Unit 6 Chinese Cuisine
Local Cuisine
• Chinese cooking has a long history and is famous all
over the world for its rich flavor and delightful colorings. It
was the Chinese who invented the technique of making
and using soy sauce, vinegar, wine, jams, and spices
during the Yin-Zhou period, some 3,000 years ago.
Every Chinese local dish, special cuisine, and local
snack has its own characteristics. Here are some of the
most famous dishes.
Cantonese Dishes
• Cantonese dishes, composed of Cantonese, Chaozhou
and Dongjiang cuisine, are famous for their fresh
materials and great tenderness. The main ingredients of
the dishes are characteristically fresh water fish, seafood,
birds, etc., and the major condiments used are oyster
sauce, fermented soy bean sauce, fish sauce, lard,
sugar and vinegar.
Hunan Dishes
• Hunan dishes consist of local dishes from the Xiangjiang
River area, Dongting Late area and Western Hunan
mountain area. Typical dishes are Dong’an Fledgling
Chicken, Hot-Spiced and Peppered Fledgling Chicken,
Steamed Pickled Meat, Lotus Seed with Rock Candy
and Mutton Soup with Tortoise.
Sichuan Dishes
• Sichuan dishes are one of the four most famous dishes in China,
and are enjoyed with great popularity all over the country because of
their distinct and various flavors. Some of the most famous flavors
are derived from fish flavors, pepper powder boiled in oil, strange
flavor and sticky-hot. The raw materials of a Sichuan dish are
always wild edible herbs, and the meat of domestic animals and
birds. The techniques used in cooking are sauting, stir-frying without
stewing, dry braising, PAO (soaking in water) and Hui (frying and
then braising with corn flour sauce). Famous Sichuan dishes are
Fried Diced Chicken with Chili Sauce, Zhang Tea Duck, MapoTofu,
and Cabbage in Boiling Water.
Shandong Dishes
• The Shandong Cuisine is famous for its wide selection of
materials, cooking methods, and seafood. The raw
materials used are mainly domestic animals and birds,
seafood and vegetables. The masterful cooking
techniques include BAO ( quick frying), LIU (quick frying
with corn flour), PA (stew braising), roasting and boiling,
using sugar to make fruit, and crystallizing with honey.
Famous Shandong dishes are Braised Abalone with
Shells, Fried Sea Cucumber with Fistulous Onion, and
Fragrant Calamus in Milk Soup. The dishes are tasty and
fresh.
Huaiyang Dishes
• Huaiyang dishes mainly consist of Yangzhou, Zhejiang, and Huaian
cuisine originated in water villages south of the Yangtze River
(Chang Jiang), and are characterized by the strictness in material
selection, the emphasis of cleanliness and freshness of its
ingredients, as well as the fine workmanship in cutting, matching,
cooking, and arranging. Lightness, freshness, sweetness, and
mildness of taste are the features of these dishes, and special
attention is paid to retaining the ingredient of natural juices and
flavors. Famous dishes are Stewed Crab with Clear Soup; Long
Boiled Dry Shredded Meat, Duck Triplet, Crystal Meat, Squirrel with
Mandarin Fish, and Liangxi Crisp Eel.
Translating
• a long history
• all over the world
• be enjoyed with great popularity
• edible mushrooms
• distinct flavors
• wide selection of materials
• water villages south of the Yangtze River
• retain the natural juices and flavors
• fine workmanship in cutting
• domestic animals and birds
• 悠久的历史
• 全世界
• 被广泛喜爱
• 食用菌
• 独特的口味
• 选料广泛
• 江南水乡
• 保持原汁原味
• 刀工讲究
• 家禽家畜
Sentences Translating
• 1. Chinese cooking has a long history and is famous all
over the world for its rich flavor and delightful colorings.
• 2. It was the Chinese who invented the techniques of
making and using soy sauce, vinegar, wine, jams, and
spices some 3000 years ago.
• 3. The Cantonese dishes are famous for their fresh
materials and great tenderness.
• 4. Typical dishes are Dong’an Fledgling Chicken, Hot-
Spiced and Peppered Fledgling Chicken, Steamed
Pickled Meat, Lotus Seed with Rock Candy.
• 5. Sichuan dishes are enjoyed with great popularity all over the
country because of their distinct and various flavors.
• 6. Some of the most famous flavors are derived from fish flavors,
pepper powder boiled in oil, strange flavor and sticky-hot.
• 7. The meat of domestic animals and birds are the raw materials of
both Sichuan and Shandong dishes.
• 8. Huaiyang dishes are characterized by the strictness in material
selection, the emphasis of cleanliness and freshness of its
ingredients, as well as the fine workmanship in cutting, matching,
cooking, and arranging.
Special Cuisine
Imperial Palace Dishes
• During the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) there were many kinds of
palace banquets. Imperial Palace dishes, cooked for the Imperial
family by the Imperial kitchen, were developed from Shandong
cuisine and later from Islamic pastries and Tibetan dishes as well.
• The Imperial Palace cuisine is characterized by its strictness in
selecting ingredients and emphasis on seasoned foods. For
example, the duck must be Peking duck, mutton must be black
trotter or black-and-white faced sheep, instant-boiled mutton must
be made or consumed at the beginning of autumn, spring roll at the
beginning or springs and shrimp is in the summer, and so on.
A Full Mancu-Han Banquet
• In the middle period of the QingDynasty, the palace food culture of
Han and Mancu became mixed when the Full Mancu-Han Banquet
came into being. It is said that when Emperor Kangxi first tasted the
full Mancu-Han banquet, and wrote down the four characters “Man
Han Quan Xi”, Meaning Full mancu-Han banquet, the banquet
became famous in the palace, and became popular with nobles and
rich businessmen. As time went on, Mongolian, Hui and Tibetan foods
were added to this banquet, so the Mancu-Han Banquet became a
five-nation banquet, later known as the combined banquet. The
exquisite appearance of the foods had never been seen before and it
became the most colorful and luxurious banquet food in Chinese
history.
• Today, the Mancu-Han banquet has undergone considerate changes.
Its contents have become richer, and its appearance has been further
improved. Today there are more than 200 kinds of courses, including
varied materials from the mountains and sea. Indeed, this banquet
has become a symbol of traditional Chinese cuisine.
Vegetarian Dishes
• Vegetarian cuisine, the main ingredients of which are green-leafed
vegetables, fruit, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, bean curd, vegetable
oil, eggs, and milk, has a long history. Because it is tasty, nutritious,
easy to digest, and anti-carcinogenic, it enjoys a high place in
Chinese cuisine.
• Major vegetarian dishes include Bean Cud with Mushrooms,
Tomatoes with Straw Mushrooms, Winter Bamboo Shoots,
Mushrooms with Longans and Cherries, Chinese White Turnips in
Clear Soup, Steamed Stuffed White Gourd Cup, Assorted
Vegetables, Chinese White Cabbage Hearts with Mushrooms, and
Merit and Virtue Bean Curd.
Medicinal Dishes
• Medicinal dishes are cooked with edible medicinal herbs
using proper cooking techniques to be conducive to
one’s health and longevity. Typical dishes are stewed
squab with American ginseng and Chinese caterpillar
fungus, steamed calipash with ginseng, and beef tendon
stewed with the seeds of Chinese wolfberry. Major
dishes include Mutton with Candied Dates, Stewed
Pigeon with Ginseng and Cordyceps, Duck with Chinese
Caterpillar Fungus. Antler with Assorted Meat, and Turtle
Soup.
Menu
• 在旅游业中,餐饮是重要的环节之一。游客中不乏美食家和
烹饪高手,一份精致的菜单和诱人的菜名可令客人赏心悦目,
食欲大增。菜单一般包括肉类、海鲜、蔬菜、汤、冷盘、主
食、酒水等,撰写时注意分清类别,做到清晰明了。
• 菜名的撰写格式可以有自由的特色。从内容构成上分析,有
的是把配料或修饰词前置,主料在后,例如:
• 碧蓝牛排
• Hunan Flower Steak
• 五味茄子
• Aromatic Chinese Eggplant
• 有的则是恰好相反,例如
• 干烧龙虾
• Lobster with Chili Sauce
• 还有的由于两种材料很难分清主次,所以有评分秋色之感,
例如
• 腰果虾仁
• Sauteed Baby Shrimps with Cashew Nuts
• 从菜单的页面设计上,有些菜单采用的是:菜名在前,价
格在后; 有些采用的是:就餐人数和价格在前,菜名在
后,等等。
• 锦绣烧卤拼
• 刺身双鲜船
• 金汤海皇羹
• 紫砂东山羊
• 荷梅和乐蟹
• 酥皮牛柳卷
• 清蒸桂花鱼
• 海南双时蔬
• 美点增双辉
• 杏仁万寿果
• 鲜美水果盘
• Roast Meat Combination
• Sashimi
• Seafood Thick Soup
• Stewed Dongshan Mutton
• Steamed Crab with Plum Paste
• Beef with Fresh Toast
• Steamed Mandarin Fish
• Sauteed Mixed “Hai Nan” Vegetables
• Assorted Cakes
• Almond Juice in Papaya
• Fresh Fruit Platter
Translating words and phrases
• broccoli beef
• cashew
• lobster
• chowder
• tuna roll
• barbecue
• lemonade
• frappe
• sliced prawn with Garlic Sauce
• Sauteed Scallop
• 甘蓝牛排
• 腰果
• 龙虾
• 杂烩
• 金枪鱼卷
• 烧烤
• 柠檬汁
• 冷饮
• 鱼香虾片
• 清炒干贝
Useful expressions and patterns
• I’d like to reserve a private room for a banquet.
• How many people?
• Altogether twelve.
• Is it possible to change a room with karaokay equipment?
• Let me check whether there are any vacant rooms?
• Do you want to order now?
• Are there any tables vacant?
• A table for five, please.
• Can we have a table by the window?
• It’s near the dance floor.
• Our restaurant features Guangdong style and Shanghai style.
• Guangdong style is distinguished for the tenderness,
freshness and smoothness of the dishes.
• What are the specialties of the restaurant?
• What’s special for tonight?
• Which soup do you like?
• What a dinner.
• Can I have the bill, please?
• Does it include the service charge?
Complete the dialogue
1. A: Good evening, sir. Can I help you?
• B: 请安排一张六人用餐的桌子。
2. A: Could you follow me please? 这儿是您的桌子,行吗?
• B: We prefer the one in that quiet corner.
• A: 目前恐怕没有别的空位子了。
• B: Well, it doesn’t matter, we will take it.
3. A: 您点菜吗?
• B: What do you recommend we order?
• A: 我们的特色菜有炸板鱼,炒蟹及牛排。
• B: I think they are worth trying. Let me look at the menu.
A table for six, please.
Here is your table, is it alright?
I’m afraid there are no other tables free at the
moment.
May I take your order?
Our specialties are fried sole, deviled crab and beef cutlet.
4. A: 您喜欢牛排做的几成熟,老一点,中等程度,还是嫩
一点?
• B: We’d like it well done, please.
5. B: How much longer are we going to have to wait for our
dinner?
• A: I’m sorry, sir. 我们实在很忙,你们先用冷盘,怎么样?
6. B: Waiter! The bill, please.
• A: 这是账单,总共580元。
How would you like your steak, well done, medium,
or underdone?
We’re terribly busy, how about the cold dishes first?
Here is the bill. The total is 580 RMB yuan.
中国家常菜谱的惯用表达方式
• 烹饪方式+ 主菜(+配菜/配料)
• 红烧鸡
• braised chicken
• 栗子烧鸡
• braised chicken with chestnuts
• 麻辣鸡丁
• diced chicken with chili pepper
部分最常用烹饪术语
• 加调味佐料
• 加香料
• 盐腌的
• 炒
• 烤
• 煨
• 炖
• 涮
• 熏
• 焖
• 烩
• 烧烤
• seasoned
• spiced
• salted
• fry
• bake/ roast/ toast
• simmer
• stew
• instant-boil
• smoke
• braise
• ass
• barbecue
部分最常用香料、调味品和食用油
• 调味品
• 香料
• 味精
• 八角
• 咖喱
• 芥末
• 大蒜
• 生姜
• 酱油
• 醋
• 耗油
• 豆瓣酱
• 淀粉
• 食用油
• 色拉油
• 辣油
• flavoring; seasoning; condiment; dressing
• flavoring
• monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• star anise; aniseed
• curry
• mustard
• garlic
• ginger
• soy; soy sauce; soybean sauce
• vinegar
• oyster sauce
• bean paste; thick broad-bean sauce
• starch
• edible oil; cooking oil
• salad oil
• chili oil
• 全家福
• stewed assorted meats/hotchpotch
• 游龙戏凤
• stir-fried prawns and chicken
• 蚂蚁上树
• bean vermicelli with spicy meat sauce
• 东坡肉
• Dongpo braised pork
• 宋嫂鱼羹
• Sister Song’s fish potage
• 北京烤鸭
• Beijing roasted duck
• 西湖醋鱼
• West Lake vinegar fish