Chinese culture and food history
Key features of chinese cuisine and culture
Chinese cuisine includes styles originating from the diverse regions of China, as well as from Chinese people in other parts of the world. The history of Chinese cuisine stretches back for thousands of years and has changed from period to period and in each region according to the climate, local preferences and imperial fashions. Over centuries, time, techniques and ingredients from the cuisines of other cultures were integrated into the cuisine of the Chinese people due to imperial expansion and from the trade with nearby regions.
Chinese cuisine is very rich and colorful. Its main features are diversified color, aromatic flavor and excellent taste. With the three characteristics, Chinese cuisine is not only tasty but also a work of art for people to appreciate, (English People.CN, 2012).
I will be going over the three main features of Chinese food.
Diversified Colors:
Food with diversified color can usually greatly arouse people's appetite. For many years, Chinese food preparation has paid attention to aesthetic appearance. To have bright. pleased and harmonious color is one of the main principles when cooking Chinese food. To achieve this, two or three ingredients with different colors are added as decoration to complement the main ingredient. Thus, it is not only the taste of Chinese cuisine that makes you amazed but its aesthetic value.
Aromatic Flavor:
Chinese people attach great important to the aroma of the dish. Usually aniseed, Chinese prickly ash seeds, cinnamon and other spices are added to help dispel the ingredients particular smells such as foul, fishy and mutton smells. Also some other flavors like shallot, ginger, garlic, chili, cooking wine and sesame oil are added to make the food fragrant in flavor.
Excellent Taste:
Regarded as the soul of the Chinese dish, taste can be divided into five classes. Sweet, sour, bitter, hot and salty. Seasoning such as soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and salt in proper amounts and in different sequences contribute to the taste of the dish. In the vast land of China, there are eating habits of "South-Sweet", North-Salty, East-Hot and West-Sour" depending to the different tastes of the people. People in Southern China like to add more sugar when cooking than others.
Some common ingredients in Chinese food can include - black bean sauce, Chile oil, Chile Pasta or sauce, Hoisin sauce, Dried rice noodles, vegetable oil, sesame seeds, straw mushrooms, water chestnuts, long-grain rice, cornstarch, broth, white pepper, Chinese hot mustard, Sichuan peppercorns and Star anise.
Chinese cuisine is very rich and colorful. Its main features are diversified color, aromatic flavor and excellent taste. With the three characteristics, Chinese cuisine is not only tasty but also a work of art for people to appreciate, (English People.CN, 2012).
I will be going over the three main features of Chinese food.
Diversified Colors:
Food with diversified color can usually greatly arouse people's appetite. For many years, Chinese food preparation has paid attention to aesthetic appearance. To have bright. pleased and harmonious color is one of the main principles when cooking Chinese food. To achieve this, two or three ingredients with different colors are added as decoration to complement the main ingredient. Thus, it is not only the taste of Chinese cuisine that makes you amazed but its aesthetic value.
Aromatic Flavor:
Chinese people attach great important to the aroma of the dish. Usually aniseed, Chinese prickly ash seeds, cinnamon and other spices are added to help dispel the ingredients particular smells such as foul, fishy and mutton smells. Also some other flavors like shallot, ginger, garlic, chili, cooking wine and sesame oil are added to make the food fragrant in flavor.
Excellent Taste:
Regarded as the soul of the Chinese dish, taste can be divided into five classes. Sweet, sour, bitter, hot and salty. Seasoning such as soy sauce, sugar, vinegar and salt in proper amounts and in different sequences contribute to the taste of the dish. In the vast land of China, there are eating habits of "South-Sweet", North-Salty, East-Hot and West-Sour" depending to the different tastes of the people. People in Southern China like to add more sugar when cooking than others.
Some common ingredients in Chinese food can include - black bean sauce, Chile oil, Chile Pasta or sauce, Hoisin sauce, Dried rice noodles, vegetable oil, sesame seeds, straw mushrooms, water chestnuts, long-grain rice, cornstarch, broth, white pepper, Chinese hot mustard, Sichuan peppercorns and Star anise.
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This video shows some of the food made in Chinese restaurants. For example, the chefs make sure that the food is top quality by including the 3 key features of Chinese food, diversified colors, aromatic flavor and excellent taste. We can learn that the three key features of Chinese Food is extremely important, for not just the food but also for Chinese culture.
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Similarities and differences between china and australia in cuisine
There are many similarities and differences between Australian and Chinese food cuisine and culture. The first difference is that Chinese people usually use a chopstick as their cutlery to eat their food. On the other hand, people in Australia usually use their hands or forks, spoons etc. Another difference are the three key features of Chinese cuisine. Australian cuisine is extremely simple, and doesn't require special ingredients to change the food. A similarity between the two cuisines is some of the ingredients. Some ingredients such as fish are used heavily in both diets.
Degree of influence china had towards australian cuisine
China has had a huge influence on Australian cuisine for many reasons. Firstly, China is an over populated country and many people immigrate or migrate to Australia. They start a lot of business's, including food most of the time. This increases the growth of Chinese food within Australia. Additionally, people in Australia favored Chinese food because of the unique taste, that can also be similar to Australian food in terms of sweet and sour. Overall, Chinese cuisine has paid a huge part in what us Australians like to enjoy today.
Dish that i produced - chow mein noodles
Chow Mein noodles is a very common dish in China. It has all of the features of Chinese food that I have listed above.
Recipe available for download below.
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