12 Facts About Chinese Food

Chinese food encompasses a diverse culinary history with countless traditional dishes, methods and ingredients to explore. The kind dishes we enjoy from Chinese takeaways in the UK barely scratches the surface of authentic food from China.

1. Chinese Dishes are Symbolic

Symbolism is often entwined around a dish; this is usually based on an assortment of factors, such as the food's shape, history, pronunciation and associated legends. Because of these superstitious beliefs, certain foods are traditionally eaten and avoided during important events, such as big life events or festivals like the Chinese New Year.

2. Presentation is Important For Chinese Meals

It is believed that the first bite is taken with the eyes, which is one of the reasons why Chinese food is always so aesthetically pleasing. You'll often find Chinese food to be beautifully adorned by intricate carvings and patterns.

3. A Diverse Range of Vegetables are Enjoyed in Chinese Cuisine

Unlike Western cultures, Chinese food heavily incorporates fruit and vegetables into its recipes, resulting in twice as much dietary fibre. You'll also find that due to China's climate, they have an incredible number of vegetables and fruits that you won’t find in your local Western supermarket. As well as an assortment of different fruit and veg, Chinese dishes will also encourage you to experience various tastes and textures from these ingredients, such as small bulbs of garlic with big flavour!

4. Nothing Goes to Waste in Chinese Recipes

Food wastage is seen as a big taboo in China - this means that food is often served whole. When preparing Chinese food, all of the meat and vegetables should be used. For example, when serving fish in Western culture, the fish is expected to be filleted. However, when serving fish in China, the fish is gutted, but it will be presented with its head and bones intact.

5. Chinese Food is One of the Healthiest Cuisines in the World

Because of the nature of traditional Chinese dishes, their ingredients are always fresh. When visiting China, you might notice that tinned food is very uncommon and not widely accepted within Chinese culture. As well as being fresh, Chinese food is also served with a huge variety of vegetables, grass-fed meat and seafood. Most vegetables are handpicked, and a meal’s flavours will originate from traditional Chinese medicine, making it not only delicious but good for you too!

6. Chinese Food Incorporates a Diverse Range of Flavours

Chinese cooking uses a variety of five key flavours; each must be balanced in accordance with traditional Chinese medicine. These flavours include:

• Sweet
• Salty
• Sour
• Bitter
• Spicy

7. There are Eight Culinary Traditions Across China

When indulging in Chinese food, you'll notice a great range of different cooking styles, methods and flavours! Experts have identified that there are eight culinary traditions in China. Each cuisine has its own unique style and strengths; these cuisines are identified as:

• Anhui
• Cantonese
• Fujian
• Hunan
• Jiangsu
• Shandong
• Sichuan
• Zhejiang

Because of China's delicious assortment of styles and flavours, you'll never have the same dish twice. China has 34 provinces, which naturally come with their own traditions and cooking methods. You can enjoy your ingredients:

• Steamed
• Stir-fried
• Stewed
• Roasted
• With soy sauce
• Sweet and soured
• In a hot pot
• Much more!

8. Traditional Chinese Cuisine is Almost Dairy-Free

Authentic Chinese food will often avoid dairy-based products such as cheese, milk or butter. The reason for the lack of cheese in traditional Chinese food comes down to a variety of reasons, such as:

• Historically, cheese was associated with barbarians and nomadic tribes.
• Historically, Chinese livestock were used as tools, leaving people with limited resources to create milk and cheese.
• A large majority of the population are lactose intolerant.

9. Chinese Meals are Often Shared Communally

Otherwise known as family-style, many traditional meals are served communally and shared with family and friends. A selection of delicious meals will be placed in the centre of the table, which can often involve a Lazy Susan or rotating tray. Those seated will often have their own individual rice bowls.

10. Ice Cream Originates From China

Originally, ice cream dates back as far as 200 BC in China, where a mixture of rice and milk were packed into the snow and frozen. It has been said that the Chinese emperor Cheng Tang enjoyed it so much that it was kept a secret among the royals until Marco Polo visited China and brought the concept of ice cream back to Italy.

11. Soup is Left until Last in the Chinese Tradition

The Chinese believe that for better digestion, especially after pork or duck, soup should be enjoyed as part of the last course. Soup is believed to have numerous health benefits, making it a go-to dish for many.

12. China has Two Main Food Staples

Throughout Chinese cooking, you will often find a variety of staples that lay the foundation to the country’s delicious food. Among the main staples, you will encounter:

• Rice
• Noodles

Other staples that play a large role in Chinese food include:

• Soy sauce
• Chilli oil
• Tofu
• Wheat

For more information and advice about Asian food, check out the rest of our blog! You'll find loads of tasty recipes that you can easily recreate at home - not to mention, if you're missing an ingredient or two, you can find everything you need right here at Oriental Mart! Why not wash down your favourite dish with China's best-selling spirit, baijiu?