Eight cuisines

Cuisine is a genre of Chinese cuisine that has evolved over a long period of time in terms of material selection, cutting, cooking and other skills, has distinctive local flavor characteristics, and is recognized by the society as a genre of Chinese cuisine.

The cuisine of Chinese food culture refers to a set of self-contained cooking techniques and flavors formed after a long history of evolution in a certain area due to the different climate, topography, history, products and food customs, and is recognized by all parts of the country.

As early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties, China's food culture had a rudimentary form, with Taigongwang being the most representative[1], and then in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period of Qi Huan, the flavors of northern and southern dishes in the food culture showed differences. By the time of the Tang and Song dynasties, the southern and northern foods formed their own systems. In the Southern Song Dynasty, the pattern of sweet in the south and salty in the north was formed. At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, and Suzhou cuisine[2] became the most influential local cuisines at that time, known as the "Four Great Cuisines". By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the four new local cuisines of Zhejiang, Fujian, Hunan and Hui were differentiated and formed, which together constituted the "eight major cuisines" of traditional Chinese cuisine.

Brief introduction

Traditional Chinese dining culture has a long history, and there are many genres in cooking. In the Qing Dynasty, the four major cuisines of Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong and Jiangsu were formed (according to the order in Xu Ke's "Qing Barnyard Banknotes", the same below), and later, local cuisines such as Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan and Hui gradually became famous, so China's "eight major cuisines" were formed, namely Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, Suzhou cuisine, Fujian cuisine, Zhejiang cuisine, Hunan cuisine, and Huizhou cuisine. The Chinese invented cooking methods such as stir-frying (bursting, boiling), roasting (stewing, simmering, stewing, marinating), frying (boiling, pasting), frying (cooking), boiling (boiling, stewing, boiling), steaming, roasting (pickling, smoking, air drying), cold dressing, and drenching.

The following table mainly lists the eight major cuisine flavors[3]

Cuisine flavors

Lu cuisine

The taste is mainly salty and fresh. Pay attention to the quality of raw materials, salt to enhance freshness, soup to strengthen freshness, seasoning to emphasize salty and fresh, highlighting the original taste. Salty and fresh, the heat is exquisite, good at making soup, good at cooking seafood.

Sichuan cuisine

The taste is mainly spicy, the dishes are diverse, the taste is fresh and mellow, and the spicy seasoning is good (fish flavor, spicy, spicy, tangerine peel, pepper and numb, strange taste, sour and hot flavors).

Cantonese

The taste is mainly fresh and fragrant. The selection of materials is fine, clear but not light, fresh but not vulgar, tender but not raw, oily but not greasy. Good at stir-frying, it is required to master the heat and oil temperature is just right. It is also compatible with many Western cuisine practices, and pays attention to the momentum and grade of the dish.

Su cuisine

The taste is mainly light. The materials are rigorous, pay attention to color matching, pay attention to modeling, and the four seasons are different. The cooking techniques are known for stewing, stewing and simmering, and the emphasis is placed on mixing the soup to maintain the original juice and the taste is calm. Make good use of vegetables. Among them, Huaiyang cuisine pays attention to the selection of materials and knife work, and is good at making soup; Southern Jiangsu cuisine has a sweet taste, pays attention to soy sauce, and makes good use of fragrant grains and rice wine for seasoning.

Fujian cuisine

The taste is mainly fresh and fragrant. It is especially good at "fragrant" and "taste", and its fresh, mellow, fragrant and non-greasy style. There are three major characteristics, one is good at red lees seasoning, two is good at making soup, and three is good at using sweet and sour.

Zhejiang cuisine

The taste is mainly light. The dishes are small and exquisite, handsome and beautiful, the dishes are delicious and tender, crisp, soft and refreshing. Use fragrant grains and rice wine to taste. The cooking techniques are abundant, especially in the cooking of seafood River, which is rarely unique. The taste pays attention to freshness, crispness and tenderness, and maintains the original color and true taste of the raw materials. The dishes are exquisite, delicate and delicate, delicate and elegant. The northern part is sweet, the western part is spicy, and the southeast is salty.

Hunan

The taste is mainly spicy and varied. The color is heavy and the color is strong, and it is affordable, spicy, fragrant and fresh, soft and tender. Pay attention to the combination of raw materials and the taste of each other. Hunan cuisine is particularly seasoned and spicy. Comparatively speaking, the simmering skills of Hunan cuisine are even better, almost to the point of perfection. Simmering can be divided into red simmer and white simmer in terms of color change, and there are clear soup simmering, thick soup simmering and milk soup simmering in terms of seasoning. Simmer over low heat, original flavor.

Hui cuisine

The taste is mainly fresh and spicy. Good at burning, stewing, steaming, and less stir-frying, heavy oil, heavy color, heavy fire. Heavy fire work is historical, its uniqueness is concentrated in the good at burning, stewing, smoking, steaming Kung Fu dishes, different dishes use different fire control technology, the formation of crispy, tender, fragrant, fresh unique flavor, among which the most can reflect the characteristics of the Hui style is the slip burning, stewing and raw smoking method.

Customary reasons

Local products and customs, such as beef and sheep in northern China, often cooked with beef and mutton; southern China is rich in aquatic products and poultry, and people like to eat fish and meat; and seafood is used in seafood along the coast of China.

Climatic reasons

Generally speaking, the northern part of China is cold and the dishes are mainly thick and salty, while the climate in East China is mild and the dishes are sweet and salty, and the southwest is rainy and humid, and the dishes are mostly spicy and strong.

Cooking method:

Different cooking methods are different in different places, forming different dishes with different characteristics. For example, Shandong cuisine and Beijing cuisine are good at stir-frying, stir-frying, roasting, boiling, etc., Anhui and Jiangsu cuisine are good at stewing, steaming, and roasting, Sichuan cuisine is good at roasting, stir-frying, etc., and Guangdong cuisine is good at roasting, baking, stir-frying, stewing, steaming, etc.

Culinary history

Song dynasty

Characteristics: sweet in the north and salty in the south

As early as the Song Dynasty, there were already differences in food throughout China. It is recorded in volume 24 of "Mengxi Writings": "The southerners of Dadi are salty, and the northerners are sweet. Fish and crab add molasses, cover is convenient for northern customs also. "At that time, there were two main tastes in China, northerners liked to eat sweet food, and southerners liked to eat salty food. At that time, China did not eat "spicy", because at that time, chili peppers had not yet been introduced to China. By the time of the Southern Song Dynasty, a large number of northerners immigrated to the south, so the sweet taste gradually spread to the south.

Ming dynasty

Features: Beijing, Suzhou, and Guangzhou

During the Southern Song Dynasty, a large number of northerners moved south. Gradually, the food culture of the North influenced the South. In the southern regions formed their own factions. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, Chinese cuisine was divided into Beijing, Suzhou, and Cantonese cuisines. The Beijing style is salty, and the Su style and Cantonese style are sweet.

Qing Dynasty

Features: Four major cuisines

In the Qing Dynasty, Xu Ke's "Qing Barnyard Banknotes" recorded: "The dishes have their own characteristics, such as Jingshi, Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangning, Suzhou, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, and Huai'an. Later, it was summarized as the four major cuisines of Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong and Suzhou.

republic

Features: Eight major cuisines

Since the beginning of the Republic of China, there has been considerable cultural development in various parts of China. Sichuan-style cuisine is divided into Sichuan cuisine and Hunan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine is divided into Cantonese cuisine and Fujian cuisine, and Suzhou-style cuisine is divided into Suzhou, Zhejiang and Hui cuisine. Because the four major cuisines of Sichuan, Shandong, Guangdong and Jiangsu formed earlier, later, local cuisines such as Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan and Hui gradually became famous, forming China's "eight major cuisines". Later, the most influential and representative cuisines that were also recognized by the society were: Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong, Suzhou, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hui and other cuisines, which are often called China's "eight major cuisines".

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Eight cuisines are representative dishes

The formation of a cuisine and its long history are inseparable from unique culinary characteristics. At the same time, it is also affected by the natural geography, climatic conditions, resources and specialties of this region, and dietary habits. Some people anthropomorphize the "Eight Great Cuisines" as:

Lu, like a scholar who pays attention to etiquette and honesty

Sichuan and Hunan cuisine are like warlocks with rich connotations and talents;

Cantonese and Fujian cuisine are like elegant sons;

Suzhou, Zhejiang and Hui cuisine are like beautiful Jiangnan women.

constitute

Lu cuisine

Originating from the Qilu flavor of Shandong, Shandong cuisine is the only spontaneous cuisine among the four traditional Chinese cuisines (and also the eight major cuisines) (compared with the Huaiyang, Sichuan, Cantonese and other influential cuisines), and is the cuisine with the longest history, the most abundant techniques, the highest difficulty and the most skillful.

The last years of the Shang Dynasty is the embryonic period of Lu cuisine, and it is also the origin of the combination of medicine and food, which is the famous historical figure Taigongwang alias: Jiang Taigong was created, and there are relevant records in the "Jiang Taigong Biography", representative works: Taigongwang red stewed chicken, the source is from the battle of Yingqiu, originated and inherited in the current Rizhao City. [1]

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Qilu cuisine came to prominence, with cattle, sheep and pigs as the main ingredients, and it was also good at making poultry, game and seafood. There are many written records of the culinary requirements and fashion preferences of the time. During the prosperous period of national strength in the era of Qi Huan, in order to inherit the Taigongwang catering culture and obtain the essence of the traditional historical food "Taigongwang Red Braised Chicken", the main ingredient chicken mixed with the herbs in the ancient recipe of Taigongwang Diet was perfectly combined to create the traditional meal of braised chicken offal. Lay a solid foundation for the formation of Lu cuisine, and there is still a inheritance in Rizhao, which is recorded in Mr. Zhang's later memories, and was introduced to the court after learning art from Suzhou during the Qing Dynasty.

In the early days of the uprising, Lu Mu (today's Zhaoren, the first female leader of the peasant uprising in history) created the traditional chicken shredded soup, which played a role in the continuation of the Shang and Zhou dynasties and the Spring and Autumn Lu cuisine culture, and had a far-reaching impact on the court dishes of the Qing Dynasty.

As early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, Qin and Han dynasties, Qufu, the capital of Lu, and Linzi, the capital of Qi, were both quite prosperous cities, and the catering industry was booming, and famous chefs came out in large numbers. It has a long history, originated in the Boshan District of Zibo, Shandong, and after the Song Dynasty, Shandong cuisine became the representative of "northern food". In the Ming and Qing dynasties, Shandong cuisine has become the main body of imperial cuisine in the palace, and has a great influence on Beijing, Tianjin and Northeast China. It is the first of the eight major cuisines. It is generally believed that Shandong cuisine is divided into two major factions, which evolved from the local cuisines of Jinan and Jiaodong. Sometimes it is also divided into four major factions, and for the above two plus Confucian cuisine and medicinal diet (food therapy and health).

It is famous for its fragrant, fresh and tender, mellow taste, and pays great attention to the preparation of clear soup and milk soup, the color of the clear soup is clear and fresh, and the color of the milk soup is white and mellow. Yantai Fushan is the birthplace of Jiaodong cuisine. It is famous for its variety of seafood and has a light taste. Jinan Licheng is the birthplace of Jinan cuisine. Good at exploding, burning, frying, and stir-frying, and the taste is on the heavy side.

That is, Shandong cuisine, which is composed of four flavors: Qilu, Jiaodong, Confucius, and medicinal food. It is the most influential court cuisine in China and the first of the four major cuisines in China. Take the Confucian flavor as the leader. The formation and development of Shandong cuisine is related to the cultural history, geographical environment, economic conditions and customs of Shandong. Shandong is one of the birthplaces of ancient Chinese culture. Located in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, the Jiaodong Peninsula has a mild climate, and the Jiaodong Peninsula protrudes between the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea. The mountains and rivers in the territory are vertical and horizontal, the rivers and lakes are staggered, the fertile fields are thousands of miles, the products are abundant, the transportation is convenient, and the culture is developed. Its grain output ranks third in the country, and it has a wide variety of vegetables and excellent quality, and is known as one of the "three major vegetable gardens in the world". For example, Jiaozhou Chinese cabbage, Zhangqiu green onions, Cangshan garlic, and Laiwu ginger are all well-known at home and abroad.

After the Song Dynasty, Lu cuisine became the representative of "northern food". In the Ming and Qing dynasties, Shandong cuisine has become the main body of imperial cuisine in the palace, and has a great influence on Beijing, Tianjin and Northeast China. It is the first of the eight major cuisines. It is generally believed that Shandong cuisine is divided into two major factions, which evolved from the local cuisines of Jinan and Jiaodong. Sometimes it is divided into four major factions, and the above two plus Confucian cuisine and medicinal diet (food therapy and health), all of which are well-known at home and abroad.

(1) Qilu flavor

Qilu flavor is represented by Jinan cuisine, which is popular in northern Shandong, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and other North and Northeast China.

Qilu cuisine is known for its fragrance, freshness and tenderness, and its taste is pure. In particular, there are strict regulations on the use and boiling of clear soup and milk soup, and the dishes are known for being fresh, crisp and tender. Preparing with broth is a major feature of Jinan cuisine. Sweet and sour carp, Kung Pao chicken (Lu system), nine turns of large intestine, soup fried double crispy, milk soup pu cai, southern intestine, Yuji grilled chicken, Jinan roast duck and so on are all well-known Jinan famous dishes. Jinan's famous flavor snacks are: pot stickers, soup dumplings, pancakes, sugar pancakes, Luohan cakes, money cakes, steamed honey three knives, dumplings and so on. Texas cuisine is also an important part of Qilu flavor, and the representative dishes include Texas boneless grilled chicken.

(2) Jiaodong flavor

It is also known as Jiaodong flavor, represented by Yantai Fushan cuisine. It is popular in Jiaodong, Liaodong and other places.

Jiaoliao cuisine originated in Fushan, Yantai and Qingdao, and is known for cooking seafood, with a fresh and tender taste, light and light, and a special color. Jiaodong's top ten representative dishes: minced meat and sea cucumber, crispy chicken, home-style roasted toothfish, stewed chicken with Laoshan mushrooms, original abalone, hot and sour fish balls, fried oyster yellow, fried conch, braised cabbage with prawns, stewed tofu with yellow croaker. Top 10 special snacks in Jiaodong: grilled squid, pork trotters in sauce, three fresh potstickers, cabbage meat buns, spicy fried clams, seafood lo noodles, pork ribs and rice, mackerel dumplings, sea vegetable noodles, chicken soup wontons.

(3) Confucian flavor

Represented by Qufu cuisine. It is popular in the southeastern and western parts of Shanxi and Henan, and is close to the Xuzhou flavor of Jiangsu cuisine.

Confucian cuisine has the characteristics of "never getting tired of eating, not getting tired of fine", and its fine materials and sumptuous feasts can be compared with the imperial meals of the imperial court in the past. The representatives of Confucian cuisine are: Yipin Shou Peach, Jade Shrimp Ring, Sea Rice Pearl Bamboo Shoots, Fried Chicken Fan, Four Pieces of Bird's Nest, Roasted Brand, Chrysanthemum Shrimp Bun, Yipin Tofu, Shouzi Duck Soup, and Silk Golden Jujube.

(4) Medicinal food flavor

Medicinal diet has the effect of dietary therapy, the earliest can be traced back to the end of the Shang Dynasty, has a history of more than 3,100 years, is the origin of Shandong cuisine, with the Taigongwang red stewed chicken, braised chicken offal, chicken shredded soup in Rizhao area is the most representative; [1]

Sichuan cuisine

Sichuan cuisine is one of the eight major cuisines in China, originating in Sichuan and Chongqing, and is characterized by numb, spicy, fresh and fragrant. The emergence of Sichuan cuisine can be traced back to the Qin and Han dynasties, and a school has been formed in the Song Dynasty, and after the introduction of chili peppers to China in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Sichuan cuisine underwent a major innovation and gradually developed into the current Sichuan cuisine. The raw materials are mostly mountain delicacies, river fresh, wild vegetables and livestock and poultry. Make good use of cooking methods such as stir-frying, dry stir-frying, dry roasting, soaking, and stewing. It is famous for its "taste", with many flavor types and rich changes, with fish fragrance, red oil, strange taste, and spicy taste. The style of Sichuan cuisine is simple and fresh, with a strong local flavor. Rong style Sichuan cuisine is delicate and delicate, and Chongqing style Sichuan cuisine is generous and rough. Famous dishes: boiled pork slices, fish-flavored shredded pork, back to the pot meat, salt-fried pork, kung pao chicken, stir-fried eel slices, spicy chicken, spicy fat sausage, mapo tofu, boiled fish, pickled pepper shredded pork, green pepper shredded pork...... Snacks from Chengdu and Chongqing are also classified as Sichuan cuisine.

Sichuan cuisine is the most distinctive cuisine in China, and it is also the largest folk cuisine. Sichuan cuisine has always enjoyed the reputation of "one dish, one style, one hundred dishes and one hundred flavors". In terms of cooking methods, there are as many as 38 kinds of Sichuan cuisine, such as stir-frying, frying, dry-roasting, frying, smoking, soaking, stewing, stewing, stewing, pasting, and exploding. In terms of taste, it pays special attention to color, fragrance, taste and shape, and has the advantages of north and south, and is known for its many, wide and thick taste. There has always been a saying of "seven flavors" and "eight flavors". People who usually have a bad appetite are very suitable for eating some Sichuan dishes, and the slightly spicy compound flavor helps to promote saliva secretion and increase appetite. It should be reminded that Sichuan cuisine is generally spicy and has a strong taste, and ordinary people may have gastrointestinal discomfort if they eat too much. Therefore, spicy dishes are best eaten with some light dishes.

It is characterized by a variety of flavor types. Chili pepper, pepper, Sichuan pepper, bean paste, etc. are the main condiments, different ratios, spicy, sour and spicy, pepper sesame sesame sauce, garlic paste, mustard, red oil, sweet and sour, fish fragrance, strange flavor and other flavor types, all thick and mellow, with the special flavor of "one dish and one grid", "one hundred dishes and one hundred flavors", all kinds of dishes are all popular. In terms of cooking methods, there are as many as 38 kinds of Sichuan cuisine, such as stir-frying, frying, dry-roasting, frying, smoking, soaking, stewing, stewing, stewing, pasting, and exploding. In terms of taste, it pays special attention to color, fragrance, taste, shape, and has the advantages of north and south, and is known for its multiplicity, breadth and thickness. There have always been "seven flavors" (sweet, sour, numb, spicy, bitter, fragrant, salty), "eight flavors" (dry roast, sour, spicy, fish fragrant, dry stir-fried, strange taste, pepper sesame and red oil). Therefore, Sichuan cuisine has three characteristics: a wide range of materials, diverse seasonings, and strong adaptability to dishes. It is composed of five categories, including banquet dishes, public casual dishes, home-cooked dishes, three-steamed nine-button dishes, and flavor snacks. In the world, it enjoys the reputation of "food in China, taste in Sichuan". Among them, the most prestigious dishes are: dry-roasted rock carp, dry-roasted osmanthus fish, Liao pork ribs, fish-flavored shredded pork, weird chicken, kung pao chicken, steamed beef, mapo tofu, hairy belly hot pot, dry stir-fried shredded beef, husband and wife lung slices, Dengying beef, dandan noodles, Lai tangyuan, dragon chaoshou and so on. The six famous dishes in Sichuan cuisine are: fish-flavored shredded pork, kung pao chicken, husband and wife lung slices, mapo tofu, back pot meat, and Dongpo elbow.