In English, starting a conversation might begin with ‘how’s it going?’ but among some of the Chinese, it begins with ‘你吃了吗？’ (in English - ‘have you eaten yet?’). This is one of the many reasons why I love this country: food is regarded as a matter of utmost importance for your mind and wellbeing. From northern to southern China, from province to province and from family to family, tastes, noodle specialities, staple foods and even ways of cooking traditional Chinese dishes differ, creating a wide diversity of dishes to try no matter how far you are travelling in China.
Northern and Southern Differences
The Yangtze River (longest river in Asia) can be used as a rough boundary to establish the divide between staple foods. Due to the drier climate in northern China, wheat flour is the staple here as less rainfall makes better conditions for wheat cultivation, meaning dumplings and noodles all around! In southern China, more rainfall makes better conditions for rice.
Provincial Differences
1)Cuisine
Beijing: greatly influenced by the salty and crispy Shandong cuisine. Apart from Peking Duck (北京烤鸭), jiaozi (饺子, steamed dumplings) are very popular – you can choose from fillings such as minced pork with ginger to spinach, tofu and mushroom.
Sichuan: Think peppercorns, pickled meats, red chillis and pints of water to wash it down with. A mouth-numbing hotpot (麻辣火锅) attracts many to Sichuan province. This contains a broth flavoured with chilli peppers, then you can choose which meats, noodles and vegetables to fill your broth with.
Cantonese and Guangdong cuisine: In comparison to the Sichuan cuisine where the tastes are often overpowered with fiery spices, the aim of Cantonese food is to bring out the original flavours of the vegetables and meat, so is much milder. Cantonese-style roast goose is a famous barbequed treat in Hong Kong.
Shanghai: sweeter, oilier and uses a lot of soy sauce. Due to its coastal location, it’s well-known for its freshwater fish dishes, including steamed crab. A must-try is the xiaolongbao小笼包 (steamed Shanghai buns!) – something I relied on after long lessons in Shanghai!
2) Noooodles
Noodles are quite fun to eat in China because they represent longevity in Chinese tradition so are deliberately made to be long. Some streets have people making noodles by hand or you can sometimes see chefs in kitchens making them.
The Chinese Noodle Bucket List:
Beijing: Soybean paste noodles 北京炸酱面 Yellow in colour, quite simple. Chengdu: Dandan noodles 成都担担面 Drenched in chilli oil, smoky and thin! Guilin: Rice noodles 桂林米粉 Xi’an: Sliced noodles 西安刀削面 My favourites! Chewy and wide, hand sliced. Can be enjoyed in Xi’an’s Muslim quarters.
Family Differences
Whereas on a European date, you might ask things such as ‘what word do people use to describe you?‘, a Chinese friend once told me that some ask on a date which ingredient your family puts into 番茄炒蛋 (a Chinese tomato and egg stir-fry). Some like to add onion, some tomato ketchup, some sugar… could be a deal breaker for a relationship!
According to the Chinese, something is only satisfactory to eat if: it smells, looks and tastes great (色香味俱全). So be assured, wherever you find yourself in China, your stomach will be forevermore content with the flavours, tastes and scents of food that come your way!
