Chinese Cuisine: Exploring 8 Local Culinary Schools

Shandong is a coastal province in eastern China, located downstream of the Yellow River, with mostly flat terrain but also majestic mountains. Shandong cuisine is known for its strong and robust flavors, with two indispensable ingredients being scallions and garlic. Shandong people excel in frying, roasting, and steaming dishes. Additionally, there is a focus on delicacy and meticulousness in cooking and presentation.

• Dezhou Braised Chicken: The main ingredient is chicken braised with honey, sugar, and other ingredients for many hours before serving. The chicken is braised until tender while maintaining its shape, making it a memorable dish for diners.
• Sweet and Sour Carp: Not only a famous traditional dish in China, but sweet and sour carp is also a local specialty in Shandong. The main ingredient is fresh carp caught from the Yellow River or Huai River. This dish impresses with its crispy outside, tender inside, and a well-balanced sweet and sour flavor. The fish is presented in a lotus flower shape, adding to its visual appeal.
• Stir-fried Sea Cucumber with Scallions: A representative nutritious dish of Shandong and a treasure of imperial cuisine. To make it flavorful and free from the fishy smell, the chef must pay special attention to cleaning the sea cucumber and seasoning it properly.

Sichuan cuisine is very diverse and rich. Sichuan is also known for its numerous mountains and humid climate. The dishes are often spicy with lots of chili and other spices to combat humidity and cold, enhance flavors, and eliminate the smell of certain foods like fish and meat. Sichuan peppercorn is an essential ingredient in Sichuan cuisine, known for its unique aroma and pungent flavor.

• Mapo Tofu: Famous for its spicy flavor from chili, silky smooth tofu, and rich seasoning, Mapo Tofu is typically made with fermented bean paste, Sichuan peppercorn, and other characteristic Sichuan spices.
• Sichuan Hot Pot: The main ingredients for the broth include bones, Sichuan peppercorn, Sichuan chili, vinegar, and various herbs like cinnamon, cardamom, fennel, clove, and lemongrass. The hot pot is usually divided into two sections: spicy and non-spicy, catering to all diners. When eating, you just dip various ingredients like poultry, game, mountain delicacies, seafood, meats, vegetables, and tofu into the broth and enjoy.
• Dan Dan Noodles: Made with ingredients like minced pork or beef, tofu, chili, pepper, and chili oil, with some versions including mushrooms or vegetables. The chewy, crunchy noodles paired with the rich, hot broth leave a lasting impression.

See also: Top 9 Must-Try Dishes in Chengdu

Cantonese cuisine is known for having over 20 different cooking methods, but every dish must ensure four elements: aroma, color, taste, and shape. The dishes are meticulously crafted, with high aesthetic value in terms of color, presentation, and flavor, creating a diverse and rich culinary scene.

• Stuffed Mackerel: A famous dish in Guangdong, stuffed mackerel is intricately and delicately prepared. The broth is made from fish bone stock, while the stuffing consists of minced mackerel, sausage, and mushrooms mixed with spices.
• Cantonese Roast Duck: The duck is marinated with various ingredients like maltose, garlic, licorice powder, soybeans, wine, and white vinegar for two hours before roasting. After roasting, the skin becomes crispy and golden, while the meat remains tender and juicy.
• Shunde Fillet Steamed Chicken: After preparation, the chicken is richly marinated with white wine, ginger, salt, rock sugar, and rice flour for hours to absorb the flavors fully. This light and savory dish is usually served with plain rice in daily meals.

Fujian cuisine is renowned for its exquisite cooking techniques. Most dishes focus on umami flavors and the balance of sweet, sour, and salty tastes. Visitors to Fujian will discover a distinctive culinary culture characterized by delicious seafood and irresistible soups.

• Buddha Jumps Over the Wall: This iconic Fujian dish includes 28 ingredients, mainly abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, ham, mushrooms, and more. After marinating with spices, all ingredients are placed in a clay pot, added with Shaoxing wine, and simmered for 10 hours.
• Fish Ball Soup: This dish utilizes fish meat, separated from the bones, shaped into bite-sized balls, while the fish bones are used to make the broth. It's an ideal accompaniment to hot pot meals.
• Fujian Fried Noodles:The egg noodles have a beautiful golden color. The stir-fried ingredients can be flexibly varied, including bean sprouts, chives, broccoli, and bell peppers. The thick sauce made from oyster sauce enhances the flavor of the noodles.

Each region has a variety of rich and diverse dishes, deeply imbued with the culture and characteristics of different areas in China.

Jiangsu is renowned for its mild flavors, crispy and fresh textures, especially in fried, sautéed, and braised dishes. The dishes in Jiangsu are meticulously prepared, with high aesthetic value from color, decoration to taste, creating a diverse and rich culinary landscape.

• Nanjing Salted Duck: This dish is famous for its ivory-white skin, tender meat, and rich fat that is not greasy. The best time to make salted duck is mid-autumn when osmanthus flowers are in full bloom.
• Pingqiao Tofu: This dish is quite simple to prepare, requiring chicken broth and ingredients such as crucian carp brain, pork fat, scallions, and more. Thinly sliced tofu and diced meat are then added to the broth for a delightful experience.
• Yangzhou Fried Rice: This dish features a variety of ingredients. The rice must be fluffy, smooth, and not sticky. It includes carrots, bean sprouts, celery, tofu, green beans, eggs, and various meats like shrimp and chicken.

Zhejiang is known as the land of fish and rice, offering a diverse culinary scene with unique dishes. Zhejiang cuisine focuses on preserving the original flavors of the ingredients, emphasizing freshness, tenderness, and light fragrance without being greasy.

• West Lake Vinegar Fish: This dish uses grass carp, mandarin fish, or carp. Although the ingredients are simple, it requires high cooking skills to produce tender, sweet, and non-fishy fish.
• Dongpo Pork: Pork belly is cut into square pieces, marinated with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and then fried in hot oil until the outer layer is golden and the skin is slightly crispy. Finally, the pork is braised for 3 hours until tender.
• Beggar's Chicken: This dish uses a whole chicken, only removing the innards, and then stuffing it with scallions, ginger, soybeans, five-spice powder, and some Chinese herbs to enhance the flavor. It is then wrapped in lotus leaves (or palm leaves) and mud before being roasted in a charcoal fire.

Hunan cuisine is known for its meticulous preparation, selection of ingredients, and cooking methods. It emphasizes the harmony of ingredients, creating unique dishes with sweet, sour, salty, fragrant, and visually appealing flavors.

• Crayfish: Hunan has a tradition of making crayfish dishes with a spicy, aromatic flavor and a vibrant red color that is incredibly delicious.
• Kaifeng Steamed Buns: These steamed buns are typically stuffed with vegetables or pork and have a thinner dough than usual.
• Stir-fried Smoked Pork with Chili: The harmonious combination of pork and spicy chili creates a nutritious dish with eye-catching colors.

Anhui cuisine is famous for its braised and stewed dishes. Chefs focus on using fire and incorporating wild ingredients and herbs.

• Hulu Duck: The main ingredient is duck, with the bones removed without breaking the skin and meat, stuffed with eight different fillings and shaped like a gourd.
• Stewed Soft-shelled Turtle with Ham: Anhui cuisine emphasizes nutritious food for health care, and this whole turtle stew impresses diners.
• Hairy Tofu: Dubbed as "Chinese cheese," this dish uses naturally fermented tofu with a soft and waxy texture but no strong odor. It can be deep-fried in rapeseed oil.

Each school represents a unique aspect of Chinese cuisine, showcasing the diversity and richness of Chinese culinary culture across different regions.

See also: How much does it cost to travel to China? 7-day trip to China

To experience all 8 Chinese culinary schools mentioned above, why not plan a summer trip to China this year? This will be a great opportunity for food lovers to explore Chinese cuisine.

For a more economical trip to China, don't forget to book your flight today with Vietjet Air, with tickets starting at only 490,000 VND HERE.

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