Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Su
(Jiangsu cuisine)
Yue
(Cantonese/Guangdong cuisine)
Xiang
(Hunan cuisine)
Zhe
(Zhejiang cuisine)
Although each school is independent and well defined, it is possible to group
these eight culinary traditions into
Northern
,
Southern
,
Western
and
Eastern
cooking.
A common philosophy lies at the heart of Chinese cooking, whatever the
school. Most vegetables and fruits are yin foods, generally moist and soft, pos-
sessing a cooling effect while nurturing the feminine aspect. Yang foods -
fried, spicy or with red meat - are warming and nourish the masculine side.
Any meal should harmonise flavours and achieve a balance between cooling
and warming foods.
Northern School
With Shandong cooking (
lucai
) - the oldest of the eight regional schools - at
its heart, northern cooking also embraces Beijing, northeastern (Manchurian)
and Shanxi cuisine, creating the most time-honoured and most central form of
Chinese cooking.
In the dry, north Chinese wheat belt an emphasis falls on millet, sorghum,
maize, barley and wheat rather than rice (which requires lush irrigation by wa-
ter to cultivate). Particularly well suited to the harsh and hardy winter climate,
northern cooking is rich and wholesome. Filling breads - such as
mantou
or
bing
( flat breads) - are steamed, baked or fried, while noodles may form the
basis of any northern meal (although the ubiquitous availability of rice means it
can always be found). Northern cuisine is frequently quite salty, and appetising
jiaozi
( dumplings) are widely eaten, usually boiled and sometimes fried.
As Beijing was the principal capital through the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynas-
ties, imperial cooking is a chief characteristic of the northern school. Peking
duck is Beijing's signature dish, served with typical northern ingredients - pan-
cakes, spring onions and fermented bean paste.
With China ruled from 1644 to 1911 by non-Han Manchurians, the influence
of northeast cuisine (
dongbei cai
) has naturally deeply permeated northern
