Food is an important part of Chinese culture, and Chinese cuisine holds many symbolic meanings.

食物是中国文化的重要组成部分，许多中国菜具有象征意义。

Chinese dishes are often eaten around celebratory occasions. Many believe eating certain dishes during festivals such as the Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival or Dragon Boat Festival is considered auspicious. However more often than not, people of Chinese heritage eat certain dishes over and over again most days, and these dishes are equally important in Chinese culture.

有些中国菜经常在庆祝的场合吃。许多人认为在中国新年、中秋节或端午节这样的节日里吃某些菜肴是吉祥的。大多数情况下，传统的中国人会反复地吃某些菜肴，这些菜肴在中国文化中同样重要。

Chinese food is not something I eat every day. But Chinese cuisine is one of my favourite cuisines. I find it fun replicating traditional Chinese recipes at home. It’s a treat when I get to eat at a low-key Chinese restaurant with family and friends on a casual weekend.

我不是每天都吃中国菜，但是中国菜是我最喜欢的菜之一。我觉得在家制作中国传统菜很有趣。在一个休闲的周末和家人朋友低调的在一家中国餐馆吃饭，是一种享受。

No matter the occasion, most Chinese dishes are symbolic of traditions from the past. There are many variations of Chinese cuisine, ranging from Shanghai cuisine to Hainanese cuisine to Sichuan cuisine and so much more. Notably there are common ingredients within each cuisine. Here are six such symbolic Chinese dishes eaten around the world for breakfast, lunch and dinner on an average day.

无论在什么场合，大多数中国菜都象征着传统。中国菜有很多种，从上海菜到海南菜到四川菜等等，值得注意的是每道菜都有共同的配料。这里有六道象征性的中国菜，世界各地人们每天的早餐、午餐和晚餐都经常吃这些菜。

1. Rice and noodles

1.米饭和面条

Rice and noodles are regarded as firm staples in Chinese cuisine and accompany most everyday Chinese meals. A bowl of white rice is usually served alongside other dishes when it comes to Chinese dining. Rice has a long history in China. Initially around 1100BC, aristocrats in the Zhou dynasty were the ones who were able to afford rice. Later on everyone relied on it for food as it’s easy to cook and store, practical to eat every other day. Today rice is one of China’s top commodities; China relies on rice production to sustain its economy (interestingly importing rice for the first time from the US recently, probably to meet local demand), is responsible for about 30% of global rice production, and eats more than twice as much rice as Japan. To put it simply, rice is a way of life in Chinese culture.

米饭和面条被认为是中国菜中不可或缺的主食，也是大多数中国人日常饮食的主要食物。中国人吃饭的时候，米饭通常会和其他菜一起上桌。水稻在中国有着悠久的历史，最初在公元前1100年左右的周朝，只有贵族能够买得起大米，后来每个人都依赖它作为食物，因为它易于烹饪和储存，每隔一天吃一次也很不错。如今，大米是中国最主要的商品之一；中国人主要靠消耗大米来维持生活(有趣的是，最近中国首次从美国进口大米，可能是为了满足当地需求)，中国的大米产量占全球大米产量的30%，大米消耗量是日本的两倍多。简而言之，米饭是中国文化中的一种生活方式。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


While rice is mostly cultivated in the south of China, noodles are cultivated more easily in the north as that’s where wheat grains thrive due to climatic differences. Like rice, noodles have fed China for thousands of year and are a most economical energy, cereal food. While rice symbolises wealth and abundance, noodles symbolises longevity and long life.

水稻主要种植在中国南方，小麦更容易在北方种植，由于气候的差异，那里的小麦长势很好。像米饭一样，面条已经养育了中国人几千年，是最经济的提供能量的谷物食品。米饭象征着财富和富足，面条则象征着长寿。
Time and time again I’ve heard my folks and extended Chinese Malaysian family say they feel weird if they don’t eat rice or noodles after a day or two. Whenever we go out for Chinese dinner and don’t feel like eating white rice, my folks normally order fried rice instead as it is…rice. Call me a bad Asian but I have no problem not eating rice every day and have gone weeks without eating rice. That said, yangzhou fried rice (扬州炒饭) is one of the dishes I like to cook and eat, just like how I like making instant Maggi noodles for weekend breakfast.
我不止一次听到我的家人和马来西亚华裔家庭说，如果一两天不吃米饭或面条，他们会觉得很奇怪。每当我们出去吃中餐，不想吃白米饭的时候，我的家人通常会点炒饭，因为它就是...米饭。但是我每天不吃米饭也没有问题，你可以说我是一个不合格的亚洲人，而且我已经几个星期没有吃米饭了。也就是说，扬州炒饭是我喜欢做和吃的菜之一，就像我喜欢在周末的早上吃方便面一样。

2. Chicken

2.鸡肉


There are endless Chinese chicken recipes, many of which have been adapted to suit local palates around the world. While steamed yellow-skinned chicken is a popular dish during celebratory occasions (with chicken head, feet and tail symbolising unity and togetherness), chicken is common in Chinese stir-frys too. Oyster sauce chicken with bok choy, Malaysian mango chicken and cashew nut chicken were some dishes I remember my mum cooked when I was younger.

中国有数不清的鸡肉食谱，其中很多都是为了适应世界各地的当地口味而改的。清蒸黄皮鸡是庆祝活动中的常见菜肴(鸡头、鸡脚和鸡尾象征团结和团圆)，而鸡肉在中式炒菜中也很常见，蚝油鸡配白菜，马来西亚芒果鸡和腰果鸡是我记忆中妈妈在我小时候做的一些菜。

A lot of the time many Chinese are fond of eating chicken head and chicken feet for their gritty texture. This is in contrast with chicken breast which some Chinese reckon is ‘the meat of fools’, tasting like wood and nowhere near as enjoyable as eating meat with bones. Personally chicken breast is my favourite meat. Thick and smooth is just my preference.

很多时候，许多中国人喜欢吃鸡头和鸡爪，因为它们有坚韧的质地。这与一些中国人认为是“傻肉”的鸡胸肉形成了鲜明的对比，鸡胸肉尝起来很柴，远不及骨头上的肉那么好吃。鸡胸肉是我个人最喜欢的肉，厚而光滑正是我的偏好。

On a side note, apart from chicken, duck is notoriously popular in Chinese cuisine. Duck (Peking duck) is historically an iconic dish in Chinese culture, prepared for royalty and later served to everyone else like rice. Not surprisingly China produces around 83% of duck meat production in the Asian region. In general, duck is more expensive than chicken as it’s the rarer of the two birds and not found in all parts of the world.

另一方面，除了鸡肉，鸭肉在中国菜中的受欢迎程度也是众所周知的。在中国文化中，北京烤鸭历来是一道标志性的菜肴，是为皇室准备的，后来像米饭一样供应给其他人。毫不奇怪，中国生产了亚洲地区83%的鸭肉。一般来说，鸭肉比鸡肉贵，因为它是这两种禽类中相对稀有的，而且不是在世界各地都能找到。

3. Dates and sesame seeds

3.枣子和芝麻

Some Chinese dishes are sweeter than others. The Chinese date fruit, also known as the red date or jujube, and goji berries are often used in Chinese herbal soups, steamed chicken and teas. Dark red and orange in colour and high in vitamin B and C, a handful of these preserved dried fruits make any Chinese dish a touch sweeter (occasionally sour depending on season) and is believed to bring physical warmth to the body. In recent times jujubes and goji berries have been touted as antioxidant superfoods helping to regulate stress, sleep cycles and suppress cancerous cells.

有些中国菜比别的菜甜。中国的枣子，也被称为红枣或枣，和枸杞经常被用于中药汤，蒸鸡和茶。色泽红里透黄，富含维B和维C，少数腌制的干果可令任何中式菜肴的味道略甜(有时会因季节而变酸)，并可为身体带来热量。近来枣子和枸杞被吹捧为能让人体抗氧化的超级食物，有助于调节压力，睡眠周期和抑制癌细胞。

At times a Chinese dish might come with subtle crunch along with the sweetness. Sesame seeds are commonly sprinkled over poultry dishes such as sesame oil chicken, fried chicken and sweet and sour pork (always debatably a true classic Chinese dish…).

有时一道中国菜伴随着轻微的嘎吱声和甜味而来。芝麻通常撒在家禽类菜肴上，比如芝麻油鸡、炸鸡和糖醋排骨(一直被认为是真正的经典中国菜...)。

4. Dumplings

4.饺子



Chinese dumplings are one of the most important and all time favourite foods in Chinese culture. A staple around the Chinese New Year, dumplings are also popular during yum cha and family gatherings. There are many kinds of Chinese dumplings; the jiǎozi (饺子), xiǎo long bāo (小笼包), shēng jiān bāo (生煎), xiā jiǎo/hā gáau (虾饺) and shāo mài/sīu máai (烧卖) are just a few of them.
中国饺子是中国文化中最重要也是最受欢迎的食物之一。饺子是中国新年的主食，在饮茶和家庭聚会时也很受欢迎。中国的饺子有很多种，其中包括饺子、小笼包、生煎、虾饺和烧麦等。

As I wrote in Why Many Chinese Like Eating Dumplings, dumplings are dishes for sharing and represent wealth and togetherness. Interestingly enough, when it comes to eating dumplings many seem content to just eat dumplings and more dumplings, no need for rice of noodles. At least that is the case when I eat dumplings with my Chinese friends in Australia – just eat dumplings and no other dishes. Dumplings really are just that good by themselves and it’s easy to feel stuffed from eating more and more dumplings.

正如我在《为什么很多中国人喜欢吃饺子》一书中所写的，饺子是可以分享的美食，代表着财富和团结。有趣的是，当提到吃饺子，很多人似乎满足于只吃更多的饺子，而不需要吃米饭和面条。至少当我和我在澳大利亚的中国朋友一起吃饺子的时候是这样的——只吃饺子，没有其他的菜。饺子本身就很好吃，而且吃的饺子越来越多，很容易让人觉得吃饱了。

5. Green leafy vegetables

5.绿叶蔬菜



There’s almost always a vegetable dish when it comes to having a Chinese meal. Bok choy/Chinese celery (xiǎo bái cài, 小白菜), gai lan/Chinese broccoli (jiè làn, 芥蘭), water spinach and bamboo shoots are some popular greens in Chinese cooking. Probably the most well-known one is the bok choy. Native to China and first cultivated along the yellow Yangtze River Delta, it is nicknamed ‘soup spoon’ for its large leaves that are shaped like a spoon. Chinese immigrants brought bok choy to Australia during the 1850s Gold Rush and it was brought to North America in the 1880s.
说到吃中餐，几乎总是有蔬菜。白菜或者中国西芹(小白菜)、甘蓝或者中国西兰花(芥蓝)、菠菜和竹笋是中国烹饪中常见的绿色蔬菜，也许最有名的是白菜，它原产于中国，最初在黄河长江三角洲种植，因其形状像勺子一样的大叶子而被称为汤匙。在19世纪50年代的淘金热期间，中国移民将白菜带到了澳大利亚，并在19世纪80年代将其带到了北美。

In general, raw and uncooked vegetables aren’t eaten too often among the Chinese. Good sanitation has been a problem in China for a long time, and food here is preferably cooked over heat to minimise bacteria. From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, uncooked and ‘cold’ food may not be optimal for digestion. Personally I like my vegetables cooked hot and over the years have learnt vegetables are one of the fastest foods to cook. If I come home from work, have the house to myself for the evening and am feeling lazy, boiling some bok choi or Chinese broccoli for five minutes along with some fresh meat makes for a meal right away. Quick and easy for a hungry girl. Not to mention washing up is easy too.

一般来说，中国人并不常吃生的和未煮熟的蔬菜。缺少良好的卫生条件长期以来一直是中国的一个问题，这里的食物最好是在高温下烹饪，以尽量减少细菌。从传统中医的角度来看，生冷食物可能不是最佳的消化方式。就我个人而言，我喜欢吃煮熟的蔬菜，多年来我已经明白了蔬菜是烹饪速度最快的食物之一。如果我下班回家，晚上一个人懒洋洋的呆在家里，花上五分钟时间煮一些小白菜或者芥兰，再加上一些新鲜的肉，马上就可以做成一顿饭。对于一个饥饿的女孩来说既简单又方便，更不用说洗餐具也很容易。

6. Tofu

6.豆腐
Traditionally tofu symbolises death in Chinese culture. This is because most tofu is white (at least on the inside) and the colour white is synonymous with death – and so sometimes isn’t served during festivals. That said, some have suggested eating tofu sounds like eating a mouthful of ‘fú’ (福) or good fortune. In everyday Chinese cooking, tofu is cooked with soups and in stir fries and simmered in hotpots. Made out of soybeans, milk and coagulents, there are many varieties of tofu such as beancurd, silken tofu, dehydrated tofu, pickled tofu and stinky tofu. One of the most popular tofu dishes is the Sichuan mapo tofu which is beancurd in red chilli and bean oil.
传统上，豆腐在中国文化中象征着死亡，这是因为大多数豆腐是白色的(至少里面是白色的)，白色是死亡的同义词——所以有时在节日期间不吃豆腐。而有些人建议吃豆腐，因为听起来像是吃了一口“fú”(福)或好运。在日常的中国烹饪中，豆腐可以和汤一起煮，用旺火炒，在火锅里慢炖。豆腐由大豆、牛奶和凝结剂制成，品种繁多，有豆腐、绢豆腐、脱水豆腐、腌制豆腐、臭豆腐等。其中最受欢迎的豆腐是四川麻婆豆腐，它是用红辣椒和豆油腌制成的豆腐。

Rumour has it tofu is associated with sexual harassment. There is this story out of Chang’an in China where a husband and wife duo ran a tofu restaurant. The husband made tofu at night while the wife ran the shop in the day. The wife was said to have good looks as a result of of eating tofu (supposedly keeps the skin nice and smooth) and men patronised the shop to ‘eat tofu’ – flirt with her.

有传言说，豆腐和性骚扰有关。在中国古代有这样一个故事，长安一对夫妻开了家豆腐店，丈夫晚上做豆腐，妻子白天经营店铺，据说这位妻子因为吃了豆腐(据说可以保持皮肤光滑)而长得很漂亮，男人们都光顾这家店来“吃豆腐”——和她调情。
原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处


Certain Chinese cuisine is spicier than others. Think Sichuan and Hunan cooking out of the Sichuan and Hunan provinces south of China where the climate is relatively cool. In general, many Chinese eat spicy and don’t mind spicy food at all. China currently produces around 28 million tons of chilli, which is 46% of the world’s total chillis. These days if you go to a Chinese restaurant, more than likely you’ll come across a spicy Chinese dish on the menu or chilli condiments on the table like chilli flakes or chilli oil.

某些中国菜比其他菜辣。想想川菜和湖南菜就知道了。四川和湖南是中国南方气候相对凉爽的省份，一般来说，许多中国人喜欢吃辣而且根本不介意吃辣。中国目前的辣椒产量约为2800万吨，占世界辣椒总产量的46%。如今，如果你去一家中餐馆，很可能会在菜单上看到一道道辛辣的中国菜，或者在餐桌上看到辣椒面或辣椒油之类的辣椒调味品。

my parents forbade me to eat spicy dishes until I was about 15. They argued eating spicy foods at a young age damages brain cells (can’t find research to prove this). Well by the time I started eating spicy food as an adult my tongue couldn’t tolerate it. Eating a bowl of curry noodles never fails to hurt my tongue and stomach a fair bit, and I’ve chugged glass after glass of milk to ease the fire on my tongue and stomach. so all you chilli lovers out there, yes you can call me a wuss.

在我15岁之前，我的父母都不允许我吃辛辣的食物。他们认为在年轻时吃辛辣食物会损害脑细胞(没有研究可以证明)。当我成年后开始吃辛辣食物时，我的舌头却已经受不了了。吃一碗咖喱面总是会让我的舌头和胃受到一点伤害，我得一杯接一杯地喝牛奶来缓解舌头和胃上的火辣感。所以你们这些热爱辣椒的人可以叫我胆小鬼。

Notably, Chinese meals are often centred about the notion of balance and the yin and yang philosophy. That is, in a given Chinese meal there usually is a balance of flavour (sweet, salty, sour, bitter), balance of ‘hot and cold’ foods and a mix of starch, meat and vegetable dishes and maybe even a soup dish so as to encompass as many nutrients and food groups as possible. As such some might argue Chinese food is healthier than other kinds of food. On one hand, eating a wide variety of foods is favourable so you get all the vitamins your body needs. But on the other hand, eat big portions of Chinese dishes and Chinese dishes that are greasy, that leads to calorie consumption overload.

值得注意的是，中国人的饮食通常以平衡和阴阳哲学为中心，也就是说，在一顿特定的中餐中，通常是味道的平衡(甜、咸、酸、苦)，热食和冷食的平衡，淀粉、肉类和蔬菜的混合，甚至汤和菜的混合，以便尽可能包含更多的营养和食物组合。因此，有些人可能会说中国食物比其他种类的食物更健康。一方面，吃各种各样的食物是有利的，这样你就能得到你身体所需要的所有维生素。但另一方面，吃大量的中国菜和油腻的中国菜，会导致卡路里摄入过量。

Today Chinese food is found all over the world. In Australia, it’s not hard to find Chinese food in the capital cities. Here in Melbourne it’s not hard to find more than a few Chinese restaurants in the city and in the towns with a high Asian demographic – quite easy to eat at a different Chinese meal at a different Chinese restaurant every night (and so easy to get broke eating this way). The question of whether Australia’s Chinese food is more on the authentic side or more geared towards a Western palate is a question to ponder. But that’s another story for another day.

现如今中国菜在世界各地都能找到。在澳大利亚的首都找到中国菜并不难，在墨尔本这座城市和亚洲人口密集的城镇，不难找到几家中餐馆——很容易在每天晚上在不同的中餐馆吃不同的中国菜(用这种方式吃饭很容易破产)。澳大利亚的中国菜是更偏向正宗还是更适合西方口味，这个问题值得深思。但这是另外一个故事了。

Do you like Chinese cuisine?

你喜欢中国菜吗？

原创翻译：龙腾网 http://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处