Chinese Cuisine
Which have you tasted?
History
• Having existed for more than 3,500 years, the
world’s oldest living civilization comes from
China
• Throughout history, China exhibited high
culinary awareness and culinary traits
• Unlike in most countries, food and cuisine
impacts most aspects of life in China
Chou Dynasty
• Yin Yang influence
– Yin represents the feminine, dark and cool
– Yang stands for masculine, light and hot
• Although yin and young are opposites, the proper
union of the two elements creates harmony and
balance.
• Implication: balancing opposites (sweet and sour;
soft and crunchy textures)
• Implication: contrasting color of food and plate
Chou Dynasty
• Five elements
– Water, wood, fire, earth and metal
– Water : salt
– Wood: sour
– Fire : bitter
– Earth: sweet
– Metal: spicy or pungent
• Every food is assigned an element, thus goal is
proper and balanced combination
Tsai -fan
• Tsai refers to the cooked protein or vegetable
• Fan is translated as cooked rice
• Tsai – fan is a balance meal include grain with
another food
Belief
• In the past as today, the Chinese strongly
believe that eating should be pleasurable as
well as healthful, but the end result is
harmony and balance within the food.
• Creating that harmony and balance in the
foods leads to harmony and balance within
the body and spirit.
Confucius (551 to 479 B.C.)
• Some call him the father of northern Chinese
cooking
• He stressed eating food in season; fresh food
(in a time before refrigeration when people are
eating spoiled food); cutting meat and
vegetables into small pieces; proper
preparation, cooking methods, and
condiments for recipes; and moderation in
eating
Diet and Life
• During 600 to 900 A.D., Chinese physicians
began attributing many culinary principles to
health
• Balance in food and health became very
important
• Doctors and pharmacist labeled herbs and
spices as either hot or cool and used them to
balance the foods they joined.
• Cooks used pepper, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg
and ginseng
Sung Dynasty
• Restaurants flourished
• These were viewed as places for pleasure
• Eating involve pleasure
18 century
th
• From the New World came sweet potatoes,
corn, red chilies and peanuts
• Peanut oil is an excellent oil for stir –frying
over high heat (frequently used cooking
technique in China)
Ingredients and Food Commonly Used Throughout the Cuisine of
China
• Rice
• Wheat and millet
• Peanuts
• Cabbages, greens and bok choy
• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• Water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and bean
sprouts
Ingredients and Food Commonly Used Throughout the Cuisine of
China
• Mushroom and fungi
• Tofu and soybeans
• Seafood and fish – both fresh and dried
• Pork and poultry
• Onions, garlic and spring onions
• Ginger
• Soy sauce
• Rice wine and rice vinegar
• Tea
Cooking Methods
• Chao or stir-frying: most well-known Chinese
cooking method; developed as a way to save
scarce cooking fuel; stir-frying preserves
texture of food and retains valuable nutrients
• Wok – pan used for stir-frying; sloping sides
and rounded bottom
• Deep-frying
• Poaching, parboiling, and steaming
• Bamboo steamers
• Sand-pot or clay-pot cooking is actually
braising
• Pickling, smoking and wind drying became
popular during the T’ang Dynasty as method
of preserving food for use during long winter
Cuisine
• Nothing is wasted in Chinese kitchen
• Literally all parts of the animal are consumed
from the beak to feet
• Seafood shells and heads go into the stockpot
even if the pot contains chicken
• Leftovers are transformed into new creations
with to resemblance of their former identity
• Most important type of food are grains
followed by vegetables
• Top 5 grains and legumes (form the
foundation of cooking): soybeans, rice,
barley, wheat, and millet
• Regions
– North: prefer wheat
– South: prefer rice
• Small amount of meat and seafood are added
to vegetables
• Chinese prefer long grain variety of rice
• Tofu or soybean curd: major source of protein
• Pork and poultry: most popular meats
• Fish and shellfish are also significant since of
huge fishing industry
• Vegetables are never boiled rather cooking as
stir-fried or braised (crisp or al dente
vegetables)
• Produces more rice, wheat and pears
• Chinese diet are rich in fruits and vegetables
• Dairy products are almost nonexistent in the
cuisine
• Other ingredients are also considered: shark
fins, snake, bear paws, sea cucumbers
• Cornstarch is the most often used thickening
agent
• Common flavorings and condiments include soy
sauce, rice wine, rice vinegar, bean paste, plum
sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, salt, ginger, garlic and
sesame oil
• Soybean products: soy sauce, fermented beans,
bean paste and hoisin (sweet and spicy sauce)
• Spices: star anise, ginger and five spice (fennel,
cloves, anise seed, pepper and cinnamon)
• Chinese marinade often: impart flavor and
tenderize
• Tea and rice wine are popular beverages
during ceremonies
