Discover the culture of China
through its diverse cuisines, travel in gourmet style on a culinary adventure.
Does the phrase Chinese food make you think
of takeaway chop suey and spring rolls? Or have you discovered the diverse
realm of true gourmet China, where you won’t find a No.43 anything like the Chinese restaurant
down your street produces, but you will find everything from traditional dim
sum to Fusion Chinese, gastronomic delights worth travelling to the other side
of the world for.
China is a huge country and produces a wide variety of regional cuisines,
many of which can be sampled in its principal cities but some of which can only
be tasted when you explore the countryside and sample the menu in a historic
Chinese town, that still retains the old culture of tea houses and ceremonies.
If chic city living is more your style, Shanghai
and Beijing are cosmopolitan centres home to internationally acclaimed chefs
and restaurants that make the World lists of places to eat out in. It would be
crazy to eat bland international food in China,
where there is such a wealth of tastes and flavours to explore for all but the
most timid of palates. Modern sophisticates will go wild over Fusion Chinese,
while other may prefer to explore the wealth of regional cuisines that preserve
much of China’s centuries old culture.
Cantonese cuisine is often cited as the
finest of China’s regional cooking styles, with its emphasis on the freshest of
foods, swiftly steamed or stir fried, but it is not the only way to eat in China. Szechuan cuisine is perfect for
those who love spices, evolved in a humid climate where spices are part of the
lifestyle it can go from mildly spiced to mouth-burningly hot. Shanghai in Eastern China, is home to slow
cooking methods using soy sauce as a braising liquid. Beijing lies in the wheat growing region of northern China and
its cuisine features many wheat based foods such as noodles and pancakes as
well as retaining many of the cosmopolitan influences of the Imperial court.
Adventurous gourmets can have the time of
their lives exploring the huge range of foods in China,
visiting the wet markets in Shanghai to pick out that evening’s dinner, learning to cook dim sum with an
experienced chef, and enjoying degustation dinners at top restaurants. To get
the most of your trip you should look for an experienced and specialist tour operator or concierge
service who will be able to take you to far more interesting places than you
could ever discover on your own and will look after you in the lap of luxury at
the same time! After all after a day of gourmet food experiences, you want to
relax in the comfort of a boutique hotel enjoying personal service, with a
dedicated driver available to transport you seamlessly to the next dining
delight.
Once the Olympics are over and the Beijing
returns to just the normal amount of big city bustle, its fine dining
opportunities will continue to delight travellers from all round the world , for
any adventurous gourmet China is the place to go for new experiences and a
luxury restorative vacation.
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
