What do General Tso's chicken, crab rangoons, and egg rolls all have in common? These are the top 3 dishes that Americans order at Chinese restaurants and for takeout. Their popularity makes them icons of Chinese cuisine. But here's a big secret: these dishes are in fact American creations. Evidently, Americans, including myself, fail to realize that Chinese food has plenty more to offer.
Chinese cuisine is as diverse as the one billion people who reside in China. Each region of China has its own culinary history with various flavors, colors, and textures. There are eight types of Chinese cuisine: Lu (Shandong), Chuan (Sichuan), Hui (Anhui), Yue (Guangdong), Min (Fujian), Xiang (Hunan), Su (Jiangsu), Zhe (Zhejiang). Of those eight, the Chinese recognize four as the Great Culinary Traditions (四大菜系)—one known for each major cardinal region. Here’s everything you need to know about them.
Lu Cuisine (鲁菜)
Hailing from northern China, Lu cuisine (also known as Shandong Cuisine after the province of Shandong) is known for its heavier flavors achieved by frying and braising the ingredients.
What really sets it apart from other Chinese food is that it consists of many wheat-based dishes from rolls and Chinese pancakes to dumplings and noodles. You’ll often find the northern Chinese eating these glutenous staples alongside their dishes instead of rice. If you’re looking to try some Shandong noodles, check out Shandong Restaurant in Oakland Chinatown.
Huaiyang Cuisine (淮扬菜)
Also known as Su cuisine (苏菜) after the province of Jiangsu, Huaiyang cuisine is representative of eastern Chinese cooking styles. It highlights the region’s close proximity to the sea through staple ingredients that include duck, lotus root, and water chestnuts.
Chefs also pay close attention to plating, accentuating the colors, and the visual arrangement of the dish. Su cuisine’s two signature dishes are braised pork and Nanjing salted duck, which, unlike Beijing duck, is braised and served cold. Here’s a fun fact: people in Nanjing consume an estimated 80,000 ducks a day.
Chuan Cuisine (川菜)
Imagine the spiciest, reddest Chinese food you've ever had. That's basically what Chuan cuisine is. Named after the Sichuan province, Chuan cuisine is infamously spicy, and there’s even a Chinese word to describe the spicy taste—麻辣 or “numbing spicy.”
Chefs achieve this level of “numbing spicy” by using generous amounts of chili peppers, garlic, chili paste, and the province’s endemic peppercorns. This doesn’t mean Sichuanese food lacks other flavors; there are often sweet and sour undertones as well. Iconic dishes include mapo tofu, kung pao chicken, and dandan noodles.
Yue Cuisine (粤菜)
Last but not least is Yue cuisine, also called Guangdong cuisine and, more familiarly, Cantonese cuisine. Odds are if you've had any type of Chinese food, you've had Yue cuisine since many Chinese restaurants in the US are actually Cantonese. This is due to the fact that many early Chinese immigrants came from the southeastern province of Guangdong.
Its signature qualities are light seasoning and fresh ingredients from the nearby fields and sea. Chefs use both braising and stewing techniques and a variety of sauces to add a sweetening taste. Beloved Cantonese dishes include xiao long bao, cha siu bao, and lo bak go.
But Wait, There's More
One of the most charming things about Chinese food is the feature of variety. There's a plethora of unique cooking styles, and these four are only the tip of the iceberg. However, there's only so much you can do from reading all about them; the next step is to taste all these different cuisines yourself. Hop on over to your city’s local Chinatown or Chinese neighborhood, and explore the numerous restaurants. An all-inclusive table laced with mouth-watering dishes await you.