The cuisine: Generations of emperors and blue-blooded residents have set the standard for high-end Chinese cuisine. The city is famous for imperial cuisine, or guan cai (官菜), which uses only premium quality ingredients and is cooked with complex techniques。
The dish: A perfect kaoya is roasted to a reddish color; its skin remains crispy and the meat oozes a fruity flavor。
菜肴:最棒的烤鸭烤至淡红色,表皮酥脆,鸭肉口感圆润。
A whole roasted duck is typically served in two ways: the juicy meat and crispy skin are wrapped in mandarin pancakes with scallion, cucumber and hoisin sauce; and the bones are slow-cooked into a tasty soup。
chili-fried chicken cubes 2. Chongqing: La zi ji (chili-fried chicken cubes, 辣子鸡)
重庆:辣子鸡
The cuisine: Even compared with food from Sichuan, China’s mecca of spicy dishes, Chongqing cuisine scores high in spiciness and numb-inducing ingredients。
烹饪风格:即使常常拿来和川菜作对比,重庆仍旧是当之无愧的中国辣菜圣城,在麻辣程度上重庆菜首屈一指。
The dish: La zi ji combines crispy chicken breast cubes with a fireplace of peppercorn, toasted sesame and dried bird’s-eye chilis to create a plate of hot, red deliciousness。
菜肴:辣子鸡是将酥脆的鸡胸脯块与干胡椒、芝麻和干辣椒一同翻炒,从而做出一盘子火辣辣红彤彤的美味。
Buddha jumps over the wall 3. Fujian province: Fo tiao qiang (Buddha jumps over the wall, 佛跳墙)
另译作:Fo tiao qiang (Steamed Abalone with Shark's Fin and Fish Maw) (新浪教育注)
福建省:佛跳墙
The cuisine: Located along the southeastern coast of China, Fujian is famous for fresh seafood, but its flavorful shrimp oil and shrimp paste make the region’s cuisine stand proud。
The dish: Legend has it that this dish is so irresistible that Buddha jumped over the wall for a taste。
菜肴:相传佛跳墙这道菜美味难挡,佛都从墙头跳过前来品尝。
Fo tiao qiang is made of 18 pricey ingredients, including shark fin, abalone, sea cucumber, ginseng and scallops, all simmered together for hours with premium Shaoxing rice wine。
fish in sour soup 5. Guizhou province: Suan tang yu (fish in sour soup, 酸汤鱼)
贵州省:酸汤鱼
The cuisine: Like foodies in Sichuan and Hunan, Miao tribespeople in hilly Guizhou loves their food sour and spicy。
烹饪风格:像湖南和四川爱好美食的人们一样,居住在贵州山区的苗族人家也更喜欢吃酸辣口味的菜。
The dish: The soup is made with fermented rice or tomatoes, pickled chilis and various herbs, and then cooked with freshly caught river fish for a super sour blend。
The cuisine: Much as it is in neighboring Beijing, Hebei cuisine is savory and sauce heavy, with an emphasis on the cut and color of the dishes。
烹饪风格:和邻近的北京菜有很多相似之处,河北菜很可口,酱油重,看重刀工和菜肴的颜色。
The dish: Brace yourself. Locals reckon donkey is as delicious as dragon meat, even though no one can provide much in the way of documentary evidence of having eaten the latter。
菜肴:做好准备。当地人认为驴肉和龙肉一样美味,尽管没人能用文字证明有谁真的吃过龙肉。
Donkey meat is high in protein, low in cholesterol and has a finer fiber than beef. It's leaner than pork and lacks the funky odor of mutton. Sliced donkey meat is stewed and served between two pieces of ciabatta-like bread to make a Hebei-style sandwich。
Harbin red sausage 7. Heilongjiang province: Harbin hongchang (Harbin red sausage, 哈尔滨红肠)
黑龙江省:哈尔滨红肠
The cuisine: Heilongjiang is among the coldest provinces in China, and its people eat lots of meat and Russian bread. The cuisine is typified by heavy sauce and deep-frying。
The dish: In the early 20th century, Russian traders brought this smoked pork sausage across the border into Harbin. Since then it's become a specialty of the city。
Flavored with garlic and black pepper, hongchang is the perfect companion to dalieba bread and tastes even better with a pint of Harbin beer。
搭配大蒜和黑胡椒一起吃,红肠加上俄罗斯面包才最棒,再来一品脱哈尔滨啤酒感觉就更好了。
three delicacies wrapped in tofu skin 8. Hubei province: Sanxian doupi (three delicacies wrapped in tofu skin, 三鲜豆皮)
湖北省:三鲜豆皮
The cuisine: Three words sum up Hubei cuisine: steamed, fishy and soupy。
烹饪风格:“蒸、鱼、汤”这三个字就可以总结湖北菜。
The province is also famous for its delicious breakfast snacks, such as hot dry noodles and sanxian doupi。
湖北省也因其美味可口的早点闻名,比如热干面和三鲜豆皮。
The dish: Sanxian doupi is Hubei's answer to lasagna.The traditional breakfast from Wuhan is made with a delicious stuffing, a mixture of soft glutinous rice, egg, mushroom and pork, tucked into two pieces of tofu skin and then pan-fried until golden brown。
steamed fish head with pickled chilis 9. Hunan province: Duojiao yutou (steamed fish head with pickled chilis, 剁椒鱼头)
湖南省:剁椒鱼头
The cuisine: Also known as Xiang cuisine (湘菜), Hunan food is known to be just as hot as Sichuan, minus the numbing quality. Locals are partial to smoked and cured meats in their dishes。
The dish: In addition to an irresistible combination of pickled chilis and the tender meat of a fish head, duojiao yutou is packed with nutrients, such as vitamin A and vitamin C, providing an instant metabolism boost。
Instead of just red chilis, chefs use both green and red chilis to create a colorful mixture. Add the complimentary plate of egg noodles to the soupy fish dish to make a full meal。