|
||||
|
|
ISBN13: 9780195331073 Product DescriptionIn 1784, passengers on the ship Empress of China became the first Americans to land in China, and the first to eat Chinese food. Today there are over 40,000 Chinese restaurants across the United States–by far the most plentiful among all our ethnic eateries. Continue reading Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States Cantonese cuisine is diverse and sophisticated. Characterised by light spices, fresh ingredients and slow, measured preparation it may not appear to be the most effective option for a restaurant. Nonetheless, Cantonese cuisine keeps its position as a favorite of millions. Originating from the Guangdong province of China, this mode of cooking results in a menu that has something for everybody, no matter what their taste. Some consider that Chinese food is has magical properties when it comes to health. They cite the lower instances of heart disease and some types of cancer among the Chinese. Others argue that the average Chinese meal is a nutritional catastrophe, mentioning high levels of salt, fat, additives and calories. Not surprisingly, both these extreme views neglect to mention a number of pertinent facts. As with any other cuisine, the nutritional benefits or otherwise are completely dependent on exactly what the meal contains. In China, food and its preparation has been developed so highly that it has reached the status of an art form. Rich and poor, the Chinese people consider that delicious and nutritious food is a basic necessity. There is an old Chinese saying “Food is the first necessity of the people”. Many non-Chinese think that dim sum is just a steamed dumpling with maybe a dipping sauce to accompany it. However, although that is one type of dim sum, the term “dim sum” does not refer to a single recipe but to a style of serving a vast selection of different snack type items. Usually, these will be provided on a trolley which trundles between tables for diners to make their choices. The lowly dumpling. In Western-style cooking it is a simple staple, a source of carbohydrates and a great comfort food. However, made in the Chinese way, it is an artistic creation from the kitchen. Chinese Dumplings (Jiao Zi or Gow Gee, in the Mandarin dialect) are a mixture made of dough filled with meat, chicken and/or vegetables. It is frequently dished up as part of dim sum. The correct preparation calls for plenty of time, patience and effort but the end result, when done properly, are definitely worth it. Although rice is thought to be the staple carbohydrate of Chinese cuisine, noodles are often served as well, whether Cantonese or Mandarin, Hunan or Szechuan. In fact noodles have formed a part of Chinese cookery since at least two thousand years ago when the Han Dynasty ruled China. Chinese use chopsticks and Westerners use knives and fork- for main dishes. That is the difference between the two cultures when it comes to eating. This inevitably means that large piece of meat like steak, fish and poultry are not possible at the Chinese table since using chopsticks to pick up massive amounts of food is not feasible. Most dishes are therefore made up of mouth sized pieces which are taken up by chopsticks and transferred to the mouth. China has a long and rich history of exploration and migration around the world. In fact, according to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, at the end of 1999, there were 34,505,000 Chinese people living in countries around the world. They are batty for birds in Hong Kong. Chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons; anything with wings except an aeroplane will find its way to the Hong Kong table. Chicken appears at almost every meal, in the form of stock, which is one of the most important flavouring agents in the Chinese kitchen. And of course chicken is fried, stewed and roasted as well. Ducks and geese are generally roasted. And also roasted are pigeons, a great Hong Kong favourite. Restaurants famous for pigeon don’t even ask how many people will be dining, they just ask “how many pigeons?” |
|||
|
Copyright © 2010 Asian Food and Cookery - All Rights Reserved Powered by WordPress & the Atahualpa WP Theme by BytesForAll. Now with Tutorials & Support Powered by Yahoo! Answers |
||||
