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Cantonese food

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“Cantonese” is actually another name for “Guangdong.” Cantonese food comes from Guangdong province in China as one of the “Eight Culinary Traditions of Chinese Cuisine”. The eight Chinese cuisines are related to different provinces in China, and the Cantonese food is related to Guangdong province. The main taste for Cantonese food is usually light and fresh, with its own distinctive taste. Since the Cantonese food has a long history and absorbs the advantages of other nations, it has distinctive cooking techniques. These reasons led Cantonese food be popular around the world.

The History Of Cantonese Food[edit | edit source]

It's said that Guangdong in ancient China always links trade with other countries as a south province near the ocean. The transport is much more easier than other regions, so ancient traders regarded it as the major port of exit. That's also why Cantonese cuisine spread earliest and influenced farthest, but the most important reason is that the Cantonese cuisine has its unique taste which attracted many foreigners. In ancient China, farmers in Guangdong always suffered natural disasters, since the region is tropical and subtropical monsoon climate with long time summer and abundant rainfall, even the typhoons are frequent. People had to try to find any food in nature as much as possible to survive. Foods such as “wood ears”, “lily bus”, have also been the main ingredients for the current Cantonese food.

Famous Menu[edit | edit source]

Because of the special geographic area that is surrounded by mountains and facing the sea, Guangdong province always has abundant resources (fruits and plants) and marine and freshwater products. The local people tried to cook the unique cuisine since ancient times, so nowadays, the Cantonese cuisine has become the most popular cuisine around the world.

Cantonese cuisine has many sorts of food, but the basic and typical cuisine is “Chinese steam eggs.” It's easy to cook, and is made by beating eggs and then steaming them which maintains the nutrition from the protein in the eggs. The cuisine corresponds the Cantonese specialties which taste light and nutritious. It is worth mentioning that there is another popular Cantonese food named "Shahe Noodles”, the name of the noodles is a part of district in Guangzhou ( a Chinese city) for now. The “Shehe noodles” are famous for their texture which is elastic and a little chewy, and they are not easy to freeze or dry, so it's necessary to buy them fresh in strips or sheets to make them wider.

The Cantonese desserts are also popular around the world. It's a traditional habit for local people to serve the desserts with tea, along with the meals. The sorts for the desserts are abundant such as “sun cake” “mooncake” “red bean paste pancake”, and there is a traditional Cantonese dessert named “Tang” that is made with “cane sugar, malt sugar, nuts and fruit.” In addition, some kids prefer “shaved ice” with “sweet syrup”.

Most strangely, Cantonese cuisine provides “fermented tea,” which the local people named “Bolei” or Mandarin Pu’er. It's really a typical symbol as Cantonese culture since it has a long history.

Cooking Techniques[edit | edit source]

The secret for cooking Cantonese cuisine is skillful techniques, so the use of the ingredients is extremely important. A successful Cantonese cook must know how to use them better. The common methods for cooking Cantonese food are somewhat diverse, such as “stir-frying,” “deep-frying,” “shallow-frying,” “braising,” “boiling,” “steaming,” and “roasting.” It's also the significance of the Cantonese food that every kind of the natural taste is worth cherishing. While steaming food does not appear difficult, it requires great effort and patience.