Chinese Cuisine

Chinese Cuisine
By Vivien Shan

China is a world-renowned "epicurean kingdom". Few visitors leave this coun­try without being smitten by the Chinese culinary art, and quite a few of them regard Chinese dishes as the best in the world. Chinese restaurants are a dime a dozen nowadays among the world, but for a taste of the authentic fare, China is definitely the place to be.
Chinese cuisine by and large falls into six schools:

Imperial Dishes

These dishes originated in the kitchen of the imperial palace for the exclusive enjoyment of the emperor and empress in bygone days. Graceful names that give wings to imagination, impeccable selection of ingredients, and state-of-the-art cook­ing techniques designed to preserve natu­ral hue, aroma and taste are the major hall­-marks of these imperial dishes. Peking Duck is one of such dishes.

Mansion Kitchen Fare

High officials and famous personages who cared so much for what they ate in bygone days went out of their way to hire famous chefs with handsome pay. With superb culinary skills, these chefs become a school of their own behind the walls of the mansions of the rich and powerful. and eventually their styles of o found their way to the public. The Confu­cian Mansion and the Tan Family are representative of the mansion style of Chinese cuisine. The Confucian fare is being dished out in the Confucian Restaurant at Beijing's Liulichang, and the Tan Family Kitchen has opened shop in Beijing Hotel.

Local Cuisine

Regional differences in resources, climate and folklore have given rise to a vari­ety of cooking schools in China. The Shandong, Sichuan, Yangzhou and Canton are the four major schools. Another theory puts the number at eight, with the addition of Hunan, Fujian, Anhui and Zhejiang. A third theory includes Beijing and Shang­hai so that the nation has ten major schools of Chinese cooking. Shandong, Sichualn, Yangzhou and Cantonese cooking, however, are generally regarded as the most influential of alt schools of Chinese cuisine - the others are simply regarded as branches.

Ethnic Dishes

These dishes were first invented by minority peoples and later spread to other parts of the country. These include the mutton hot pot of Inner Mongolia and the roast whole lamb and shish kebab of Xinjiang.

Monastic Dishes

Otherwise known as vegetarian's dishes, monastic dishes had their origin in Buddhist temples around the country. This school of cooking are understandably dominated by vegetables, and it is flour­ishing because the rising standard of living has prompted many people to become more health-conscious and stick to vegetarian's dishes. Some of these dishes are prepared to resemble the flavour and shape of meat dishes. Apart from their special flavours, the monastic dishes are stomach-friendly and help protect people's health.

Have vegetarian dinners in Chinese famous Buddhist temple on Mt.Wutai

Therapeutic dishes

Therapeutic dishes, which go back a long way in this country. can be found only in Chinese cuisine. Since ancient times, the Chinese have been incorporating traditional medicinal materials in their dishes. These medicines may taste salty, sour, bitter, sweet or pungent. But if they are properly handled, the dishes can guaran­tee an unforgettable gormandizing experience for those who also wish to benefit from the therapeutical effects of what they eat.

Once you have sampled the above- mentioned dishes, you can fed it safe to say that you have obtained complete idea about Chinese.

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