Kitajska kuhinja - Chinese cuisine

Začetki Kitajski kulinariko lahko izsledimo tisočletja. Kitajska kuhinja je izjemno raznolika s širokimi regionalnimi različicami in nenavadno je, da celo Kitajci sami ugotovijo, da jim je kulinarika iz druge regije popolnoma tuja. Severni Kitajci si lahko predstavljajo, da kantonsko kuhinjo sestavljajo samo ocvrta jajca s paradižnikom, medtem ko bi južnjake presenetila velikost porcij cmokov na severnem Kitajskem.

Razumeti

Obrok v Suzhou

Skozi Cesarska Kitajska, Kitajska kultura je vplivala na dežele, kot je današnja Mongolija in Vietnam. Kitajska kuhinja je že dolgo znana tudi v drugih azijskih državah, kot je npr Koreja in Japonska.

V sodobnem času je kitajska diaspora širila kitajsko kuhinjo v bolj oddaljene predele sveta. Kljub temu je bil velik del tega prilagojen lokalnim razmeram, zato boste v čezmorskih kitajskih skupnostih pogosto našli jedi, ki jih na Kitajskem ni mogoče najti ali pa so bile močno spremenjene v primerjavi s prvotnimi kitajskimi različicami. Malezija, Tajska, Vietnam in Singapur Zlasti so izvrstna mesta za poskus takšne kulinarike zaradi dolge zgodovine tamkajšnjih kitajskih skupnosti in okusnosti tradicionalnih lokalnih sestavin in načinov kuhanja. Nasprotno pa so se vračani čezmorski Kitajci vplivali tudi na kulinarično sceno domovine, morda najbolj očitno v Guangdong, Fujian in Hainan.

Številna mesta v zahodnih državah imajo Kitajska četrt okrožje in tudi manjša mesta imajo pogosto nekaj kitajskih restavracij. V teh krajih je bila od nekdaj v glavnem kantonska hrana, drugi stili pa so postali bolj pogosti.

Kitajska kuhinja se lahko giblje od preproste, a krepke ulične hrane do vrhunske fine jedilnice, ki uporablja samo najbolj ekskluzivne sestavine, s cenami, ki se ujemajo. Hong Kong na splošno velja za glavno središče Kitajcev na svetu fine dining, čeprav Singapur in Tajpej tudi nobenega trka in celinsko kitajska mesta Šanghaj in Peking tudi počasi, a zanesljivo dohitevajo.

Časi obrokov na Kitajskem so na začetku, saj so države bližje ameriškim časom obrokov kot evropskim. Zajtrk je običajno med 7:00 in 9:00, pogosto vključuje stvari, kot so rezanci, parjene žemljice, konge, ocvrto pecivo, sojino mleko, zelenjava ali cmoki. Najvišji čas kosila je 12: 00–13: 00, večerja pa je pogosto nekje okoli 17: 30–19: 30.

Regionalne kuhinje

Kitajska kuhinja se zelo razlikuje, odvisno od tega, v katerem delu države ste. "Štiri odlične kuhinje" (四大 菜系) so Sečuan (Chuan), Shandong (Lu), Guangdong (Kantonščina / jue) in Jiangsu (Huaiyang) kulinarika in druge regije imajo tudi svoje sloge z izrazito različnimi kulinaričnimi tradicijami na območjih etničnih manjšin, kot je Tibet in Xinjiang.

Ni težko preizkusiti nekaterih regionalnih kuhinj Kitajska tudi če ste daleč od njihovih izvornih regij - Sečuanov málà (麻辣) mračno-začinjeno hrano lahko najdete povsod, na primer podpise za oglaševanje Lanzhou rezanci (兰州 拉面, Lánzhōu lāmiàn). Podobno, čeprav je pekinška raca (北京 烤鸭) na videz lokalna posebnost Peking, na voljo je tudi v številnih kantonskih restavracijah.

Sečuanski mapo tofu

Za kulinariko muslimanskih ljudstev severozahodne Kitajske je značilno raznoliko pecivo

• Peking (京 菜 Jīng Cài ): rezanci po domače in baozi (包子 krušne žemljice), pekinška raca (北京 北京 Běijīng Kǎoyā), ocvrti rezanci z omako (炸酱面 zhájiàngmiàn), zeljne jedi, odlične kumarice. Lahko je okusno in nasitno.
• Imperial (宫廷菜 Gōngtíng Cài): hrano pokojnega dvora Qing, ki jo je proslavila cesarica vdova Cixi, lahko poskusite v vrhunskih specializiranih restavracijah v Pekingu. Kulinarika združuje elemente obroka Manchu, kot je divjačina, z edinstveno eksotiko, kot so kamela tačka, plavut morskega psa in ptičje gnezdo.

• Kantonski / Guangzhou / Hong Kong (广东 菜 Guǎngdōng Cài, 粤菜 Yuè Cài): slog, ki ga poznajo večina zahodnih obiskovalcev (čeprav v lokalizirani obliki). Ne preveč pikantno, poudarek je na sveže kuhanih sestavinah in morskih sadežih. Kot rečeno, verodostojna kantonska kuhinja je po raznolikosti sestavin tudi med najbolj pustolovskimi na Kitajskem, saj so kantonci, tudi med Kitajci, znani po izjemno široki opredelitvi užitka.
  • Dim Sum (点心 diǎnxīn v mandarinščini, dímsām kantonski), poudarjajo majhni prigrizki, ki jih običajno zaužijemo za zajtrk ali kosilo
  • Praženo meso (烧 味 shāowèi v mandarinščini, sīuméi v kantonščini) so priljubljene tudi v kantonski kuhinji, kar vključuje nekatere jedi, priljubljene v kitajskih četrth na Zahodu, kot je pečena raca (烧鸭 shāoyā v mandarinščini, sīu'aap v kantonščini), piščanec iz sojine omake (豉 油 鸡 chǐyóujī v mandarinščini, sihyàuhgāi v kantonščini), svinjina na žaru (叉烧 chāshāo v mandarinščini, chāsīu v kantonščini) in svinjski trebuh s hrustljavo kožo (烧肉 shāoròu v mandarinščini, sīuyuhk v kantonščini).
  • Sušeno meso (腊味 làwèi v mandarinščini, laahpméi v kantonščini) so še ena posebnost kantonske kuhinje in vključujejo kitajske klobase (腊肠 làcháng v mandarinščini, laahpchéung v kantonščini), jetrne klobase (膶 肠 rùncháng v mandarinščini, yéunchéung v kantonščini) in konzervirana raca (腊鸭 làyā v mandarinščini, laahp'aap v kantonščini). Pogost način prehranjevanja je v obliki sušenega riža iz glinenih posod (腊味 煲仔饭 làwèi bāozǎi fàn v mandarinščini, laahpméi bōujái faahn v kantonščini).
  • Congee (粥 zhōu v mandarinščini, jūk v kantonščini) je priljubljena tudi v kantonski kuhinji. Kantonski slog congee vključuje riž, ki ga kuhamo, dokler zrna niso več vidna, vsebuje pa tudi druge sestavine, kot so meso, morski sadeži ali klavnični odpadki, kuhani z rižem, da okusi congee.
• Huaiyang (淮揚菜 Huáiyáng Cài): Kulinarika Šanghaj, Jiangsu in Zhejiang, ki velja za dobro mešanico severnih in južnih kitajskih stilov kuhanja. Najbolj znane jedi so xiaolongbao (小笼 包 Xiǎolóngbāo) in drobnjakovi cmoki (韭菜 饺子 Jiǔcài Jiǎozi). Druge značilne jedi vključujejo dušen svinjski trebuh (红烧肉 hóng shāo ròu) in sladko-kisla svinjska rebra (糖醋 排骨 táng cù pái gǔ). Sladkor se pogosto doda ocvrtim jedem, kar jim daje sladek okus. Čeprav se šanghajska kuhinja pogosto šteje za predstavnika tega sloga, imajo kuhinje bližnjih mest, kot so Hangzhou, Suzhou in Nanjing, svoje unikatne jedi in okuse in jih je vsekakor vredno poskusiti.
• Sečuan (川菜 Chuān Cài): Znano pekoče in začinjeno. Priljubljen pregovor je, da je tako začinjeno, da vam usta otrpnejo. Vse jedi pa niso narejene iz živega čilija. Otopelost dejansko izvira iz sečuanske poprove koruze (花椒 huājiāo). Na voljo je zunaj Sečuana in je doma tudi v Chongqingu. Če želite resnično verodostojno sečuansko hrano zunaj Sečuana ali Chongqinga, poiščite majhne restavracije s športnimi liki sečuanske kuhinje v soseskah z veliko delavci migranti. Te so ponavadi veliko cenejše in pogosto boljše od povsod razširjenih sečuanskih restavracij.
• Hunan (湖南菜 Húnán Cài, 湘菜 Xiāng Cài): kuhinja regije Xiangjiang, jezera Dongting in zahodne province Hunan. Podobno kot na nek način tudi sečuanska kuhinja je v zahodnem pomenu pravzaprav lahko bolj začinjena.
• Teochew / Chiuchow / Chaozhou (潮州菜 Cháozhōu Cài): s poreklom iz Chaoshan območje v vzhodnem Guangdongu, edinstven slog, ki ga bo kljub temu poznal večina jugovzhodnoazijskih in hongkonških Kitajcev. Znane jedi so dušena raca (卤鸭 Lǔyā), yam paste sladica (芋泥 Yùní) in ribje kroglice (鱼丸 Yúwán).
  • Riževa kaša (粥 zhōu v mandarinščini, 糜 muê⁵ v Teochewu) je udobna jed v teochevski kuhinji. Za razliko od kantonske različice Teochew pušča riževa zrna nedotaknjena. Kašo Teochew ponavadi postrežemo navadno z drugimi slanimi jedmi ob strani, čeprav ribje kaše Teochew pogosto vsebujejo riž, skuhan v ribjej juhi in skuhan z rezinami rib.
• Hakka / Kejia (客家 菜 Kèjiā Cài): kuhinja ljudi Hakka, razširjena po različnih delih južne Kitajske. Osredotoča se na konzervirano meso in zelenjavo. Znane jedi vključujejo polnjeni tofu (酿 豆腐 niàng dòufǔ, polnjene z mesom seveda), polnjene grenke melone (酿 苦瓜 niàng kǔguā, polnjeno tudi z mesom), vložena gorčična zelenica svinjina (梅菜 扣肉 méicài kòuròu), svinjsko meso s taro (芋头 扣肉 yùtóu kòuròu), piščanec, pečen v soli (盐 焗 鸡 yánjújī) in mletem čaju (擂茶 léi chá).
• Fujian (福建 菜 Fújiàn Cài, 闽菜 Mǐn Cài): uporablja sestavine večinoma z obalnih in izlivnih vodnih poti. Fujijsko kuhinjo lahko razdelimo na vsaj tri različne kuhinje: Južni Fujian kuhinja, Fuzhou kulinariko in Zahodni Fujian kulinariko.
  • Riževa kaša (粥 zhōu v mandarinščini, 糜 bê v Minnanu) je priljubljena jed v južnem Fujianu. Podobna je različici Teochew, vendar je običajno kuhana z rezinami sladkega krompirja. Zelo priljubljen je tudi na Tajvanu, kjer je glavna jed za zajtrk.
• Guizhou (贵州 菜 Guìzhōu Cài, 黔菜 Qián Cài): združuje elemente sečuanske in ksiangške kuhinje, pri čemer liberalno uporablja pikantne, paprične in kisle okuse. Nenavadno zhergen (折耳根 Zhē'ěrgēn), regionalna korenovka, mnogim jedem doda nedvoumno kislo-paprikast okus. Manjšinske jedi, kot je vroča posoda s kislo ribo (酸汤鱼 Suān Tāng Yú) so zelo uživali.
• Zhejiang (浙菜 Zhè Cài): vključuje živila Hangzhou, Ningbo in Shaoxing. Nežno začinjena mešanica lahkega okusa morskih sadežev in zelenjave, ki jo pogosto postrežemo v juhi. Včasih rahlo sladkane ali včasih sladko-kisle jedi iz zhejianga pogosto vključujejo kuhano meso in zelenjavo v kombinaciji.
• Hainan (琼 菜 Qióng Cài): znan med Kitajci, a tujcem še vedno razmeroma neznan, za katerega je značilna velika uporaba morskih sadežev in kokosovih orehov. Posebne posebnosti so "Štiri znane jedi iz Hajnana" (海南 四大 名菜 Hǎinán Sì Dà Míngcài): Piščanec Wenchang (文昌鸡 Wénchāng jī), Koza Dongshan (东 山羊 Dōngshān yáng), Račka Jiaji (加 积 鸭 Jiājī yā) in rakica Hele (和 乐 蟹 Hélè xiè). Piščanec Wenchang bi sčasoma ustvaril hainanski piščančji riž v Singapurju in Maleziji, khao man kai (ข้าวมัน ไก่) na Tajskem in Cơm gà Hải Nam v Vietnamu.
• Severovzhodna Kitajska (东北 Dōngběi) ima svoj slog prehrane. Poudarja pšenico nad rižem in tako kot Severozahod vključuje različne kruhe in testenine ter kebabe (串 chuàn; upoštevajte, kako je lik videti kot kebab!). Območje je še posebej znano po jiǎozi (饺子), vrsta cmoka, tesno povezana z japonskim gyoza in podobni raviolom ali perogijam. Številna mesta južneje imajo jiaozi restavracije, veliko pa jih vodijo ljudje Dongbei.

Kuhinje Hong Kong in Macau so v bistvu kantonska kuhinja, čeprav z britanskim in portugalskim vplivom, medtem ko kuhinja iz Tajvan je podoben tistemu iz Južni Fujian, čeprav z japonskimi vplivi, pa tudi vplivi iz drugih delov Kitajske, ki so posledica receptov, ki so jih prinesli nacionalisti, ki so pobegnili s celine leta 1949. Kot rečeno, ko je veliko znanih kuharjev zbežalo s celinske Kitajske v Hongkong in Tajvan komunistične revolucije je tudi na teh območjih na voljo kakovostna kuhinja iz različnih delov Kitajske.

Sestavine

• Meso, zlasti svinjina, je vseprisotna. Priljubljena je tudi perutnina, kot sta raca in piščanec, govedine pa ne manjka. Jagnjetina in koza sta priljubljena pri muslimanih in na splošno na zahodu Kitajske. Če veste, kam iti, lahko poskusite tudi bolj nenavadno meso, kot sta kača ali pes.

• Šunka - Medtem ko sta evropska in ameriška šunka bolj znana v mednarodnem merilu, je Kitajska tudi tradicionalna država, ki proizvaja šunko, saj imajo nekateri njeni vrhunski pršuti zgodovino iz stoletja ali celo tisočletja. Kitajske šunke so običajno suhe in pogosto služijo kot jušna osnova ali kot sestavina različnih jedi. Kitajska najbolj znana šunka je šunka Jinhua (金華 火腿 jīn huá huǒ tuǐ) iz mesta Jinhua leta Zhejiang provinca. Poleg šunke Jinhua, pršuta Rugao (如皋如皋rú gāo huǒ tuǐ) iz Rugaa v Jiangsu provinca in šunka Xuanwei (宣威 火腿 xuān wēi huǒ tuǐ) iz mesta Xuanwei v Yunnan provinca zaokrožila kitajske "tri velike šunke". Med druge znane šunke spadajo šunka Anfu (安福 火腿 ān fú huǒ tuǐ) iz Anfuja leta Jiangxi provinca, ki je bila predstavljena na mednarodni razstavi Panama-Pacifik leta 1915, in šunka Nuodeng (诺 邓 火腿 nuò dèng huǒ tuǐ) iz Nuodenga v provinci Yunnan, ki je posebnost narodnosti Bai.

• Riž je arhetipska osnovna hrana, zlasti na jugu Kitajske.
• Rezanci so tudi pomembna glavna sestavina, saj so rezanci iz pšenice (面, miàn) pogostejši na severu Kitajske in rezanci iz riža (粉, fěn) na jugu.
• Zelenjava so običajno kuhani na pari, vloženi, ocvrti ali kuhani. Redko jih jedo surove. Mnogi imajo več imen in so prevedeni in prevedeni na različne načine, kar povzroča veliko zmede, ko poskušate razumeti jedilnik. Med priljubljene spadajo jajčevci, poganjki graha, korenina lotosa, poganjki daikona in bambusa. Buče vključujejo kalabaš, grenko melono, bučo, kumare, gobico in zimsko melono. Listnata zelenjava je raznolika, a mnogi angleško govorečim bolj ali manj ne poznajo in jo lahko prevedemo kot nekakšno zelje, solato, špinačo ali zelenico. Tako boste našli kitajsko zelje, solato z dolgimi listi, vodno špinačo in zelenjavo sladkega krompirja.
• Gobe - veliko različnih vrst, od gumijasto črnega "lesenega ušesa" do žvečilnih belih "gob z zlato iglo".
• Tofu na Kitajskem ni le nadomestek za vegetarijance, temveč preprosto druga vrsta hrane, ki jo pogosto postrežejo z zelenjavo, mesom ali jajci. Na voljo je v številnih različnih oblikah, od katerih jih je veliko popolnoma neprepoznavnih, če ste le navajeni na pravokotne bele bloke, ki so na voljo na mednarodni ravni.

Nekatere kitajske jedi vsebujejo sestavine, ki se jim nekateri ljudje raje izogibajo, na primer pse, mačke, kače ali ogrožene vrste. Vendar je zelo malo verjetno da boste te jedi naročili po pomoti. Psa in kače običajno postrežejo v posebnih restavracijah, ki svojih sestavin ne skrivajo. Očitno bodo izdelki iz ogroženih sestavin imeli astronomske cene in jih tako ali tako ne bi uvrstili v redni meni. Tudi mesta Shenzhen in Zhuhai prepovedali uživanje mačjega in pasjega mesa, to prepoved pa naj bi razširili po vsej državi.

Po mnenju tradicionalne kitajske medicine naj bi uživanje preveč psa, mačke ali kače povzročilo škodljive učinke, zato jih Kitajci ne jedo pogosto.

Na splošno je riž glavna rezina na jugu, medtem ko je pšenica, večinoma v obliki rezancev, glavna na severu. Te sponke so vedno prisotne in morda boste ugotovili, da niti enega dneva ne preživite na Kitajskem, ne da bi jedli riž, rezance ali oboje.

Parjene žemljice (baozi) so v številnih slanih in sladkih nadevih. Šanghajski slavni xiǎolóngbāo, prikazani tukaj, si privoščite vročo juho in mesno kroglico v tankem papirju.

Kruh v primerjavi z evropskimi državami skorajda ni vseprisotna, vendar je na severu Kitajske veliko dobrih polpetov in bāozi (包子) (kantonščina: bao) - parjene žemljice, polnjene s sladkim ali slanim nadevom - so sestavni del Kantonski dim sum in priljubljena tudi drugod po državi. Žemljice brez nadevov so znane kot mántou (馒头 / 饅頭) in so priljubljena jed za zajtrk na severu Kitajske; te lahko postrežemo na pari ali ocvrto. V tibetanski in ujgurski kuhinji so močne ploščice, podobne tistim v severni Indija in srednji vzhod.

Razen na nekaterih območjih etničnih manjšin, kot je Yunnan, Tibet, Notranja Mongolija in Xinjiang, mlečni izdelki izdelki v tradicionalni kitajski kuhinji niso pogosti. Z globalizacijo so mlečni izdelki vključeni v nekaj živil v preostanku države, zato boste morda na primer videli baozi, polnjene s kremo, vendar to ostajajo izjeme. Tudi mlečni izdelki so zaradi močnejših zahodnih vplivov v kuhinjah Hongkonga, Macaa in Tajvana nekoliko pogostejši kot v celinski Kitajski.

Eden od razlogov, da mlečni izdelki niso pogosti, je ta, da večina odraslih Kitajcev ne prenaša laktoze; primanjkuje jim encima, ki je potreben za prebavo laktoze (mlečni sladkor), zato jo črevesne bakterije prebavijo in tako proizvede plin. Velik odmerek mlečnih izdelkov lahko zato povzroči precejšnje bolečine in veliko zadrege. To stanje se pojavlja pri manj kot 10% severnoevropskih, a v več kot 90% prebivalstva v nekaterih delih Afrike. Kitajska je nekje vmes, stopnje pa imajo regionalne in etnične razlike. Jogurt je na Kitajskem precej pogost; težave ne povzroča, ker so bakterije v njem že razgradile laktozo. Jogurt je na splošno lažje najti kot mleko, sir pa je drag luksuzni izdelek.

Jedi

Kitajski odojki, Kolkata

Na Kitajskem boste našli vse vrste mesnih, zelenjavnih, tofu in rezancev. Tu je nekaj dobro znanih, značilnih jedi:

• Buda skoči čez steno (佛跳墙, fótiàoqiáng) - drago Fuzhounese juha iz morske pse (鱼翅, yúchì), abalone in številne druge nevegetarijanske vrhunske sestavine. Po legendi je bil vonj tako dober, da je budistični menih pozabil svoje vegetarijanske zaobljube in skočil čez tempeljsko steno, da bi jih dobil. Običajno je treba naročiti nekaj dni vnaprej zaradi dolgega časa priprave.
• Guōbāoròu (锅 包 肉) - sladko in kislo svinjsko meso iz Severovzhodna Kitajska.
• Piščančje noge (鸡爪, jī zhuǎ) - kuhano na veliko različnih načinov, mnogi na Kitajskem jih imajo za najbolj okusen del piščanca. Znan kot kremplji feniks (凤爪 fuhng jáau v kantonščini, fèng zhuǎ v mandarinščini) na kantonsko govorečih območjih, kjer je priljubljena jed z dim sumom in je najpogosteje narejena iz omake iz črnega fižola.
• Mapo tofu (麻 婆 豆腐, mápó dòufu) - a Sečuanski tofu in mleta svinjska jed, ki je zelo začinjena in ima klasično sečuansko málà mravljinčenje / omrtvičenje pikantnost.
• Pekinška raca (北京 烤鸭, Běijīng kǎoyā) - pečena raca, najbolj znana jed, značilna za Peking.
• Smrdljiv tofu (臭豆腐, chòu dòufu) - samo kako se sliši. Več različnih regij ima različne vrste, čeprav je najbolj znana Čangša-style, izdelan v pravokotnih blokih, ki so na zunanji strani počrnjeni. Drugi pomembni slogi jedi vključujejo Shaoxing-style in Nanjing-stil. Prav tako je zelo priljubljena ulična jed v Sloveniji Tajvan, kjer je na voljo v različnih stilih.
• Polnjeni tofu (酿 豆腐, niàng dòufu v mandarinščini, ngiong⁴ têu⁴ fu⁴ v Hakki) - hakka jed, ocvrt tofu, polnjen z mesom, znan kot yong tau foo v jugovzhodni Aziji, čeprav pogosto močno spremenjena v primerjavi z izvirnikom.
• Xiǎolóngbāo (小笼 包) - majhni polnjeni z juho polpeti iz Šanghaj, Jiangsu in Zhejiang.
• Sladko in kislo svinjsko meso (咕噜 肉 gūlūròu v mandarinščini, gūlōuyuhk v kantonščini) - kantonska jed, izumljena po okusu Evropejcev in Američanov s sedežem v Guangdongu v 19. stoletju. Ena izmed najbolj priljubljenih kitajskih jedi v angleško govorečih državah.
• Vroča in kisla juha (酸辣 汤 suānlà tāng) - gosta, škrobnata juha, ki je začinjena z rdečo papriko in kisla s kisom. Posebnost sečuanske kuhinje.
• Omleta ostrig (海 蛎 煎 hǎilì jiān ali 蚝 煎 háo jiān) - jed iz jajc, svežih ostrig in sladkega krompirjevega škroba s poreklom iz Južni Fujian in Chaoshan, čeprav z različnimi različicami. Morda je najbolj znana različica tega na mednarodni ravni tajvanska različica, ki je povsod prisotna na nočnih trgih na otoku. Druge razlike lahko najdemo tudi na območjih z velikimi skupnostmi diaspore iz prej omenjenih regij, kot so Singapur, Penang in Bangkok. Znan kot 蚵仔煎 (ô-á-chiān) na minnansko govorečih območjih (vključno s Tajvanom, kjer mandarinsko ime skoraj ni znano), in 蠔 烙 (o⁵ luah⁴) na govornem območju Teochew.

Rezanci

Rezanci izvirajo iz Kitajske: najzgodnejši pisni podatki o njih segajo pred približno 2000 leti, poročali pa so tudi o arheoloških dokazih o uživanju rezancev pred 4000 leti v Lajii na vzhodu Qinghai. Kitajci nimajo nobene besede za rezance, temveč jih delijo na miàn (面) iz pšenice in fěn (粉), narejene iz riža ali včasih drugih škrobov. Rezanci se razlikujejo glede na regijo, z različnimi sestavinami, širinami, načini priprave in prelivi, vendar jih običajno postrežemo z nekakšnim mesom in / ali zelenjavo. Postrežemo jih lahko z juho ali suhe (samo z omako).

Omake in arome, ki se uporabljajo z rezanci, vključujejo sičuansko ostro začinjeno (麻辣, málà) omako, sezamovo omako (麻酱, májiàng), sojino omako (酱油 jiàngyóu), kis (醋, cù) in mnoge druge.

Restavracija Lánzhōu lāmiàn v Šanghaju. Zgoraj desno opazite znak halal.

• Rezanci biangbiang (面, biángbiáng miàn) - gosti, široki, žvečilni, ročno izdelani rezanci iz Shaanxi, katerega ime je napisano z znakom, ki je tako zapleten in malo uporabljen, da ni naveden v slovarjih in ga ni mogoče vnesti v večino računalnikov (kliknite znak, če si želite ogledati večjo različico). Morda jih boste videli tudi kot menija on 面 yóupō miàn v menijih, ki znaka niso mogli pravilno natisniti.
• Rezanci iz Chongqinga (重庆 小 面, Chóngqìng xiǎo miàn) - mračno-začinjeni rezanci, ki jih običajno postrežejo z juho, verjetno najbolj znano jedjo iz Chongqing skupaj z vročim loncem.
• Dāndān miàn (担 担 面) - Sečuanski tanko začinjeni tanki rezanci, ki jih postrežemo "na suho" ali z juho.
• Ocvrti rezanci (炒面, chǎo miàn in 炒粉 chǎo fěn ali 河粉 héfěn) - obiskovalcem kitajskih restavracij v drugih državah je znano kot "Chow Mein"in"chow zabava"po kantonskih izgovorih se ti ocvrti rezanci razlikujejo glede na regijo. Niso vedno tako mastni in težki kot stvari, ki jih najdete v številnih čezmorskih kitajskih restavracijah. Ne smemo jih zamenjati s chǎo fàn (炒饭), kar je pražen riž.
• Vroči suhi rezanci (热干面, règānmiàn), preprosta jed z rezanci z omako, "suha" v smislu, da jo postrežemo brez juhe. Posebnost Wuhan, Hubei.
• Rezanci z nožem (刀削面, dāoxiāo miàn) - od Shanxi, ne tanek, a tudi ne ravno širok, postrežen z vrsto omak. "Bolj ko jih prežvečiš, bolj so okusni."
• Lánzhōu lāmiàn (兰州 拉面, Lánzhōu lāmiàn), sveže Lanzhourezance v ročnem vleku. V tej industriji močno prevladujejo pripadniki etnične skupine Hui (回族) - poiščite majhno restavracijo z osebjem v muslimanski obleki, belimi fezasti klobuki na moških in ženskimi rutami. Če iščete halal V restavracijah, ki živijo zunaj muslimanske večine, so te restavracije dobre stave - na številnih je napis „halal“ (清真, qīngzhēn) v kitajščini ali arabščini.
• Liángpí (凉皮), ravni rezanci so bili hladni, s poreklom iz Shaanxi.
• Lo mein (拌面, bàn miàn) - tanki, suhi rezanci z omako.
• Rezanci dolgoživosti (长寿 面, chángshòu miàn) so tradicionalna rojstnodnevna jed, dolgi rezanci simbolizirajo dolgo življenje.
• Luósīfěn (螺蛳 粉) - rezanci z rečno polžjo juho iz Guangxi.
• Rezanci nad mostom (过桥 米线, guò qiáo mǐxiàn) - riževa juha iz rezancev Yunnan.
• Rezanci Wonton (云吞 面 yún tūn miàn) - kantonska jed, sestavljena iz tankih jajčnih rezancev, ki jih postrežemo v juhi s cmoki iz kozic. V kantonski diaspori v Sloveniji obstajajo različne različice jedi Jugovzhodna Azija, čeprav pogosto močno spremenjena v primerjavi z izvirnikom.

Prigrizki

Tipična hrana za zajtrk: youtiao (oljno pecivo) z doujiangom (sojino mleko)

Različne vrste kitajske hrane zagotavljajo hitre, poceni, okusne in lahke obroke. Ulična hrana in prigrizki, ki se prodajajo pri prenosnih prodajalcih in trgovinah z luknjami v steni, najdete po celotnih kitajskih mestih, še posebej dobro za zajtrk ali prigrizek. Okrožje Wangfujing Snack Street v Pekingu je opazno, čeprav turistično območje za ulično hrano. Na kantonsko govorečih območjih se imenujejo prodajalci ulične hrane gai bin dong; taki podvigi lahko prerastejo v precejšen posel s stojnicami, ki so v tradicionalnem pomenu ulične hrane komaj "premične". Poleg majhnih uličnih prodajalcev lahko nekatere od teh izdelkov najdete na jedilniku v restavracijah ali na pultu v trgovinah, kot je 7-Eleven. Različni hitri obroki, ki so na voljo po vsej državi, vključujejo:

Zongzi (lepljivi riževi cmoki)

• Bāozi (包子) - parjene žemljice, polnjene s sladkim ali slanim nadevom, kot so zelenjava, meso, sladka pasta iz rdečega fižola, krema ali črna sezamova semena

Prijavite se za chuan visi pred trgovino, ki jo streže

• Mesne palčke na žaru (串 chuàn) od prodajalcev ulic. Enostavno ga je opaziti, saj je celo lik videti kot kebab! Ognjeni jagnječji kebabi v stilu Xinjianga (羊肉 串 yángròu chuàn) so še posebej znani.
• Congee (粥 zhōu ali 稀饭 xīfàn) - riževa kaša. The Kantonski, Teochew in Minnan Predvsem ljudje so to na videz preprosto jed povzdignili v umetniško obliko. Vsak od njih ima svoje značilne in zelo slavne sloge.
• Ribje kroglice (鱼丸 yúwán) - ribja pasta, oblikovana v obliki kroglice, priljubljena v večini obalnih krajev Guangdong in Fujian, pa tudi v Hong Kong in Tajvan. Zlasti dve mesti sta med različnimi etničnimi Kitajci po vsem svetu znani po svojih različicah te jedi; ShantouRibje kroglice v stilu so običajno navadne in brez nadevov FuzhouRibje kroglice v stilu so običajno napolnjene z mleto svinjino.
• Jiānbǐng (煎饼), jajčna palačinka, ovita okoli krekerja z omako in po želji s čili omako.
• Jiǎozi (饺子), ki ga kitajščina prevaja kot "cmoki", kuhani, parjeni ali ocvrti ravioli podobni predmeti z različnimi nadevi, osnovni izdelek na večini severne Kitajske. Najdemo jih po vsej Aziji: momos, mandu, gyoza in jiaozi so v bistvu različice iste stvari.
• Mántou (馒头) - navadne parjene žemljice, ki jih pogosto postrežejo in jedo s kondenziranim mlekom.
• Tofu puding (豆花, dòuhuā; ali 豆腐 花, dòufuhuā) - na jugu Kitajske je ta mehki puding ponavadi sladek in ga lahko postrežemo s prelivi, kot je rdeči fižol ali sirup. Na severu Kitajske je slana, narejena iz sojine omake in jo pogosto imenujejo dòufunǎo (豆腐 脑), dobesedno "tofujski možgani". Na Tajvanu je sladka in ima veliko tekočine, zato je toliko pijača kot hrana.
• Wōwōtóu (窝窝头) - koruzni kruh v obliki stožca, priljubljen na severu Kitajske
• Yóutiáo (油条) - dobesedno "oljnat trak", znan kot "globoko ocvrt duh" (油炸鬼) na kantonsko govorečih območjih, nekakšno dolgo, puhasto, mastno pecivo. Youtiao s sojinim mlekom je najpomembnejši tajvanski zajtrk, youtiao pa je pogosta začimba za congee v kantonski kuhinji. Legende pravijo, da je youtiao običajni protest sodelavca, ki je v času južne dinastije Song na smrt postavil domoljubnega generala.
• Zhágāo (炸糕) - malo sladkega ocvrtega peciva
• Zòngzi (粽子) - veliki lepljivi riževi cmoki, zaviti v bambusove liste, ki jih tradicionalno jedo na festivalu zmajevih čolnov (festival Duanwu) maja ali junija. Na festivalu zmajevih čolnov jih boste morda našli na prodaj v trgovinah, ki prodajajo druge vrste cmokov in parjenih žemljic, mogoče pa jih boste videli tudi v drugih letnih časih. Nadev je lahko okusen (咸 的 xián de) z mesom ali jajci ali sladko (甜 的 tián de). Slane so bolj priljubljene na jugu Kitajske, sladke pa na severu.

V vseprisotnih pekarnah (面包店, miànbāodiàn) lahko najdete tudi različne izdelke, običajno sladke. Veliko različnih sladkarij in sladkih jedi, ki jih najdemo na Kitajskem, se pogosto prodajajo kot prigrizki in ne kot obrok po sladicah v restavracijah, kot na Zahodu.

Sadje

zmajev sadež

Liči

• zmajev sadež (火龙果, huǒlóngguǒ) je sadež čudnega videza, če ga ne poznate, z rožnato kožico, rožnatimi ali zelenimi mehkimi klasicami, belim ali rdečim mesom in črnimi semeni. Vrsta z rdečim mesom je slajša in dražja, bela pa bolj osvežujoča.
• Žižula (枣, zǎo), včasih imenovan tudi "kitajski datum", verjetno zaradi svoje velikosti in oblike, vendar je po okusu in teksturi bolj podoben jabolku. Obstaja več različnih vrst, kupite pa jih lahko sveže ali posušene. Pogosto se uporablja za pripravo raznih kantonskih juh.
• Kivi (猕猴桃, míhóutáo ali včasih 奇异果, qíyìguǒ), ki izvira iz Kitajske, kjer lahko najdete veliko različnih sort, majhnih in velikih, z barvnim mesom od temno zelene do oranžne. Mnogi ljudje še nikoli niso okusili resnično zrelega kivija - če ste navajeni trpiti kivi, ki ga morate rezati z nožem, si naredite uslugo in poskusite takšnega, ki je svež, zrel in v sezoni.
• Longan (龙眼, lóngyǎn, dobesedno "zmajevo oko") je podoben bolj znanemu ličiju (spodaj), vendar manjši, z nekoliko lažjim okusom in gladko, bledo rumeno ali rjavo lupino. Na južnem Kitajskem ga nabirajo nekoliko pozneje v letu kot liči, vendar ga lahko najdemo tudi v drugih letnih časih.
• Liči (荔枝, lìzhī) je čudovito sladko, sočno sadje z nekoliko parfumskim okusom in v najboljšem primeru, ko je lupina rdeča. Nabirajo ga pozno spomladi in zgodaj poleti na območjih južne Kitajske, kot je npr Guangdong Provinca.
• Mangostin (山竹, shānzhú), temno vijoličen sadež velikosti majhnega jabolka. Če ga želite pojesti, ga stisnite od spodaj, da debela lupina poči, nato ga odprite in pojejte sladko belo meso.
• Slive (梅子, méizi; 李子, lǐzi) - kitajske slive so običajno manjše, trše in tartarne od sliv, ki bi jih našli v Severni Ameriki. Priljubljeni so sveži ali posušeni.
  • Yángméi (杨梅) je nekakšna sliva, vijolična s fino trnasto površino. Je sladka in ima teksturo, ki jo je težko opisati, podobno kot zrnasta jagoda ali malina.
• Pomelo (柚子, yòuzi) - včasih ga imenujejo tudi "kitajski grenivke", dejansko pa grenivka predstavlja križanec med tem velikim agrumom in pomarančo. Njeno meso je bolj sladko, a manj sočno kot grenivka, kar pomeni, da ga lahko jeste z rokami in ne potrebujete noža ali žlice. Nabran jesen je pomelo prevelik, da bi ga lahko jedla ena oseba, zato ga delite s spremljevalci.
• Wampee (黄皮, huángpí), drugo sadje, podobno longanu in ličiju, vendar v obliki grozdja in rahlo trpko.
• Lubenica (西瓜, xīguā) je zelo pogosto na voljo poleti. Kitajske lubenice so običajno kroglaste in ne podolgovate v eni dimenziji.

Na Kitajskem paradižnik in avokado veljata za sadje. Avokado je redko, paradižnik pa pogosto jedo kot prigrizke, sestavine v sladicah ali ocvrto z umešanimi jajci.

Pijače

Čaj

Skodelica čaja, najpomembnejša kitajska pijača

Čaj (茶, chá) je seveda mogoče najti v restavracijah in v namenskih čajnicah. Poleg bolj tradicionalnega "čistega" čaja brez mleka ali sladkorja, čaj z mehurčki z mlekom in tapioko kroglice (vroče ali hladno) je priljubljeno, v trgovinah in prodajnih avtomatih najdete ustekleničen sladek ledeni čaj.

Kitajska je rojstno mesto kulture čaja in obstaja veliko, če obstaja tveganje, da bo očitno čaj (茶 chá) na Kitajskem. Zeleni čaj (绿茶 lǜchá) v nekaterih restavracijah postrežejo brezplačno (odvisno od regije) ali za majhno plačilo. Nekatere pogoste vrste so:

• smodni čaj (珠茶 zhūchá): a green tea so-named not after the taste but after the appearance of the bunched-up leaves used to brew it (the Chinese name "pearl tea" is rather more poetic)
• jasmine tea (茉莉花茶 mòlihuachá): green tea scented with jasmine flowers
• oolong (烏龍 wūlóng): a half-fermented mountain tea.

However, specialist tea houses serve a vast variety of brews, ranging from the pale, delicate white tea (白茶 báichá) to the powerful fermented and aged pu'er tea (普洱茶 pǔ'ěrchá).

The price of tea in China is about the same as anywhere else, as it turns out. Like wine and other indulgences, a product that is any of well-known, high-quality or rare can be rather costly and one that is two or three of those can be amazingly expensive. As with wines, the cheapest stuff should usually be avoided and the high-priced products left to buyers who either are experts themselves or have expert advice, but there are many good choices in the middle price ranges.

Tea shops typically sell by the jin (斤 jīn, 500g, a little over an imperial pound); prices start around ¥50 a jin and there are many quite nice teas in the ¥100-300 range. Most shops will also have more expensive teas; prices up to ¥2,000 a jin are fairly common. The record price for top grade tea sold at auction was ¥9,000 per gram; that was for a rare da hong pao iz Mount Wuyi from a few bushes on a cliff, difficult to harvest and once reserved for the Emperor.

Various areas of China have famous teas, but the same type of tea will come in many different grades, much as there are many different burgundies at different costs. Hangzhou, near Shanghai, is famed for its "Dragon Well" (龙井 lóngjǐng) green tea. Fujian in Tajvan have the most famous oolong teas (乌龙茶 wūlóngchá), "Dark Red Robe" (大红袍 dàhóngpáo) iz Mount Wuyi, "Iron Goddess of Mercy" (铁观音 tiěguānyīn) iz Anxi, and "High Mountain Oolong" (高山烏龍 gāoshān wūlóng) from Taiwan. Pu'er in Yunnan has the most famous fully fermented tea, pǔ'ěrchá (普洱茶). This comes compressed into hard cakes, originally a packing method for transport by horse caravan to Burma and Tibet. The cakes are embossed with patterns; some people hang them up as wall decorations.

Most tea shops will be more than happy to let you sit down and try different varieties of tea. Tenfu Tea [1] is a national chain and in Beijing "Wu Yu Tai" is the one some locals say they favor.

Black tea, the type of tea most common in the West, is known in China as "red tea" (紅茶 hóngchá). While almost all Western teas are black teas, the converse isn't true, with many Chinese teas, including the famed Pǔ'ěr also falling into the "black tea" category.

Normal Chinese teas are always drunk neat, with the use of sugar or milk unknown. However, in some areas you will find Hong Kong style "milk tea" (奶茶 nǎichá) or Tibetan "butter tea". Taiwanese bubble tea (珍珠奶茶 Zhēnzhū Nǎichá) is also popular; the "bubbles" are balls of tapioca and milk or fruit are often mixed in.

Coffee

Coffee (咖啡 kāfēi) is becoming quite popular in urban China, though it can be quite difficult to find in smaller towns.

Several chains of coffee shops have branches in many cities, including Starbucks (星巴克), UBC Coffee (上岛咖啡), Ming Tien Coffee Language and SPR, which most Westerners consider the best of the bunch. All offer coffee, tea, and both Chinese and Western food, generally with good air conditioning, wireless Internet, and nice décor. In most locations they are priced at ¥15-40 or so a cup, but beware of airport locations which sometimes charge around ¥70.

There are many small independent coffee shops or local chains. These may also be high priced, but often they are somewhat cheaper than the big chains. Quality varies from excellent to abysmal.

For cheap coffee just to stave off withdrawal symptoms, there are several options. Go to a Western fast food chain (KFC, McD, etc.) for some ¥8 coffee. Alternately, almost any supermarket or convenience store will have both canned cold coffee and packets of instant Nescafé (usually pre-mixed with whitener and sugar) - just add hot water. It is common for travellers to carry a few packets to use in places like hotel rooms or on trains, where coffee may not be available but hot water almost always is.

Other non-alcoholic drinks

The distinctive bottle of sour prune juice (suānméitāng)

• Sour prune juice (酸梅汤 suānméitāng) – sweet and sour, and quite a bit tastier than what you might know as "prune juice" back home. Served at restaurants fairly often.
• Soymilk (豆浆 dòujiāng) – different from the stuff that's known as "soymilk" in Europe or the Americas. You can find it at some street food stalls and restaurants. The server may ask if you want it hot (热 rè) or cold (冷 lěng); otherwise the default is hot. Vegans and lactose-intolerant people beware: there are two different beverages in China that are translated as "soymilk": 豆浆 dòujiāng should be dairy-free, but 豆奶 dòunǎi may contain milk.
• Apple vinegar drink (苹果醋饮料 píngguǒ cù yǐnliào) – it might sound gross, but don't knock it till you try it! A sweetened carbonated drink made from vinegar; look for the brand 天地壹号 Tiāndì Yīhào.
• Herbal tea (凉茶 liáng chá) – a specialty of Guangdong. You can find sweet herbal tea drinks at supermarkets and convenience stores – look for the popular brands 王老吉 Wánglǎojí and 加多宝 Jiāduōbǎo. Or you can get the traditional, very bitter stuff at little shops where people buy it as a cold remedy.
• Winter melon punch (冬瓜茶 dōngguā chá) – a very sweet drink that originated in Taiwan, but has also spread to much of southern China and the overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia.
• Hot water (热水 rè shuǐ) – traditionally in China, ordinary water is drunk hot rather than cold. It may seem counterintuitive, but drinking hot water helps you sweat and thus cool off during the hot summer months. Nowadays there are plenty of people in China who drink cold water too, but if you happen to get a cold or feel ill during your trip, you're sure to hear lots of people advising you: "Drink more hot water."

Alcoholic

Poglej tudi: China#Drink

Báijiǔ in a glass and in a bottle.

• Báijiǔ (白酒) is very strong, clear grain liquor, made from sorghum and sometimes other grains depending on the region. The word "jiǔ" can be used for any alcoholic drink, but is often translated as "wine". Chinese may therefore call baijiu "white wine" in conversation, but "white lightning" would be a better translation, since it is generally 40% to 65% alcohol by volume.

Baijiu will typically be served at banquets and festivals in tiny shot glasses. Toasts are ubiquitous at banquets or dinners on special occasions. Many Chinese consume baijiu only for this ceremonial purpose, though some — more in northern China than in the south — do drink it more often.

Baijiu is definitely an acquired taste, but once the taste is acquired, it's quite fun to "ganbei" (toast) a glass or two at a banquet.

• Maotai (茅台 Máotái) or Moutai, made in Guizhou Province, is China's most famous brand of baijiu and China's national liquor. Made from sorghum, Maotai and its expensive cousins are well known for their strong fragrance and are actually sweeter than western clear liquors as the sorghum taste is preserved — in a way.
• Wuliangye (五粮液 Wǔliángyè) iz Yibin, Sichuan is another premium type of baijiu. Its name literally translates as "five grains liquor", referring to the five different types of grains that go into its production, namely sorghum, glutinous rice, rice, wheat and maize. Some of its more premium grades are among the most expensive liquors in the world, retailing at several thousand US dollars per bottle.
• Kaoliang (高粱酒 gāoliángjiǔ) is a premium type of sorghum liquor most famously made on the island of Kinmen under the eponymous brand Kinmen Kaoling Liquor, which while just off the coast of Xiamen is controlled by Tajvan. Considered to be the national drink of Taiwan.

Red Star (红星) èrguōtóu, cheap but potent

• The cheapest baijiu is the Beijing-brewed èrguōtóu (二锅头). It is most often seen in pocket-size 100 ml bottles which sell for around ¥5. It comes in two variants: 53% and 56% alcohol by volume. Ordering "xiǎo èr" (erguotou's diminutive nickname) will likely raise a few eyebrows and get a chuckle from working-class Chinese.

There are many brands of baijiu, and as is the case with other types of liquor, both quality and price vary widely. Foreigners generally try only low-end or mid-range baijiu, and they are usually unimpressed; the taste is often compared to diesel fuel. However a liquor connoisseur may find high quality, expensive baijiu quite good.

Tsingtao beer

• Beer (啤酒 píjiǔ) is common in China, especially the north. Beer is served in nearly every restaurant and sold in many grocery stores. The typical price is about ¥2.5-4 in a grocery store, ¥4-18 in a restaurant, around ¥10 in an ordinary bar, and ¥20-40 in a fancier bar. Most places outside of major cities serve beer at room temperature, regardless of season, though places that cater to tourists or expatriates have it cold. The most famous brand is Tsingtao (青島 Qīngdǎo) iz Qingdao, which was at one point a German concession. Other brands abound and are generally light beers in a pilsner or lager style with 3-4% alcohol. This is comparable to many American beers, but weaker than the 5-6% beers found almost everywhere else. In addition to national brands, most cities will have one or more cheap local beers. Some companies (Tsingtao, Yanjing) also make a dark beer (黑啤酒 hēipíjiǔ). In some regions, beers from other parts of Asia are fairly common and tend to be popular with travellers — Filipino San Miguel in Guangdong, Singaporean Tiger in Hainan, and Laotian Beer Lao in Yunnan.
• Grape wine: Locally made grape wine (葡萄酒 pútáojiǔ) is common and much of it is reasonably priced, from ¥15 in a grocery store, about ¥100-150 in a fancy bar. However, most of the stuff bears only the faintest resemblance to Western wines. The Chinese like their wines red and very sweet, and they're typically served over ice or mixed with Sprite.

Great Wall in Dynasty are large brands with a number of wines at various prices; their cheaper (under ¥40) offerings generally do not impress Western wine drinkers, though some of their more expensive products are often found acceptable.

China's most prominent wine-growing region is the area around Yantai. Changyu is perhaps its best-regarded brand: its founder introduced viticulture and winemaking to China in 1892. Some of their low end wines are a bit better than the competition.

In addition to the aforementioned Changyu, if you're looking for a Chinese-made, Western-style wine, try to find these labels:

• Suntime^{[mrtva povezava]}, with a passable Cabernet Sauvignon
• Yizhu, in Yili and specializing in ice wine
• Les Champs D'or, French-owned and probably the best overall winery in China, from Xinjiang
• Imperial Horse and Xixia, from Ningxia
• Mogao Ice Wine, Gansu
• Castle Estates, Shandong
• Shangrila Estates, from Zhongdian, Yunnan

Wines imported from Western countries can also be found, but they are often extremely expensive. For some wines, the price in China is more than three times what you would pay elsewhere.

• There are also several brands and types of rice wine. Most of these resemble a watery rice pudding, they are usually sweet and contain a minute amount of alcohol for taste. Travellers' reactions to them vary widely. These do not much resemble Japanese sake, the only rice wine well known in the West.
• Kitajski brandy (白兰地 báilándì) is excellent value; like grape wine or baijiu, prices start under ¥20 for 750 ml, but many Westerners find the brandies far more palatable. A ¥18-30 local brandy is not an over ¥200 imported brand-name cognac, but it is close enough that you should only buy the cognac if money doesn't matter. Expats debate the relative merits of brandies including Chinese brand Changyu. All are drinkable.
• The Chinese are also great fans of various supposedly medicinal liquors, which usually contain exotic herbs and/or animal parts. Some of these have prices in the normal range and include ingredients like ginseng. These can be palatable enough, if tending toward sweetness. Others, with unusual ingredients (snakes, turtles, bees, etc.) and steep price tags, are probably best left to those that enjoy them.

Restaurants

Many restaurants in China charge a cover charge of a few yuan per person.

If you don't know where to eat, a formula for success is to wander aimlessly outside of the touristy areas (it's safe), find a place full of locals, skip empty places and if you have no command of Mandarin or the local dialect, find a place with pictures of food on the wall or the menu that you can muddle your way through. Whilst you may be persuaded to order the more expensive items on the menu, ultimately what you want to order is your choice, and regardless of what you order, it is likely to be far more authentic and cheaper than the fare that is served at the tourist hot spots.

Ratings

Yelp is virtually unknown in China, while the Michelin Guide only covers Shanghai and Guangzhou, and is not taken very seriously by most Chinese people. Instead, most Chinese people rely on local website Dazhong Dianping for restaurant reviews and ratings. While it is a somewhat reliable way to search for good restaurants in your area, the downside is that it is only in Chinese. In Hong Kong, some people use Open Rice for restaurant reviews and ratings in Chinese and English.

Types of restaurants

Hot pot restaurants are popular in China. The way they work varies a bit, but in general you choose, buffet-style, from a selection of vegetables, meat, tofu, noodles, etc., and they cook what you chose into a soup or stew. At some you cook it yourself, fondue-style. These restaurants can be a good option for travellers who don't speak Chinese, though the phrases là (辣, "spicy"), bú là (不辣, "not spicy") and wēilà (微辣, "mildly spicy") may come in handy. You can identify many hot pot places from the racks of vegetables and meat waiting next to a stack of large bowls and tongs used to select them.

Dim sum in Hong Kong

Cantonese cuisine is known internationally for dim sum (点心, diǎnxīn), a style of meal served at breakfast or lunch where a bunch of small dishes are served in baskets or plates. At a dim sum restaurant, the servers may bring out the dishes and show them around so you can select whatever looks good to you or you may instead be given a checkable list of dishes and a pen or pencil for checking the ones you want to order. As a general rule, Cantonese diners always order shrimp dumplings (虾饺, xiājiǎo in Mandarin, hāgáau in Cantonese) and pork dumplings (烧卖, shāomài in Mandarin, sīumáai in Cantonese) whenever they eat dim sum, even though they may vary the other dishes. This is because the two aforementioned dishes are considered to be so simple to make that all restaurants should be able to make them, and any restaurant that cannot make them well will probably not make the other more complex dishes well. Moreover, because they require minimal seasoning, it is believed that eating these two dishes will allow you to gauge the freshness of the restaurant's seafood and meat.

Big cities and places with big Buddhist temples often have Buddhist restaurants serving unique and delicious all-vegetarian food, certainly worth trying even if you love meat. Many of these are all-you-can-eat buffets, where you pay to get a tray, plate, bowl, spoon, cup, and chopsticks, which you can refill as many times as you want. (At others, especially in Taiwan, you pay by weight.) When you're finished you're expected to bus the table yourself. The cheapest of these vegetarian buffets have ordinary vegetable, tofu, and starch dishes for less than ¥20 per person; more expensive places may have elaborate mock meats and unique local herbs and vegetables. Look for the character 素 sù or 齋/斋 zhāi, the 卍 symbol, or restaurants attached to temples.

Chains

Western-style hitra hrana has become popular. KFC (肯德基), McDonald's (麦当劳), Subway (赛百味) and Pizza Hut (必胜客) are ubiquitous, at least in mid-sized cities and above. Some of them have had to change or adapt their concepts for the Chinese market; Pizza Hut is a full-service sit down restaurant chain in China. There are a few Burger Kings (汉堡王), Domino's and Papa John's (棒约翰) as well but only in major cities. (The menu is of course adjusted to suit Chinese tastes – try taro pies at McDonald's or durian pizza at Pizza Hut.) Chinese chains are also widespread. These include Dicos (德克士)—chicken burgers, fries etc., cheaper than KFC and some say better—and Kung Fu (真功夫)—which has a more Chinese menu.

• Chuanqi Maocai (传奇冒菜 Chuánqí Màocài). Chengdu-style hot pot stew. Choose vegetables and meat and pay by weight. Inexpensive with plenty of Sichuan tingly-spicy flavor. (updated Jan 2020)
• Din Tai Fung (鼎泰丰 Dǐng Tài Fēng). Taiwanese chain specializing in Huaiyang cuisine, with multiple locations throughout mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as numerous overseas locations throughout East and Southeast Asia, and in far-flung places such as the United State, United Kingdom and Australia. Particularly known for their soup dumplings (小笼包) and egg fried rice (蛋炒饭). The original location on Xinyi Road in Taipei is a major tourist attraction; expect to queue for 2 hours or more during peak meal times. (posodobljeno januar 2019)
• Green Tea (绿茶 Lǜ Chá). Hangzhou cuisine with mood lighting in an atmosphere that evokes ancient China. Perhaps you'll step over a curved stone bridge as you enter the restaurant, sit at a table perched in what looks like a small boat, or hear traditional music drift over from a guzheng player while you eat. (posodobljeno dec 2019)
• Haidilao Hot Pot (海底捞 Hǎidǐlāo). Expensive hot pot chain famous for its exceptionally attentive and courteous service. Servers bow when you come in and go the extra mile to make sure you enjoy your meal. (posodobljeno dec 2019)
• Little Sheep (小肥羊). A mid-range hot pot chain that has expanded beyond China to numerous overseas locations such as the United States, Canada and Australia. Based on Mongol cuisine—the chain is headquartered in Inner Mongolia. The specialty is mutton but there are other meats and vegetable ingredients for the hot pot on the menu as well. One type of hot pot is called Yuan Yang (鸳鸯锅 yuān yāng guō). The hot pot is separated into two halves, one half contains normal non-spicy soup stock and the other half contains má là (numbing spicy) soup stock. (updated Jan 2020)
• Yi Dian Dian (1㸃㸃 / 一点点 Yìdiǎndiǎn). Taiwanese milk tea chain that now has lots of branches in mainland China. (posodobljeno dec 2019)

Ordering

Chinese restaurants often offer an overwhelming variety of dishes. Fortunately, most restaurants have picture menus with photos of each dish, so you are saved from despair facing a sea of characters. Starting from mid-range restaurants, there is also likely to be a more or less helpful English menu. Even with the pictures, the sheer amount of dishes can be overwhelming and their nature difficult to make out, so it is often useful to ask the waiter to recommend (推荐 tuījiàn) something. They will often do so on their own if they find you searching for a few minutes. The waiter will usually keep standing next to your table while you peruse the menu, so do not be unnerved by that.

The two-menu system where different menus are presented according to the skin color of a guest remains largely unheard of in China. Most restaurants only have one menu—the Chinese one. Learning some Chinese characters such as beef (牛), pork (猪), chicken (鸡), fish (鱼), stir-fried (炒), deep-fried (炸), braised (烧), baked or grilled (烤), soup (汤), rice (饭), or noodles (面) will take you a long way. As pork is the most common meat in Chinese cuisine, where a dish simply lists "meat" (肉), assume it is pork.

Dishes ordered in a restaurant are meant for sharing amongst the whole party. If one person is treating the rest, they usually take the initiative and order for everyone. In other cases, everyone in the party may recommend a dish. If you are with Chinese people, it is good manners to let them choose, but also fine to let them know your preferences.

If you are picking the dishes, the first question to consider is whether you want rice. Usually you do, because it helps to keep your bill manageable. However, real luxury lies in omitting the rice, and it can also be nice when you want to sample a lot of the dishes. Rice must usually be ordered separately and won’t be served if you don’t order it. It is not free but very cheap, just a few yuan a bowl.

For the dishes, if you are eating rice, the rule of thumb is to order at least as many dishes as there are people. Serving sizes differ from restaurant to restaurant. You can never go wrong with an extra plate of green vegetables; after that, use your judgment, look what other people are getting, or ask the waiter how big the servings are. If you are not eating rice, add dishes accordingly. If you are unsure, you can ask the waiter if they think you ordered enough (你觉得够吗? nǐ juéde gòu ma?).

You can order dishes simply by pointing at them in the menu, saying “this one” (这个 zhè ge). The way to order rice is to say how many bowls of rice you want (usually one per person): X碗米饭 (X wǎn mǐfàn), where X is yì, liǎng, sān, sì, etc. The waiter will repeat your order for your confirmation.

If you want to leave, call the waiter by shouting 服务员 (fúwùyuán), and ask for the bill (买单 mǎidān).

Eating alone

Traditional Chinese dining is made for groups, with lots of shared dishes on the table. This can make for a lonely experience and some restaurants might not know how to serve a single customer. It might however provide the right motivation to find other people (locals or fellow travellers) to eat with! But if you find yourself hungry and on your own, here are some tips:

Chinese-style fast food chains provide a good option for the lone traveller to get filled, and still eat Chinese style instead of western burgers. They usually have picture menus or picture displays above the counter, and offer set deals (套餐 tàocān) that are designed for eating alone. Usually, you receive a number, which is called out (in Chinese) when your dish is ready. Just wait at the area where the food is handed out – there will be a receipt or something on your tray stating your number. The price you pay for this convenience is that ingredients are not particularly fresh. It’s impossible to list all of the chains, and there is some regional variation, but you will generally recognize a store by a colourful, branded signboard. If you can’t find any, look around major train stations or in shopping areas. Department stores and shopping malls also generally have chain restaurants.

A tastier and cheaper way of eating on your own is street food, but exercise some caution regarding hygiene, and be aware that the quality of the ingredients (especially meat) at some stalls may be suspect. That said, as Chinese gourmands place an emphasis on freshness, there are also stalls that only use fresh ingredients to prepare their dishes if you know where to find them. Ask around and check the local wiki page to find out where to get street food in your city; often, there are snack streets or night markets full of stalls. If you can understand Chinese, food vlogs are very popular on Chinese social media, so those are a good option for finding fresh and tasty street food. Another food that can be consumed solo are noodle soups such as beef noodles (牛肉面 niúròumiàn), a dish that is ubiquitous in China and can also be found at many chain stores.

Even if it may be unusual to eat at a restaurant alone, you will not be thrown out and the staff will certainly try to suggest something for you.

Dietary restrictions

People with dietary restrictions will have a hard time in China.

Halal food is hard to find outside areas with a significant Muslim population, but look for Lanzhou noodle (兰州拉面, Lánzhōu lāmiàn) restaurants, which may have a sign advertising "halal" in Arabic (حلال) or Chinese (清真 qīngzhēn).

Kosher food is virtually unknown, and pork is widely used in Chinese cooking (though restaurants can sometimes leave it out or substitute beef). Some major cities have a Chabad or other Jewish center which can provide kosher food or at least advice on finding it, though in the former case you'll probably have to make arrangements well in advance.

Specifically Hindu restaurants are virtually non-existent, though avoiding beef is straightforward, particularly if you can speak some Chinese, and there are plenty of other meat options to choose from.

For strict vegetarians, China may be a challenge, especially if you can't communicate very well in Chinese. You may discover that your noodle soup was made with meat broth, your hot pot was cooked in the same broth as everyone else's, or your stir-fried eggplant has tiny chunks of meat mixed in. If you're a little flexible or speak some Chinese, though, that goes a long way. Meat-based broths and sauces or small amounts of ground pork are common, even in otherwise vegetarian dishes, so always ask. Vegetable and tofu dishes are plentiful in Chinese cuisine, and noodles and rice are important staples. Most restaurants do have vegetable dishes—the challenge is to get past the language barrier to confirm that there isn't meat mixed in with the vegetables. Look for the character 素 sù, approximately meaning "vegetarian", especially in combinations like 素菜 sùcài ("vegetable dish"), 素食 sùshí ("vegetarian food"), and 素面 ("noodles with vegetables"). Buddhist restaurants (discussed above) are a delicious choice, as are hot pot places (though many use shared broth). One thing to watch out for, especially at hot pot, is "fish tofu" (鱼豆腐 yúdòufǔ), which can be hard to distinguish from actual tofu (豆腐 dòufǔ) without asking. As traditional Chinese cuisine does not make use of dairy products, non-dessert vegetarian food is almost always vegan. However, ensure that your dish does not contain eggs.

Awareness of food allergies (食物过敏 shíwù guòmǐn) is limited in China. If you can speak some Chinese, staff can usually answer whether food contains ingredients like peanuts or peanut oil, but asking for a dish to be prepared without the offending ingredient is unlikely to work. When in doubt, order something else. Szechuan peppercorn (花椒 huājiāo), used in Szechuan cuisine to produce its signature málà (麻辣) flavor, causes a tingly numbing sensation that can mask the onset of allergies, so you may want to avoid it, or wait longer after your first taste to decide if a dish is safe. Packaged food must be labeled if it contains milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, or soy (the same as the U.S., likely due to how much food China exports there).

A serious soy (大豆 dàdòu) allergy is largely incompatible with Chinese food, as soy sauce (酱油 jiàngyóu) is used in many Chinese dishes. Keeping a strictgluten-free (不含麸质的 bùhán fūzhì de) diet while eating out is also close to impossible, as most common brands of soy sauce contain wheat; gluten-free products are not available except in expensive supermarkets targeted towards Western expatriates. If you can tolerate a small amount of gluten, you should be able to manage, especially in the south where there's more emphasis on rice and less on wheat. Peanuts (花生 huāshēng) and other nuts are easily noticed in some foods, but may be hidden inside bread, cookies, and desserts. Peanut oil (花生油 huāshēngyóu) in sesame oil (麻油 máyóu or 芝麻油 zhīmayóu) are widely used for cooking, seasoning, and making flavored oils like chili oil, although they are usually highly refined and may be safe depending on the severity of your allergy. With the exception of the cuisines of some ethnic minorities such as the Uyghurs, Tibetans and Mongols, dairy is uncommon in Chinese cuisine, so lactose intolerant people should not have a problem unless you are travelling to ethnic-minority areas.

Spoštovanje

There's a stereotype that Chinese cuisine has no taboos and Chinese people will eat anything that moves, but a more accurate description is that food taboos vary by region, and people from one part of China may be grossed out by something that people in another province eat. Cantonese cuisine in particular has a reputation for including all sorts of animal species, including those considered exotic in most other countries or other parts of China. That said, the cuisine of Hong Kong and Macau, while also Cantonese, has somewhat more taboos than its mainland Chinese counterpart as a result of stronger Western influences; dog and cat meat, for instance, are illegal in Hong Kong and Macau.

V Muslim communities, pork is taboo, while attitudes towards alcohol vary widely.

Etiquette

Enjoying street food v Yuanyang

Table manners vary greatly depending on social class, but in general, while speaking loudly is common in cheap streetside eateries, guests are generally expected to behave in a more reserved manner when dining in more upmarket establishments. When eating in a group setting, it is generally impolite to pick up your utensils before the oldest or most senior person at the table has started eating.

China is the birthplace of chopsticks and unsurprisingly, much important etiquette relates to the use of chopsticks. While the Chinese are generally tolerant about table manners, you will most likely be seen as ill-mannered, annoying or offensive when using chopsticks in improper ways. Stick to the following rules:

• Communal chopsticks (公筷) are not always provided, so diners typically use their own chopsticks to transfer food to their bowl. While many foreigners consider this unhygienic, it is usually safe. It is acceptable to request communal chopsticks from the restaurant, although you may offend your host if you have been invited out.
• Once you pick a piece, you are obliged to take it. Don't put it back. Confucius says never leave someone with what you don't want.
• When someone is picking from a dish, don't try to cross over or go underneath their arms to pick from a dish further away. Wait until they finish picking.
• In most cases, a dish is not supposed to be picked simultaneously by more than one person. Don't try to compete with anyone to pick a piece from the same dish.
• Don't put your chopsticks vertically into your bowl of rice as it is reminiscent of incense sticks burning at the temple and carries the connotation of wishing death for those around you. Instead, place them across your bowl or on the chopstick rest, if provided.
• Don't drum your bowl or other dishware with chopsticks. Only beggars do it. People don't find it funny even if you're willing to satirically call yourself a beggar. Likewise, don't repeatedly tap your chopsticks against each other.

Other less important dining rules include:

A lazy Susan in a Chinese restaurant

• Whittling disposable chopsticks implies you think the restaurant is cheap. Avoid this at any but the lowest-end places, and even there, be discreet.
• Licking your chopsticks is considered low-class. Take a bite of your rice instead.
• All dishes are shared, similar to "family style" dining in North America. When you order anything, it's not just for you, it's for everyone. You're expected to consult others before you order a dish. You will usually be asked if there is anything you don't eat, although being overly picky is seen as annoying.
• Serve others before yourself, when it comes to things like rice and beverages that need to be served to everyone. Če si želite na primer postreči z drugo porcijo riža, najprej preverite, ali še kdo primanjkuje, in ponudite, da ga najprej postrežete.
• Ustvarjanje zvokajočih zvokov med prehranjevanjem je pogosto, vendar bi ga lahko šteli za neprimernega, zlasti med dobro izobraženimi družinami. Nekateri gurmani pa gurmane vidijo, da je sladkanje, podobno kot "skodelica", med okusom čaja način za izboljšanje okusa.
• Običajno je, da gostitelj ali hostesa položi hrano na svoj krožnik. To je gesta dobrote in gostoljubja. Če želite zavrniti, to storite tako, da ne bo žalilo. Na primer, vztrajati morate, da jedo in si postrežete sami.
• Številne potopisne knjige pravijo, da čiščenje krožnika kaže na to, da vas gostitelj ni dobro nahranil in bo občutil pritisk, da naroči več hrane. Dejansko se to razlikuje glede na regijo in na splošno zaključek obroka vključuje občutljivo ravnovesje. Čiščenje krožnika običajno povabi na postrežbo več, medtem ko je preveč puščanja morda znak, da vam ni bilo všeč.
• Žlice se uporabljajo pri pitju juh ali uživanju tankih ali vodnih jedi, kot je kaša, in včasih za serviranje iz servirne posode. Če ni na voljo žlice, je prav, da pijete juho neposredno iz sklede.
• Hrana s prsti je v restavracijah redka; na splošno se pričakuje, da jeste s palčkami in / ali žlico. Za redka živila, ki naj bi jih jedli z rokami, so na voljo plastične rokavice za enkratno uporabo.
• Če je kos preveč spolzek, da bi ga vzeli, to storite s pomočjo žlice; ne kopice z ostrim koncem palic.
• Ribje glave veljajo za poslastico in vam jih lahko ponudijo kot častnega gosta. V resnici je meso ličnic pri nekaterih vrstah rib še posebej slano.
• Če je na vaši mizi lena Susan, se prepričajte, da nihče ne prijema hrane, preden zavrtite leno Susan. Preden obrnete leno Suzano, preverite, ali posoda ne odvrže čajnih skodelic ali palčk drugih, ki so jo morda postavili preblizu leni Susan.

Večina Kitajcev ne daje sojine omake na skledo s parjenim rižem. Pravzaprav sojina omaka pogosto ni na voljo tudi jedilnikom, saj gre predvsem za kuharsko sestavino in le včasih začimbo. Riž naj bi bil navadna stran v nasprotju z okusnimi slanimi jedmi in obrok razdeljeval s škrobom.

Kdo plača račun

Na Kitajskem so restavracije in pubi zelo pogosti zabaviščni kraji, zdravljenje pa ima pomembno vlogo pri druženju.

Medtem ko delitev zakona začnejo sprejemati mladi, je zdravljenje še vedno norma, še posebej, če so stranke v očitno različnih družbenih slojih. Moški naj bi zdravili ženske, starejše mladince, bogate revne, gostitelji goste, delavski razred dohodkovni razred (študentje). Prijatelji istega razreda si običajno raje razdelijo priložnost za plačilo, kot pa da razdelijo račun, torej "To je na vrsti jaz, naslednjič pa zdraviš."

Običajno je videti Kitajce, ki se intenzivno tekmujejo za plačilo računa. Od vas se pričakuje, da se boste borili in rekli: "Na vrsti sem, naslednjič me obravnavaj." Nasmejan poraženec bo zmagovalcu očital, da je preveč vljuden. Vse te drame se kljub temu, da so še vedno pogoste med vsemi generacijami in se običajno igrajo z vsem srcem, nekoliko manj pogosto izvajajo med mlajšimi, mestnimi Kitajci. Vsakič, ko kosite s kitajščino, boste imeli poštene možnosti za zdravljenje. Za proračunske popotnike je dobra novica, da so Kitajci nagnjeni k zdravljenju tujcev, čeprav od študentov in lokalnega delavskega razreda ne bi smeli pričakovati veliko.

Kljub temu so Kitajci ponavadi zelo strpni do tujcev. Če hočete nizozemsko, poskusite. Običajno verjamejo, da "vsi tujci raje holandsko". Če se poskušajo prepirati, to običajno pomeni, da vztrajajo tudi pri plačilu vašega računa, ne pa ravno obratno.

Prekuhavanje se na Kitajskem ne izvaja, čeprav nekatere restavracije na račun dodajo kritje, storitev ali čaj. Če poskusite pustiti napitnino, bo strežnik morda zagnal po vas, da vam vrne denar, ki ste ga "pozabili".

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