Eight Cusines
Anhui Cuisine
Anhui cuisine is derived from the native cooking styles of the Huangshan Mountain region in China. It is similar to Jiangsu cuisine. It comprises the specialities of South Anhui, Yanjiang and Huai Bei.
Anhui cuisine is known for its use of wild game and herbs, both from the mountains and the sea. Chefs have strict control of the cooking process and pay close attention to the cooking temperature and are good at braising and stewing. In contrast, frying and stir-fry methods are much less frequently used in Anhui cuisine.
Fujian Cuisine
Fujian cuisine has the informal name of "Min Cai", and belongs to the Eight Great Chinese Cuisine Styles. The best Min Cai comes from Fuzhou, Minnan and Minxi; but some of the dishes in Zhangzho and Quanzhou are equally good.
A shared feature for all the Min Cai is that it uses seafood as the main meat. There are many types of seasonings to cook Min Cai and they are: prawn oil, prawn source, red grains, white grains and sour grains. The taste of Min Cai is refreshing, pure and delicate. The dish is loved by people in both northern and southern parts of China. The various cooking styles for the soups is another characteristic of Min Cai. Some of the most famous Min Cai are: Futiaoqiang, Baoxinyuwan, Hongcaiji, Minshengguo and Dancaoxiangluopian.
Hunan Cuisine
Hunan cuisine, sometimes called Xiang cuisine, consists of the cuisines of the Xiangjiang region, Dongting Lake and western Hunan province (mountain area) in China.
Hunan cuisine is difficult to characterise precisely, as it has absorbed stylistic elements from all over China. For this reason, the region is sometimes regarded as China’s culinary centre. The cooking skills employed in Hunan cuisine reached a high standard as early as the Western Han dynasty, giving it a history of more than 2,100 years. Common cooking techniques include stewing, frying, pot-roasting, braising and smoking.