In American culture, the mention of Chinese food evokes the image of MSG-ridden and sodium packed dishes, like orange chicken and lo mein. In actuality, authentic Chinese food can give one a glimpse into multiple cultures and traditions that reveal a vital portion of the Chinese lifestyle.
For millennia, food has been an expression of ideas, culture, and ultimately, a way of life. This is especially evident in my family. Growing up in a Chinese family, I would always be continuously stuffed with delicious dishes like 糯米饭 (sticky rice) to 麻婆豆腐 (mapo tofu) every time I saw my grandmother. Her distinguishable cooking has become a testament to who she is and her roots.
China is a diverse country with 56 ethnic groups, each with its own distinct style of food. Each of these groups has long resided in specific regions, resulting in the availability of different natural resources, geography, and cooking techniques. For example, the province of Sichuan is known for its fiery food and generous use of chili peppers. Another region surrounding Beijing is known for its pasta, comparable to traditional Italian penne with marinara. Although these flavors are widely varied, they are divided into four major groups: Lu Cuisine, Chuan Cuisine, Yue Cuisine, and Su Cuisine.
My grandmother grew up cooking Su Cuisine, characterized by the style of the Jiangsu region in China known as “a land of fish and rice.” As a result, she learned to appreciate and utilize a variety of ingredients. This is shown through her use of refreshing ingredients such as tea leaves, bamboo shoots, and pears. My grandma used these ingredients not only as a means of nourishment but also as a means of healing. Any time I would feel sick, she would make me melon tea or soup with healing properties. This brief glimpse of authentic Chinese food reveals that it is much more than it seems.
Sources:
https://www.youlinmagazine.com/blog/jiangsu-cuisine/OTU=
http://www.cits.net/china-travel-guide/four-major-cuisines-in-china.html
I think the truth behind food is it makes people happy. Whenever I eat food all my problems go away. There aware the downsides of overeating and then gaining weight, but then you exercise and then eat more food to compensate. But eating is a form of stress relief and a way to make friends. Overall eating food is just a form of happiness.
China has about 56 ethnic groups, which makes China one of the most diverse countries in the world. Each ethnic group has its own distinct food style. They have their own food style because of resources and geography. For sichuan is known to be spicy. Another region is known for its pasta.
This article is very informational, I actually didn’t know that there were 56 ethnic groups! Thats amazing! Each one having its own cooking style is interesting, because although it’s all Chinese food, they still taste completely different. This article is also quite relatable. It seems like all grandparents are just so good at cooking. They cook the best chinese cuisine and its always very healing and refreshing to just taste your grandparents food that you know has a touch of their childhood and culture in.
This food looks very good. I’ve never tried this food. It looks very healthy. I want to try this food. Hopefully, I can try this food very soon.
This is a very interesting article! When you mentioned how your grandmother would make you melon tea or soup with healing properties, it reminded me of Auyurvedic healing that we use in India. Auyurvedic healing is similar to Chinese medicine, in the sense that it is natural healing. Unlike western medication, Auyurvedic healing uses natural herbs such as neem leaves to heal ailments. Western medication uses pills that give fast solutions. However, I found it quite surprising that there is a region near Beijing that serves Italian cuisine! It certainly sounded quite peculiar! It truly shows that China is a mix of various cultures and traditions.
I find this article so interesting. I learned many things from this article. I wish I could make Regis recipes but I am not good at cooking. This goes in wonderful detail about the recipes. Now I learned a lot on Chinese recipes.
This article provided me with much information. Food is extremely important in every culture and nationality. I didn’t know that there was so much variety in Chinese food. I have only ever had one kind of Chinese food. I hope to one day be able to try all these different kinds of foods.
Wow, what a fascinating article! I’ve always loved exploring how diverse Chinese food is. China is truly a mix of various cultures and traditions. I may try out Sizchuan and Su cuisine if I get a chance. I learned many things from this article.
Thank you for sharing such a personal story about your culture! It is really amazing to see how deeply interwoven food is in the Chinese culture. Like many other religions and countries, food has brought people together for centuries. With such a large country that contains many different climates, China surely does have many diverse flavors. Whenever you were sick, it was interesting to hear how your grandmother would give you food that contained tea leaves, bamboo shoots, and pears. Chinese food is so much richer than most people originally believe!
It’s amazing how diverse Chinese food is! I hope to be able to try more of these. This was an interesting article. learned a lot about Chinese cuisine from this article! Thanks for sharing!
Nice job! I’m guilty of making the association of MSG and chinese food. I was unaware of China having so many ethnicities! I hope to try some of these dishes! Thanks for sharing.
This article is very interesting. I didn’t know that there is more than 50 ethnic groups. The diverse foods, and culture is unique to other cultures. It seems that your grandparents is very patronize about their food, and their cooking gives a healing sense. I love the way you tied your grandparents into the article.
This article is very interesting! I actually didn’t know that there were 56 ethnic groups! This makes China one of the most diverse countries in the world. Each ethnic group has its own distinct food style. I hope to one day try all these types of food.
This is such an interesting article! I didn’t know china had 56 ethnic groups, I always knew there were a lot but not that much! I also am glad that I’m not the only one that thinks my grandmother’s cooking is so distinct and delicious! Food really helps with healing as a remedy and I think that’s so interesting! Thanks for sharing!
A very interesting article you have written. it’s amazing how different and diverse the Chinese culture and its food is. I’ve only just realized how undiversed I eat. in the future, I plan to eat some of the food written here. thanks for the point in the right direction.
我觉得中国菜很好吃。我喜欢很多的中国菜因为那个很多的很好吃菜。我知道中国有很多的民族和他们的每个有文化和食物和我找这个很多的感兴趣。
This article is very interesting. I did not know that Chinese people used MSG, or that there is a region in China know for its Italian cuisine. I did not know that orange chicken and lo mein were not authentic Chinese dishes.
This article is very interesting. I did not know that Chinese people used MSG. I did not know that orange chicken and lo mein were not authentic Chinese dishes.
I find it so amazing how it’s almost like the ingredients and spices are like magical. I think this because using the same old spices and ingredients you can make so many delicious and helpful things such as medicines, healing treatments, and delicious foods. This article definitely made me realize how grateful I am to have so many different ingredients and spices available to me because they can make so many different magical things.