Visit China for
a gourmet travel experience like no other. A wealth of cuisines and traditions
to explore makes for a fascinating holiday and if you choose the luxury options
of boutiques hotel and experienced concierge service you can do it all in
comfort too.
What do you think when you picture China?
Right now of course the Olympics spring to mind: Beijing transformed
by an enormous stadium and filled with athletes with the world all looking on. Now
the Olympics are over though, China
will revert to its complex mix of ancient tradition, modern competitive market,
sophisticated cities and rural simplicity. A gourmet tour to China
travels through the whole mix of culture via the diverse flavours of a country
that few Westerners really know.
An enormous country like China has
a huge range of culinary traditions. In a chic city like Shanghai, you can
experience Fusion Chinese, the most modern innovative cuisine drawing on the
wealth of traditions China offers. Traditional tea ceremonies offer a glimpse into the
elaborate rituals of a formal culture, where beauty and elegance are integrated
into every move. Relaxed food opportunities, such as sampling street nibbles in
neighbourhood markets contrast with more formal meals at restaurants rated high
in the international gourmet world.
A Cantonese seafood meal, where diners
select their meal from an aquarium to ensure that their meal is as fresh as can
be is not to be missed, but to get a feel of the old China a visit to some of
the historic rural towns outside Shanghai, is essential to introduce you to the
world of tea houses, canals and gardens that still delight the eye and the
palate.
If you want to taste the genuine flavours
of Beijing duck, where better to sample it than Beijing itself. A
bustling city that still retains its traditional tea houses among all the sophisticated
big city modernity, Beijing is also ideally placed to visit the Great Wall of China, where you
could lunch on delicious traditional dishes in the shadow of this ancient
wonder of the world.
As well as Cantonese cuisine from southern China,
with an emphasis on fresh ingredients cooked quickly in a stir fry, be sure to
try the spicier Szechuan style of cooking that originated in the mountainous province of the
same name. Beijing lies in the northern part of China
where the staple crop is wheat and they have many more dishes based on noodles,
pancakes and dumplings, instead of the rice favoured in the south. Eastern China combines both
these staples and is often characterised by its use of sugar to sweeten dishes
as well as being famed for its ‘red-cooking, using soy sauce to simmer meat
slowly, until it takes on a reddish tinge.
Of course travelling around China is
much easier with the help of a dedicated concierge service. Adventurous
travellers can go it alone, but for those who like to travel in luxury, having
an insider’s knowledge at your beck and call to ease the way and lead you to
the best boutique hotel or finest food is essential. Look for companies that
have plenty of experience and specialise in luxury travel, that will pick out
the best for your China gourmet experience and leave you relaxed , revitalised and full of
new flavour!
About the author
Kit Heathcock writes for http://www.justtheplanet.com, the
online luxury travel magazine. Read more on their next gourmet China
tour http://www.justtheplanet.com/gourmet-china
or browse their gourmet travel section for inspiration http://www.justtheplanet.com/gourmet-travel/gourmet-travel.php.
Tags: ancient tradition, beijing duck, cantonese seafood, chic city, concierge service, culinary traditions, fascinating holiday, gourmet tour, gourmet travel, gourmet world, great wall of china, international gourmet, luxury options, nibbles, seafood meal, sophisticated cities, tea ceremonies, tea houses, traditional tea, wall of china
