Each of the numerous peoples of our planet has its own dish, which differs both in the way of preparation and in the features of use. Different nationalities prefer unequal cutlery: some like to eat with the help of kuaizi, others with spoons and forks, others, in general, with their hands.
These preferences are facilitated by differences in history, traditions, and culture. Quite different from ours is Chinese traditional cuisine, which has centuries-old experience, because their culture and way of life is more than one thousand years old.
Foods traditionally used by the Chinese are often completely unsuitable for our understanding. The ways of serving food and the places of its reception are completely exotic, from the point of view of a European.
What do the Chinese eat?
Traditional cereal for Asian countries - rice. It is suitable for the preparation of alcoholic beverages, side dishes and even vinegar. There is a legend that people domesticated the wild thickets of this cereal about nine thousand years ago, and it was the Chinese who did it. Today rice is not only It can be said that it is a gastronomic symbol of the culture of the East.
How do the Chinese eat rice? What do they cook from it? The most famous dishes in China:
- rice flour cakes;
- rice fried with duck;
- sticky cereal stuffing wrapped in bamboo leaf;
- rice (boiled) as a side dish.
What else do the people of this country eat? The answer is simple: Chinese noodles. It is already widely known in our state. There are several ordinary species, and there are special ones, promising, according to beliefs, a long life. It is prepared from rice flour, and less often from wheat.
The Chinese also eat soybeans. Tofu is prepared from them - bean curd, milk and the famous sauce of the same name.
Favorite vegetables on the Chinese table are carrots, broccoli, celery, watercress and bitter melon.
Spices are a particularly revered part of Chinese cuisine. They greatly enrich the taste of food. In the Celestial Empire, sesame, garlic, cinnamon, anise and fennel are often used.
Do the Chinese eat desserts? Undoubtedly. Light pastries, custard as a separate dish and any seasonal fruit are in special esteem.
Without Chinese tea, figuratively speaking, life in the country is impossible. Rumor has it that he appeared before the citizens of the country themselves.
Sample Daily Chinese Menu: Breakfast
If in European countries breakfast is a light snack: coffee, a bun, freshly squeezed juice, then in China it is a solid meal. In the family, breakfast is prepared (something between soup and porridge) well seasoned with spices. This is necessary to warm the body. Be sure to serve dumplings. They have been prepared in China for over 1,800 years. This is familiar to us - with minced meat, but often with tofu, vegetables or shrimp. There are special dumplings called Zongzi - sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. Noodles are also a morning meal along with a special, steamed bun.
It is filled with either a sweet filling or salty (eggs, spinach, chopped vegetables or meat). A dish unknown to us so far is milk tofu (Ma Po Tofu). Served with chopped green onions and beef.
Dinner
A traditional Chinese lunch consists of several gourmet dishes. For example, pieces of pork in sweet and sour orange caramel. Pork is sometimes replaced with chicken or beef.
Everyone knows what the Chinese eat, the dish called Wonton. These are special triangular dumplings that are deep fried. The main filling is pork and shrimp. The famous Peking duck is a special bird with tender meat and a crispy crust. The dish that has conquered the whole world is served in portions with garlic puree, pancakes or bean sauce. Pancakes are one of the most popular foods in China. They are stuffed with sweets or vegetables. The original Gong Bao chicken is diced meat with roasted nuts, chili peppers and flavored with garlic paste.
A peculiar warm salad called Chowmein - Chinese noodles, chicken (beef, pork or shrimp), plus celery and onions are also included in the lunch menu.
Dinner
The evening meal is a bit like breakfast. The main course is served with rice, noodles, vegetables, fruits and pastries. And definitely tea. In the evening they drink it, stretching the pleasure. During the day, the Chinese also drink many other drinks.
Almost all Chinese food goes well together. Any meal is at least five dishes, only portions are small. Therefore, among the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom there are practically no fat people.
Tradition or way of life?
The traditions of modern food in the People's Republic of China originated thousands of years ago. The country occupies a territory with different climatic zones, from the Arctic to the subtropics, which has long influenced food preferences and ways of eating products.
Why do the Chinese eat special food, but have a negative attitude towards modern food? They believe that it does not benefit the body, but only leads to premature aging. Therefore, their nutrition is very similar to the correct diet. Chinese medicine believes that the use of a particular product can affect the well-being of the body as a whole. Therefore, the citizens of this country eat in such a way as to have a beneficial effect on the respiratory organs, the digestive tract and slow down the aging of the body.
seasonal food
Proper nutrition is based on the Chinese seasonal theory. It states that each season (and there are five in China: spring, summer, winter, autumn and off-season) is suitable only for certain products. Because each of them prepares the body to endure certain climatic conditions and strengthens a specific part of the human body: bones, skin, circulatory or muscular system.
Sticks and spoons
Why do Chinese people eat with chopsticks? This question torments more than one generation of the peoples of the Old World. How, for example, do they eat soup?
A long time ago, at the dawn of civilization, the ancient inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom ate with their hands. After a while, it became clear that this was completely inconvenient: it was hot and the palms were constantly dirty. And then they took the sticks in their hands, which became an extension of the fingers. There is another common theory that the sticks are a lever, and two crossed sticks are its core.
Soup, the population of China eats, like all Europeans, with a spoon, only a special one - porcelain. First, following the tradition, vegetables and meat are selected with chopsticks. Then the broth is eaten with a spoon. Some prefer alternately, choosing the thick to seize with broth. Others just drink it.
But the table will never be served with knives and forks. They consider them weapons. This means that such devices will never lie next to sacred food. It is clear that eating weapons is also not appropriate. The famous Confucius wrote about this, indignant at the barbarism of the peoples of Europe.
The Chinese eat with wooden chopsticks. Plastic and other novelties in the production of kuaizi take root only in public canteens.
Dishes consist mainly of finely chopped products. Therefore, cooking takes from three to five minutes. All vitamins remain safe and sound.
Rules for using chopsticks
Regarding sticks, there are several immutable rules for use:
- you can’t knock them on a bowl or plate, because others will perceive it as begging (in poor neighborhoods, this is how they beg for food);
- when the chopsticks are in the hand, one cannot stretch out the index finger, pointing at people - this is regarded as an accusation;
- it is very impolite to lick sticks;
- it is forbidden to poke chopsticks into all dishes in a row, as if choosing;
- they also cannot be placed vertically - this indicates bad manners.
Spicy Chinese food menu
There is an opinion that the Chinese eat insects. Few people know, but such components are a hallmark of Thai cuisine. And in China, insects are a delicacy. You can buy them already cooked in restaurants and night markets. Sellers necessarily “flavor” each insect with a legend, claiming that it is true. Here is a sample list for those who want exotic:
- silkworm pupae are served fried (tastes like shrimp);
- the larvae are also fried over high heat;
- scorpions are steamed, rarely fried; then they are sold like shish kebab: strung on wooden sticks, and sometimes they can be found in soup or stew; cooked in this way, they are harmless, but bitter;
- locusts, crickets and grasshoppers are fried with salt;
- in Yunnan province they like to fry and eat bamboo worms - it is believed that this dish tastes like popcorn;
- Europeans think that the Chinese and centipedes eat - indeed, they do; they are fried and even added to salads;
- water beetles are eaten fried, but without paws and wings.
Chinese New Year Table Secrets
There is no more important holiday than the New Year in China. It is called the Spring Festival - Chunjie. It lasts up to two weeks - this is the time of masquerade processions, balls, carnivals, fireworks.
And at home - this is a festive decoration and a table with traditional Chinese dishes. Although China is large and each province has its own special New Year's dishes, there is one general trend - to make material wealth and prosperity a year ahead. Therefore, every dish on the table is a symbol of prosperity.
The principle of the New Year's feast differs little from ours: the table should burst with dishes. I wonder what the Chinese eat for the New Year? In almost all provinces it is chiao-tzu. The mysterious name hides nothing more than traditional dumplings with various fillings, which, according to popular beliefs, symbolize prosperity and well-being. For example, if there is peanuts in the dumpling, then the year will be sweet, and if there is a date or chestnut, then you should expect the birth of a boy.
Be sure to have Chinese cabbage on the table of a resident of the Celestial Empire in the New Year. Its name is similar in meaning to the concept of "close". Therefore, they roast it, as if saying that the night will be hot and fun.
Another obligatory dish is fried fish. The Chinese firmly believe that if you leave a piece on a plate on New Year's Eve, the sky will give you such an amount that you will not have time to spend.
What do the Chinese eat on the first day of the new year? Traditionally - rice. It is an ancient symbol of prosperity and a good harvest. In some provinces, sticks of sweet rice, called niangao, and sweet wine are served on the table. In other provinces, the first day of the year begins with chicken soup, as this bird is a symbol of peace and tranquility.
Young ones should definitely eat a few chicken wings. Then in the coming year they will rise high up the career ladder or there will be a change in status for the better.
There should be traditional Chinese noodles on the table in any province for a successful year. An obligatory snack of the New Year's table is eggs. This is an invariable symbol of precious metals: gold and silver.
The New Year's table is always full of various sweets. But cookies with wishes and predictions are obligatory. These are small leaves with quotes from the sages, by which it will be possible to judge the next twelve months of life.
Turned the minds of millions of people about proper nutrition. Its author, Thomas Campbell, calls for a switch to a plant-based diet, citing a large-scale study of the relationship between nutrition and health, which was conducted in China. And since I, I simply cannot help but talk about what the Chinese eat in the south of the country.
What do the Chinese eat
There is practically no dairy products in China. Instead of regular milk - soy, instead of cheese - tofu. In neighboring Hong Kong, which is inseparable from Chinese culture, Tofufa, a dessert made from soy cheese and sugar, is considered a traditional dish. Therefore, the Chinese really almost do not consume milk protein. However, as for meat, it is very much loved in the south of China. And you can buy meat everywhere - duck, chicken, pork, beef. Everything is sold in large quantities and with the addition of hot spices.
At every step there is a restaurant or a small eatery where you can have a bite to eat. In addition, during the daytime, establishments that are similar to our canteens are very popular - you take a tray, lay rice and other components of your future dish and enjoy a budget lunch.
The average Chinese lunch is a large portion of rice or noodles, many pieces of meat, a side dish in the form of chopped zucchini or other vegetables, hot sauce or soy sauce. Interestingly, rice replaces bread here, so almost any dish is served with rice. The problem with such dinners for a non-Chinese is that you never know what taste this or that component will turn out to be. For example, carrots can be spicy and salty, while cherry tomatoes are considered sweet and are often served with dessert. By the way, the Chinese are very fond of sweets.
In almost any store you can find ice cream with traditional and strange flavors (coffee, tomato, peas), as well as many other sweets.
Also, every Chinese always has a thermos of warm water with them, so they rarely buy drinks. You can fill this thermos in almost any institution - in cinemas, at stations and in shops there are free coolers with hot water.
street food
Street food is very popular in China. From about eleven in the evening, a cook with his barbecue appears at each house. Passers-by choose raw vegetables, meat, oysters and other ingredients, put them on a tray and go to take a seat at the table. After 10-15 minutes, they receive an order fried in a thick layer of oil. If you don’t say “Bulada” in time, then you risk getting a very spicy dish. I burned out a few times.
Also among these grillers you can find guys who make noodles with additives from vegetables and meat, and cooks who specialize in dumplings or soup. They can even be placed a few meters apart, so there is always a choice.
It is necessary to choose vegetables, meat and other delicacies that are immediately cooked on the grill
Unfortunately, street vendors do not care about hygiene at all. That is, not at all. Therefore, every trip to such a street restaurant is a kind of Russian roulette. If you're lucky, you'll enjoy a delicious dinner; if you're not lucky, your stomach will hurt all day tomorrow. Either way, you're taking a risk. Food is cooked with a huge amount of oil, it is necessarily brought to a fried state, so the body is very uncomfortable from this.
How to survive in China as a foreigner
To be honest, for the first month, all Chinese food was delightful and I wanted to try as many exotic things as possible. Now my appetite has somewhat decreased and I want less spicy food with a Russian tinge. So now I eat more at home. My girlfriend makes a great mix of rice, Chinese spices and familiar vegetables. It makes for an excellent lunch. For breakfast, we have a snack of porridge with raisins or make an omelet with vegetables.
If you don’t feel like cooking at home, then I’m looking for an institution for foreigners. You can always find a pizzeria or a restaurant with one or another cuisine, but in any case, everything in these cafes will have Chinese components. It is very rare to find pizza with real cheese or fish without hot spices.
When traveling, I always adhere to the principle: “You don’t go to a strange monastery with your charter.” That is, I try as much as possible to behave, eat and practice the same habits as the local population. Therefore, if I find myself on the street in the evening, I will definitely drop by the local chef. As long as you're lucky.
Chinese cuisine is one of the most diverse and popular in the world. Sushi, rolls, dishes using soy, rice and noodles are just a small part of what defines Chinese cuisine and is also enjoyed in our country. In fact, food is of great importance in Chinese culture, and for a real Chinese, not only the taste of food is important, but also its appearance, as well as proper serving. We invite you to feel the Chinese food culture and take a look at the menu of one of the restaurants on Hainan Island.
Breakfast
Youtiao with soy milk
Price - 2 yuan
Pieces of dough fried in oil, the Chinese analogue of churros. This dish originated thanks to a historical figure, a great official Chin Hui. He was an envious and greedy man, received a large bribe and conspired against General Yu Fei, beloved by the people. All Chinese hated the vile official, and once, during a conversation with each other, two bakers, in the heat of the moment and anger, cut up pieces of dough and threw them into boiling oil, imagining that it was Chin Hui himself. It turned out so delicious that soon everyone began to “punish” the villain in this way.
bao luo fen
Price - 10 yuan
Rice noodles are the basis of all the basics and most of the dishes on the island. Local housewives cook it with vegetables, chicken, seafood and whatever comes to their mind (with indispensable sauces - some of them are very spicy) or throw it into the soup like vermicelli. A common feature of all dishes with rice noodles is that you should not count on the degree of readiness “al dente”: bao lou fen will be slightly boiled, soft and in a juicy broth.
Yu tang
Price - 50 yuan
Fish soup is the common name for a favorite dish of the Hainan people. Any fish (or seafood) is boiled, and either shrimp, or noodles, or vegetables and onions are added to the soup - in a word, what will be in the refrigerator and what is enough for the cook's imagination.
dong gua hai luo tang
Price - 30 yuan
Mussel broth with gourd.
Dinner
Zicai tribute hua tang
Price - 30 yuan
Seaweed soup. Hainanese are distinguished by the fact that they always eat soup - for breakfast, lunch and dinner - and this habit explains their extraordinary longevity.
Baoziyi and jiaozi
Price - 30 yuan
Classic Chinese manti and dumplings. They can be with anything that the hostess's imagination is enough for: with wild garlic, with shrimp and celery, with meat, with vegetables, with a sweet egg.
Wenchang chi
Price - 20 yuan
Hen. One of the main Hainanese dishes. The bird for this dish must be very fresh: it is dipped in boiling water for only three minutes - the meat is already ready, but the blood is still coming from the carcass. Then it is casually chopped with a knife and served with the head and paws, so that it can be seen that it was a fresh and whole chicken.
jiaji i
Price - 40 yuan
Boiled or steamed duck, which has previously been put on a fortified diet, like birds for foie gras. For jia ji ya, they are supposed to be fed with tofu and cereals - the meat from this is very tender.
He le se
Price - 60 yuan
Melting in your mouth yellow crab meat, tasty in itself, fragrant and slightly oily. The crabs are steamed and then served with a sauce of garlic, ginger and vinegar.
xian yu
Price - 40 yuan
Salty fish. There are two ways to prepare it. First: in fact, rub it with salt before frying, but this is condemned by adherents of a healthy diet. The second (and so do many of the inhabitants of the island): to gut and cook the fish for frying, and then briefly dip it in the sea to make it brackish. Fish and seafood are eaten almost more often than meat due to their proximity to the ocean. For example, there are floating fish farms where they grow (and then cook in floating restaurants) all kinds of shrimp, crabs, octopuses, mussels and scallops. Most often, such farms are run by representatives of the Dan Jia Yu Min people, who traditionally live on the water and rarely go down to solid ground.
Snacks
Yu zha hua sheng
Price - 10 yuan
An important feature of the Hainanese is that they respect snacking between meals, and roasted peanuts are their favorite snack.
Zongzi
Price - 4 yuan
Rice with meat in bamboo leaves. In the north of Hainan, they grow their own rice - very tasty - and are also served as a side dish. Hainan is generally very proud of the fact that it almost completely provides for itself: here, thanks to the climate, almost everything grows. True, due to the heat, the livestock here is lean and very thin, so the local meat may seem harsh to someone.
Di gua e
Price - 15 yuan
Sweet potato leaves poached with garlic and oil.
Si jiao dou
Price - 20 yuan
Beans varieties "four corners". It is served as a side dish - slightly fried with soy sauce.
Soft drinks
Tea
Price - from 20 to 200 yuan
The tea ceremony for the inhabitants of the island is not an empty phrase. For them, the tea house is like a modern coffee house: a place where you can gather, discuss the news, sit and drink tea. The most popular varieties here are oolong, kutin, pu-erh, "The Emperor's Concubine" (with ginseng) and "Scarlet East" (with tropical fruits). There is also tea made by hand - just like on the continent: flowers tied to a tea ball. By filling them with boiling water, you can watch in a transparent teapot for a long time how the flowers “bloom” and sway. Only here it is not considered real tea here - rather, it is recommended as a beautiful and affordable souvenir.
Coffee
Price - from 30 to 300 yuan
On the island, unlike mainland China, they love and grow coffee, for example, in the Xinglong Botanical Garden (Xīnglóng).
Cocoa
Price - 30 yuan
Cocoa beans are also grown right there, which are then mixed with coconut milk and get very tasty cocoa - but this is also unusual for a typical Hainanese, he would rather brew a thermos with tea for himself.
desserts
Tsy ba
Price - 8 yuan
Steamed sticky rice cakes wrapped in lightly poached bamboo leaves made into a sticky paste.
qing bu liang
Price - 12 yuan
A popular sweet eaten instead of ice cream. Fruits, beans, noodles - all in ice-cold coconut milk. The locals laugh: not every tourist will be able to try this.
Alcohol
But mi ju
Price - 30 yuan
Rice tincture. If the Chinese drink, then it is supposed to say: "Ganbei!" When you clink glasses (that is, "bottom up!"). And if someone does not drain the glass completely, they ask him: “Do you have live fish there ?!”
22/10/2014 11:35
The history of the emergence of Chinese traditional food goes back to the distant past. The large area of Chinese residence, and different climatic zones, from the subtropical climate to the arctic, influenced a wide selection of products, dishes, and cooking methods.
Features of nutrition in Chinese medicine - rules
Chinese food therapy is based on the effects of a diet based on the rules of food preparation and consumption.
Traditional Chinese medicine is aimed at influencing certain functions of the body: digestion, respiration, aging . And the harmonious impact of these elements with the outside world characterizes health. Imbalance with the environment leads to illness in the body.
- Chinese food is based based on the theory of 5 seasons: winter and spring, summer, autumn and off-season
- Products for every season, which, according to Chinese chefs, prepare a person for a certain time. This type of nutrition coincides with the theory of 5 elements - fire, earth, water, wood and metal.
- In every season, nutrition strengthens certain part of the human body: circulatory system, skin, bones, muscles and tendons
How to eat properly in Chinese?
According to Eastern nutritionists, modern food carries a minimal amount of energy. That is, it is empty and useless. As a result, the body is exhausted and ages earlier than necessary.
Chinese food - why and how do the Chinese eat rice?
What do the Chinese eat?
- Rice
The most common product. In addition to dishes, alcohol and vinegar are produced from rice.
- Chinese noodles
Many varieties are considered a symbol of Chinese longevity. Made from rice or wheat flour.
- Soya beans
Tofu, soy sauce, soy milk - these products are made from soy.
- Vegetables
A large selection of vegetable dishes requires the same amount of product. Spinach, bitter melon, watercress, celery, carrots,
- Spices and seasonings
Large selection of spices to suit a variety of tastes - anise, cinnamon, fennel, ginger, garlic, sesame
- Dessert
Seasonal fruits, Baked goods, custards
- Tea
China is the country where tea was first grown and drunk
The Chinese claim that it was they who domesticated rice, began to grow it and eat it.
Recent genetic studies have shown that rice ceased to be wild about 8-9 thousand years ago.
Therefore, eating rice in China is so common and popular. This product is an integral part of Chinese history and culture.
Chinese rice dishes:
- Rice boiled
- Fried rice with duck
- rice cakes
- Zongzi stuffed glutinous rice wrapped in a leaf
What do the Chinese like to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner - Chinese diet
Breakfast
Traditionally, European people try to compare their cooking with Chinese cuisine. But, if a croissant and a cup of hot coffee is a common breakfast for many residents of European countries, then the Chinese treat the morning meal with a different philosophy.
For breakfast, the Chinese eat:
1. 
Rice congee
- watery rice porridge. The decoction has several functions:
- Warms like a hot dish
- With the addition of seasonings, from sweet to savory, brings variety to the menu
2. Dumplings - a dish that has become widespread almost all over the world. Chinese dumpling filling:
- Vegetables
- Shrimps
3. Noodles
- another dish that has become widespread in many countries. Most of the native Chinese eat noodles for breakfast.
4. Zongzi
- sweet glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves and steamed. They have a variety of filling options and can be purchased from street stalls.
5. Baozi
- steamed, filled buns - they are especially popular for breakfast. Baozi can be filled with minced meat, vegetables such as spinach or eggplant, eggs or bean paste; they can be salty and sweet.
Dinner
Chinese lunch dishes are as varied as the Chinese themselves.
There are eight most common Chinese dishes:
- sweet and sour
The dish is bright orange in color, with a rich sweet and sour taste. Now pork meat can be replaced with chicken, beef
- Chicken Gong Bao
The composition of the dish includes chicken, diced, fried nuts, chili peppers. Garlic paste may be added.
- Ma Po Tofu
Milk tofu is enriched with brown-red beef, chopped green onions.
- Wonton
Triangles that look like Italian dumplings. Wontons are usually boiled and served in soup, or sometimes deep fried. Wontons can be stuffed with minced pork or diced shrimp.
- Dumplings
1800 years old Chinese dumplings are made from minced meat and chopped vegetables wrapped in a thin piece of dough.
- chow mein
Chow mein - This dish consists of noodles, meat (usually beef, shrimp, or pork), onions, and celery.
The world famous dish is famous and tasty because of its thin and crispy crust. Peking duck slices are often eaten with pancakes, sweet beans, gravy or mashed garlic.
- Spring rolls
The filling of spring rolls can be vegetables or meat, and the flavor can be either sweet or savory.
Dinner
Chinese dinner differs little from breakfast or lunch.
The only thing that the Europeans who visited this country noticed was that the local population eats at least 5 meals but in small portions. Maybe that's why they're not obese.
- Traditionally served for dinner rice dish, meat with vegetables, noodles and dessert
- For dessert sweet buns can be prepared, fresh seasonal fruits are served on the table
- Definitely tea. The Chinese drink a lot of liquids, tea, maybe other drinks.
Why do Chinese people eat with chopsticks, and how do Chinese people eat soup?
With the advent of chopsticks, the days when the Chinese had to use their hands to eat ended, and thus they showed the arrival of civilization in the culture of food.
The invention of chopsticks has many scientific theories. The principle of leverage became the idea behind the use of sticks, and the point where two sticks intersect is the pivot of the lever.
The use of chopsticks is part of Chinese food culture . There are some prohibitions that you should pay great attention to.
Rules for using Chinese chopsticks:
- Firstly don't use them to knock on a bowl or plate because Chinese people think only beggars do it to beg for food
- Secondly When you use chopsticks, don't stick your index finger out to point at other people. This is interpreted as an accusation of something
- Thirdly , it is considered impolite behavior when you lick your chopsticks. People will think that you weren't raised in a family.
- Fourth don't use chopsticks to poke every dish without knowing what you want
- And the last - do not insert chopsticks vertically in a bowl or dish
How do Chinese people eat soup?
Soup is the most sought-after dish in Chinese cuisine. And, contrary to popular belief that the Chinese only eat with chopsticks, for soup in China there are special porcelain spoons
.
The soup is eaten according to one's own habits: first, solid ingredients are selected with chopsticks, after which the remaining broth is eaten with a spoon.
Someone is eating soup and chopsticks and spoon alternately , choosing vegetables and meat with chopsticks, and washing down with broth from a spoon.
There is an opinion that the soup is served in a tall bowl in order to the broth could be drunk like from a cup.
Original taken from griphon How not to starve to death in China
Chinese cuisine is a whole vast world! In addition to being extremely multifaceted and diverse in itself, it can differ dramatically in different parts of the country! It is known that each province is, in some way, its own planet. Well, it's the same with food.
In China, of course, there are many different types of food for a completely different wallet. There are taverns for peasants and taverns for truckers, and cafes for office plankton, and fast food, and even pretentious restaurants. Let's take a quick look at what you can eat in China, how to order dishes, etc. If you've already eaten your New Year's salads, then get ready to salivate from hunger. :)
(Prices, if anything, in yuan, multiply by 10 to get rubles, or divide by 6 to get dollars)
So, one of the most popular dishes is noodles. It can be pure noodles, it can be in the form of such a soup, it can be with additives and much more. You can find noodles almost everywhere! This is one of the most budget friendly food options. 6-10 yuan.
There are instant noodles, there are slow ones. Sometimes it's sharp, sometimes it's not. But the fact is that in China there is nowhere without noodles!
Rice dishes are also popular for obvious reasons. Rice is made, and all sorts of additives are poured into it: meat, chicken, fish, vegetables, or whatever you can think of. Such a dish will cost you from 8 to 15 yuan.
Here are the two foundations of all cuisine: rice and noodles! Popular in Europe, potatoes are rarely found here. Each time you find a potato will be a holiday for you! And you will eat it with rice too!
Soups. If with meat, then a little more expensive - 15-20 yuan.
Another fairly popular food is boza or "Chinese dumplings". At first I was afraid to order them, but then I tried it once and fell in love with all my heart. They are really delicious! They cost - 2-4 yuan one boz.
In general, I must say right away about all Chinese food - this is a lottery! You will never know how tasty it is and whether it is even possible to eat it before you try it. And it doesn’t matter which one - street or store. So we, for example, in Urumqi, tired of surprises, bought sausages in the supermarket to cook in the hostel, but they turned out to be .. sweet. A couple, choking, stuffed into themselves, but could no longer.
An ordinary simple Chinese folk eatery looks something like this. It is clear that we ate mainly in such establishments.
Because something more civilized will already be more expensive than in Russia, and it’s not a fact that it’s also tasty. And here, closer to the people.
Simple cafes also differ in their type and in how and what they sell. Most of them have a standard menu, which includes various dishes of noodles, rice, meat, vegetables.
Often, at the same time, there may be a dish like "lamb with vegetables" on the menu and be expensive. Such a dish is usually taken for 2-3 people and rice can be added to it for free in unlimited quantities! It's consumable in China!
There are, however, buffets. These are very cool eateries. You come to them, pay "for a plate" (15-20 yuan), and then you can put what is in the trays yourself. And there is no need to experience any torment from the fear of naming the wrong dish.
The best part is that with all this, you can unlimitedly impose rice on yourself. This is such an endless consumable substance that no one counts!
In general, rice is the head of everything!
Sometimes there are buffets of soups.
Quite a street look. At first I was afraid to eat here, given the hot weather. But then he took a chance, and did not lose.
It looks so simple. You sit at a table right on the sidewalk. Less complexes!
With all this, even though China is a tea country, for some reason there is no tea in most food places. The best that they can offer you is purchased water, or just boiling water (of course, free of charge, like clean rice).
Another interesting type of cafes "cook yourself"!
Each table has its own brazier, they bring you a raw dish, and you fry it yourself on the spot.
On my last visit to China in 2009, I was so fucked up. I ordered for myself what I spied on the table at the neighbors. They bring me a plate of raw meat. "Hmm, weird," I thought. "Well, this is probably the kind of food they have, so" and began to eat this raw meat. The waiters, seeing this with horror, began to pull out pieces of raw meat from my mouth and show what to do with it.
The Chinese are very fond of eating in public catering with large companies or families. In this connection, such a phenomenon as a "rotary table" is popular here. The bottom line is that there are a lot of expensive dishes that every person is not able to afford. But they take several of these dishes for everyone, and everyone, rotating the top level of the table, can put what he wants. So they change dishes in a circle.
Sometimes, instead of cafes, there are simply tables on the streets, behind which they feed something. This is usually done for the poorest public, here you can eat very cheaply.
For many people traveling to China, an important question arises - how do you order food here at all? The hieroglyphs are incomprehensible, you can’t explain in words, because you don’t know Chinese. Fortunately, it's not all that scary. There are several proven ways to order the right food in China and not get poisoned by it.
1. The easiest way is to come to a cafe where there is a menu with pictures. On them you will immediately see what is what. In many eateries, these pictures hang right on the wall. Here you choose what you want, poke at it, and wait for it to be brought to you.
2. Come up to see what the Chinese are eating at the next table and say "this is the same for me."
3. Learn the basic characters (rice, noodles, meat, beef, potatoes, chicken), etc. And show them to the seller.
Potatoes, as I said, can be found. But it is extremely rare, atypical for China, this dish. Usually it is very sharp!
Now let's talk about street food. It is comprehensive and varied!
This is where all kinds of french fries, kebabs, shrimp, sausages and other tin can be found. It is often very acute.
cakes
To be happy that we found potatoes in the Chengdu crossing, we bought more of them. It turned out to be impossible to eat. Sharp-sharp!
All sorts of lollipops
Doesn't know what's with the spices.
Sausages on a stick are very popular. They are smeared with spices, but the spices are delicious. 1-2 yuan per skewer.
And here is Kebabs-mussels-other horror
Guess what it is. I hesitated to experiment on my own stomach. Chinese food caused me constant stress during the first weeks..
Burnt corn is sold in the northern regions of the country
All kinds of bakery and confectionery products are also popular in China.
goodies
Tibet has its own pastry
If we are already talking about regional features, then we can start with Tibet. Here's a strangely cooked potato with rice.
Pizza in Shanghai
In many parts of the country people like to eat donkeys.
Rice with donkey. Yunnan.
Donkey burger. Beijing
Meat plates. Similar ones are sold in large quantities in Macau, but this shot was taken in Shanghai. These plates are very tasty, but insanely expensive (you can see the price tag for 100 grams). Joy is given only by the fact that they are given for free to taste. If you walk back and forth past the shops for a long time, then you can, in theory, eat up.
And, of course, Peking duck! Where without her.
Indeed, a very popular dish in the capital. Sold both in the center for tourists and in ordinary residential areas
The duck is really tasty and inexpensive (8 yuan).
When you travel by train, you traditionally take grilled chicken on board. And when you take a train from Beijing, you take a grilled duck on it.
By the way, in the Cantonese region, and specifically in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, I also met ducks!
Well, what is China without tea?
Tea shops are in great abundance in Beijing and in the homeland of Puer - in Yunnan (including in the city with the appropriate name).
In Chengdu, tea ceremonies in parks are simply popular.
If you find yourself in Beijing, I highly recommend the tea market on Malingdao Street (Wan Zi Subway Station, Line 7).
In any tea shop you can taste different types of tea, even if you don't want to buy anything.
There is a ceremony for the sake of ceremony, for the sake of communication, like everything in the East! Beware of walking around the shops for a long time, all the time for drinking tea you can slam away :)
Student canteen. Chengdu.
We tried to eat here, it seems to be cheap, but something did not impress us.
Another funny thing, in more pretentious cafes, there are such innovations: a conveyor with traveling cakes. You can take a meal while he passes by you.
Uighuria is also unique in its cuisine. Since this is in its purest form Central Asia, then the cuisine here is appropriate. Familiar to everyone who has been in Uzbekistan flat cakes. Popular and lagman.
Well, barbecue!
Regarding food in stores. I already talked about sweet sausages. Interestingly, in such a large country as China, supermarkets are extremely underdeveloped. Even in big cities there are few of them, and in medium and small ones (everything by Chinese standards) there may be almost none at all.
Basically, shops are small shops with 1-2 halls. Most of them do not have refrigerators, so it is impossible to buy perishable products in them. The main assortment, in addition to all sorts of cupcakes and water, is various types of instant noodles and freeze-dried sausages / sausages. Once we decided to cook on a burner, standing up with a tent in nature. We bought such sausages (each of which is in a separate cellophane package). Well, you understand what can be in sausages that can be stored for weeks without a refrigerator, and how pleasant it is to eat them. All in all, another bad experience.
In supermarkets, sometimes there are different interesting things. For example, a panda in canned food.
You can also buy in the markets. Cheap fruits and vegetables! Delicious and fresh. But keep in mind that the price is usually for 0.5 kilos!
Of course, as we have seen, it is quite possible to eat in China, and you can even enjoy it. However, from this constant stress, from not knowing what they will bring to you, from continuous noodles and rice, you eventually get tired. Therefore, when, after several weeks of wandering around the Chinese expanses, we saw McDonald's in Chengdu, we exchanged glances and did not hesitate to run there :) "Ugh, how can you go to a McDuck in a country with such a unique cuisine," gourmets, aesthetes and some or anti-globalists. "But this is how it is possible" - where we want, we go there, I will answer. And who cares what they think about it. Since I want to go to McDuck, why not do it?
There is also an intra-Chinese network "Dicos", which sells fast food chicken. I've been there a couple of times - I didn't like it, it's too expensive. McDuck is better and more proven - everything you need: potatoes, hamburgers, cola - they have it. When you want to take a break from ducks, donkeys, disposable noodles, you won’t find a better place. :)
