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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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![Refeição típica chinesa, em que dois ou mais pratos acompanham uma tijela de arroz. Sempre presente está o chá que muitas vezes é disponibilizado gratuitamente](http://i1.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p51000691.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![Sopa à base de noodles sobre os quais é despejado um caldo e são acrescentados legumes ou carne, assim como condimentos salgados ou picantes, de acordo com o gosto de cada pessoa](http://i2.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p5140074.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![Legumes no mercado de Dali](http://i2.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p51401231.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![Raiz de lótus, à venda no mercado de Dalí, muito popular na gastronomia chinesa](http://i2.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p51401272.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![ovos sujeitos a um prolongado processo de fermentação tornando a clara transparente e que lhes confere um gosto muito particular cuja intensidade os torna repulsivos para certos paladares](http://i2.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p5140143.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![Legumes no mercado de Dali](http://i0.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p5140130.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![sopa fria de noodles: encontra-se por vezes ao fim da tarde nas ruas das cidades de Yunnam, onde pequenas banca oferecem um diversidade de noodles, tanto em forma, cor e sabor, que são condimentados com um molho picante, algumas ervas frescas, cebolinho e amendoim ralado](http://i2.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p5140161.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA](http://i1.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p51604531.jpg?resize=427%2C640)
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![dumplings feitos de massa de arroz, geralmente recheados de carne, e cozinhados ao vapor. São uma das mais populares opções par ao pequeno almoço, com os restaurantes fazendo-se anunciar pelas grandes panelas metálicas constituídas por diversos tabuleiros, de onde sai um intenso vapor que se espalha pelas ruas; são acompanhados por um molho picante e por vezes com um caldo feito à base de arroz cozido, simples e praticamente sem sal](http://i0.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p52201391.jpg?resize=427%2C640)
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![outra opção de pequeno almoço, com uma sopa de noodles de sabor acre e ácido, acompanhada de ovo cozido e de pão frito, de massa semelhante às “farturas” mas de sabor salgado](http://i1.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p52704911.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![panelas para cozinhas dumplings ao vapor e o pão frito em forma de longos palitos, que se pode também encontrar no Laos e na Tailândia como acompanhamento da primeira refeição da manhã](http://i1.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p52704921.jpg?resize=427%2C640)
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![Cozinha de um restaurante na China](http://i0.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p52805661.jpg?resize=427%2C640)
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![Cozinha de um restaurante na China](http://i1.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p52805671.jpg?resize=427%2C640)
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![Cozinha de um restaurante na China](http://i2.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p5290816.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![noodles frescos à venda no mercado de Chengdu](http://i2.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p6010926.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![dumplings de vegetais acompanhando um "sumo" feito de arroz muito cozido ligeiramente adocicado e que constitui uma das populares opções para acompanhamento do pequeno-almoço a par com o leite de soja](http://i0.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p6041025.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![cabeças de pato e pescoços de galinha, grelhados e condimentados: popular como snack entre refeições](http://i2.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p6041044.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![Um dos pratos pelo qual a gastronomia de Sishuan é muito popular em que num caldo espesso e oleoso, condimentado com especiarias e pimenta, são cozinhados vegetais, cogumelos e algas, com ou sem carne, decorado com cebolinho e sementes de sésamo, e que é acompanhado de arroz](http://i1.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p60410951.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![O tofu encontra-se presente em muitos restaurantes, sendo contudo mais fácil de encontrar nas grandes cidades](http://i1.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p60510971.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![restaurante junto à estação de comboios de Chengdu que dispõem de tofu confecionado localmente e onde os dumplins são cozinhados nos tradicionais recipientes de bambu](http://i0.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p6051099.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![pão feito de massa de arroz e cozido ao vapor, muito popular nas zonas regiões tibetanas, e que pode ser simples ou recheado de legumes, carne (quase sempre porco), cogumelos ou à base de feijão azuki que lhe confere um sabor ligeiramente doce](http://i0.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p5190154.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![queijo à base de leite de yak, e que no caso de ser fumado adquire um tom acastanhado; apesar do aspecto tosco a este queijo tem uma forte consistência apresentando-se compacto e “borachoso” ao mastigar](http://i0.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p5190156.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![Hot-pot, muito popular em vários países asiáticos, mas com diferentes cambiantes em relação aos ingredientes, mas reservada para dias festivos ou jantares de fim de semana, em que um caldo é mantido quente com ajuda de carvão ou de um dispositivo elétrico ou a gás, colocado na mesa, e onde os comensais vão mergulhado os diverso ingredientes. Na região do Tibete, este prato é constituído por legumes, cogumelos, algas e algumas tiras de carne que vêm já misturadas com o caldo.](http://i1.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p5190255.jpg?resize=427%2C640)
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![Tupka tibetana](http://i0.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p5240276.jpg?resize=470%2C313)
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![uma sopa à base de dumplins recheados de legumes na região de Sertar, mais ligada à gastronomia do Tibete... deliciosa para aquecer o corpo e o espírito nos frias noites do planalto tibetano](http://i2.wp.com/steppingoutofbabylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/p5290845.jpg?resize=427%2C640)