The topics in this section give you a brief look into the kinds of cooking styles and Chinese cuisines from different cities and provinces in China. They will allow you to learn about the popular cuisines that makes the foods of China so divine and different.

Chinese meals should be enjoyed in a group with everyone sharing a selection of dishes. This is because Chinese restaurants are not suited for individual diners.
Below, you will find the nine schools of cuisine.

Anhui

Specialties in Anhui feature dishes stewed in brown sauce and most of the cooking stress heavily on oil and sauces. Stewed fish belly in brown sauce, stir-fried eel slices, and deep-fried meatballs in plum sauce are the main delicacies offered in many restaurants in Anhui.

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Beijing

Based on imperial court and Shandong cuisine, Beijing food has enjoyed an age-old reputation. The main methods of cooking are deep-frying, sautéing, stir-frying and roasting. When in Beijing, an opportunity to sample its celebrated Peking Duck should not be passed. This dish is renowned for its scented, crispy skin and is served with pancakes, which are spread with hoisin sauce and garnished with spring onions. All the ingredients are rolled into a tube and it is a delightful blend of taste and texture, especially the delicious crispy skin. For more exotic fare, stir-fried pig's tripe and chicken gizzard, sautéed fish slices with brewer's rice, pork fillet in brown sauce and sautéed cabbage might tantalize your taste buds.

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Fujian

In Fujian, dishes are usually marinated in wine and taste sour with a tinge of sweetness. "Buddha Jumps the Wall" is a famous dish with an equally interesting story. It is made from an assortment of materials: shark's fin, shark's lip, fish maw, abalone, squid, sea cucumber, chicken breast meat, duck chops, pork tripe, pork leg, minced ham, mutton elbow, dried scallop, winter bamboo shoots, mushrooms and others. These are seasoned and steamed separately and then put into a clay jar, mixed with cooking wine and a dozen or more pigeon eggs. The jar is firstly covered and put over intense heat and then simmered on low heat later. Four or five ounces of liquor is then added while the ingredients are kept simmering for another five minutes. Voila! A dish fit for a king!

How 'Buddha Jumps the Wall' got its unusual name is explained by a local fable. A Fuzhou scholar went picnicking with friends in the suburbs and he had put all the ingredients he had with him in a wine jar, which he heated over a charcoal flame. The tantalizing smell spread all the way to a nearby temple and was so inviting that the monks, who were supposed to practice vegetarianism, could not resist and jumped over the wall to partake in the hearty dish. One of the friends wrote a poem in praise of the delicious dish, in which one line read: "Even Buddha himself would jump over the wall to taste this dish". Hence the name 'Buddha Jumps the Wall'.

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Guangdong

Guangdong food features a wide range of refined ingredients and quick frying. The dishes are fresh, tender, refreshing and smooth. Guangdong chefs will always try to adapt the dishes according to the season - light flavoring in summer but heavy during winter. Restaurants in Guangdong offer specialties such as smoked pomfret, sweet and sour pork, deep-fried egg jelly wrapped in wheat flour and steamed pomfret topped with scallions and flavored oil. If you are the adventurous type, go ahead and dig into some snake dishes, braised chicken, roast piglet or assorted soups in wax gourds. Guangdong is also famous for its moon cakes.

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