It is difficult
to say how many culinary schools are there in China. One theory claims that
there are four major styles of cooking – Shandong, Sichuan, Yangzhou, and
Cantonese. Another theory puts the number at eight, with the addition of
Fukienese cooking, which attaches utmost importance to freshness of
ingredients and delicate taste of dishes. Zhejiang cooking, distinguished by
an obsession with the purity of flavour, Hunanese cooking, producing dishes
which are pungent in a numbing way, and Anhui cooking, known for its
richness of flavours. A third theory argues that Beijing and Shanghai
cuisine should be added so that China has ten dominant schools of cooking. |