Culinary Delights in China英汉双语[完美版]

2021年1月25日发(作者：英语研究)
Unit2
Universally recognized as one of the greatest cuisines of the world, Chinese food in
all its variety and complexity is
unquestionably one of
the finest
pleasures a visitor
can experience in China.

Culinary Delights in China

1.

Chinese cuisine is a brilliant facet of Chinese culture, which is proven by the fact
that
Chinese
restaurants
are
found
scattered
everywhere
throughout
the
world.
Today,
the
culinary
industry
is
developing
even
more
rapidly
than
before.
A
decade ago, Beijing had a few thousand restaurants,
while today there are over
100,000 restaurants of different sizes in the city.

2.

Regional Chinese Cuisines

It is widely acknowledged that from the Ming dynasty onwards, there are eight
major schools of cuisine based on regional cooking. They came from Shandong,
Sichuan, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Anhui provinces. In
addition to these traditional cuisines, the culinary industry in china has undergone
great
changes,
as
almost
every
place
has
its
own
local
specialties,
and
as
the
different cuisines gather together in big cities, such as Beijing.

3.

Sichuan,
known
as
Nature's
Storehouse,
is
also
a
storehouse
of
cuisine.
Here,
each
and
every
restaurant
provides
delicious
yet
economical
culinary
fare.
The
ingredients for Sichuan cuisine are simple but the spices used are quite different.
Sichuan cuisine is famous for its spicy and hot food, yet just being hot and spicy
does
not
necessarily
distinguish
it
from
other
hot
and
spicy
cuisines
such
as
Hunan or Guizhou cuisines.
What
is really special
about
Sichuan cuisine is
the
use of Chinese prickly ash seeds, the taste of which leaves a feeling of numbness
on
one’s
tongue
and
mouth.
Besides
this
unique
spice,
Sichuan
dishes
are
also
usually
prepared
with
other
spices
such
as
chili
pepper.
Using
fermented
bean
sauce and a set of unique cooking methods, Sichuan cuisine is now famous and
popular
across
the
world.
In
recent
years,
there
have
appeared
many
more
renowned restaurants specializing in Sichuan cuisine, such as the Tan Family Fish
Head restaurant.

4.

Guangdong Province is
located in
southern
china, with
a moderate
climate and
abundant produce all year round. As one of the earliest ports open to foreign trade,
the province has developed a culinary culture with its own characteristics that has
exerted a far- reaching influence on other parts of china as well as throughout the
world
where
it
is
the
most
commonly
available
Chinese
cuisine.
Guangdong
cuisine is famous for its seafood as well as for its originality and refined cooking
processes. Various soups in this cuisine are loved by people all over the country.

5.

Zhejiang cuisine is light and exquisite, and is typical of food from along the lower
Yangtze River. One famous dish is west lake vinegar fish, which looks pretty and
has the delicate refreshing flavors of nature. Many Chinese restaurants in china,
as well as in other parts of the world, serve this dish, but often the flavor is less
authentic
compared
to
that
found
in
Hangzhou,
capital
of
Zhejiang
province,
which has unique access to the fish and water of West Lake.

6.

Every dish has a story

The names of Chinese dishes are diverse, but behind each of the famous dishes is
an interesting story explaining why it is popular. A good name can make the dish
more
interesting;
however,
some
names
are
so
eccentric
that
they
may
confuse
people,
both
Chinese
and
foreigners.
If
you
only
translate
the
names
literately
with no explanation, you could make a fool of yourself.

7.

Take
Goubuli
steamed
buns
in
the
city
of
Tianjin
for
example.
These
popular
buns are all of the same size and handmade. When served in neat rows on a tray,
they look like budding chrysanthemum flowers. The wrapping is thin, the fillings
are juicy, the meat tender and the taste delicious and not at all greasy. Then,why
the name?

8.

There is an interesting story behind it. Goubuli
steamed buns were first
sold in
Tianjin
about
150
years
ago.
A
local
man
by
the
name
of
gouzi
worked
as
an
apprentice in a shop selling baozi( steamed buns).

After three years, he set up
his own baozi shop. Because his buns were so delicious, he soon had a thriving
business with more and more people coming to buy his buns. As hardworking as
gouzi was, he could not keep up with demand so his customers often had to wait a
long time to be served. Impatient, some people would call out to urge him on, but
as he was so busy preparing the buns, he didn’t answer. People therefore came to
call his buns goubuli, meaning “goguzi pays no attention.” This eccentric name,
however, has had very good promotional effects, and has
been used ever since.
Goubuli is now a time-cherished brand name in Tianjin.

9.

In Zhejiang cuisine, there is a well-known dish called Dongpo meat. This dish of
streaky pork is prepared over a slow fire where the big chunks of pork are braised
with green onion, ginger, cooking wine, soy sauce, and sugar. The finished dish is
bright red in color and the meat is tender and juicy and, like the goubuli buns, not
at all greasy. This dish was named after sudongpo , a great poet of the northern
song dynasty, who created it when he was an official in Hangzhou. It is said that
when
he
was
in
charge
of
the
drainage
work
for
the
west
lake,
sudongpo
rewarded
workers
with
stewed
pork
in
soy
sauce,
and
people
later
named
it
dongpo meat, to commemorate this gifted and generous poet.

10.

Fujian
cuisine
boasts
a
famous
dish
called
Buddha
jumping
over
the
wall,
the
number one dish of the province. This dish is prepared with more than 20 main
ingredients, including chicken, duck, sea cucumber, dried scallop, tendon, shark
lip, fish maw, and ham. All these ingredients are placed into a ceramic pot, with
cooking wine and chicken broth, and then cooked over a slow fire until the meat
is tender and juicy and the soup becomes smooth and thick. Then it is served with
more
than
a
dozen
garnishes
such
as
mushrooms,
winter
bamboo
shoots
and
pigeon eggs. It is famous for leaving a lingering aftertaste in the mouth. The story
behind the name of the specialty goes as follows.

11.

Buddha jumping over the wall was created in a restaurant called gathering spring
garden in Fuzhou, Fujian, during the reign of the Qing Emperor, Guangxu. It was
first
named
eight
treasures
stewed
in
a
pot
and
the
name
was
later
changed
to
blessing and longevity. One day, several scholars came to gathering spring garden
for
meal.
When
the
dish
was
served,
one
of
the
scholars
improvised
a
poem: ”Fragrance spreads to the neighborhood once the lid lifts, one whiff and
the Buddha jumps the wall, abandoning the zen precepts. ” hence the name of the
dish!

12.

Warmth and Hospitality Expressed by Food

In the eyes of Chinese, what is important about eating, especially at festivals ,is to
eat
in
a
warm
atmosphere.
Often
the
young
and
the
old
still
sit
in
order
of
seniority, and the elders select food for the young while the young make toasts to
the
elders.
Chinese
people
like
to
create
a
lively,
warm,
and
harmonious
atmosphere during meals.

13.

A hostess or host in China will apportion the best parts of the dishes to guests.
Using a pair of serving chopsticks, she or he places the best part of a steamed fish
or the most tender piece of meat on the plate of the most important guest. Such a
custom
is
still
popular,
especially
among
the
elder
generation,
as
a
way
of
expressing respect, concern and hospitality.

14.

Such
culinary
customs
have
had
a
certain
influence
on
the
character
of
the
Chinese people. In a sense, it has strengthened the collective spirit of the nation.
At a party or a banquet, everyone
fist
takes
into consideration the needs of the
group; with the eating process also being a time to show humility and concern for
others.

15.

In
China,
food
eaten
during
festivals
is
particularly
important.
At
different
festivals,
people
partake
of
different
fare.
For
example,
on
the
eve
of
Spring
Festival, people in the north always eat jiaozi, meat and vegetable dumplings, at
family reunions. This is a way of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming
the New Year. The Latern Festival is a day of celebration, and on this day people
like to eat yuanxiao, sweet dumplings made of glutinous rice flour, to symbolize
family
reunion
and
perfection.
At
the
Duanwu
Festival,
people
eat
zongzi,