Huaiyang cuisine facts for kids

Huaiyang cuisine (Chinese: 淮揚菜) is one of the Four Great Traditions in Chinese cuisine. It is derived from the native cooking styles of the region surrounding the lower reaches of the Huai and Yangtze rivers and centered on the cities of Huai'an, Yangzhou and Zhenjiang in Jiangsu Province. Although it is one of several sub-regional styles within Jiangsu cuisine, Huaiyang cuisine is widely seen in Chinese culinary circles as the most popular and prestigious style of Jiangsu cuisine – to a point where it is considered to be one of the Four Great Traditions (Chinese: 四大菜系; pinyin: Sì dà càixì) that dominate the culinary heritage of China, along with Cantonese cuisine, Shandong cuisine and Sichuan cuisine.

Typical features

Huaiyang cuisine is characterized by basing each dish on its main ingredient; the way that ingredient is cut is pivotal to its cooking and its final taste. The cuisine is also known for employing Chinkiang vinegar, which is produced in the Jiangsu region. Huaiyang cuisine tends to have a slightly sweet side to it and is almost never spicy, in contrast to some cuisines of China (like Sichuan or Hunan). Pork, chicken, and freshwater aquatic products serve as the protein base in most dishes, which are usually more meticulous and light.

Notable dishes

Huaiyang cuisine also includes several breakfast choices such as crab soup dumplings (Chinese: 蟹黃湯包; pinyin: xìehúang tāngbāo), thousand-layer cake (Chinese: 千層糕; pinyin: qiāncéng gāo), steamed dumplings (Chinese: 蒸餃; pinyin: zhēngjiǎo), and wild vegetable steamed buns (Chinese: 野菜包子; pinyin: yěcài bāozi).

Other standard dishes of Huaiyang cuisine include:

English	Image	Traditional Chinese	Simplified Chinese	Pinyin	Notes
Dazhu gansi		大煮乾絲	大煮干丝	dàzhǔ gānsī	Finely cut chicken, ham and dried tofu in chicken broth
Jade shaomai		翡翠燒賣	翡翠烧卖	fěicùi shāomài
Lion's head		獅子頭	狮子头	shīzi tóu	Braised pork meatballs in brown sauce
Noodles with shrimp and pork dumplings		蝦子餃麪	虾子饺面	xīazi jǐaomiàn
Pot stickers		鮮肉鍋貼	鲜肉锅贴	xiānròu gūotīe
Sliced fatty pork slices		厚皮香豬	厚皮香猪	hòupí xīangzhū
Yangchow fried rice		揚州炒飯	扬州炒饭	Yángzhōu chǎofàn

Others include Yangzhou pickles, baozi, gansi (sliced tofu), sticky candy, ginkgo, Qionghuayu liquor, Nanshan green tea, baoying lotus root starch, and Jiangdu short pastry.

Baozi is a type of steamed bun with meat or paste fillings. It is sometimes served for breakfast and is best eaten hot.

There is also a dish called "Beggar's Chicken" (Chinese: 叫化雞; pinyin: jiàohuā jī), which is a whole chicken marinated with spices and wrapped in aluminum foil. Contrary to its name, it is not the food for the homeless. Traditionally, beggar's chicken is wrapped in leaves or sometimes even in mud, thus allowing the full flavor of the chicken to be preserved.

Because Yangzhou is close to Nanjing, people will be able to enjoy the mix of northern and southern cuisines. When in Nanjing, one unusual local dish is duck blood and vermicelli soup, consisting of congealed duck's blood in noodle soup, another is its stinky tofu.

Use in official dining

Huaiyang cuisine has been employed in official occasions by the Chinese government. Some examples include:

• In 1949, for the first state banquet of the People's Republic of China.
• In 1999, for China's 50th anniversary state banquet.
• In 2002, for visiting U.S. President George W. Bush, hosted by Chinese President Jiang Zemin.