Food and Culture

Variations of Chinese Food and Where it Comes From

Variations of Chinese Food and Where it Comes From

Chinese food is a very important aspect of Chinese culture and is made up of cuisines originated from the many regions of China and from Overseas Chinese who have migrated to different parts of the west. The first immigrants to this country came from Fujian province in the northern region of China and there was great demand for the food and many Chinese people left to settle in America, Britain and Australia. Soon after these immigrants came the immigrants from Taiwan who came looking for work and this brought about the development of Cantonese style of cooking. Cantonese cuisine has its own distinctive style and is famous all over the world for its colourful fresh vegetables and meats. In modern times the influence of Cantonese cuisine has been further strengthened by the Hong Kongers who brought with them their own style of cooking.

The popularity of Chinese food all over the world has led to many Chinese cooking styles, which are now popular all over the world. Today the popularity of Chinese food has spread to Europe and you will find restaurants and food outlets in Britain serving Chinese food as a speciality. There are many similarities between European and Chinese cuisine and one of the biggest differences is that whereas Chinese cuisine relies on a lot of spices, European cuisine uses more on vegetables and fresh herbs. This is because of the large amount of land occupied by the Europeans in China and most of the ingredients used were locally grown.

Europeans have also started to use more imported ingredients in their Chinese food recipes and they have found that adding such foreign ingredients changes the taste and makes the dish more exciting. One of these ingredients is Bao tofu, which is a form of pork fat. The more fats a Chinese recipe uses the more flavors will be added and this is why some people love Chinese food with a bit of a kick and other people hate it. Some of the popular herbs used in Chinese dishes are ginger and garlic and these help to enhance the flavor of the foods without overpowering it. There are many different ways that you can season your Chinese food depending on what you like and what you think is necessary for the optimum flavor. Whether you choose to use vinegar, soy sauce or honey you will not go too far wrong.