| China is a vast country with many different | | | | made using unraised flour. |
| regions, each with their own distinct style and | | | | - Congee - A porridge, usually made from rice, |
| flavors of cuisine: Anhui (Hui), Cantonese (Yue), | | | | but sometimes cornmeal, millet, barley or |
| Fujian (Min), Hunan (Xiang), Jiangsu (Su or Yang), | | | | sorghum are used. |
| Shandong (Lu), Szechuan (Chuan) and Zhejiang | | | | - Soy egg - A hard-boiled egg in soy sauce, sugar |
| (Zhe). Additionally, emigrants from China can be | | | | and water, flavored with herbs and spices. |
| found all over the world, and these emigrants | | | | - Kung Pao (or Kung Po) chicken - A spicy chicken |
| have created both new variations on traditional | | | | dish flavored with Sichuan peppercorns, Shaoxing |
| Chinese dishes, by adapting Chinese dishes to local | | | | wine, and unroasted cashew nuts or peanuts. |
| tastes, and entirely new dishes. | | | | Westernized versions using locally available Chinese |
| Most Chinese meals consisting of two main | | | | ingredients and bell peppers are popular in the |
| components: | | | | United States and Europe. |
| 1. Zhushí which in Mandarin means "main | | | | - General Tso's chicken - A sweet and spicy |
| food" - Rice, noodles or steamed buns ("mantou"). | | | | deep-fried chicken dish that is popular in Chinese |
| 2. Cài which in Mandarin means "vegetable" | | | | restaurants in the United States and Canada, but |
| - One or more accompanying dishes of meat, fish | | | | is practically unknown in China itself. |
| or vegetables. | | | | - Peking duck - The signature dish of Beijing: A |
| Some popular Chinese dishes include: | | | | duck, glazed with a syrup and then roasted. The |
| - Dumplings - Dumplings containing ground | | | | dish is traditionally carved in front of diners and |
| (minced) meat and/or vegetables. They may be | | | | eaten with scallions, plum sauce and steamed |
| boiled ("shuijiao"), fried ("guotie") or steamed | | | | pancakes (Mandarin: pinyin). In the United Kingdom, |
| ("jiaozi"). | | | | the dish is usually known as "crispy aromatic |
| - Xiaolongbao - Steamed buns containing meat | | | | duck" and is prepared using aromatic spices |
| soup (meat gelatin is placed inside the bun before | | | | including five-spice powder, and by frying the duck |
| steaming, the steam heat melts the gelatin into | | | | instead of roasting. |
| soup), seafood or vegetables. Xiaolongbao made | | | | - Zongzi - Glutinous rice with various fillings, |
| from raised flour are common throughout China | | | | wrapped in bamboo leaves and then boiled or |
| and are often known as "baozi". In the South of | | | | steamed. |
| the country, xiaolongbao are also sometimes | | | | |