Chinese kookkuns - Chinese cuisine

Die oorsprong van Chinees kookkuns kan duisende jare teruggevoer word. Chinese kookkuns is baie uiteenlopend met wye streeksvariasies, en dit is nie ongewoon dat selfs Chinese mense self die kookkuns uit 'n ander streek vir hulle heeltemal vreemd vind nie. Noord-Chinese kan hulle voorstel dat die Kantonese kookkuns slegs uit roerbraai-eiers met tamatie bestaan, terwyl Suidlanders dalk verbaas staan ​​oor die bedieningsgrootte kluitjies in Noord-China.

Verstaan

'N Ete in Suzhou

Deur Keiserlike China, Het die Chinese kultuur lande soos die hedendaagse beïnvloed Mongolië en Vietnam. Chinese kookkuns is al lank bekend in ander Asiatiese lande soos Korea en Japan.

In die moderne tyd het die Chinese diaspora die Chinese kookkuns versprei na dele van die wêreld. Dit gesê, baie hiervan is aangepas vir plaaslike toestande, en u sal dus geregte in oorsese Chinese gemeenskappe vind wat nie in China gevind kan word nie, of wat sterk verander is van hul oorspronklike Chinese weergawes. Maleisië, Thailand, Vietnam en Singapoer veral uitstekende plekke om sulke kookkuns te proe, vanweë die lang geskiedenis van die Chinese gemeenskappe daar en die lekkerte van tradisionele plaaslike bestanddele en kookmetodes. Omgekeerd het terugkerende Chinese ook 'n invloed gehad op die kulinêre toneel van die moederland, miskien veral in Guangdong, Fujian en Hainan.

Baie stede in Westerse lande het 'n Chinatown distrik, en selfs kleiner dorpe het dikwels enkele Chinese restaurante. Hierdie plekke het nog altyd hoofsaaklik Kantonese kos gehad, maar ander style het meer algemeen geword.

Chinese kookkuns kan wissel van eenvoudige, maar hartlike straatkos tot lekker eetplekke met slegs die mees eksklusiewe bestanddele, met pryse wat ooreenstem. Hongkong word algemeen beskou as die wêreld se belangrikste sentrum van Chinese lekker eetegter Singapoer en Taipei is ook geen sluise nie, en die Chinese stede van die vasteland Sjanghai en Beijing is ook besig om stadig maar seker in te haal.

Maaltye in China is dit aan die begin as lande kom - nader aan Amerikaanse etenstye as Europese. Ontbyt is gewoonlik tussen 07:00 en 09:00 en bevat dikwels dinge soos noedels, gestoomde broodjies, congee, gebraaide gebak, sojamelk, groente of kluitjies. Die spitstyd vir middagete is 12: 00-13: 00, en aandete is dikwels iewers omstreeks 17: 30-19: 30.

Streekgeriewe

Chinese kookkuns wissel baie, afhangende van in watter land u woon. Die "Four Great Cuisine" (四大 菜系) is Sichuan (Chuan), Shandong (Lu), Guangdong (Kantonees / Yue), en Jiangsu (Huaiyang) kookkuns, en ander streke het ook hul style, met veral verskillende kulinêre tradisies in etniese minderheidsgebiede, soos Tibet en Xinjiang.

Dit is nie moeilik om van die streekgeriewe te proe nie Sjina selfs al is jy ver van hul streek van herkoms — Sichuanese málà (麻辣) tingerige-gekruide kos kan oral gevind word, soos ook borde wat adverteer Lanzhou noedels (兰州 拉面, Lánzhōu lāmiàn). Net so is Peking eend (北京 烤鸭) oënskynlik 'n plaaslike spesialiteit van Beijing, dit is ook algemeen beskikbaar in baie Kantoneese restaurante.

Sichuanese mapo tofu

'N Verskeidenheid gebak is kenmerkend van die kookkuns van die Moslem-volke in Noordwes-China

• Beijing (京 菜 Jīng Cài ): noedels tuis en baozi (包子 broodbroodjies), Peking Duck (北京 烤鸭 Běijīng Kǎoyā), gebraaide sousnoedels (炸酱面 zhájiàngmiàn), koolgeregte, groot piekels. Kan heerlik en bevredigend wees.
• Keiserlik (宫廷菜 Gōngtíng Cài): die kos van die laat Qing-hof, wat beroemd gemaak is deur die keiserin Dowager Cixi, kan geproe word by hoë-end gespesialiseerde restaurante in Beijing. Die kombuis kombineer elemente van Manchu-grensvoedsel soos wildsvleis met unieke eksotika soos kameelpoot, haaivin en voëlnes.

• Kantonees / Guangzhou / Hongkong (广东 菜 Guǎngdōng Cài, 粤菜 Yuè Cài): die styl wat die meeste Westerse besoekers al ken (al is dit in gelokaliseerde vorm). Nie te pittig nie, die klem val op vars gekookte bestanddele en seekos. Dit gesê, outentieke Kantonese kookkuns is ook een van die gewildstes in China wat die verskeidenheid bestanddele betref, aangesien die Kantonees bekend is, selfs onder die Chinese, vir hul uiters wye definisie van wat as eetbaar beskou word.
  • Dim Sum (点心 diǎnxīn in Mandaryns, dímsām in Kantonees), klein versnaperinge wat gewoonlik vir ontbyt of middagete geëet word, is 'n hoogtepunt.
  • Geroosterde vleis (烧 味 shāowèi in Mandaryns, sīuméi in Kantonees) is ook gewild in die Kantonees, wat geregte insluit wat gewild is in Chinatowns in die Weste, soos gebraaide eend (烧鸭 shāoyā in Mandaryns, sīu'aap in Kantonees), sojasous (豉 油 鸡 chǐyóujī in Mandaryns, sihyàuhgāi in Kantonees), gebraaide varkvleis (叉烧 chāshāo in Mandaryns, chāsīu in Kantonees) en varkvleis met brosvel (烧肉 shāoròu in Mandaryns, sīuyuhk in Kantonees).
  • Uitsnyvleis (腊味 làwèi in Mandaryns, laahpméi in Kantonees) is nog 'n spesialiteit in die Kantonees, en dit bevat Chinese worsies (腊肠 làcháng in Mandaryns, laahpchéung in Kantonees) lewerwors (膶 肠 rùncháng in Mandaryns, yéunchéung in Kantonees) en gekonserveerde eend (腊鸭 làyā in Mandaryns, laahp'aap in Kantonees). 'N Algemene manier om dit te eet, is die vorm van vleis kleipotrys (腊味 煲仔饭) làwèi bāozǎi fàn in Mandaryns, laahpméi bōujái faahn in Kantonees).
  • Congee (粥 zhōu in Mandaryns, juk in Kantonees) is ook gewild in die Kantonees. Die Cantonese styl van congee behels dat die rys gekook word totdat die korrels nie meer sigbaar is nie, en dat ander bestanddele soos vleis, seekos of afval saam met die rys gekook word om die congee te geur.
• Huaiyang (淮揚菜 Huáiyáng Cài): Die kookkuns van Sjanghai, Jiangsu en Zhejiang, word beskou as 'n goeie mengsel van Noord- en Suid-Chinese kookstyle. Die bekendste disse is xiaolongbao (小笼 包 Xiǎolóngbāo) en grasuiebolle (韭菜 饺子 Jiǔcài Jiǎozi). Ander kenmerkende geregte sluit gesmoorde varkpens in (红烧肉 hóng shāo ròu) en soetsuur varkribbetjies (糖醋 排骨 táng cù pái gǔ). Suiker word dikwels by gebraaide geregte gevoeg, wat 'n soet geur gee. Alhoewel die Sjanghai-kookkuns dikwels as 'n verteenwoordiger van hierdie styl beskou word, is die kookkuns van nabygeleë stede soos Hangzhou, Suzhou en Nanjing hul eie unieke geregte en geure en is dit beslis ook die moeite werd om te probeer.
• Sichuan (川菜 Chuān Cài): Bekend warm en pittig. 'N Gewilde gesegde is dat dit so pittig is dat jou mond verdoof sal word. Nie alle geregte word egter met lewendige chili gemaak nie. Die verdoofende gevoel kom eintlik van die Sichuan-peperkorrel (花椒 huājiāo). Dit is wyd beskikbaar buite Sichuan en ook inheems aan Chongqing. As u egte Sichuanese kos buite Sichuan of Chongqing wil hê, soek klein eetplekke met die karakters vir Sichuan-kookkuns in buurte met baie trekarbeiders. Dit is geneig om baie goedkoper en dikwels beter te wees as die alledaagse Sichuan-restaurante.
• Hunan (湖南菜 Húnán Cài, 湘菜 Xiāng Cài): die kookkuns van die Xiangjiang-streek, Dongting-meer en die westelike Hunan-provinsie. Soortgelyk aan die Sichuanese kookkuns, kan dit in Westerse sin 'pittiger' wees.
• Teochew / Chiuchow / Chaozhou (潮州菜 Cháozhōu Cài): afkomstig van die Chaoshan gebied in die oostelike deel van KwaZulu-Natal, 'n unieke styl wat nogtans bekend sal wees vir die meeste Suidoos-Asiatiese en Hongkongse Chinese. Bekende geregte sluit gesmoorde eend in (卤鸭 Lǔyā), yam paste dessert (芋泥 Yùní) en visballe (鱼丸 Yúwán).
  • Ryspap (粥 zhōu in Mandaryns, 糜 muê⁵ in Teochew) is 'n gerieflike gereg in die Teochew-kookkuns. In teenstelling met die Kantonees, laat die Teochew-weergawe die ryskorrels ongeskonde. Teochew-pap word gewoonlik bedien met ander soutgeregte aan die kant, alhoewel die rys van Teochew-vis die rys dikwels in 'n visbouillon gekook het en met skywe vis daarin gekook word.
• Hakka / Kejia (客家 菜 Kèjiā Cài): die kookkuns van die Hakka-mense, versprei oor verskillende dele van Suid-China. Het 'n fokus op gepreserveerde vleis en groente. Bekende disse sluit in gevulde tofu (酿 豆腐 niàng dòufǔ, gevul met vleis natuurlik), gevulde bitter spanspek (酿 苦瓜 niàng kǔguā, ook gevul met vleis), ingelegde mosterdgroen varkvleis (梅菜 扣肉 méicài kòuròu), gesaaide varkvleis met taro (芋头 扣肉 yùtóu kòuròu), hoender gebak in sout (盐 焗 鸡 yánjújī) en gemaalde tee (擂茶 léi chá).
• Fujian (福建 菜 Fújiàn Cài, 闽菜 Mǐn Cài): gebruik bestanddele meestal uit kus- en riviermondingswaterweë. Fujian-kookkuns kan in minstens drie verskillende kookkuns verdeel word: Suid-Fujian kombuis, Fuzhou kookkuns, en Wes-Fujian kookkuns.
  • Ryspap (粥 zhōu in Mandaryns, 糜 wees in Minnan) is 'n gewilde gereg in die suide van Fujian. Dit is soortgelyk aan die Teochew-weergawe, maar word gewoonlik gekook met skywe patats. Dit is ook baie gewild in Taiwan, waar dit 'n hoofontbytgereg is.
• Guizhou (贵州 菜 Guìzhōu Cài, 黔菜 Qián Cài): kombineer elemente van die Sichuan- en Xiang-kookkuns, en maak gebruik van pittige, peperige en suur geure. Die eienaardige zhergen (折耳根 Zhē'ěrgēn), 'n streekwortelgroente, voeg 'n onmiskenbare suurpeperige geur by baie geregte. Minderheidsgeregte soos Sour Fish Hot Pot (酸汤鱼 Suān Tāng Yú) word wyd geniet.
• Zhejiang (浙菜 Zhè Cài): sluit die voedsel van Hangzhou, Ningbo en Shaoxing in. 'N Verskeie, smaaklike mengsel van seekos en groente, wat gereeld in sop bedien word. Soms is dit saggies versoet of soms soetsuur, en daar word gereeld gekookte vleis en groente in Zhejiang-geregte gekombineer.
• Hainan (琼 菜 Qióng Cài): beroemd onder die Chinese, maar nog steeds relatief onbekend vir buitelanders, wat gekenmerk word deur die groot gebruik van seekos en klappers. Die kenmerkende spesialiteite is die "Four Famous Dishes of Hainan" (海南 四大 名菜 Hǎinán Sì Dà Míngcài): Wenchang-hoender (文昌鸡 Wénchāng jī), Dongshan-bok (东 山羊 Dōngshān yáng), Jiaji-eend (加 积 鸭 Jiājī yā) en Hele-krap (和 乐 蟹 Hélè xiè). Wenchang-hoender sou uiteindelik aanleiding gee tot Hainanese hoenderrys in Singapoer en Maleisië, khao man kai (ข้าวมัน ไก่) in Thailand, en Cơm gà Hải Nam in Vietnam.
• Noordoos-China (东北 Dōngběi) het sy eie styl van kos. Dit beklemtoon koring bo rys en bevat, soos in die Noordweste, verskillende brode en noedelgeregte plus kebabs (串 chuàn; let op hoe die karakter soos 'n kebab lyk!). Die gebied is veral bekend vir jiǎozi (饺子), 'n soort bolletjie wat nou verwant is aan die Japannese gyoza en soortgelyk aan ravioli of perogies. Baie stede verder suid het jiaozi restaurante, en baie daarvan word deur mense van Dongbei bestuur.

Die kombuis van Hongkong en Macau is in wese Kantonese kookkuns, alhoewel onderskeidelik Britse en Portugese invloede, terwyl die kookkuns van Taiwan is soortgelyk aan dié van Suid-Fujian, weliswaar met Japannese invloede, sowel as invloede uit ander dele van China, wat die gevolg is van resepte wat deur nasionaliste oorgedra is wat in 1949 van die vasteland gevlug het. Soos gesê, het baie bekende sjefs in die nasleep van die vasteland van China na Hong Kong en Taiwan gevlug. van die kommunistiese rewolusie is daar ook hoë gehalte kookkuns uit verskillende dele van China beskikbaar in daardie gebiede.

Bestanddele

• Vleisveral varkvleis is alomteenwoordig. Pluimvee soos eend en hoender is ook gewild, en daar is geen tekort aan beesvleis nie. Lam en bok is gewild onder Moslems en in die algemeen in Wes-China. As u weet waarheen om te gaan, kan u ook ongewone vleis soos slang of hond proe.

• Ham - Alhoewel Europese en Amerikaanse hamme internasionaal beter bekend kan wees, is China ook 'n tradisionele hamproduserende land, met van sy premium hamme geskiedenis wat eeue of selfs millennia dateer. Chinese hamme word gewoonlik drooggemaak en kom dikwels voor as 'n sopbasis of as bestanddeel in verskillende geregte. China se mees gevierde ham is Jinhua-ham (金華 火腿 jīn huá huǒ tuǐ) van die stad Jinhua in Zhejiang provinsie. Behalwe Jinhua-ham, is Rugao-ham (如皋 火腿 rú gāo huǒ tuǐ) van die Rugao in Jiangsu provinsie en Xuanwei-ham (宣威 火腿 xuān wēi huǒ tuǐ) van Xuanwei in Yunnan provinsie maak China se "Three Great Hams" saam. Ander beroemde hamme sluit in Anfu-ham (安福 火腿 ān fú huǒ tuǐ) van Anfu in Jiangxi provinsie, wat in 1915 op die Internasionale Tentoonstelling Panama – Stille Oseaan te sien was, en Nuodeng ham (诺 邓 火腿 nuò dèng huǒ tuǐ) van Nuodeng in die provinsie Yunnan, wat 'n spesialiteit is van die Bai etniese minderheid.

• Rys is die argetipiese stapelvoedsel, veral in die suide van China.
• Noedels is ook 'n belangrike stapelvoedsel, met koringnoedels (面, miàn) meer algemeen in Noord-China en rysnoedels (粉, fěn) meer algemeen in die suide.
• Groente word gewoonlik gestoom, ingeleg, geroerbraai of gekook. Hulle word selde rou geëet. Baie het veelvuldige name en word op verskillende maniere vertaal en verkeerd vertaal, wat baie verwarring veroorsaak as u 'n spyskaart probeer sin maak. Sommige gunstelinge sluit in eiervrug, ertjie lote, lotuswortel, daikon en bamboes lote. Kalbasse sluit kalbas, bitter spanspek, pampoen, komkommer, sponspampoen en winterspanspek in. Blaargroente is gevarieerd, maar baie is Engelssprekendes min of meer onbekend en kan vertaal word as 'n soort kool, blaarslaai, spinasie of groente. Sodoende vind u Chinese kool, langblaarslaai, waterspinasie en patatsgroen, om 'n paar te noem.
• Sampioene - baie verskillende soorte, van rubberagtige swart "houtoor" tot taai wit "goue naaldsampioene".
• Tofu in China is nie net 'n plaasvervanger vir vegetariërs nie, maar eerder 'n ander soort kos, dikwels bedien gemeng met groente, vleis of eiers. Dit kom in baie verskillende vorme voor, waarvan baie heeltemal onherkenbaar sal wees as u net gewoond is aan die reghoekige wit blokke wat internasionaal beskikbaar is.

Sekere Chinese geregte bevat bestanddele wat sommige mense verkies om te vermy, soos honde-, kat-, slang- of bedreigde spesies. Dit is egter baie onwaarskynlik dat u hierdie geregte per ongeluk sal bestel. Hond en slang word gewoonlik in spesiale restaurante bedien wat nie hul bestanddele wegsteek nie. Dit is duidelik dat produkte wat gemaak word van bedreigde bestanddele astronomiese pryse sal hê en in elk geval nie op die gewone spyskaart sal verskyn nie. Ook die stede van Shenzhen en Zhuhai het die eet van kat- en hondevleis verbied, en hierdie verbod word beplan om landwyd te verleng.

Volgens die beskouing van tradisionele Chinese medisyne kan te veel hond, kat of slang geëet word as gevolg van nadelige gevolge, en dit word dus nie gereeld deur Chinese geëet nie.

In die breë is rys die belangrikste stapelvoedsel in die suide, terwyl koring, meestal in die vorm van noedels, die belangrikste stapelvoedsel in die noorde is. Hierdie krammetjies is altyd aanwesig, en u sal dalk nie een dag in China deurbring sonder om rys, noedels of albei te eet nie.

Gestoomde broodjies (baozi) kom in 'n groot verskeidenheid hartige en soet vulsels voor. Sjanghai is beroemd xiǎolóngbāo, wat hier getoon word, het warm sop en 'n frikkadel in 'n papierdun verpakking.

Brood is skaars alomteenwoordig in vergelyking met Europese lande, maar daar is baie goeie platbrood in die noorde van China, en bāozi (包子) (Kantonees: bao) - gestoofde broodjies gevul met soet of soutvulling - is 'n integrale deel van Kantonees dim sum en ook elders in die land gewild. Broodjies sonder vulsels staan ​​bekend as mántou (馒头 / 饅頭), en is 'n gewilde ontbytgereg in die noorde van China; dit kan gestoom of gebraai word. Tibetaanse en Uyghurse kookkuns bevat baie platbrode wat soortgelyk is aan dié in die noorde Indië en die middel ooste.

Behalwe in sommige etniese minderheidsgebiede soos Yunnan, Tibet, Binne-Mongolië en Xinjiang, melkery produkte kom nie algemeen voor in tradisionele Chinese kookkuns nie. Met globalisering word suiwelprodukte in 'n paar voedselsoorte in die res van die land opgeneem, sodat u byvoorbeeld baozi gevul met vla kan sien, maar dit bly uitsonderings. Suiwelprodukte kom ook ietwat meer algemeen voor in die kombuis van Hong Kong, Macau en Taiwan as dié van die vasteland van China as gevolg van sterker Westerse invloede.

Een rede waarom suiwelprodukte nie algemeen voorkom nie, is dat die meeste Chinese volwassenes laktose-onverdraagsaam is; hulle het nie 'n ensiem wat benodig word om laktose (melksuiker) te verteer nie, sodat dit deur dermbakterieë verteer word en sodoende gas produseer. 'N Groot dosis suiwelprodukte kan dus heelwat pyn en baie verleentheid veroorsaak. Hierdie toestand kom voor by minder as 10% van Noord-Europeërs, maar meer as 90% van die bevolking in dele van Afrika. China is iewers tussenin, en daar is streeks- en streeksveranderings. Yoghurt kom redelik algemeen in China voor; dit lewer nie die probleem op nie, aangesien die bakterieë daarin die laktose reeds afgebreek het. Oor die algemeen is jogurt makliker te vind as melk, en kaas is 'n duur luukse artikel.

Geregte

Chinese suigvark, Kolkata

U vind alle soorte vleis-, groente-, tofu- en noedelgeregte in China. Hier is 'n paar bekende, kenmerkende geregte:

• Boeddha spring oor die muur (佛跳墙, fótiàoqiáng) - 'n duur Fuzhounese sop gemaak van haaivin (鱼翅, yúchì), perlemoen en baie ander nie-vegetariese premium bestanddele. Volgens die legende was die reuk so goed dat 'n Boeddhistiese monnik sy vegetariese geloftes vergeet het en oor die tempelmuur gespring het om dit te hê. Dit moet gewoonlik 'n paar dae vooruit bestel word as gevolg van die lang voorbereidingstyd.
• Guōbāoròu (锅 包 肉) - soetsuur suikerbeslag varkvleis van Noordoos-China.
• Hoenderpote (鸡爪, jī zhuǎ) - het verskillende maniere gekook, baie in China beskou dit as die lekkerste deel van die hoender. Bekend as fenikskloue (凤爪 fuhng jáau in Kantonees, fèng zhuǎ in Mandaryns) in Kantonees-sprekende gebiede, waar dit 'n gewilde dim sum-gereg is en meestal met swartbone-sous gemaak word.
• Mapo tofu (麻 婆 豆腐, mápó dòufu) - a Sichuanese tofu en gemaalde varkgereg wat baie pittig is en klassieke Sichuan het málà tintende / verdowende pittigheid.
• Pekingeend (北京 烤鸭, Běijīng kǎoyā) - gebraaide eend, die bekendste gereg wat kenmerkend is van Beijing.
• Stink tofu (臭豆腐, chòu dòufu) - presies hoe dit klink. Verskeie verskillende streke het verskillende soorte, hoewel die bekendste is Changsha-styl, gemaak in reghoekige blokke wat aan die buitekant swart is. Ander prominente style van die gereg sluit in: Shaoxing-styl en Nanjing-styl. Dit is ook 'n baie gewilde straatgereg in Taiwan, waar dit in verskillende style beskikbaar is.
• Gevulde tofu (酿 豆腐, niàng dòufu in Mandaryns, ngiong⁴ têu⁴ fu⁴ in Hakka) - 'n Hakka-gereg, gebraaide tofu gevul met vleis, bekend as yong tau foo in Suidoos-Asië, alhoewel dit dikwels sterk van die oorspronklike verander is.
• Xiǎolóngbāo (小笼 包) - klein sopvol bolletjies van Sjanghai, Jiangsu en Zhejiang.
• Soetsuur vark (咕噜 肉 gūlūròu in Mandaryns, gūlōuyuhk in Kantonees) - 'n Kantoneesgereg, uitgevind om te pas by die verhemelte van die Europeërs en Amerikaners wat in KwaZulu-Natal in die 19de eeu gesetel is. Een van die gewildste Chinese disse in Engelssprekende lande.
• Warm en suur sop (酸辣 汤 suānlà tāng) - 'n dik, styselagtige sop wat pittig gemaak word met soetrissies en suur met asyn. 'N Spesialiteit van Sichuan-kookkuns.
• Oesteromelet (海 蛎 煎 hǎilì jiān of 蚝 煎 háo jiān) - 'n gereg van eiers, vars oesters en patatstysel, afkomstig van Suid-Fujian en Chaoshan, alhoewel met verskillende variasies. Miskien is die bekendste variant hiervan internasionaal die Taiwanese weergawe wat alomteenwoordig is in nagmarkte op die eiland. Ander variasies kan ook gevind word in gebiede met groot diasporagemeenskappe uit die bogenoemde streke, soos Singapoer, Penang en Bangkok. Bekend as 蚵仔煎 (ô-á-chiān) in Minnan-sprekende gebiede (insluitend Taiwan, waar die Mandaryns-naam byna onbekend is), en 蠔 烙 (o⁵ luah⁴) in Teochew-sprekende gebiede.

Noedels

Noedels het sy oorsprong in China: die vroegste geskrewe rekord daarvan dateer ongeveer 2000 jaar gelede, en argeologiese bewyse is oor die noodleverbruik 4 000 jaar gelede in Lajia in die ooste gerapporteer Qinghai. Chinees het geen enkele woord vir noedels nie, maar verdeel dit in miàn (面), gemaak van koring, en fěn (粉), gemaak van rys of soms ander stysel. Noedels wissel volgens streek, met verskillende bestanddele, breedtes, bereidingsmetodes en toppings, maar word gewoonlik saam met 'n soort vleis en / of groente bedien. Hulle kan bedien word met sop of droog (met net 'n sous).

Souse en geurmiddels wat saam met noedels gebruik word, sluit in Sichuanese sousagtige (麻辣, málà) sous, sesamsous (麻酱, májiàng), sojasous (酱油 jiàngyóu), asyn (醋, cù), en vele ander.

'N Lánzhōu lāmiàn-restaurant in Sjanghai. Let op die halalteken regs bo.

• Biangbiang-noedels (面, biángbiáng miàn) - dik, wye, taai, handgemaakte noedels van Shaanxi, waarvan die naam geskryf is met 'n karakter wat so ingewikkeld en min gebruik word dat dit nie in die woordeboeke gelys word nie en nie op die meeste rekenaars ingevoer kan word nie (klik op die karakter om 'n groter weergawe te sien). U kan dit ook sien as 油泼 面 yóupō miàn op menu's wat die karakter nie korrek kan afdruk nie.
• Chongqing-noedels (重庆 小 面, Chóngqìng xiǎo miàn) - tingerige-gekruide noedels wat gewoonlik saam met sop bedien word, waarskynlik die bekendste gereg van Chongqing saam met warm pot.
• Dāndān miàn (担 担 面) - Sichuanese tint-pittige dun noedels, bedien "droog" of saam met sop.
• Gebraaide noedels (炒面, chǎo miàn, en 炒粉 chǎo fěn of 河粉 héfěn) - bekend aan Chinese restaurant-restaurantgangers in ander lande as "Chow mein"en"chow pret"Na hul Kantoneese uitsprake, wissel hierdie geroosterde noedels volgens streek. Hulle is nie altyd so olierig en swaar soos die goed wat u by baie oorsese Chinese restaurante sal vind nie. Moenie verwar word met chǎo fàn (炒饭), wat gebraaide rys.
• Warm droë noedels (热干面, règānmiàn), 'n eenvoudige gereg van noedels met sous, 'droog' in die sin dat dit sonder sop bedien word. N spesialiteit van Wuhan, Hubei.
• Mesgesnyde noedels (刀削面, dāoxiāo miàn) - van Shanxi, nie dun nie, maar ook nie presies breed nie, bedien met 'n verskeidenheid souse. "Hoe meer jy hulle kou, hoe lekkerder word hulle."
• Lánzhōu lāmiàn (兰州 拉面, Lánzhōu lāmiàn), vars Lanzhou-styl handgetrekte noedels. Hierdie bedryf word sterk oorheers deur lede van die Hui (回族) etniese groep - soek 'n klein restaurant met personeel in Moslemdrag, wit fez-agtige hoede op die mans en kopdoeke op die vroue. As u op soek is na halal voedsel buite 'n Moslem-meerderheidsgebied, is hierdie restaurante 'n goeie keuse - baie het borde wat "halal" (清真, qīngzhēn) in Chinees of Arabies adverteer.
• Liángpí (凉皮), plat noedels wat koud bedien word, afkomstig van Shaanxi.
• Lo mein (拌面, bàn miàn) - dun, droë noedels met sous.
• Langlewendoedels (长寿 面, chángshòu miàn) is 'n tradisionele verjaardaggereg, die lang noedels simboliseer 'n lang lewe.
• Luósīfěn (螺蛳 粉) - noedels met rivierslak sop van Guangxi.
• Oor-die-brug-noedels (过桥 米线, guò qiáo mǐxiàn) - rysnoedelsop van Yunnan.
• Wonton-noedels (云吞 面 yún tūn miàn) - 'n Kantonese gereg wat bestaan ​​uit dun eiernoedels wat in sop bedien word met garnale-kluitjies. Daar bestaan ​​verskillende variasies van die gereg onder die Kantonees diaspora in Suidoos-Asië, alhoewel dit dikwels sterk van die oorspronklike verander is.

Peuselhappies

Tipiese ontbytkos: 'n youtiao (olierige deeg) met doujiang (sojamelk)

Verskeie soorte Chinese kos bied vinnige, goedkoop, smaaklike, ligte maaltye. Straatkos en versnaperinge wat van draagbare verkopers en gat-in-die-muur-winkels verkoop word, kan in die Chinese stede gevind word, veral goed vir ontbyt of 'n versnapering. Wangfujing-distrik se Snackstraat in Beijing is 'n noemenswaardige, indien toeristiese, gebied vir straatkos. In Kantonees-sprekende gebiede word straatvoedselverkopers gebel gai bin dong; sulke ondernemings kan groei tot 'n wesenlike onderneming met die stalletjies wat skaars "mobiel" is in die tradisionele sin vir straatkos. Behalwe vir klein straatverkopers, kan sommige van die items op die spyskaart in restaurante of by die toonbank in geriefswinkels soos 7-Eleven gevind word. Verskeie kitsrestaurasies landwyd is onder meer beskikbaar:

Zongzi (kluitjies met klewerige rys)

• Bāozi (包子) - gestoomde broodjies gevul met soet of soutvulling, soos groente, vleis, soet rooiboonpasta, vla of swart sesamsaad

Teken vir chuan hang voor 'n winkel wat dit bedien

• Gebraaide stokkies vleis (串 chuàn) van straatverkopers. Maklik om raak te sien, want selfs die karakter lyk soos 'n kebab! Vurige kebabs in Xinjiang-styl (羊肉 串 yángròu chuàn) is veral bekend.
• Congee (粥 zhōu of 稀饭 xīfàn) - ryspap. Die Kantonees, Teochew en Minnan veral mense het hierdie skynbaar eenvoudige gereg tot 'n kunsvorm verhef. Elkeen van hulle het sy eie kenmerkende en baie gevierde style.
• Visballe (鱼丸 yúwán) - vispasta gevorm in die vorm van 'n bal, gewild in 'n groot deel van die kus Guangdong en Fujian, sowel as in Hongkong en Taiwan. Veral twee stede is wêreldwyd bekend onder etniese Chinese weens hul weergawes van hierdie gereg; Shantouvisballetjies is gewoonlik glad sonder vulsels, terwyl Fuzhouvisballetjies word gewoonlik gevul met maalvleis.
• Jiānbǐng (煎饼), 'n eierpannekoek toegedraai rondom 'n kraker met sous en, opsioneel, rissiesous.
• Jiǎozi (饺子), wat Chinees vertaal as "kluitjies", gekookte, gestoomde of gebraaide ravioli-agtige artikels met 'n verskeidenheid vulsels, 'n stapelvoedsel in 'n groot deel van Noord-China. Dit kom regoor Asië voor: momos, mandu, gyoza en jiaozi is almal basies variasies van dieselfde ding.
• Mántou (馒头) - gewone gestoomde broodjies, dikwels bedien en saam met kondensmelk geëet.
• Tofu-poeding (豆花, dòuhuā; of 豆腐 花, dòufuhuā) - in die suide van China is hierdie sagte poeding gewoonlik soet en kan dit bedien word met bolaag soos rooibone of stroop. In die noorde van China is dit sout, gemaak met sojasous, en word dit dikwels genoem dòufunǎo (豆腐 脑), letterlik "tofu-breine". In Taiwan is dit soet en het baie vloeistof, wat dit net soveel drankies as voedsel maak.
• Wōwōtóu (窝窝头) - kegelvormige gestoomde mieliebrood, gewild in Noord-China
• Yóutiáo (油条) - letterlik "olierige strook", bekend as "diepgebraaide spook" (油炸鬼) in Kantonees-sprekende gebiede, 'n soort lang, donsige, olierige gebak. Youtiao met sojamelk is die belangrikste Taiwannese ontbyt, terwyl youtiao 'n algemene spesery vir congee in die Kantonees is. Volgens legendes is die youtiao 'n protester van 'n gewone burger teen 'n medewerker wat 'n patriotiese generaal tydens die Southern Song-dinastie doodgemaak het.
• Zhágāo (炸糕) - 'n bietjie soetgebraaide gebak
• Zòngzi (粽子) - groot klewerige rysbolletjies toegedraai in bamboesblare, wat tradisioneel geëet word op die Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Festival) in Mei of Junie. Op die Dragon Boat Festival kan u dit dalk te koop kry by winkels wat ander soorte kluitjies en gestoomde broodjies verkoop, en dit is moontlik dat u dit selfs op ander tye van die jaar sal sien. Die vulsel kan sout wees (咸 的 xián de) met vleis of eiers, of soet (甜 的 tián de). Die sout is meer gewild in die suide van China, soet in die noorde.

U kan ook verskillende artikels, gewoonlik soet, van die alomteenwoordige bakkerye (面包店, miànbāodiàn) vind. 'N Groot verskeidenheid lekkers en soetkos wat in China voorkom, word dikwels as versnaperinge verkoop, eerder as 'n nageregkursus na ete in restaurante soos in die Weste.

Vrugte

Draak vrugte

Lychee

• Draak vrugte (火龙果, huǒlóngguǒ) is 'n vreemde vrug as jy dit nie ken nie, met pienk vel, pienk of groen sagte stekels wat uitsteek, wit of rooi vleis en swart sade. Die soort met rooi vleis is soeter en duurder, maar die wit soort is verfrissender.
• Jujube (枣, zǎo), soms die "Chinese datum" genoem, vermoedelik vanweë sy grootte en vorm, maar sy smaak en tekstuur lyk meer soos 'n appel. Daar is verskillende soorte en u kan dit vars of gedroog koop. Word gereeld gebruik om verskillende Kantonees sop te maak.
• Kiwi vrug (猕猴桃, míhóutáo, of soms 奇异果, qíyìguǒ), afkomstig uit China, waar u baie verskillende variëteite kan vind, klein en groot, met vleis wat wissel van donkergroen tot oranje. Baie mense het nog nooit 'n egte ryp kiwi geproe nie - as u gewoond is aan kiwi's wat u met 'n mes moet sny, doen uself 'n guns en probeer een wat vars, ryp en in die seisoen is.
• Longan (龙眼, lóngyǎn, letterlik "draakoog") is soortgelyk aan die beter bekende lychee (hieronder), maar kleiner, met 'n effens ligter geur en 'n gladder, liggeel of bruin skil. Dit word later in die jaar in Suid-China geoes as lyche, maar kan ook op ander tye van die jaar te koop aangebied word.
• Lychee (荔枝, lìzhī) is 'n heerlike soet, sappige vrug met 'n ietwat parfuumagtige smaak en op sy beste as die skil rooi is. Dit word in die laat lente en vroeë somer geoes in gebiede van Suid-China soos Guangdong Provinsie.
• Mangosteen (山竹, shānzhú), 'n donker pers vrugte so groot soos 'n klein appeltjie. Om dit te eet, druk dit van onder af totdat die dik skil skeur, maak dit dan oop en eet die soet wit vleis.
• Pruim (梅子, méizi; 李子, lǐzi) - Chinese pruime is gewoonlik kleiner, harder en skemer as pruime wat u in Noord-Amerika sou vind. Hulle is gewild vars of gedroog.
  • Yángméi (杨梅) is 'n soort pruim, pers met 'n fyn oppervlak. Dit is soet en het 'n tekstuur wat moeilik is om te beskryf, soos 'n korrelagtige aarbei of framboos.
• Pomelo (柚子, yòuzi) - soms "Chinese pomelo" genoem, maar eintlik is die pomelo 'n kruising tussen hierdie groot sitrusvrugte en die lemoen. Die vleis is soeter, maar minder sappig as 'n pomelo, wat beteken dat jy dit met jou hande kan eet en nie 'n mes of lepel nodig het nie. In die herfs geoes, is 'n pomelo te groot vir een persoon om te eet, deel dit dus met jou metgeselle.
• Wampee (黄皮, huángpí), 'n ander vrug soortgelyk aan die longan en lychee, maar druiwvormig en effens tert.
• Waatlemoen (西瓜, xīguā) is baie algemeen beskikbaar in die somer. Chinese waatlemoene is geneig om bolvormig te wees, eerder as om dit in een dimensie te verleng.

In China word tamaties en avokado's as vrugte beskou. Avokado's is ongewoon, maar tamaties word gereeld geëet as versnaperinge, bestanddele in nageregte, of geroerbraai met roereiers.

Drank

Tee

'N Koppie tee, die belangrike Chinese drankie

Tee (茶, chá) kan natuurlik gevind word by restaurante en by toegewyde teehuise. Benewens die meer tradisionele "netjiese" tee sonder melk of suiker, borreltee met melk en tapioka-balletjies (warm of koud bedien) is gewild, en jy kan gebottelde soet-ystee in winkels en verkoopmasjiene vind.

China is die geboorteplek van die teekultuur, en met die risiko om die voor die hand liggende te noem, is daar baie tee (茶 chá) in Sjina. Groen tee (绿茶 lǜchá) is served up for free in some restaurants (depending on region) or for a small fee. Some common types served are:

• gunpowder tea (珠茶 zhūchá): a green tea so-named not after the taste but after the appearance of the bunched-up leaves used to brew it (the Chinese name "pearl tea" is rather more poetic)
• jasmine tea (茉莉花茶 mòlihuachá): green tea scented with jasmine flowers
• oolong (烏龍 wūlóng): a half-fermented mountain tea.

However, specialist tea houses serve a vast variety of brews, ranging from the pale, delicate white tea (白茶 báichá) to the powerful fermented and aged pu'er tea (普洱茶 pǔ'ěrchá).

The price of tea in China is about the same as anywhere else, as it turns out. Like wine and other indulgences, a product that is any of well-known, high-quality or rare can be rather costly and one that is two or three of those can be amazingly expensive. As with wines, the cheapest stuff should usually be avoided and the high-priced products left to buyers who either are experts themselves or have expert advice, but there are many good choices in the middle price ranges.

Tea shops typically sell by the jin (斤 jīn, 500g, a little over an imperial pound); prices start around ¥50 a jin and there are many quite nice teas in the ¥100-300 range. Most shops will also have more expensive teas; prices up to ¥2,000 a jin are fairly common. The record price for top grade tea sold at auction was ¥9,000 per gram; that was for a rare da hong pao van Mount Wuyi from a few bushes on a cliff, difficult to harvest and once reserved for the Emperor.

Various areas of China have famous teas, but the same type of tea will come in many different grades, much as there are many different burgundies at different costs. Hangzhou, near Shanghai, is famed for its "Dragon Well" (龙井 lóngjǐng) green tea. Fujian en Taiwan have the most famous oolong teas (乌龙茶 wūlóngchá), "Dark Red Robe" (大红袍 dàhóngpáo) from Mount Wuyi, "Iron Goddess of Mercy" (铁观音 tiěguānyīn) from Anxi, and "High Mountain Oolong" (高山烏龍 gāoshān wūlóng) from Taiwan. Pu'er in Yunnan has the most famous fully fermented tea, pǔ'ěrchá (普洱茶). This comes compressed into hard cakes, originally a packing method for transport by horse caravan to Burma and Tibet. The cakes are embossed with patterns; some people hang them up as wall decorations.

Most tea shops will be more than happy to let you sit down and try different varieties of tea. Tenfu Tea [1] is a national chain and in Beijing "Wu Yu Tai" is the one some locals say they favor.

Black tea, the type of tea most common in the West, is known in China as "red tea" (紅茶 hóngchá). While almost all Western teas are black teas, the converse isn't true, with many Chinese teas, including the famed Pǔ'ěr also falling into the "black tea" category.

Normal Chinese teas are always drunk neat, with the use of sugar or milk unknown. However, in some areas you will find Hong Kong style "milk tea" (奶茶 nǎichá) or Tibetan "butter tea". Taiwanese bubble tea (珍珠奶茶 Zhēnzhū Nǎichá) is also popular; the "bubbles" are balls of tapioca and milk or fruit are often mixed in.

Coffee

Coffee (咖啡 kāfēi) is becoming quite popular in urban China, though it can be quite difficult to find in smaller towns.

Several chains of coffee shops have branches in many cities, including Starbucks (星巴克), UBC Coffee (上岛咖啡), Ming Tien Coffee Language and SPR, which most Westerners consider the best of the bunch. All offer coffee, tea, and both Chinese and Western food, generally with good air conditioning, wireless Internet, and nice décor. In most locations they are priced at ¥15-40 or so a cup, but beware of airport locations which sometimes charge around ¥70.

There are many small independent coffee shops or local chains. These may also be high priced, but often they are somewhat cheaper than the big chains. Quality varies from excellent to abysmal.

For cheap coffee just to stave off withdrawal symptoms, there are several options. Go to a Western fast food chain (KFC, McD, etc.) for some ¥8 coffee. Alternately, almost any supermarket or convenience store will have both canned cold coffee and packets of instant Nescafé (usually pre-mixed with whitener and sugar) - just add hot water. It is common for travellers to carry a few packets to use in places like hotel rooms or on trains, where coffee may not be available but hot water almost always is.

Other non-alcoholic drinks

The distinctive bottle of sour prune juice (suānméitāng)

• Sour prune juice (酸梅汤 suānméitāng) – sweet and sour, and quite a bit tastier than what you might know as "prune juice" back home. Served at restaurants fairly often.
• Soymilk (豆浆 dòujiāng) – different from the stuff that's known as "soymilk" in Europe or the Americas. You can find it at some street food stalls and restaurants. The server may ask if you want it hot (热 rè) or cold (冷 lěng); otherwise the default is hot. Vegans and lactose-intolerant people beware: there are two different beverages in China that are translated as "soymilk": 豆浆 dòujiāng should be dairy-free, but 豆奶 dòunǎi may contain milk.
• Apple vinegar drink (苹果醋饮料 píngguǒ cù yǐnliào) – it might sound gross, but don't knock it till you try it! A sweetened carbonated drink made from vinegar; look for the brand 天地壹号 Tiāndì Yīhào.
• Herbal tea (凉茶 liáng chá) – a specialty of Guangdong. You can find sweet herbal tea drinks at supermarkets and convenience stores – look for the popular brands 王老吉 Wánglǎojí and 加多宝 Jiāduōbǎo. Or you can get the traditional, very bitter stuff at little shops where people buy it as a cold remedy.
• Winter melon punch (冬瓜茶 dōngguā chá) – a very sweet drink that originated in Taiwan, but has also spread to much of southern China and the overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia.
• Warm water (热水 rè shuǐ) – traditionally in China, ordinary water is drunk hot rather than cold. It may seem counterintuitive, but drinking hot water helps you sweat and thus cool off during the hot summer months. Nowadays there are plenty of people in China who drink cold water too, but if you happen to get a cold or feel ill during your trip, you're sure to hear lots of people advising you: "Drink more hot water."

Alcoholic

Sien ook: China#Drink

Báijiǔ in a glass and in a bottle.

• Báijiǔ (白酒) is very strong, clear grain liquor, made from sorghum and sometimes other grains depending on the region. The word "jiǔ" can be used for any alcoholic drink, but is often translated as "wine". Chinese may therefore call baijiu "white wine" in conversation, but "white lightning" would be a better translation, since it is generally 40% to 65% alcohol by volume.

Baijiu will typically be served at banquets and festivals in tiny shot glasses. Toasts are ubiquitous at banquets or dinners on special occasions. Many Chinese consume baijiu only for this ceremonial purpose, though some — more in northern China than in the south — do drink it more often.

Baijiu is definitely an acquired taste, but once the taste is acquired, it's quite fun to "ganbei" (toast) a glass or two at a banquet.

• Maotai (茅台 Máotái) or Moutai, made in Guizhou Province, is China's most famous brand of baijiu and China's national liquor. Made from sorghum, Maotai and its expensive cousins are well known for their strong fragrance and are actually sweeter than western clear liquors as the sorghum taste is preserved — in a way.
• Wuliangye (五粮液 Wǔliángyè) from Yibin, Sichuan is another premium type of baijiu. Its name literally translates as "five grains liquor", referring to the five different types of grains that go into its production, namely sorghum, glutinous rice, rice, wheat and maize. Some of its more premium grades are among the most expensive liquors in the world, retailing at several thousand US dollars per bottle.
• Kaoliang (高粱酒 gāoliángjiǔ) is a premium type of sorghum liquor most famously made on the island of Kinmen under the eponymous brand Kinmen Kaoling Liquor, which while just off the coast of Xiamen is controlled by Taiwan. Considered to be the national drink of Taiwan.

Red Star (红星) èrguōtóu, cheap but potent

• The cheapest baijiu is the Beijing-brewed èrguōtóu (二锅头). It is most often seen in pocket-size 100 ml bottles which sell for around ¥5. It comes in two variants: 53% and 56% alcohol by volume. Ordering "xiǎo èr" (erguotou's diminutive nickname) will likely raise a few eyebrows and get a chuckle from working-class Chinese.

There are many brands of baijiu, and as is the case with other types of liquor, both quality and price vary widely. Foreigners generally try only low-end or mid-range baijiu, and they are usually unimpressed; the taste is often compared to diesel fuel. However a liquor connoisseur may find high quality, expensive baijiu quite good.

Tsingtao beer

• Beer (啤酒 píjiǔ) is common in China, especially the north. Beer is served in nearly every restaurant and sold in many grocery stores. The typical price is about ¥2.5-4 in a grocery store, ¥4-18 in a restaurant, around ¥10 in an ordinary bar, and ¥20-40 in a fancier bar. Most places outside of major cities serve beer at room temperature, regardless of season, though places that cater to tourists or expatriates have it cold. The most famous brand is Tsingtao (青島 Qīngdǎo) from Qingdao, which was at one point a German concession. Other brands abound and are generally light beers in a pilsner or lager style with 3-4% alcohol. This is comparable to many American beers, but weaker than the 5-6% beers found almost everywhere else. In addition to national brands, most cities will have one or more cheap local beers. Some companies (Tsingtao, Yanjing) also make a dark beer (黑啤酒 hēipíjiǔ). In some regions, beers from other parts of Asia are fairly common and tend to be popular with travellers — Filipino San Miguel in Guangdong, Singaporean Tiger in Hainan, and Laotian Beer Lao in Yunnan.
• Grape wine: Locally made grape wine (葡萄酒 pútáojiǔ) is common and much of it is reasonably priced, from ¥15 in a grocery store, about ¥100-150 in a fancy bar. However, most of the stuff bears only the faintest resemblance to Western wines. The Chinese like their wines red and very sweet, and they're typically served over ice or mixed with Sprite.

Great Wall en Dynasty are large brands with a number of wines at various prices; their cheaper (under ¥40) offerings generally do not impress Western wine drinkers, though some of their more expensive products are often found acceptable.

China's most prominent wine-growing region is the area around Yantai. Changyu is perhaps its best-regarded brand: its founder introduced viticulture and winemaking to China in 1892. Some of their low end wines are a bit better than the competition.

In addition to the aforementioned Changyu, if you're looking for a Chinese-made, Western-style wine, try to find these labels:

• Suntime^{[dooie skakel]}, with a passable Cabernet Sauvignon
• Yizhu, in Yili and specializing in ice wine
• Les Champs D'or, French-owned and probably the best overall winery in China, from Xinjiang
• Imperial Horse and Xixia, from Ningxia
• Mogao Ice Wine, Gansu
• Castle Estates, Shandong
• Shangrila Estates, from Zhongdian, Yunnan

Wines imported from Western countries can also be found, but they are often extremely expensive. For some wines, the price in China is more than three times what you would pay elsewhere.

• There are also several brands and types of rice wine. Most of these resemble a watery rice pudding, they are usually sweet and contain a minute amount of alcohol for taste. Travellers' reactions to them vary widely. These do not much resemble Japanese sake, the only rice wine well known in the West.
• Chinese brandy (白兰地 báilándì) is excellent value; like grape wine or baijiu, prices start under ¥20 for 750 ml, but many Westerners find the brandies far more palatable. A ¥18-30 local brandy is not an over ¥200 imported brand-name cognac, but it is close enough that you should only buy the cognac if money doesn't matter. Expats debate the relative merits of brandies including Chinese brand Changyu. All are drinkable.
• The Chinese are also great fans of various supposedly medicinal liquors, which usually contain exotic herbs and/or animal parts. Some of these have prices in the normal range and include ingredients like ginseng. These can be palatable enough, if tending toward sweetness. Others, with unusual ingredients (snakes, turtles, bees, etc.) and steep price tags, are probably best left to those that enjoy them.

Restaurants

Many restaurants in China charge a cover charge of a few yuan per person.

If you don't know where to eat, a formula for success is to wander aimlessly outside of the touristy areas (it's safe), find a place full of locals, skip empty places and if you have no command of Mandarin or the local dialect, find a place with pictures of food on the wall or the menu that you can muddle your way through. Whilst you may be persuaded to order the more expensive items on the menu, ultimately what you want to order is your choice, and regardless of what you order, it is likely to be far more authentic and cheaper than the fare that is served at the tourist hot spots.

Ratings

Yelp is virtually unknown in China, while the Michelin Guide only covers Shanghai and Guangzhou, and is not taken very seriously by most Chinese people. Instead, most Chinese people rely on local website Dazhong Dianping for restaurant reviews and ratings. While it is a somewhat reliable way to search for good restaurants in your area, the downside is that it is only in Chinese. In Hong Kong, some people use Open Rice for restaurant reviews and ratings in Chinese and English.

Types of restaurants

Hot pot restaurants are popular in China. The way they work varies a bit, but in general you choose, buffet-style, from a selection of vegetables, meat, tofu, noodles, etc., and they cook what you chose into a soup or stew. At some you cook it yourself, fondue-style. These restaurants can be a good option for travellers who don't speak Chinese, though the phrases là (辣, "spicy"), bú là (不辣, "not spicy") and wēilà (微辣, "mildly spicy") may come in handy. You can identify many hot pot places from the racks of vegetables and meat waiting next to a stack of large bowls and tongs used to select them.

Dim sum in Hong Kong

Cantonese cuisine is known internationally for dim sum (点心, diǎnxīn), a style of meal served at breakfast or lunch where a bunch of small dishes are served in baskets or plates. At a dim sum restaurant, the servers may bring out the dishes and show them around so you can select whatever looks good to you or you may instead be given a checkable list of dishes and a pen or pencil for checking the ones you want to order. As a general rule, Cantonese diners always order shrimp dumplings (虾饺, xiājiǎo in Mandarin, hāgáau in Cantonese) and pork dumplings (烧卖, shāomài in Mandarin, sīumáai in Cantonese) whenever they eat dim sum, even though they may vary the other dishes. This is because the two aforementioned dishes are considered to be so simple to make that all restaurants should be able to make them, and any restaurant that cannot make them well will probably not make the other more complex dishes well. Moreover, because they require minimal seasoning, it is believed that eating these two dishes will allow you to gauge the freshness of the restaurant's seafood and meat.

Big cities and places with big Buddhist temples often have Buddhist restaurants serving unique and delicious all-vegetarian food, certainly worth trying even if you love meat. Many of these are all-you-can-eat buffets, where you pay to get a tray, plate, bowl, spoon, cup, and chopsticks, which you can refill as many times as you want. (At others, especially in Taiwan, you pay by weight.) When you're finished you're expected to bus the table yourself. The cheapest of these vegetarian buffets have ordinary vegetable, tofu, and starch dishes for less than ¥20 per person; more expensive places may have elaborate mock meats and unique local herbs and vegetables. Look for the character 素 sù or 齋/斋 zhāi, the 卍 symbol, or restaurants attached to temples.

Chains

Western-style fast food has become popular. KFC (肯德基), McDonald's (麦当劳), Subway (赛百味) and Pizza Hut (必胜客) are ubiquitous, at least in mid-sized cities and above. Some of them have had to change or adapt their concepts for the Chinese market; Pizza Hut is a full-service sit down restaurant chain in China. There are a few Burger Kings (汉堡王), Domino's and Papa John's (棒约翰) as well but only in major cities. (The menu is of course adjusted to suit Chinese tastes – try taro pies at McDonald's or durian pizza at Pizza Hut.) Chinese chains are also widespread. These include Dicos (德克士)—chicken burgers, fries etc., cheaper than KFC and some say better—and Kung Fu (真功夫)—which has a more Chinese menu.

• Chuanqi Maocai (传奇冒菜 Chuánqí Màocài). Chengdu-style hot pot stew. Choose vegetables and meat and pay by weight. Inexpensive with plenty of Sichuan tingly-spicy flavor. (updated Jan 2020)
• Din Tai Fung (鼎泰丰 Dǐng Tài Fēng). Taiwanese chain specializing in Huaiyang cuisine, with multiple locations throughout mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as numerous overseas locations throughout East and Southeast Asia, and in far-flung places such as the United State, United Kingdom and Australia. Particularly known for their soup dumplings (小笼包) and egg fried rice (蛋炒饭). The original location on Xinyi Road in Taipei is a major tourist attraction; expect to queue for 2 hours or more during peak meal times. (Januarie 2019 opgedateer)
• Green Tea (绿茶 Lǜ Chá). Hangzhou cuisine with mood lighting in an atmosphere that evokes ancient China. Perhaps you'll step over a curved stone bridge as you enter the restaurant, sit at a table perched in what looks like a small boat, or hear traditional music drift over from a guzheng player while you eat. (Desember 2019 opgedateer)
• Haidilao Hot Pot (海底捞 Hǎidǐlāo). Expensive hot pot chain famous for its exceptionally attentive and courteous service. Servers bow when you come in and go the extra mile to make sure you enjoy your meal. (Desember 2019 opgedateer)
• Little Sheep (小肥羊). A mid-range hot pot chain that has expanded beyond China to numerous overseas locations such as the United States, Canada and Australia. Based on Mongol cuisine—the chain is headquartered in Inner Mongolia. The specialty is mutton but there are other meats and vegetable ingredients for the hot pot on the menu as well. One type of hot pot is called Yuan Yang (鸳鸯锅 yuān yāng guō). The hot pot is separated into two halves, one half contains normal non-spicy soup stock and the other half contains má là (numbing spicy) soup stock. (updated Jan 2020)
• Yi Dian Dian (1㸃㸃 / 一点点 Yìdiǎndiǎn). Taiwanese milk tea chain that now has lots of branches in mainland China. (Desember 2019 opgedateer)

Ordering

Chinese restaurants often offer an overwhelming variety of dishes. Fortunately, most restaurants have picture menus with photos of each dish, so you are saved from despair facing a sea of characters. Starting from mid-range restaurants, there is also likely to be a more or less helpful English menu. Even with the pictures, the sheer amount of dishes can be overwhelming and their nature difficult to make out, so it is often useful to ask the waiter to recommend (推荐 tuījiàn) something. They will often do so on their own if they find you searching for a few minutes. The waiter will usually keep standing next to your table while you peruse the menu, so do not be unnerved by that.

The two-menu system where different menus are presented according to the skin color of a guest remains largely unheard of in China. Most restaurants only have one menu—the Chinese one. Learning some Chinese characters such as beef (牛), pork (猪), chicken (鸡), fish (鱼), stir-fried (炒), deep-fried (炸), braised (烧), baked or grilled (烤), soup (汤), rice (饭), or noodles (面) will take you a long way. As pork is the most common meat in Chinese cuisine, where a dish simply lists "meat" (肉), assume it is pork.

Dishes ordered in a restaurant are meant for sharing amongst the whole party. If one person is treating the rest, they usually take the initiative and order for everyone. In other cases, everyone in the party may recommend a dish. If you are with Chinese people, it is good manners to let them choose, but also fine to let them know your preferences.

If you are picking the dishes, the first question to consider is whether you want rice. Usually you do, because it helps to keep your bill manageable. However, real luxury lies in omitting the rice, and it can also be nice when you want to sample a lot of the dishes. Rice must usually be ordered separately and won’t be served if you don’t order it. It is not free but very cheap, just a few yuan a bowl.

For the dishes, if you are eating rice, the rule of thumb is to order at least as many dishes as there are people. Serving sizes differ from restaurant to restaurant. You can never go wrong with an extra plate of green vegetables; after that, use your judgment, look what other people are getting, or ask the waiter how big the servings are. If you are not eating rice, add dishes accordingly. If you are unsure, you can ask the waiter if they think you ordered enough (你觉得够吗? nǐ juéde gòu ma?).

You can order dishes simply by pointing at them in the menu, saying “this one” (这个 zhè ge). The way to order rice is to say how many bowls of rice you want (usually one per person): X碗米饭 (X wǎn mǐfàn), where X is yì, liǎng, sān, sì, etc. The waiter will repeat your order for your confirmation.

If you want to leave, call the waiter by shouting 服务员 (fúwùyuán), and ask for the bill (买单 mǎidān).

Eating alone

Traditional Chinese dining is made for groups, with lots of shared dishes on the table. This can make for a lonely experience and some restaurants might not know how to serve a single customer. It might however provide the right motivation to find other people (locals or fellow travellers) to eat with! But if you find yourself hungry and on your own, here are some tips:

Chinese-style fast food chains provide a good option for the lone traveller to get filled, and still eat Chinese style instead of western burgers. They usually have picture menus or picture displays above the counter, and offer set deals (套餐 tàocān) that are designed for eating alone. Usually, you receive a number, which is called out (in Chinese) when your dish is ready. Just wait at the area where the food is handed out – there will be a receipt or something on your tray stating your number. The price you pay for this convenience is that ingredients are not particularly fresh. It’s impossible to list all of the chains, and there is some regional variation, but you will generally recognize a store by a colourful, branded signboard. If you can’t find any, look around major train stations or in shopping areas. Department stores and shopping malls also generally have chain restaurants.

A tastier and cheaper way of eating on your own is street food, but exercise some caution regarding hygiene, and be aware that the quality of the ingredients (especially meat) at some stalls may be suspect. That said, as Chinese gourmands place an emphasis on freshness, there are also stalls that only use fresh ingredients to prepare their dishes if you know where to find them. Ask around and check the local wiki page to find out where to get street food in your city; often, there are snack streets or night markets full of stalls. If you can understand Chinese, food vlogs are very popular on Chinese social media, so those are a good option for finding fresh and tasty street food. Another food that can be consumed solo are noodle soups such as beef noodles (牛肉面 niúròumiàn), a dish that is ubiquitous in China and can also be found at many chain stores.

Even if it may be unusual to eat at a restaurant alone, you will not be thrown out and the staff will certainly try to suggest something for you.

Dietary restrictions

People with dietary restrictions will have a hard time in China.

Halal food is hard to find outside areas with a significant Muslim population, but look for Lanzhou noodle (兰州拉面, Lánzhōu lāmiàn) restaurants, which may have a sign advertising "halal" in Arabic (حلال) or Chinese (清真 qīngzhēn).

Kosher food is virtually unknown, and pork is widely used in Chinese cooking (though restaurants can sometimes leave it out or substitute beef). Some major cities have a Chabad or other Jewish center which can provide kosher food or at least advice on finding it, though in the former case you'll probably have to make arrangements well in advance.

Specifically Hindu restaurants are virtually non-existent, though avoiding beef is straightforward, particularly if you can speak some Chinese, and there are plenty of other meat options to choose from.

For strict vegetarians, China may be a challenge, especially if you can't communicate very well in Chinese. You may discover that your noodle soup was made with meat broth, your hot pot was cooked in the same broth as everyone else's, or your stir-fried eggplant has tiny chunks of meat mixed in. If you're a little flexible or speak some Chinese, though, that goes a long way. Meat-based broths and sauces or small amounts of ground pork are common, even in otherwise vegetarian dishes, so always ask. Vegetable and tofu dishes are plentiful in Chinese cuisine, and noodles and rice are important staples. Most restaurants do have vegetable dishes—the challenge is to get past the language barrier to confirm that there isn't meat mixed in with the vegetables. Look for the character 素 sù, approximately meaning "vegetarian", especially in combinations like 素菜 sùcài ("vegetable dish"), 素食 sùshí ("vegetarian food"), and 素面 ("noodles with vegetables"). Buddhist restaurants (discussed above) are a delicious choice, as are hot pot places (though many use shared broth). One thing to watch out for, especially at hot pot, is "fish tofu" (鱼豆腐 yúdòufǔ), which can be hard to distinguish from actual tofu (豆腐 dòufǔ) without asking. As traditional Chinese cuisine does not make use of dairy products, non-dessert vegetarian food is almost always vegan. However, ensure that your dish does not contain eggs.

Awareness of food allergies (食物过敏 shíwù guòmǐn) is limited in China. If you can speak some Chinese, staff can usually answer whether food contains ingredients like peanuts or peanut oil, but asking for a dish to be prepared without the offending ingredient is unlikely to work. When in doubt, order something else. Szechuan peppercorn (花椒 huājiāo), used in Szechuan cuisine to produce its signature málà (麻辣) flavor, causes a tingly numbing sensation that can mask the onset of allergies, so you may want to avoid it, or wait longer after your first taste to decide if a dish is safe. Packaged food must be labeled if it contains milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, or soy (the same as the U.S., likely due to how much food China exports there).

A serious soy (大豆 dàdòu) allergy is largely incompatible with Chinese food, as soy sauce (酱油 jiàngyóu) is used in many Chinese dishes. Keeping a strictgluten-free (不含麸质的 bùhán fūzhì de) diet while eating out is also close to impossible, as most common brands of soy sauce contain wheat; gluten-free products are not available except in expensive supermarkets targeted towards Western expatriates. If you can tolerate a small amount of gluten, you should be able to manage, especially in the south where there's more emphasis on rice and less on wheat. Peanuts (花生 huāshēng) and other nuts are easily noticed in some foods, but may be hidden inside bread, cookies, and desserts. Peanut oil (花生油 huāshēngyóu) en sesame oil (麻油 máyóu or 芝麻油 zhīmayóu) are widely used for cooking, seasoning, and making flavored oils like chili oil, although they are usually highly refined and may be safe depending on the severity of your allergy. With the exception of the cuisines of some ethnic minorities such as the Uyghurs, Tibetans and Mongols, dairy is uncommon in Chinese cuisine, so lactose intolerant people should not have a problem unless you are travelling to ethnic-minority areas.

Respek

There's a stereotype that Chinese cuisine has no taboos and Chinese people will eat anything that moves, but a more accurate description is that food taboos vary by region, and people from one part of China may be grossed out by something that people in another province eat. Cantonese cuisine in particular has a reputation for including all sorts of animal species, including those considered exotic in most other countries or other parts of China. That said, the cuisine of Hong Kong and Macau, while also Cantonese, has somewhat more taboos than its mainland Chinese counterpart as a result of stronger Western influences; dog and cat meat, for instance, are illegal in Hong Kong and Macau.

In Muslim communities, pork is taboo, while attitudes towards alcohol vary widely.

Etiquette

Enjoying street food in Yuanyang

Table manners vary greatly depending on social class, but in general, while speaking loudly is common in cheap streetside eateries, guests are generally expected to behave in a more reserved manner when dining in more upmarket establishments. When eating in a group setting, it is generally impolite to pick up your utensils before the oldest or most senior person at the table has started eating.

China is the birthplace of chopsticks and unsurprisingly, much important etiquette relates to the use of chopsticks. While the Chinese are generally tolerant about table manners, you will most likely be seen as ill-mannered, annoying or offensive when using chopsticks in improper ways. Stick to the following rules:

• Communal chopsticks (公筷) are not always provided, so diners typically use their own chopsticks to transfer food to their bowl. While many foreigners consider this unhygienic, it is usually safe. It is acceptable to request communal chopsticks from the restaurant, although you may offend your host if you have been invited out.
• Once you pick a piece, you are obliged to take it. Don't put it back. Confucius says never leave someone with what you don't want.
• When someone is picking from a dish, don't try to cross over or go underneath their arms to pick from a dish further away. Wait until they finish picking.
• In most cases, a dish is not supposed to be picked simultaneously by more than one person. Don't try to compete with anyone to pick a piece from the same dish.
• Don't put your chopsticks vertically into your bowl of rice as it is reminiscent of incense sticks burning at the temple and carries the connotation of wishing death for those around you. Instead, place them across your bowl or on the chopstick rest, if provided.
• Don't drum your bowl or other dishware with chopsticks. Only beggars do it. People don't find it funny even if you're willing to satirically call yourself a beggar. Likewise, don't repeatedly tap your chopsticks against each other.

Other less important dining rules include:

A lazy Susan in a Chinese restaurant

• Whittling disposable chopsticks implies you think the restaurant is cheap. Avoid this at any but the lowest-end places, and even there, be discreet.
• Licking your chopsticks is considered low-class. Take a bite of your rice instead.
• All dishes are shared, similar to "family style" dining in North America. When you order anything, it's not just for you, it's for everyone. You're expected to consult others before you order a dish. You will usually be asked if there is anything you don't eat, although being overly picky is seen as annoying.
• Serve others before yourself, when it comes to things like rice and beverages that need to be served to everyone. As u byvoorbeeld vir u 'n tweede rys wil bedien, moet u eers kyk of iemand anders min raak en aanbied om dit eers te bedien.
• Slapende geluide tydens eet is algemeen, maar kan veral as goed opgeleide gesinne as onvanpas beskou word. Sekere fynproewers word egter gesien soos 'cupping' wanneer u tee proe, as 'n manier om die smaak te verbeter.
• Dit is normaal dat u gasheer of gasvrou kos op u bord sit. Dit is 'n gebaar van vriendelikheid en gasvryheid. As u wil weier, doen dit op 'n manier sodat dit nie aanstoot gee nie. U moet byvoorbeeld daarop aandring dat hulle eet en u self bedien.
• Baie reisboeke sê dat die skoonmaak van u bord daarop dui dat u gasheer u nie goed gevoed het nie en onder druk sal voel om meer kos te bestel. Eintlik verskil dit van streek tot land, en oor die algemeen hou die afwerking van 'n maaltyd 'n fyn balans in. As u u bord skoonmaak, sal dit meer nodig wees om bedien te word, maar dit kan 'n teken wees dat u nie daarvan hou nie.
• Lepels word gebruik as jy sop drink of dun of waterige geregte soos pap eet, en soms om dit uit 'n opdienbord te bedien. As daar geen lepel voorsien word nie, is dit goed om sop direk uit u bak te drink.
• Vingerhappies is ongewoon by restaurante; oor die algemeen word daar van u eetstokkies en / of 'n lepel verwag. Vir die seldsame voedsel wat u met u hande moet eet, kan weggooibare plastiekhandskoene voorsien word.
• As 'n stuk te glad is om te neem, doen dit met behulp van 'n lepel; moenie dit met die skerp punt van die eetstokkie (s) spies nie.
• Viskoppe word as 'n lekkerny beskou en kan u as geëerde gas aangebied word. In werklikheid is die wangvleis by sommige soorte vis besonder sout.
• As u lui Susan op u tafel het, moet u seker maak dat niemand kos gryp voordat u die lui Susan draai nie. Voordat u die lui Susan draai, moet u ook seker maak dat die skottelgoed nie die teekoppies of eetstokkies van ander wat dit te naby aan die lui Susan geplaas het, afslaan nie.

Die meeste Chinese sit nie sojasous op 'n bak met gestoomde rys nie. Eintlik is sojasous nie eens vir gebruikers beskikbaar nie, aangesien dit hoofsaaklik 'n kookbestanddeel is, en slegs soms 'n spesery. Rys is bedoel om 'n duidelike kant te wees om te kontrasteer met smaaklike soutgeregte, en om die maaltyd met 'n stysel uit te vul.

Wie betaal die rekening

In China is restaurante en kroeë baie algemene vermaakplekke, en die behandeling speel 'n belangrike rol in die kuier.

Terwyl die verdeel van die wetsontwerp deur jongmense begin aanvaar word, is behandeling steeds die norm, veral as die partye uiteraard verskillende sosiale klasse het. Daar word van mans verwag om vroue te behandel, ouderlinge tot juniors, ryk tot arm, gashere vir gaste, werkersklas tot nie-inkomsteklas (studente). Vriende van dieselfde klas verkies gewoonlik om die kans om te betaal, eerder as om die rekening te verdeel, dit wil sê: "Dit is my beurt en u behandel die volgende keer."

Dit is algemeen om te sien dat Chinese sterk meeding om die rekening te betaal. Daar word van u verwag om terug te veg en te sê "Dit is my beurt, u behandel my volgende keer." Die glimlaggende verloorder sal die wenner daarvan beskuldig dat hy te hoflik is. Alhoewel al hierdie dramas algemeen onder alle generasies voorkom en gewoonlik heelhartig gespeel word, word dit al hoe minder onder jonger, stedelike Chinese. Wanneer u saam met Chinees eet, sal u redelike kans hê om behandel te word. Vir begrotingsreisigers is die goeie nuus dat Chinese geneig is om buitelanders te behandel, hoewel u nie veel van studente en werkersklas op grondvlak moet verwag nie.

Dit gesê, Chinese is geneig om baie verdraagsaam teenoor buitelanders te wees. As u lus is om Nederlands te gaan, probeer dit. Hulle is geneig om te glo dat "alle buitelanders verkies om Nederlands te gaan". As hulle probeer redeneer, beteken dit gewoonlik dat hulle daarop aandring om ook vir u rekening te betaal, nie andersom nie.

Kantel word nie in China beoefen nie, alhoewel sommige restaurante 'n dekkoste, 'n diensfooi of 'n 'teeheffing' by die rekening voeg. As u 'n fooi probeer agterlaat, kan die bediener u agterna loop om die geld wat u "vergeet" het, terug te gee.

Sien ook

• Hong Kong Kulinêre Toer
• Japannese kookkuns
• Koreaanse kookkuns
• Maleisiese kookkuns
• Russiese kookkuns