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This is a difficult subject to address given the gastronomic diversity of China and the short visit to the provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan provide good examples, so it is difficult to choose a traditional dish or a typical meal that is homogeneously found in all places.
However, in the visited areas, restaurants can easily be found where the common denominator is the existence of a fridge where the available food is exposed, from vegetables, meat, mushrooms, tofu, eggs… and from where the customer can chooses the desired combinations, which are cook in a few minutes. The dishes the come to the table are always shared among the group of friends or family, gathered around the table, being polite to remove one piece of food at a time and put it in the bowl, from where, after mixing with a piece of rice it’s eaten. At the end of the meal, it is respectful to leave some food on the plates, a sign of the abundance of food.
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Contrary to what is common in Southasian countries, in China it’s unusual to find “street-food”. The most popular and economical option is the small family restaurants, informal and open to the street, where the kitchen is located at the entrance of the restaurant advertising the menu. The most common in these eateries is the noodles soup with all the possible meat variations: pork, beef, chicken, intestines and other internal organs… ghrrr!
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In fact, China is not an easy country for vegetarians, and the concept itself is a kind of unknown is more remote areas, even among the Buddhist and the Tibetan communities. Although, vegetables are a constant presence in Chinese meals that are compost by several dishes where meat is an almost mandatory presence. The tofu, as a Chinese intention, is easy to find both in restaurants menus as in snack stall, as it is part of traditional food the tofu isn't seen as a vegetable alternative as in western countries. Mushrooms are also very common and can be a good choice for vegetarian dishes. However, some traditional Chinese dishes are practically impossible to find without meat, fish or seafood, as is the case with dumplings, steamed buns and the dim sun. But rice and noodles dishes, stir-fry or in soups, are good alternatives for vegetarians as far as you can order them without animal meat... the communication is always the big issue!!! The good thing for vegans is that dairy is almost 100% excluded from the traditional Chinese cuisine, and things like cheese and milk are rare. On the other hand, soy milk is very popular and is part of the traditional Chinese food, particularly a the breakfast.
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In Sichuan, famous for its aromatic pepper, the gastronomy stands out for the spicy taste present in almost all dishes, from soups, stir fry or grill. The ingredients, usually vegetables and meat, often cook in a thick of spicy gravy, come wrapped in oil, but with a delicious and aromatic!
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In areas closer to the Tibet Autonomous Region you can find some of the typical Tibetan dishes, although the number of restaurants serving them is small compared to the overwhelming presence of Chinese food restaurants. It stands out the traditional tupka, a soup of vegetables or meat, in a thick broth and with barley pasta cut roughly in pieces. The dumplings that in the Tibetan version are called momos, are also traditional in this area and can be found as a morning meal.
Traditionally from the cold Tibetan areas is butter tea that accompanies meals. The salty butter’s taste stands out in this drink, which as it cools creates a thin layer of fat at the surface.
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