Chinese cuisine 6583 226179912 2008-07-17T05:06:26Z Ckatz 831038 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Longlong1672|Longlong1672]] ([[User talk:Longlong1672|talk]]) to last version by Bobo192 {{Cuisine of China}} {{Contains Chinese text}} '''Chinese cuisine''' ([[Chinese language| Traditional Chinese]]: 中國菜, [[Simplified Chinese]]:中国菜) originated from the various regions of [[China]] and has become widespread in many other parts of the world — from [[East Asia]] to [[North America]], [[Australia]], [[Western Europe]] and [[Southern Africa]]. Regional cultural differences vary greatly amongst the different regions of [[China]], giving rise to the different styles of food. There are eight main regional [[cuisines]], or Eight Great Traditions (八大菜系): [[Anhui cuisine|Anhui]], [[Cantonese cuisine|Cantonese]], [[Fujian cuisine|Fujian]], [[Hunan cuisine|Hunan]], [[Jiangsu cuisine|Jiangsu]], [[Shandong cuisine|Shandong]], [[Sichuan cuisine|Sichuan]], and [[Zhejiang cuisine|Zhejiang]]. Among them, Cantonese, Sichuan, Shandong, and [[Huaiyang cuisine]] (a major style and even viewed as the representation of the entire Jiangsu cuisine) are often considered as the standouts of Chinese cuisine and due to their influence are proclaimed as the Four Great Traditions (四大菜系). Occasionally, [[Beijing cuisine]] and [[Shanghai cuisine]] are also cited along with the aforementioned eight regional styles as the Ten Great Traditions (十大菜系). There are also featured [[Chinese Buddhist cuisine|Buddhist]] and [[Chinese Islamic cuisine|Muslim]] sub-cuisines within the greater Chinese cuisine, with an emphasis on [[vegetarian]] and [[halal]]-based diets respectively. ==Presentation== [[Image:Song Dynasty Elegant Party.JPG|thumb|left|400px|A [[Song Dynasty]] [[Chinese painting]] of an outdoor banquet, the painting is a remake of a [[Tang Dynasty]] original.]] In most dishes in Chinese cuisine, food is prepared in bite-sized pieces, ready for direct picking up and eating. Traditionally, Chinese culture considered using [[knife|knives]] and [[fork]]s at the table [[barbarian|barbaric]] due to fact that these implements are regarded as [[weapon]]s. It was also considered ungracious to have guests work at cutting their own food. [[Fish (food)|Fish]] are usually cooked and served whole, with diners directly pulling pieces from the fish with [[chopsticks]] to eat, unlike in some other cuisines where they are first [[Fillet (cut)|fillet]]ed. This is because it is desired for fish to be served as fresh as possible, and more importantly, whole fish culturally signifies wholeness of things as it has a proper beginning (head) with an end (tail). It is common in many restaurant settings for the server to use a pair of spoons to divide the fish into servings at the table. [[Chicken]] is another meat popular in Chinese meals. While the chicken is cut into pieces, and similar to serving fish every single piece of the chicken is served including gizzards and head in order to signify completeness. In a Chinese meal, each individual diner is given his or her own bowl of rice while the accompanying dishes are served in communal plates (or bowls) that are shared by everyone sitting at the table. In the Chinese meal, each diner picks food out of the communal plates on a bite-by-bite basis with their chopsticks. This is in contrast to western meals where it is customary to dole out individual servings of the dishes at the beginning of the meal. Many non-Chinese are uncomfortable with allowing a person's individual utensils (which might have traces of [[saliva]]) to touch the communal plates; for this [[hygiene|hygienic]] reason, additional serving spoons or chopsticks ("公筷", ''lit.'' common/public/shared chopsticks) may be made available. In areas with increased Western influence, such as [[Hong Kong]], diners are provided individually with a heavy metal spoon for this purpose. The food selected is often eaten together with some rice either in one bite or in alternation. ==Red meat== [[Pork]] is generally preferred over [[beef]] in Chinese cuisine due to economic and aesthetic reasons; the pig is easy to feed and is not used for labour, and is so closely tied with the idea of domesticity that the character for "home" depicts a pig under a roof. The colour of the meat and the fat of pork are regarded as more appetizing, while the taste and smell are described as sweeter and cleaner. It is also considered easier to digest. However, beef is more popular in the west of the country, influenced by [[Islam]], and also in the Sichuan region and parts of the south, where cattle are used for hauling in mining and are plentiful.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking |last=Tropp |first=Barbara|year=1982 |publisher=Hearst Books |location=New York |isbn=0-688-14611-2|pages=p. 183}}</ref> [[Lamb]] is more popular in the far north of the country. ==Vegetarianism== {{main|Vegetarianism in China}} [[Vegetarianism]] is not uncommon or unusual in China, though, as is the case in the West, it is only practiced by a relatively small proportion of the population. Most Chinese vegetarians are [[Buddhism|Buddhists]], following the Buddhist teachings about minimizing suffering. Chinese vegetarian dishes often contain large varieties of vegetables (e.g. [[bok choy]], [[shiitake|shiitake mushroom]], [[sprouts]], [[corn]]) and some [[meat analogue|imitation meat]]. Such imitation meat is created mostly with [[soy protein]] and/or wheat gluten to imitate the texture, taste, and appearance of duck, chicken, or pork. Imitation [[seafood]] items, made from other vegetable substances such as [[konjac]], are also available.<!--need ingredients used to prepare imitation seafoods; I think konnyaku, arrowroot, and other similar things are used to impart a jelly-like texture--> ==Beverages== In traditional Chinese culture, cold [[beverage]]s are believed to be harmful to [[digestion]] of hot food, so items like ice-cold water or [[soft drink]]s are traditionally not served at meal-time. Besides soup, if any other beverages are served, they would most likely be hot [[tea]] or hot water. Tea is believed to help in the digestion of [[Yellow grease|greasy]] foods. Despite this tradition, nowadays beer and soft drinks are popular accompaniment with meals. A popular combo in many small restaurants in parts of China is [[hot pot]] served with cold beer, a combination known as "冷淡杯" (Pinyin: leng3 dan4 bei1, literally: cold and bland cup, despite being strongly flavored), which is the very opposite of what traditional wisdom would admonish. Ideas from [[Chinese herbology]], such as the four natures, influence the food combinations favored in traditional Chinese meals. ==Contemporary health trends== According to [[United Nations|the United Nations]] [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] estimates for 2001–2003, 12% of the population of the People’s Republic of China was undernourished.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/es/ess/yearbook/vol_1_2/pdf/China.pdf |title=Country Profiles|work=Statistical yearbook|publisher=FAO|accessdate=2008-04-25 }}</ref> The number of undernourished people in the country has fallen from 386.6 million in 1969–1971 to 150.0 million in 2001–2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/faostat/foodsecurity/Files/NumberUndernourishment.xls |title=Undernourished persons by country |work=Food security statistics|publisher=FAO|accessdate=2008-04-25 }}</ref> [[Undernourishment]] is a problem mainly in the central and western part of the country, while "unbalanced nutrition" is a problem in developed coastal and urban areas. Decades of food shortages and rationing ended in the 1980s. A study in 2004 showed that fat intake among urban dwellers had grown to 38.4 percent, beyond the 30 per cent limit set by the [[World Health Organization]]. Excessive consumption of fats and animal protein has made chronic diseases more prevalent. As of 2008, 22.8 percent of the population were obese and 18.8 percent had high blood pressure. The number of diabetes cases in China is the highest in the world. In 1959, the incidence of high blood pressure was only 5.9 percent.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://english.people.com.cn/200510/24/eng20051024_216452.html |title=Nutritional diseases for residents in China on rise |date=2005-10-24|work=People's Daily Online|accessdate=2008-04-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6364001.html |title=Less meat, please!|date=2008-03-01|work=People's Daily Online |accessdate=2008-04-25 }}</ref> A typical Chinese peasant before industrialization would have eaten meat rarely and most meals would have consisted of rice accompanied with [[green vegetable]]s, with protein coming from foods like [[peanut]]s. Fats and sugar were luxuries not eaten on a regular basis by most of the population. With increasing wealth, Chinese diets have become richer with more meats, fats, and sugar being consumed. Health advocates put some of the blame on the increased popularity of Western foods, especially [[fast food]], and other culinary products and habits. Many Western, especially American, fast food chains have appeared in China, and are highly successful economically. These include [[McDonalds|McDonald's]] and [[Kentucky Fried Chicken]] (KFC). An extensive [[epidemiological study]] called the [[China Project]] is being conducted to observe the relationship of disease patterns to diet, particularly the move from the traditional Chinese diet to one which incorporates more rich Western-style foods. Controversially, Professor [[T. Colin Campbell]] has implicated the increased consumption of animal protein in particular as having a strong correlation with cancer, diabetes, [[heart disease]], and other diseases that, while common in [[Western world|Western countries]], were considered rare in China. He suggests that even a small increase in the consumption of animal protein can dramatically raise the risk of the aforementioned diseases. {{Fact|date=April 2008}} ==See also== {{wikisourcepar|Littell's Living Age/Volume 144/Issue 1865/A Chinese Banquet|an account of a Chinese banquet, by Jules Verne.}} {{cookbook}} {{commons|Category:Cuisine of China|Chinese cuisine}} *[[Culture of China]] *[[Chinese beer]] *[[Chinese tea]] *[[Chinese wine]] *[[Cantonese restaurant]] *[[Chinese food therapy]] *[[American Chinese cuisine]] *[[List of Sources of a Chinese Culinary History]] *''[[Wok hei]]'' *[[Five Chinese cereals]] *[[Traditional Chinese medicine]] *[[Chinese cuisine names|List of Chinese Cuisine Names]] ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==References== *''How to Cook and Eat in Chinese'', [[Buwei Yang Chao]], first ed. [[1945]]. *''Chinese Table Manners - You Are How You Eat'', Eugene Cooper. 1986 {{Fact|date=May 2008}} ==External links== *{{dmoz|Home/Cooking/World_Cuisines/Asian/Chinese}} *[[ChinaTravelGuide:Chinese Cuisine|Four Schools of Chinese Cuisine]] {{Asia topic|Cuisine of}} {{People's Republic of China topics|state=autocollapse}} {{Cuisine}} [[Category:Chinese cuisine|*]] [[bg:Китайска кухня]] [[da:Kinesisk madlavning]] [[de:Chinesische Küche]] [[et:Hiina köök]] [[es:Gastronomía de China]] [[eo:Ĉina kuirarto]] [[fr:Cuisine chinoise]] [[ko:중화요리]] [[it:Cucina cinese]] [[he:המטבח הסיני]] [[lt:Kinų virtuvė]] [[hu:Kínai konyha]] [[mk:Кинеска кујна]] [[ms:Masakan Cina]] [[nl:Chinese keuken]] [[ja:中華料理]] [[no:Det kinesiske kjøkken]] [[pl:Kuchnia chińska]] [[pt:Culinária da China]] [[ro:Bucătărie chinezească]] [[ru:Китайская кухня]] [[fi:Kiinalainen keittiö]] [[sv:Kinesiska köket]] [[ta:சீனச் சமையல்]] [[th:อาหารจีน]] [[vi:Ẩm thực Trung Quốc]] [[uk:Китайська кухня]] [[zh:中国菜]]