Do you love Chinese food? Well, I do. So, from dumplings to hotpots,
Chinese cuisine is one of the most celebrated cuisines in the whole world.
So, in this video, I will share with you some fun facts about Chinese food,
and hopefully you will get some new ideas about Chinese food, and develop your love towards
Chinese food. And maybe after this video ends, you will crave and order Chinese food right away.
Number one, Chinese food is actually one of the healthiest food in the whole world. So,
traditional Chinese food has always been fresh. Besides that, it usually consists of a lot of
vegetables, and then they usually top some meat, seafood, herbs and spices as well.
Chinese people rarely eat canned or frozen food, and back in the days, every ingredient inside a
dish is handpicked for medicinal purposes. And most Chinese food are either steamed,
braised or stir-fried, and this way, the Chinese food is nutrient-dense and also low in fat.
Number two, you can never eat the same dish twice in China. So, China has 34 provinces and each of
the provinces have their own unique food. So, this is also something that I learned especially
during my first days living in Beijing, China, because I never thought that China will have so
much variety in terms of their food. Because, I mean, from where I come from in Indonesia,
obviously there is also Chinese food in Indonesia and mostly are the Southern style Chinese food,
those who are from Fujian, Guangdong, you know, all this type of food. But yeah, I mean, I’ve
never thought that Beijing will have a different type of food, I thought it's probably gonna be
the same with the one I found in Indonesia. But when I first came to Beijing, I was quite
shocked to be honest, because the food itself, the Chinese food is totally different than what it is
in Indonesia. So, it is totally different than the Chinese food that I usually eat in Indonesia,
and so I have to, you know, I have to adjust the taste to the Chinese food in Beijing.
And then after living some time in Beijing, I realised that there are just so many varieties
of Chinese food. If you come to Beijing, you will see some Beijing traditional food. So
for example in Beijing, some of their famous dishes are Beijing Kaoya or the Peking Duck,
Zha Jiang Mian or their Zha Jiang Noodle. Or if you're looking for some snacks,
you can easily find people who sell Rou Bing or pancake with beef inside.
Or my favourite Jianbing and Shou Zhua Bing. I can't really describe it in English but it looks
like crepes with some toppings and some sausage inside of it and with their Chinese special sauce,
but it tastes so good. So yeah, I mean, what I’m trying to say is that before I came to Beijing,
I’ve never known that these food existed because they don't have it back home in Indonesia.
Although in Indonesia there are plenty of Chinese food places that I can go to,
but I can't really find these type of food in Indonesia, and that's when I realised that
Chinese food has so much variety in it. And, you know, when you come to visit other cities as well,
like for example, when I travelled to Shanghai or Suzhou, I do find different types of food
over there. They have their own specialties, they have their own famous dishes that are
different than the ones in Beijing. So, again, you will never eat the same dish twice because China
has 34 provinces, and everywhere you go, you will be able to eat different types of food as well.
Number three, noodles, rice and soups are staples in China. So, I believe if you come from
Asian countries, you will not have hard times to adjust with Chinese food because basically,
a lot of people from Asian countries also eat rice, and rice here is also a staple food in
China. But if you come from Western countries, then there might be a slight issue, because
probably you're not used to eating rice every day. But don't worry, there are other type of staples
that you can choose from, that you can eat as well. So for example, people in the Northern part
of China, because it tends to get cold in the Northern area in China, so people there - they
also love to eat dumplings, noodles and also steamed buns. While for people in the Southern
part of China, rice and also noodles are staples for their daily life. Number four, traditional
Chinese food is almost completely dairy free. So, if you are lactose intolerant like me,
then Chinese food will be very friendly for you. Because, authentic Chinese food rarely use dairy
products like milk, cheese or butter. Obviously, there are some food that might still contain dairy
products, but majority of the Chinese food don’t, so don't worry about it. But if you're a fan of
dairy products like butter, cheese, milk, don't worry about it as well. There are some other types
of food in China that you can still consume, that will still be able to satisfy your craving for
some food with dairy products. Number five, food is served whole in China, so wasting food is a
big no-no in China. So, when they're preparing for food, all parts of the vegetables or animals
are usually used. So for example, if you're eating Suzhou’s famous sweet and sour mandarin fish,
you will likely get the whole fish from their head to the tail and including the bone, so everything
is used and prepared for you. And in other cases, if you are eating the famous Beijing Kaoya or
the famous Peking Duck, and usually when you are ordering a portion of Beijing Kaoya or the Peking
Duck, they will even ask you whether you like the bones to be fried or whether you like it to be
made into a soup. Number six, food is commonly prepared in bite-size form or very soft. Why?
Because people in China, we use chopsticks to eat. People here rarely use knives or forks to eat,
that's why. Because they are using chopsticks to eat, the food has to be prepared in bite-size
form or very soft so that they will be able to eat it easily with their chopsticks. Because with
chopsticks, it is gonna be so hard if they have to cut the meat. And one more thing about chopsticks:
in China, you are not supposed to stuck your chopsticks like this on your rice, because it
is considered as bad luck, because that way it symbolises death and funeral. So whenever you
eat at Chinese restaurant places here in China, please do not stick your chopsticks like that
or else people will stare at you and like, they're not gonna be happy about it. So, talking about
superstitions and traditions - number seven, every food in China has a superstitious symbol. So,
in China, there is always an attached superstition or tradition behind every food. So, this can be
based on the history, can be based on the legends, can even be based on the shapes of the food as
well. There are specific food that people believe they need to eat in certain events or festivals.
For example, during the Chinese Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year, people in the Northern part
of China will usually eat Jiaozi or dumplings. And during the Dragon Boat Festival, which will come
in the middle of the year, people in China will usually eat Zongzi or the sticky rice dumpling.
So, it is made of the glutinous rice with fillings, and it can be either sweet or salty.
And the reason why people eat Zongzi dated to centuries ago. It is when the famous poet Qu Yuan
sacrificed his life to protect his country. So, in order to protect him from being eaten by the fish
in the river, people threw Zongzi in the river to protect him and also to feed the water creatures.
Since then, Zongzi became the food to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival, and the food that people
here eat during the Dragon Boat Festival. Number eight, presentation is everything. So when serving
the food, people like to go extra and they would like to add some vegetable carvings, patterns and
some decorative herbs as well. This is because Chinese people believe that the first bite
is with the eyes, and that's why sometimes people can go overboard with the food design itself. So,
number nine, there are eight culinary cuisines in China. So, these culinary cuisines are identified
based on their unique strength and also unique styles. So, these eight culinary cuisines of China
are Anhui, Cantonese or Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan and also Shandong
cuisine. I’m going to give you a brief explanation about each of the eight cuisines, and the first
one is the Guangdong, or the Cantonese cuisine. So Guangdong, or the Cantonese cuisine, is the most
popular Chinese cuisine that is internationally known. Cantonese food is noted for their fine
seafood dishes and also rice dishes. And it is famous for their light and sweet flavour with
braising and stewing methods as well. The second one is the Sichuan cuisine. So while Cantonese
cuisine is the one with light sweet flavour, Sichuan cuisine is the complete opposite of that.
Sichuan cuisine is famous for its spicy and bold flavour, and often mouth-numbing because
it contains a lot of chilli, garlic, ginger and peanuts. So their dishes are famous for the hot
and spicy taste, and also the numbing flavour of the Sichuan peppercorn. And one of their famous
one that is widely available internationally would be the Sichuan hot pot that is extremely
hot and spicy. The next one is Jiangsu cuisine. So, Jiangsu cuisine is famous for their fresh
and moderately salty and sweet flavour. And they also use precise cooking techniques, they
favour seafood soup and artistic colourful presentation as well. So, where can you find
Jiangsu food? You can easily find it in Jiangsu province, in some cities like Shanghai, Suzhou,
Zhejiang and other cities in Jiangsu. Anyway, what makes Jiangsu cuisine very special is their
exquisite cooking techniques that produce richly aromatic and visually artistic dishes. The next
one is the Zhejiang cuisine. So, some people feel like Zhejiang cuisine is kind of similar
to Jiangsu cuisine because they are basically close to each other in terms of location,
but Zhejiang cuisine focuses more on serving fresh food. So, the food is often served raw or almost
raw, and it is fresh and crispy and seasonal, so some people thought that it is kind of like
Japanese food. The next one is the Fujian or the Min cuisine. So for Fujian or Min cuisine, it has
a lighter taste with a mild sweet and sour taste, and they use ingredients from the sea and also the
mountains. So, Fujian province in China is known for the great seafood and soups, and they're also
well known in adding much exotic delicacies from the sea and mountains to make their dishes have
unusual flavour as well. And then there is Anhui cuisine, which is even wilder than the Fujian one.
So, Anhui province is an inland province, and big mountains like the yellow mountain is the source
of wild foods and herbs for Anhui province. So, that's why this is influencing their food style.
And some of the best dishes incorporate the wild food for an unusual taste as well. So,
a lot of the food in Anhui province includes wild food, fungi and herbs and vegetables.
And if you're a fan of the Sichuan cuisine, you will confirm love the Hunan cuisine,
because Hunan cuisine is even hotter than Sichuan cuisine. So, they are also famous
with their spicy, hot and sour taste as well, but it is gonna be even tastier and more delicious
than the Sichuan cuisine because they don't use the peppercorns that can numb your mouth.
The last one is the Shandong cuisine. So, because of their location in the coast,
Shandong is the home for seafood. So, the food in Shandong is salty and crispy, and they favour
braising and seafood. So, they preserve the original taste of the seafood by using simple
ingredients like braising, and they like to add vinegar and salt as well. Unlike the Southern
cuisines where they prefer rice over wheat food, Shandong cuisines serve much more wheat food
including their noodles. Number 10, traditional Chinese meals are shared communally. So, sharing
food with your family and friends is a common thing in China. So, it's basically the common
eating habit as well here in China. So, dishes are usually placed in the centre of the table,
and then people will sit around it with their rice bowl. So, in a common Chinese restaurant setting,
the table has to be round because Chinese people do also believe that round tables bring happiness
and good luck. So, the round table commonly can fit around 10 to 12 seating, and there is usually
a round table in the centre as well so you can easily swipe the table and it's easier for you
to share the meals with your family and friends who sit together with you. And besides that,
there are some fun facts about Western food that are actually originated in China. So for example,
the first one is about ice cream. So, people might have thought that ice cream is developed in the
West, right? Or maybe that ice cream is developed in European countries. But actually ice cream is
not a Western discovery, its origin actually dated back to 200 BC. And its origin is actually dated
back to as far as 200 BC when the Chinese emperor Shang Tang is said to have enjoyed it so much they
kept it as a royal secret until Marco Polo came to China and then bring the idea and develop ice
cream in Italy. The next one is about pasta. So pasta is also another creation of the Chinese
people. In fact, archaeologists discovered a 4,000 years old bowl of intact noodles in China. Next
is about ketchup. So, there was actually ketchup from China, but it was made from fermented fish.
Ketchup was brought by the British to the West, and then they developed it using the tomato as
the main ingredient and so we are able to see the current tomato ketchups on our shelves today. So,
that's the end of the video, and I hope this video is useful for you and you can get a new
idea about Chinese food and develop your love to Chinese food even more. My favourite Chinese
food that I can think of right now are Beijing Kaoya or the Peking Duck, and then Jianbing,
Shou Zhua Bing, stir-fried tomato and egg, sweet and sour pork, and there are just so many
other types of Chinese food that I love that I can eat almost every day. So, I’m also curious
about what's your favourite Chinese food. Perhaps you can comment down below and to share with me
and with other viewers as well regarding your favourite Chinese food. And if you have any
recommendations of the places that people have to eat when they're in China, you can also share
it on the comment section so we can share more information with each other, and we can be helpful
with other people who are going to visit China in the future. So yeah, I hope this video is useful
for you and you can get a lot more information from this, and thank you for watching, bye!