Chinese cuisine has developed and diversified over thousands of years, yet it has retained a distinctive character. While most Chinese food involves certain staples like rice, noodles, and soybeans, there is considerable variety among the major regional cuisines of China. Elements of the following eight cuisines are found in Chinese Food in Los Angeles.
* Cantonese cuisine originates in the southeastern Guangdong province and is the most popular Chinese cuisine worldwide. It is known for lightly cooked fresh vegetables and sweet sauces. The dim sum tradition comes from Cantonese cuisine.
* Sichuan cuisine comes from the Sichuan province of southwestern China, and it is famous for strong flavors and hot spices. In particular, the Sichuan pepper has a unique flavor as well as a numbing quality. Kung Pao Chicken is one of the well-known Sichuan dishes.
* Jiangsu cuisine is associated with the city of Shanghai, and it is considered to be gourmet cooking, with aromatic flavors and artistic presentation. It features a wide variety of seafood dishes.
* Zhejiang cuisine comes from a province on the Pacific that borders Shanghai, and it also prominently features seafood dishes. In addition to a wide variety of fish and other seafood (including sea vegetables), Zhejiang chefs emphasize fresh, lightly cooked or raw foods.
* Fujian cuisine comes from another Pacific province. Fujian cooks specialize in soups incorporating ingredients from both the sea and the mountains, such as bamboo shoots and many varieties of mushrooms.
* Hunan cooking favors hot peppers and sour flavors from citrus fruit and vinegar. One of the most famous Hunan dishes is Dong’an chicken, flavored with rice vinegar and chili made from hot peppers, vinegar, and salt.
* Anhui cuisine comes from the mountains and is considered hearty peasant food. It features mountain wildlife, such as frogs and turtles, along with a variety of mushrooms. It also uses pork in many dishes, such as egg dumplings with a pork filling.
* Shandong cuisine is from the northern coastal region of China, and it is known for fish dishes and salt. Other ingredients associated with Shandong cooking are peanuts, corn, millet, barley, and wheat.
All of these cuisines made their way across the Pacific as Chinese immigrants came to America and brought their cooking traditions with them. To learn about Chinese Food in Los Angeles, click here to investigate more info.
