  techniques were discovered or introduced over the
  years. For instance, the chopsticks are believed
  to have been used for stirring, cooking and
  serving bits of food. They began to be used as
  eating utensils only during the Han dynasty. From
  the Ming dynasty, it acquired its present name
  (kuaizi) and shape, as well as started being used
  both for eating and serving.

3
The woks use was probably limited to drying
grains and its present use, such as stir-frying,
boiling, steaming and so on, was introduced only
during the Ming dynasty.Chinese cuisine has
given us so many delicious foods over the years,
it is difficult to pick a favourite sometimes.
Between noodles and stir-fried vegetables, there
is a plethora of other choices. The Chinese are
very fond of bizarre foods, too. They love their
insects deep-fried, and their octopus dunked in
golden batter, especially when sold on small
street-carts in the alleys of China. So, theres
plenty to dig into. Speaking of choice, several
ingredients and techniques from cuisines of other
countries and cultures mingled with Chinese
cuisine due to trade and commerce, and imperial
expansion. Class, region and ethnic background
further diversify the style, technique and taste
of Chinese cuisine.
4
Each region of China has a different cooking
style. The ingredients differ depending on the
agricultural produce of the region. The main
culinary cuisines of China are Anhui, Cantonese,
Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Szechuan, and
Zhejiang. Other regional Chinese cuisine is
classified into Northern, Muslim, Mongolian,
Tibetan, Southern Minority and Taiwan foods.
Besides these, Singaporean, Malaysian,
Indonesian, Indian and American are the notable
styles of Chinese food popular outside China.
5
The staple foods used in Chinese cooking are
rice, noodles, vegetables, seasonings, and
various types of sauces.The Chinese are famed for
their ability to prepare just about anything in a
delicious way and afterwards devour it with
pleasure. Some food items that would seem
outright bizarre to a foreigner are cooked by the
Chinese. These include reptiles, amphibians,
molluscs, fishes, insects and birds. The Chinese
love to eat and China boasts of a medley of
dishes. Enjoy traditional Chinese cuisine and
find out more about the culture of China.
6
Thank you