Eating is very important for Chinese.. If they meet each other, they greet themselves with a question;

”Chi fan le mei you? (Have you eaten well recently?)”.Food can be a cure for ailments – just then they match a

diet with an illness , religious sacrifice, and an element of rituals, but most of all pleasure.

The cook strives to create a harmonious balance out of five tasteswith other ingredients to make a meal that is

appropriate to the season, good to look at and nutrtious. The ingredients of the dishes are valued for their scent, texture, taste and seasonal freshness. That’s why the

Chinese put food under short heat treatment and serve it immediately after preparation.

CHINESE CUISINE &

EATING HABITS

HEALTHY COOKINGAll Chinese understand relationship between health and eating habits, that’s why thay outstrip Western people in following sensible diets. According to the old Chinese proverb: The one who takes medicaments and ignores a diet, wastes doctor’s skills.

The traditional Chinese medical view is as follows:„”If one falls ill , one should first examineown diet , then choose well, chew carefully and give thanks. In this way, the curative powersOf nature are given full rein to act and nearly all diseases are conquered”.

CUISINE VARIETIES

Chinese cuisine is very varied. There are 4 main schools of culinary art.:• Northern – Pekin which includes mainly meat dishes• Western – Sichuan with spicy dishes full of hot paprica and paste.• Eastern – Shanghai, based on vinegar, sugar and rice wine• Cantonese - fat-free dishes with light sauces

Chinese meals served in Poland are cooked on the basis of Canton tradition But have little in common with original Cantonese c oking art..

PEKIN CUISINE

Pekin duck is roasted , then Cut into portions and served on a Pancake with a cucumber, green Onion, plum sauce and steamed Buns.

PEKIN

All prestigious resteraunts serve a chicken soup with noodles, which look like Italian pasta and are prepared in a specific way – see the movie.

SICHUAN 1

SICHUAN 2

SHANGHAI

Sweet –flavour dishes

CANTON

Cantonese meals are based on boiled meat and vegetables, however Canton people like experiments, so they would eat everything, even 100 year old eggs, let alone dog or snake meat or insects.

MINORITY GROUP FOOD• Generally, the Han people (92%)take rice and noodles

as their staple diet (in the south people prefer rice while those in the north prefer noodles). They love to eat vegetables, beans, meat, fish and eggs, and pay particular attention to cooking techniques. Mongolians often eat beef and mutton, and drink tea with milk. Tibetans take tsampa (roasted highland barley flour) as their staple food, and drink buttered tea, and highland barley wine, but Tibetan herdsmen mainly eat beef and mutton. The Uygurs, Kazakhs, and Uzbeks enjoy roast mutton kebabs, unleavened bread and rice. Koreans like sticky rice cakes, cold noodles and kimchi (hot pickled vegetables). The Li, Jing, Dai, Blang and Hani all chew betel nuts.

JAPANESE SUSHI BARS

TRADITIONAL DISHES

FISH IN SWEET-SOUR SAUCE

STEWED RIBS IN BAMBOO SHOOTS

FRIED VEGETABLES

STUFFED DUMPLINGS Agnolotti

DUMPLINGS ‘ BUFFETThere is some fortune prediction accompanying this Culinary treat: a waitress scoops soup with dumplingsAnd pours into your cup; you caunt them and

Give the number - if it’s 4 , you will get a Card no 4 with a fortune telling for another year.

DANBAO CHICKEN WITH NUTS

24 million chickens are eaten every day in China

BEANCURD (TOFU)Tofu is said to have been discovered in about 200 B.C. in China byA Chinese scholar and ruler. He was a Taoist and undertook Experiments to make tofu in order to introduce variety and nutrition into a meatless diet.

Tofu is made by soaking and grinding soya beans, thenExtracting the milky liquid from the resulting mixture, and curdling it.

Tofu is rich in vitamins and minerals ans is fat-free. This wonderfully versatile food can be used fresh or Deep fried, grilled, baked or simmered, and is one of the world’s best sources of vegetable protein.

DIM SUM

Chicken CHOW MEIN with noodles

“WOK” pan with a convex bottom; used for frying in Chinese cookingLiterally meaning "to

touch your heart," dim sum consists of a variety

of dumplings, steamed dishes and other goodies. They are similar to hors d'oeuvres, the hot and cold delicacies served

at French restaurants.Originally a Cantonese custom, dim

sum is inextricably linked to the Chinese tradition of "yum cha" or drinking tea.

The best dim sum in China is found in Canton, with its wide assortment

of sweet and savory dishes ranging from

meatballs to sweet cakes.

EATING HABITSChopsticks have a long tradition. The Chinese used them over 3,000 years ago.It’s said that using them is a good training for our 30 joints and 50 muscles, which in turn send impulses to nerve centres in brain. As a consequence, the users of chopsticks (25% of all world population) become wiser and cleverer.

DAMP CLOTHS

Time spent with family on common meal is prioritylke „s jesta ” in Mediterranean countries.- three-hour lunch break

BEVERAGES &

LIQUORS

GREEN TEA

It’s served free in restaurants and hotelswhere tea bags and thermos flasks with hot water areavailable

Green TeaThere are a few medical

conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:

cancerrheumatoid arthritis

high cholesterol levelsinfection

impaired immune function

GREEN TEAChinese green teas

Zhejiang ProvinceLongjingHui MingLong DingHua DingQing DingGunpowder Jiangsu ProvinceBi Luo ChunRain FlowerShui Xi Cui Bo

Green tea brewing time and temperature varies with individual teas. The hottest brewing temperatures are 180°F to 190°F (81°C to 87°C) water and the longest steeping times 2 to 3 minutes. The coolest brewing temperatures are 140°F to 150°F (61°C to 65°C) and the shortest times about 30 seconds

TEA BREWING CEREMONY

BEER

•

SNAKE VODKA

OTHER LIQUOR

CHINESE WHISKYMaotai sorgo vodka 55%

+ 50%RICE WINE

SIC FAN LA! (PO KANTONSKU „ ZAPRASZAMY

DO STOŁU”)

Round tables for at least 8 people

EATING OUT & SOCIALISING

DELIGHTFUL RESTEURANTS

STREET FOOD

EXOTIC FRUIT

Lotos root

Fresh fruit are always served

free at the end of the meal.

No desserts!

rabanduan

EXOTIC FRUITDRAGON

EYE

magustyn lici

EXOTIC FRUIT

folsio

guawa

BAZAAR - GREEN MARKET

GINSENG

SEA FOOD

AT YOUR CHOICEIN BARS AND RESTAURANTS

FOOD ON DISPLAY

TIT-BITS

edible chestnuts

nuts

CANTON DELICACIES

RAW OR DRIED FOOD

INSECTS

LIVING CREATURES

Ingredients225g/8oz egg noodles2 tbsp sesame oil100g/4oz chicken breast, skinned2½ tbsp finely chopped garlic50g/2oz mangetout, trimmed50g/2oz Parma or cooked ham, shredded2 tsp light soy sauce2 tsp dark soy sauce1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry½ tsp salt½ tsp freshly ground white pepper½ tsp sugar3 tbsp finely chopped spring onions2 tsp sesame oilFor the marinade2 tsp light soy sauce2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry1 tsp sesame oil½ tsp salt½ tsp freshly ground white pepper

1. Cook the noodles by boiling them for 3-5 minutes ,

drain , then toss with a little sesame oil.2. Using a cleaver, slice the chicken breasts into fine

shreds approximately 5cm (2 in) long. 3. To marinate the chicken, combine the chicken with

the light soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, salt and pepper

in a small bowl.4. Mix well and leave to marinate for 20 minutes.5. Heat a wok until it is very hot. Add one tablespoon

of oil and, when it is very hot and slightly smoking, add

chicken shreds.6. Stir-fry the mixture for about two minutes,

then transfer to a plate. 7. Reheat the wok, and add remaining oil. Add the

garlic and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add the mangetout

and ham and fry for one minute.8. Add noodles, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce,

rice wine, salt and pepper, the sugar and spring onions

and continue to stir-fry for two minutes. 9. Return chicken to noodle mixture.10. Continue to fry for 3-4 minutes, until chicken is cooked. 11. Stir in sesame oil and give a few final stirs.12. Turn onto warm serving platter and serve at once

Method

RECIPE - CHICKEN CHOW MEIN

TO AROUSE APPETITE FOR CULINARY ADVENTURE

• ENJOY YOUR DINNER (English)• BON APETIT (French)• SMACZNEGO (Polish)• GING MAN YONG (Chinese)• いただきます (Japanese)

and yours?

Useful Phrases

convex bottom- wypukłe dnoto touch your heart- by poruszyć twoje serceLiterally meaning- w znaczeniu dosłownymGoodies- pysznościsavory dishes- pikantne daniaDELIGHTFUL- zachwycająceFood on display- wystawki z jedzeniemTit-bits – smaczne kąskiedible chestnuts – kasztany jadalneMangetout- groch zwyczajnyfreshly ground- świeżo zmielonyFor the marinade- do marynaty

Greet themselves- witać sięCook strives- kucharzeshort heat treatment- szybka obróbka termicznaFat-free- beztłuszczoweLittle in common- mało wspólnegoSweet-sour- słodko-kwaśneLet alone- nie mówiąc oStaple food- podstawa żywieniowaButtered tea- herbata z mlekiemunleavened bread- chrupkie pieczywoUndertook- podjąć cośSoaking- namaczanieGriding- mielenieCurdling- zastyganie

AUTHORS: Klaudia Ząbek & Danuta Mirońska

European School ClubLiceum Ogólnokształcące 139-300 MielecPoland

Source: Best Scenery & Sights in China, Internet, personal photos