Profile photo for Aya Shawn
Aya Shawn
Living in Singapore, professional investorDec 17
First of all, we need to correct a wrong concept: Chinese food
This term used to refer to China’s culinary culture is actually too crude a term. The word "Chinese food" is never said in Chinese people. It is purely a word created by foreigners.
China has a vast territory and a long history. During most of its long period of peace, China was the most prosperous and wealthy country in the world. Chinese people try every means to create in "food" in order to experience a better life.
After more than 3,000 years of development, "Chinese cuisine" has developed many different systems. They have completely different styles and tastes from each other. Different systems suit Chinese people in different regions, and even within the Chinese population, Chinese people in different regions often cannot adapt to food from other regions.

首先我们要纠正一个错误的观念：中餐
这个用来形容中国饮食文化的词其实太粗暴了。 “中国菜”这个词中国人从来没有说过。这纯粹是外国人创造的一个词。
中国幅员辽阔，历史悠久。在漫长的和平时期的大部分时间里，中国是世界上最繁荣和富裕的国家。中国人千方百计在“食”上创造。为了体验更好的生活。
经过三千多年的发展，“中华美食”逐渐形成。开发了许多不同的系统。他们的风格和品味完全不同。不同的制度适合不同地区的中国人，甚至在中国人口中，不同地区的中国人也常常无法适应其他地区的食物。

From a traditional point of view, the most typical cuisines in China are divided into four categories: Sichuan cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Cantonese cuisine and Yangzhou cuisine.
Sichuan cuisine: Mainly spicy, famous for its spiciness and unique taste. It originated from Sichuan Province in western China. Sichuan cuisine uses very complex and diverse seasonings. 70% of Sichuan dishes have very strong flavors and are the most popular cuisine in China. Sichuan cuisine restaurants can be found all over the country.
However, some dishes in Sichuan cuisine that use a lot of chili peppers are not suitable for everyone. Many northern Chinese cannot adapt either. Among the famous Chinese dishes in the West, Kung Pao Chicken, Mapo Tofu, boiled fish, and spicy hot pot all belong to Sichuan cuisine. Sichuan cuisine also has the most dishes, with hundreds of common Sichuan dishes.
Shandong cuisine: mainly salty and fragrant, using many non-irritating spices, it originates from the Shandong Peninsula. Shandong cuisine likes to use seafood, meat and vegetables, and pays attention to "heat". Because it is difficult to make and is not widely spread, its popularity in China is limited.
Cantonese cuisine: Mainly light, light and authentic. Originated from the Guangdong region of China. Cantonese cuisine has some similarities with Japanese cuisine. They basically do not use spicy seasonings and rely on the taste of the ingredients themselves, so they are picky about the ingredients. Cantonese cuisine likes to make food into small dumplings, which are easy to eat one at a time. In addition, Cantonese cuisine, like Japanese cuisine, eats raw fish.
Jiangsu Cuisine: There are a large number of sweet and sour dishes, and its origin is near Shanghai. Sweet and sour pork tenderloin, sesame chicken, and General Tso's chicken that are familiar to Westerners are all varieties of Jiangsu cuisine. Jiangsu cuisine uses the most sugar among all Chinese cuisines.

从传统的角度来看，中国最典型的菜系分为四大类：川菜、鲁菜、粤菜和扬州菜。
川菜：以麻辣为特色，以麻辣、口味独特而闻名。它起源于中国西部的四川省。川菜的调料非常复杂多样。 70%的川菜风味非常浓郁，是中国最受欢迎的菜系。川菜餐厅遍布全国各地。
然而，川菜中一些使用大量辣椒的菜肴并不适合所有人。许多北方中国人也无法适应。
在西方的中国名菜中，宫保鸡丁、麻婆豆腐、水煮鱼、麻辣火锅都属于川菜。川菜的菜品也最多的，常见的川菜有上百种。
鲁菜：以咸、香为主，使用许多无刺激性的香料，起源于山东半岛。鲁菜喜用海鲜、蔬菜，讲究“火候”。由于制作难度大，流传不广，其在中国的普及程度有限。
粤菜：以清淡、清淡、本味为主。原产于中国广东地区。粤菜与日本菜有一些相似之处。他们基本不使用辛辣的调料，全靠食材本身的味道，所以对食材很挑剔。粤菜喜欢把食物做成小团子，一次吃一个，很方便。另外，粤菜和日本菜一样，都是吃生鱼的。
江苏菜：糖醋菜品种较多，其起源地在上海附近。西方人熟悉的糖醋里脊、芝麻鸡、左宗棠鸡等都是苏菜品种。苏菜是中国菜系中用糖最多的菜系。

These four major cuisines each have their own characteristics, but they occupy an important position in Chinese catering culture. In addition, China also has other types of dishes such as Hunan cuisine, Northeastern cuisine, and Northwest cuisine.

这四大菜系各有特色，但在中国餐饮文化中占有重要地位。此外，中国还有湘菜、东北菜、西北菜等其他菜系。

Japan is a small country and its cultural types are not that diverse. Although it is also divided into kaiseki cuisine and Banquet cuisine and so on, the overall style difference is very small. The food in Tokyo is basically the same as the food in Osaka, only some details and styles are different. It can basically be classified into several types such as sushi, sashimi, fried food, grilled food, and ramen.
There are also many varieties of Japanese food, with more than a hundred traditional Japanese dishes. It is basically the same size as "Cantonese cuisine" in Chinese cuisine.

日本是一个小国，其文化类型并不丰富。虽然也分为怀石料理和宴会料理等，但整体风格差异很小。东京的食物与大阪的食物基本相同，只是一些细节和风格不同。基本上可以分为寿司、生鱼片、油炸食品、烧烤食品、拉面等几种。
日本料理的品种也很多，有一百多种日本传统菜肴，品种的规模基本上和“粤菜”差不多。

But in terms of overall richness, Japanese food and Chinese food cannot be compared. Chinese cuisine is more than ten times more diverse than Japanese cuisine. When traveling in China, often after crossing a province, the food styles feel like two different countries. In the Tibetan area, the food has some Indian and Nepali styles. In Guangxi and Yunnan, food has become like Southeast Asia; in xinjiang, food has become Arabic and Middle Eastern style; in Inner Mongolia, food is full of grassland and nomadic culture. In Jilin Province, many foods are very similar to those from the Korean Peninsula, and in Heilongjiang Province, Russian flavors are also incorporated.

但从整体丰富程度来说，日餐和中餐是无法相比的。中国菜的种类比日本菜丰富十倍以上。在中国旅行时，往往在跨越一个省份后，食物风格感觉像是两个不同的国家。藏区的饮食有一些印度、尼泊尔风味。在广西、云南，美食已经变得像东南亚；在新疆，饮食已成为阿拉伯式、中东式；在内蒙古，美食充满了草原和游牧文化。吉林省的很多食物与朝鲜半岛的食物非常相似，黑龙江省还融入了俄罗斯风味。