The Thing You Learned Today: Regional Chinese Cuisines
We digress.
Eight traditional grand Chinese cuisines exist: Anhui, Fujian, Cantonese, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan and Zhejiang. Let's break them down. Post-jump of course.
Anhui:
- Region: mountainous inland; southeast China along the Yangtze and Huai Rivers
- Characteristics: wild and exotic game; braises and stews favored over frying and stir-frying; signature dish is braised turtle with ham
- In SF: non-existent, though you'll be able to find Anhui tea just about anywhere in Chinatown, including Imperial Tea Court
Fujian:
- Region: southeast coast, across the strait from Taiwan
- Characteristics: visually impressive; seafood soups; those matzoh-sized fishballs you always see in Chinatown; signature dish is "Buddha jumps over the wall" (made from shark fin, sea cucumber and more)
- In SF: non-existent, though you can get Fujian fishballs in Chinatown and elsewhere if you look hard enough. The same goes for Fujian tea.
Cantonese:
- Region: southern China
- Characteristics: the most commonly-known sub-cuisine in America; ingredient-wise, the most diverse of all the cuisines, due to the abundance of ports in Canton; very mild in comparison to other regions; seafood-centric; light seasoningsIn SF: Tommy Toy's, Oriental Seafood, Yet Wah
Hunan:
- Region: central China
- Characteristics: stresses oils; "dry hot" as opposed to Szechuan's "purely hot"; more oily, darker and hotter than Szechuan; traditionally seasonal; signature dishes include sweet & sour chicken, stinky tofu and orange beef
- In SF: Brandy Ho's, Hunan Restaurant, Henry's Hunan
Jiangsu:
- Region: eastern China, near Japan
- Characteristics: very soft textures; heavily seasonal and ingredient-based; duck is popular; similar to modern Shanghai cuisine
- In SF: Jai Yun makes many Jiangsu dishes
Shandong:
- Region: northeastern China (Jinan City, Jiaodong peninsula)
- Characteristics: seafood-centric but not shellfish); lots of shallots and garlic; known for its soups; similar to modern Beijing cuisine
- In SF: San Tung
Szechuan:
- Region: southwest China
- Characteristics: the Szechuan peppercorn, chili paste, ginger and spicy herbs; often stir-fried and steamed; beef more common here than in other regions; singature dishes: Kung Pao chicken
- In SF: Spices, Spices II, Zone 88
Zhejiang:
- Region: east coast of China
- Characteristics: primarily seafood and poultry; emphasis on bamboo shoots; also similar to modern Shanghai cuisine
- In SF: Peking Restaurant (though barely)
Chinese Cuisine [wikipedia]
Chinese Cuisine: Eight Cuisines, Chinese Food [Travel China Guide]
