TASTES OF CHINA
Mala Hotpot is very spicy
麻辣火锅 很 辣
Málà huǒguō hěn là
As a British born Chinese with family roots in Guangdong and Hong Kong, and being from a family of restauranteurs, growing up, there was no shortage of Chinese food. However the Chinese food I grew up with and was surrounded by was predominantly from the Canton region. Actually for many years Cantonese food was the only Chinese food I ever knew. Of course Cantonese style cuisine from the Guangdong and Hong Kong region was the dominant Chinese cuisine of the past internationally. But during the last decade and in recent years, China’s economy and increasing importance on the world stage and in world affairs, has seen cuisine from other regions of china come to the fore – For example, the spicy Sichuan cuisine has taken the world by storm, with hotpot restaurants now a seamless feature in New York and London. It wasn’t until I came to China over two years ago in which I became really open to the varied styles and plentiful flavours of food from different parts of China.
Below are some of keywords to help describe the flavours of Chinese food in Mandarin:
Suān - 酸 - sour
Tián - 甜 - sweet
Kǔ - 苦 - bitter
Là - 辣 - spicy
Xián - 咸 - salty
Má - 麻 - numbing
With the help of our well-travelled professional Chinese tutors, we have whittled down a list of 20 cities and regions in China and one iconic food from each place you must try if you happen to pass by. Put these down on your eating list!
So in no particular order, here we go:
Xi’an - Pulled-pork roll
西安 - 肉夹馍
Xī’ān - ròujiāmó
Also known as the Chinese hamburger.
Chengdu - Mapo tofu
成都 - 麻婆豆腐
Chéngdū - Mápó dòufǔ
Beijing – Beijing Duck
北京 - 北京 烤鸭
Běijīng - Běijīng kǎoyā
Wuhan – Hot dry noodles
武汉 - 热干面
Wǔhàn - Règān miàn
Hangzhou - West Lake vinegar fish
杭州 - 西湖醋鱼
Hángzhōu - Xīhú cùyú
Nanjing - Duck blood vermicelli
南京 - 鸭血粉丝
Nánjīng - Yāxuè fěnsī
Xinjiang – Roasted lamb meat on a skewer
新疆 - 烤羊肉串
Xīnjiāng - Kǎo yáng ròu chuàn
Guanzhou – Morning tea (dimsum)
广州 - 早茶 (点心)
Guǎngzhōu – Zǎochá (diǎnxīn)
*Not a specific dish but this is a plentiful Cantonese style brunch cuisine
Hong Kong – Barbecued pork and roast duck on rice
香港 - 叉烧饭
Xiānggǎng - Chāshāo fàn
*Hongkong and Guangzhou share the same or similar Cantonese cuisine
Yunnan – Crossing-the-bridge noodle soup
云南 - 过桥米线
Yúnnán - guòqiáo mǐxiàn
Changsha – Stinky tofu
长沙 - 臭豆腐
Chángshā - Chòu dòufu
*They say the stinkier it is the better it taste.
Hainan – Poached chicken raised on a diet or rice and peanuts
海南 - 文昌鸡
Hǎinán - Wénchāng jī
Guilin rice noodles
桂林 – 桂林米粉
Guìlín - Guìlín mǐfěn
Inner Mongolia - Grilled leg of lamb
内蒙古 - 烤羊腿
Nèiménggǔ - kǎo yáng tuǐ
Lanzhou – Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles
兰州 - 兰州拉面
Lánzhōu - Lánzhōu lāmiàn
Fuzhou – Fish balls
福州 - 鱼丸
Fúzhōu - Yú wán
Macau – Portuguese egg tart
澳门 - 葡式蛋挞
Àomén - Pú shì dàntà
Chongqing – Spicy hotpot
重庆 - 麻辣火锅
Chóngqìng - Málà huǒguō
*Dare to try the hottest hotpot in China!
Shanghai – Soup dumplings
上海 - 小笼包
Shànghǎi – Xiǎolóngbāo
Tianjin – Goubuli steamed buns
天津 - 狗不理包子
Tiānjīn - Gǒubùlǐ baozi
*Steamed buns with a story you can’t ignore haha. Find out why by checking our previous article: https://www.instantmandarin.com/news/4_iconic_foods_-_4_big_cities_in_china
We do hope we haven’t made you too hungry.
Now can you make a sentence with what you have just learnt?
Food is very adjective
……… hěn ……………
Well done!
If you want to learn more Mandarin Chinese, we have professional 1-to-1 online lessons. Sign up and apply for your free trial. Why not give it a try.
https://www.instantmandarin.com/signup
By Adam Yee
