Chinese Food Safety

Food safety has long been a hot issue all around the world. After all, food is the source of the nutrients and energy that we are in great need of. Illnesses that are caused by our daily eaten food can be fatal and in large scale. As a result, it can easily and immediately become a hot topic and cause great panic among people who have been consuming and relying on the food.

No one can ever deny that food safety has been the top ten topics discussed by scholars, critics, politicians, and common people. Food safety crisis in China first begins when the “Sudan Red I” incident broke out in 2005. Many well-known food products, including KFC, are found to contain Sudan Red I, an industrially used chemical that can lead to cancer. Since then, Chinese people find themselves getting more and more used to alarming food safety scandals. Soon, a significant number of incidents draw the attention of Chinese people and people from all around the world. The incidents below are among the large number of scandals which destroy the faith Chinese food consumers hold on the products.

2008
Several domestic milk manufacturers are involved in a high-profile melamine contamination scandal. Thousands of babies and infants nationwide are affected
• Man-made jujube appears in the Urumqi market, infused with soluble saccharin and sodium cyclamate liquid in order to make them taste better
2007
• Big White Rabbit toffee, a famous Chinese candy brand, is found to contain formaldehyde and other deleterious substances in the Philippines
• Longfeng and Sinian, two famous frozen food companies, are found to have made products that contain pathogenic bacteria
2006
• In Beijing, 70 people who ate snails are confirmed to be affected with thelaziasis
• In Wuhan, Hubei, man-made honey syrup is found to have been injected with many kinds of chemicals such as thickening agents, sweetening agents, antiseptics etc.
• A batch of pork from Zhejiang poisons 336 people in Shanghai due to high amounts of thin carnosine
• In Yangjiang, all Jiudu fish samples from 7 big agricultural markets are found to contain the antiseptic formaldehyde at ten times higher than the permitted level
• Some red yolk salty duck eggs produced by a Hebei plant is found to contain tonyred, which improves the color of the food
The source of the timetable above is from The China Sourcing Blog http://www.chinasourcingblog.org
The skepticism laid upon Chinese food safety reached its peak when the majority of Chinese milk companies were accused of producing tainted dairy products which deprived thousands of children and infants of their lives and health. Though the leader of Sanlu Dairy Product Company has been punished and sentenced to death, people no longer believe in Chinese produced food.
Many people wonder why so many food safety crises have arisen during the past five years in China. As far as I am concerned, these problems are not merely caused by isolated reasons such as negligence. Instead, they are closely related to a series of cultural, political and economic factors.
To begin with, the key to the unsafe food problem is that the manufacturers are not responsible. Responsibility is in great demand in our food production process. It should be treasured as seriously as profit is. When we take a look at the life of our ancestors, we’ll clearly realize how lack of responsibility leads to deaths, problems and social panic. In ancient times, many products are handmade. People make them, including food, clothes, shoes, etc. for individual use. For example, the baskets are used and produced by the same person. That’s why the baskets are of so good quality that it can even hold boiling water. What’s more, the Eskimo skin boats are built to carry the family members and relatives of the producers. That’s why they scarcely are confronted with accidents and could survive storms. In other words, since the producers are responsible and care about the consumers and users of the products, the products are reliable. However, food producers in China are irresponsible. What they think about is their money and profits. Such consideration as the health of their customers is none of their business. Some even try to induce more people to buy their tainted food while making their family away from the food. No one realizes that the life of other people is as precious as ours and it’s the basic quality of a manufacturer to be responsible.
What’s more, China’s lagging legal system regarding food safety also contributes to the problem. China’s economic miracle during the past years has been the pride of Chinese people. At the same time, the development of its legal system cannot keep up with the incredibly rapid development of its economy. The legal framework is still being modified and the limited laws and regulations cannot cover all situations nowadays. As a result, many food companies begin to make use of the gap and unsafe food are produced without being known or noticed. Luckily, China’s top legislature has noticed the problem and is approving new food safety laws. On June 1, 2009, China Food Safety Law which aimed at enhancing monitoring and supervision was approved. This is a start and I hope the government can further effective measures.
Last but not the least, the severe competition among the food producing companies forces them to violate the laws. You can hardly imagine the severe competition among the companies. In China, the number of food production companies is increasing at a rapid speed. At the same time, few famous brands really stand out except the foreign ones such as KFC, McDonalds, Coca Cola, etc. A lot of small or middle sized companies spring out and they imitate the production mode of large companies. Every company has to try their best to make their products more attractive, more delicious. At the same time, costs are reduced to their most. In this case, no one really cares about the safety and quality of the food.
To sum up, Chinese food safety is experiencing a hard time and food companies are paying for what they have done. Responsibility, honesty. They are the elements as important as the flavor of food. I hope Chinese food can not only stand out for its delicious taste, but also famous for its role in promoting people’s health.

Food culture in UK

The Britain not only ushered in a long tradition of hospitality of people around the world, also introduced their traditional cooking methods, food, spices and recipes. Before you think the only fish and chips place, now you can choose pasta, pie, Mexico, Spain, paella, curries, test Scoresby (vegetarian food). UK supermarkets supply all kinds of vegetables from around the world, fruits, spices, condiments, and numerous small shops selling specialty foods country food. People interested in food and cooking growing. Many chefs has become celebrity, through his TV cooking shows, popular new dishes. Many different cultures and different activities have promoted ethnic festivals such as the Caribbean, West Africa, and the prevalence of various cooking styles.

British food categories reflect the various seasonal features of the year. For example, in winter, stew type, barbecue and more popular steamer eating and drinking, to the summer, salads and light food more popular. British supermarket chain imports of many food products throughout the year, also stored in the United Kingdom passed a variety of seasonal vegetables, salad and fruit.

Reasonable arrangements for meals

First arrived in the United Kingdom, as China and Britain in the diet and habits were very different, you may feel not meet, but remember that science diet is healthy way in a foreign country. I suggest you rationalize daily diet:

Eat more fruits and vegetables.

Eat staple foods such as bread, potatoes, rice, noodles or pasta.

Eat some high protein food such as soy, eggs, fish or meat.

Eat milk products, cheese or yogurt.

We often say that "food culture", see diet is also an important part of culture. To understand the UK, people should go about British food, a long time, you will find delicious food in the UK in fact quite a few buses: Fish and Chips, Cream Tea, Jacket Potato, Cheese Cake ... ...

British multiculturalism is reflected in the eat, Chinese, Indian dishes are highly popular, and from France, Italy, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea will lead you coveted delicious. But easily 10 pounds meals, you have to make calculations about. Of course, if conditions permit, you can yourself, eat too much food. Rice, vegetables can go to supermarkets or open market purchases, the price will be fair some of the latter, spices can be purchased at the local Chinese food store.

Where to find Chinese food?



In addition to Chinese restaurants in London, Manchester, Leeds and other big cities of China Town (China Town) have a Chinese supermarket. In these markets, there are the majority of Chinese goods.
Besides, large Western-style supermarkets also sell Oriental foods and ingredients. Students can found traditional Chinese food, such as Sainsbury and Tesco dried noodles, tofu, soy sauce, spring rolls, spices and seasonings in these supermarkets.

These picture are took and edited by myself.

The Top Ten Dishes That Bring Luck

No other people value and put more emphasis on lucky food than Chinese people. They tend to eat certain food on special holidays merely because they believe that the dishes can bring luck and happiness to them. It has become a tradition to Chinese people to enjoy lucky food on such holidays as the Spring Festival, Mid-Autumn Day, etc. In this passage I would like to give an introduction of “The Top Ten Dishes That Are Supposed to Bring Luck”. The list is the result of a public opinion poll. Hoping this kind of information can send a blessing to you everyday.



Sixi Ball
Health Index: ★★★☆
Popularity index: ★★★☆
Festive degree: ★★★★☆

The so called Sixi means happiness adds happiness. The ball is also called "Mariko", a symbol of unity and happiness. When the New Year is approaching, the family members far away are coming back together, Sixi, which represents unity and happiness, is the best food for them to express their wishes..



Rich chicken Health Index: ★★★★
Popularity index: ★★★★
Festive degree: ★★★★☆

In China, chicken also means “home”. When the husband and wife, together with all other family members, sit around the table and eat the chicken, it means that happiness, harvest and richness can be expected in the next year. And eating the rich chicken means becoming richer, earning more money in the future.

Squirrel mandarin fish
Health Index: ★★★★☆
Popularity index: ★★★★★
Festive degree: ★★★★

As we all know, the fish is the essential food in the New Year Evening’s table, since fish is pronounced “Yu” in Chinese, which means the family has something left for the next year. This appetizing and tasty dish, not only has good meaning, but also has crisp and delicious taste. But remember that never finish the whole fish because it is so delicious, and be sure to leave some remaining. After all, the remaining means good luck and no one wants to lose it.

Winter bamboo shoots meat
Health Index: ★★★★★
Popularity index: ★★★☆
Festive degree: ★★★☆

It is so appropriate to use bamboo to symbolize “climb”. No matter students in school, youth in the company, or the family members, they all want to rise to a higher level in the coming year. And winter bamboo shoots is a delicious dish with rich nutritional value and Chinese feature. It is rich in protein and amino acids, vitamins, and calcium, phosphorus, iron and fiber. The bamboo also will helpful for digestion.

Rice pudding
Health Index: ★★★
Popularity index: ★★★★
Festive degree: ★★★★★

This food is particularly attractive to children. Eight kinds of food gathered, means rich reunion. Early dates Takako's festivity, gold osmanthus of wealth, beauty Longan reunion, barley's health and longevity ... ... The series of blessings, all together, make people believe in a better and brighter future.

Caramelized apple
Health Index: ★★★☆
Popularity index: ★★★★
Festive degree: ★★★☆

“Candied apple” is a dish that is suitable for both the youth and the elderly. “Apple” in Chinese means peaceful, and perhaps this is the most basic and simplest pray. With unique golden caramelized apple flavor, this dish tastes sweet and delicious.



Spinach soup
Health Index: ★★★★★
Popularity index: ★★★★☆
Festive degree: ★★★☆

Spinach soup is also called "long life soup" in China. If Chinese people eat the sop, they will be blessed and have a long and healthy life.



Fa Cai soup
Health Index: ★★★★★
Popularity index: ★★★
Festive degree: ★★★

Fa cai soup has the same sound with the "rich soup" in Chinese. As long as one has eaten the rich soup, his/her financial resources will continue.

Tremella Lily Lian Zaigeng
Health Index: ★★★★☆
Popularity index: ★★★★☆
Festive degree: ★★★★

Sweet soup is a necessary part of each banquet. Tremella lily lotus itself is the "Love for All Seasons, and even be blessed with children." The sweet soup with white fungus and papaya not only has whitening effect, but also implies gold and silver.



Dumpling
Health Index: ★★★★
Popularity index: ★★★★☆
Festive degree: ★★★

Because the dumplings shape like ingots, those who eat dumplings can make money in the next year. That’s exactly why dumplings have become a popular dish on Spring Festival Eve.

These pictures are took photo and edited by myself.

Learn to say Chinese food name

This blog has given much introduction of Chinese food, and you may have a basic understanding of food with Chinese feature. However, for most foreigners, they sometimes can not tell the exact name of the Chinese food that they want to order, especially when they are in Chinese restaurants. In other cases they cannot tell what the dish name on the menu truly refers to. For example, do you know what “Shredded Tofu with Sauce”, or “Vegetarian Duck” stands for? And for Chinese people, they may not translate the name of Chinese food into English appropriately, so it is also necessary for them to learn the English name of Chinese food.

Actually there are many websites or videos online that provide such kind of information to learn. Here I will recommend the website in the following, http://news.iciba.com/zt/menu/china.html
In this website, you can learn the exact English name for these Chinese food.
Also I here recommend a video to you, from which you can learn how to tell the appropriate name of Chinese food. Hope they will be helpful to you.

The Most Popular Traditional Drink in China

Chinese Tea Culture
It is known to all that, in traditional Chinese culture, tea plays an important role. With the development of social economy and people’s awareness of the importance of fitness, tea has become a more and more important part in people’s daily life.
The tea culture in China not only brings humankind’s spirit and wisdom to a higher level, but also creates a more close relationship between friends, making people more enjoyable and healthy. In China, tea not only has the embodiment of spiritual civilization, but also riches the cultural accomplishments.

Chinese Tea History
Actually, Chinese tea has a long history. China is the homeland of tea. Tea has a history of about four or five thousand years.
Tea has been a great development in the Song Dynasty, which in return, promoted the development of tea culture. During the Yuan Dynasty, tea culture has come into the rapid development period. And in the Ming and Qing Dynasty, the tea has become very popular among ordinary people. After the founding of New China, China's annual output of tea has risen from 7500 ton in1949 to more than 60 million ton in 1998. In the year of 1998, the China International Tea Cultural Exchange Center was established. With the emergence of tea culture, more and more tea houses have been established.
Chinese tea is one part of Chinese culture. In China, many people, no matter young or elder people, likes drinking tea.

Chinese Tea Classification
The most famous Chinese teas are green tea, black tea, Wulong tea, white tea and yellow tea. In the following, there will be a short introduction of each kind of tea.

Green Tea
China's major tea is green tea, its national annual output is 100,000 tons. Chinese green tea is produced in many provinces. Shandong, Zhejiang, Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Fujian, Guizhou are China's green tea-producing provinces.
Latest scientific findings show that the retention of natural substances in green tea ingredients on aging, prevent cancer, anticancer, bactericidal, anti-inflammatory and other special effects, which are unique from other kind of tea.

Black Tea
Because of the color of dry tea and brewing tea mainly in red tone, hence it has the name of black tea. Black tea ranks China's second largest export tea. It accounts for about 50% of customers located in 60 countries and regions, in which the largest circulation are Egypt, Sudan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Canada, Chile, Germany, the Netherlands and Eastern Europe.

Wulong tea
The Wulong tea, which blends the production of green tea and black tea together, has a quality between green tea and black tea. It not only has the thick and fresh flavor of black tea, but also has the pleasant fragrance of green tea. It enjoys a good reputation as green leaves with a red edge.
White tea
By definition, this tea is white. White Tea has a history of about 200 years.
Traditional pharmacological show of cool white tea has the effect of cooling pathogenic fire, overseas Chinese tend to look white as rare treasures.

West Lake Dragon Well Tea
The West Lake Dragon Well is called Dragon Well for short. It is produced in the mountainous regions around Longjing Village to the southwest of the West Lake in Hangzhou City in the Zhejiang Province. The Dragon Well tea has four wonders: color wonder, fragrance wonder, flavor wonder and shape wonder, namely, emerald in color, thick in fragrance, sweet and refreshing in taste and in the shape of a sparrow's tongue. The elements contained by the Dragon Well tea such as amino acids, catechu and vitamins have the effects of stimulating the production of bodily fluids, quenching thirst, refreshing, benefiting thinking, digesting food, removing greasiness, diminishing inflammation and detoxification.

flash

Hey, have a look at this flash. Wow, have you ever eaten such kinds of delicious food? Do you feel hungry now？Yep, this flash illustrates the different kinds of delicious food both in China and in the western countries. From cake, coffee, steak, and Japanese sushi, to Mutton noodles, Kebab and pork, do you want to know more about the various kinds food in different countries? Just keep on visiting this blog, you will find more superise!

Famous Restaurants in China

Our modern society has witnessed the globalization and industrialization of our “global village”. At the same time, it has seen the popularity of tourism in China. People come to China for different reasons. Some are on business trips, others travel to enjoy picturesque scenery, still others want to live in a culture which is handed down during thousands of years. Whatever their reasons are, they are interested in one topic: which restaurants are worth visiting during their trip to China. Food is always an essential part of a good trip. Food industry is so prosperous in China that there’re countless restaurants here. This passage aims to lead you to several restaurants that you cannot miss.

N0.1 QUANJUDE

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Location: No. 14, Qianmen West Street, Beijing
Description:
QUANJUDE was established in 1864. It is the most famous food brand which sells Beijing ducks. Nearly everyone who travels to Beijing will have a taste of Beijing Roast Duck in Quanjude. Among all the branches of Quanjude, the one in Qianmen West Street is the most well-known and regarded as the best. That’s why it is always filled with customers. The annual sales reaches 500 millions yuan (RMB); the number of roast duck annually sold amounts over 2 millions; guests annually entertained top 5 millions.

It is Quanjude who provides the food service during the Beijing Olympics and its delicious ducks are truly popular and attracted athletes from all around the world.

N0.2 Meizhou Dongpo

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Location: Uptown Mall, 2/F, Chaoyang Park, Intersection of Qingnian Lu and Chaoyang Lu
Description: Sichuan cuisine has developed into the most popular cuisine in China over the centuries. Its distinctive flavors such as piquancy entice people throughout China. Typical Sichuan dishes include Ma Po’s Bean Curd (Bean curd with mince and chili oil), Gong Bao Ji Ding (Spicy diced chicken with peanuts), Yu Xiang Rou Si (Fish Flavored Shredded Pork), Hui Guo Rou Pian (Twice Cooked Spicy Pork Slices), etc. All of these dishes have become a crucial and important part of Chinese meals. Famous Sichuan cuisine restaurants certainly cannot be without these dishes. Meizhou Dongpo is among the best Sichuan Restaurants.

City Weekend wrote about Meizhou Dongpo: “With white, tiled floors, spacious surroundings and a fancy staircase leading to a second-storey indoor terrace, this restaurant is a far cry from your typical Chinese eatery. Combined with the fact that this popular chain was also deemed a “Sichuan Famous Restaurant” in 2000 by the Sichuan provincial government, and we were more than eager to sit down and taste what they have to offer.” I can certainly know that this restaurant is a typical and excellent Sichuan cuisine restaurant.

N0.3 Cheng huang miao

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Location: Downtown Shanghai, next to Yu Garden
Description:
Shanghai is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River on China's east coast, with a land area of more than 6,000 square kilometers and a population of 20 million. It's the country's largest economic, financial and commercial center. It will be a great pity if you don't taste some traditional local Shanghai snacks. The most authentic local snacks I can be found in Chenghuangmiao, a marketplace filled with shops, restaurants and food stalls. Here you can enjoy all kinds of tempting Shanghai delicacies.

N0.4 South Beauty

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Location: 881 Yan'an Zhong Road, near Shaanxi Road (across from the Shanghai Exhibition Center)
28 Taojiang Road, near Hengshang Road, tel 021 6445 2581
10F Super Grand Mall, 168 Lujiazui Road near Fucheng Road (Pudong), tel 021 5047 1917
Unit B7-B8, Shanghai City Centre, 100 Zunyi Road near Xianxia Road, tel 021 6237 2885
5F, Shanghai Times Square, 93 Huaihai Zhong Road, near Liulin Road, tel 021 6391 0890
Description:
About.Com remarks South Beauty as follows: “Elegant (despite the weird castle-like facade) Sichuan dining in a mansion full of exquisite private rooms, lovely dining areas and beautiful gardens.”

The South Beauty chain's surroundings and food has made them a China-wide success. It is an expensive and high-class restaurant where celebrities and rich people often visit. Its highway-side location exemplifies their emphasis on style and surroundings.

Books related to Chinese food

The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones

Introduction: Maggie McElroy, a writer with little enthusiasm towards food and a woman who suffered a lot from the death of her husband, has to travel to Beijing. At the same time, she was persuaded into writing a magazine article about Chinese food…

"Both entertaining and learned, The Last Chinese Chef just might be the perfect leisure read. It effortlessly weaves together a fast-paced romantic plot with profound precepts from ancient Chinese food culture. This delicious book will leave you with an intense craving for perfectly prepared Chinese food." This is what Wall Street Journal comments about the book. Shanghai Book Club compares this book to the xiao long bao of books, light but substantial, juicy and always satisfying.

Recommendation Point: 10

The Food of China: A Journey for Food Lovers by Nina Simons

Introduction: This book is a celebration of one of the world's greatest cuisines. It introduces the Peking duck restaurants in Beijing, the kitchens in Shanghai, the tea gardens in Hangzhou and the dim sum chefs in Hong Kong. Such food as the tastiest barbecued spareribs, crispy skin duck, flash-cooked pea sprouts, noodles and congee are presented in the book as the most representative food of China.

Recommendation Point: 7

China to Chinatown: Chinese Food in the West by J.A.G. Roberts

Introduction: China to Chinatown examines the globalization of Chinese food and the change of western attitudes towards Chinese food since the time of Marco Polo. J.A.G. Roberts, the author, recounts in this book how early travelers in China avoided the local food and regarded the dishes such as cooked animals as disgusting. In the second part of this book the author explains the current situation, that is, many foreign people, especially those who come from Europe, like and enjoy Chinese food to a great extent. Why has the change be so sharp? The author tries to explain the reason in the book. Besides, different comments made by people from outside China in different periods are quoted in China to Chinatown: Chinese Food in the West.

Recommendation Point: 9

Chinese Food ABCs

Chinese food is the most popular food in the world. Since China has long been a mysterious eastern country, its food has been mysterious to foreigners. Do you know the ABCs about Chinese food? Lets’ have a test now.

1. Question: How many food-related Chinese inventions do you know?

Answer:
Period Invention
2000 BC Noodles (made from millet)
1500 BC Fish Farming (carp in ponds)
1100 BC Strong Ale (e.g. rice wine)
600 BC The Iron Plough, Roe Cultivation & Intensive Hoeing
400 BC Cast Iron
200 BC The Rotary Winnowing Fan, The Modern Seed Drill, Steel Production from Cast Iron
300 AD The Fishing Reel, Porcelain, Biological Pest Control, Deficiency Diseases
700 AD Brandy and Whisky

Source The Genius of China Food in China

2. Question: Why are the Chinese not big milk drinkers”
Answer: Dairy foods have never been much a part of the Han Chinese diet. Ninety percent of the Chinese population is thought to be lactose intolerant.
Source: eating china. com http://www.eatingchina.com/index.htm

3. Question: Are Chinese really rice eaters?
Answer: An enormous amount of rice is grown and consumed in China, but to characterize Chinese as rice eaters, or call China a "rice-based" society, as the Asia Rice Foundation does, (an organization that should know better), is quite misleading.
It is true that rice is China's most important grain crop, but wheat consumption is nearly as high. On average Chinese eat 250 grams of raw rice a day - that's about four heaped bowls when cooked. Wheat – made into dumplioos, noodles and bread – follows closely at 230 grams.
To generalize, it is reasonable to think of southern Chinese as rice eaters, and northern Chinese as wheat eaters.
Figures are for China & Taiwan (1996), not including Hong Kong. Source: The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
4. Question: How Chinese Use Chopsticks?

Answer:
• Chinese often use chopsticks like a spoon. The rice bowl is held up to the mouth and the rice is shoveled in. Not very elegant but it works, letting you eat quickly without spilling food. Same thing goes for noodles, but not for soup!
• When it comes to eating fish whole, the way Chinese prefer, nothing beats a nimble pair of chopsticks for prying small bits of flesh away from those annoying fish bones. Chopsticks are equally adept at plucking the fish's eye from its socket should you choose to indulge (which, according to Chinese medicine is very strengthening for your own.
• Chopsticks, especially purpose-built extra-long ones are an important cooking utensil.
Source: eating china. com http://www.eatingchina.com/index.htm

5. Question: Who first brought tea to Europe?
Answer: Though traders must have long carried tales of tea and even tea samples from China and Japan to Europe, a Portuguese Jesuit missionary, Jasper de Cruz was the first person to document his experiences of making and drinking the stuff. That was in 1560. But it was the Dutch who introduced the beverage commercially to Europe. The Dutch East India Company at the time was busy trying to dominate the spice trade of what was to later become the Dutch East Indies, present-day Indonesia. Unlike the Portuguese they had never successfully established direct trade relations with China, instead relying on transshipment out of Java. There the Dutch would have regularly come into contact ships from Fujian or Guangdong carrying tea and it was from Java around 1610 that the first tea was shipped to Holland. The tea initially imported into Europe was green tea. It was expensive and marketed largely as a health drink, but by the mid Eighteenth Century tea was cheap and plentiful enough for the populations of Russia and England to be addicted to it. Much later the Dutch grew tea in Indonesia and that country remains a significant producer today.
Source: eating china. Com http://www.eatingchina.com/index.htm

6. Question: What is cassia?
Answer: Famous for its scenery, Guilin is one of south China’s leading tourist destinations. Translate gui-lin to English and you get cassia forest. The dried bark of the cassia tree (Cinnamomum cassia) which grows in abundance in the Guilin area, is one of the ingredients of five spice powder. Cassia is related to and similar to the better known cinnamon, a native of Sri Lanka. An alternative name for cassia, Bastard Cinnamon provides a clue that, outside of China at least, it is considered inferior to cinnamon, the flavour being more pungent, not as sweet and delicate, and slightly bitter. Cassia bark is also used in traditional Chinese medicine
Source: eating china. com http://www.eatingchina.com/index.htm



With China an ancient country, Chinese food has its long history and own style. There are a lot of related facts and stories about Chinese food. And the above questions can only cover a very small part of Chinese food system. So, how many questions can you answer? How much do you know about Chinese food?

Food with Chinese Characteristics

Chinese food is large in number and rich in its classification. Food is closely related to culture. Among the many famous Chinese dishes, which one can best represent China? Which can only be enjoyed in China? Which can be considered as the most popular Chinese food? This passage explores the TOP 3 food with great Chinese characteristics.

1. Zongzi(Rice dumpling)

zongzi is eaten on China Dragon Boat Festival. Zongzi is made of glutinous rice, stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo leaves. The appearance of zongzi is cylindrical and its strange appearance can tell how hard it is to wrap a zongzi.

The fillings used for zongzi vary from region to region,and different people love different flavors. The most common and classic fillings of a zongzi are meat, bean and red date.

Zongzi was first made to honor Qu Yuan, a pioneering poet and patriotic official in ancient China. He tried his best to fight political corruption and finally killed himself by throwing himself to the river. Since the death of Quyuan, Zongzi has been cooked by people to remember Quyuan.

2. Jiaozi (Dumplings)



Jiaozi, or dumplings with meat and vegetable fillings, is very popular during the Spring Festival and other festivals. It tops the list of delicacies of people in north China, where people eat jiaozi at nearly all traditional holodays.

Since the appearance of dumplings looks like the V-shape ingot which is used as money in ancient China, people eat jiaozi to express their wish to make money the next year. Although time has changed, the tradition has remained. Today eating jiaozi has been a tradition and those who don’t eat jiaozi during holidays are believed to have a bad forture.

3. hot pot



In the winter season, when the low temperature and chilly winds deprive us of warmth, people like to eat food that immediately warms their bodies. That’s why hot pot is so popular during winter in China. Family members or friends sit around a table and eat with a steaming pot in the middle of the table. Their body soon warms up and they can eat, drink, chat and select the food at the same time. Different from ordinary meals in which cooked dishes are put on the table, diners are required to select whatever raw food they want to eat from the plates scattered around the table and boil the food by themselves. In other words, they can enjoy the food that are boiled by themselves.

Hot pot is the most famous and favorite dish in Chongqing. Chongqing local people consider the hot pot a local specialty, which is noted for its peppery and hot taste, scalding yet fresh and tender.

These photo took and edited by myself.

Don't Miss the Spring Festival Eve Dinner

The Spring Festival Eve, the last day of the last lunar month, is called Chuxi in Chinese. It is the most important day in the whole Spring Festival. Anyone who missed the Spring Festival Eve dinner, or the family reunion dinner on this day would feel very sorry. On this special day, all the preparation is made for the Spring Festival Eve dinner. It is the moment of joy for all adults and children because they can enjoy delicious food.

You can't miss the Spring Festival Eve dinner since there are so many delicious dishes. In ancient times, people can only enjoy the most delicious food on Spring Festival Eve. I want to introduce several famous dishes that are most frequently appearing “musts” in the Spring Festival Eve dinner.

1. Niangao
Southern Chinese eat niangao on Spring Festival Eve, because as a homophone, niangao means "higher and higher, one year after another."

Niangao, or sticky cake, is a typical traditional delight. There are a variety of ways to make niangao and there are also different kinds of niangao, such as Shanghai Niangao and Canton Niangao, Hunan Niangao, etc. Niangao is made of glutinous rice and other ingredients.

2. Fish
The Spring Festival Eve dinner, fish is included, but not eaten completely and the remainder is stored overnight. The strange tradition origins from the Chinese famous saying “年年有余” (nián nián yǒu yú), which means "may there be surpluses every year". Since it sounds the same as "may there be fish every year", people tend to believe that they shouldn’t finish eating the fish and should remain some to the next year.

3. Babaofan
“Babaofan”, or "Eight Treasures Rice", is made of glutinous rice and stuffed with red bean paste. Being decorated by jujubes, lotus seeds, cherries and the likes, babaofan symbolizes the treasures for the next year.