Some 3000 years ago in China, a new approach to
cooking was created. The basic rule was that the five flavours - sour, sweet,
bitter, hot and salty - must be combined in a meal to achieve balance of
flavour.
However, the five-flavour rule isn't really
adequate to describe the full range of Chinese cuisine. Any one of these
flavours may dominate in a certain region. For instance, vinegar is crucial for
the people from North China's Shanxi Province; people from East China's Jiangsu
and Zhejiang provinces are fond of sweet food; spicy food, which makes some
people sweat, is preferred in the Southwest of China and salty food is popular
in the cold north.
The diverse geography, climate, and history in
different regions may offer a clue to why particular flavours dominate in
certain areas.
These are the five tastes:
1. Sour (Vinegar)
People from North China's Shanxi Province are most known for their
love of vinegar. It is even said that vinegar is a must at their tables and a
meal isn't complete without it. Locals say, drops of vinegar make a bowl of
noodles more delicious and chefs all over Shanxi usually use vinegar to give a
distinctive sour flavour to dishes. Some people are in the habit of dipping
dumplings and steamed stuffed buns into vinegar for a second before eating them;
and people from Shanxi are even jokingly said to sip vinegar like a soft drink.
2. Sweet (Sugar)
Although sugar is commonly used as a condiment, sugar is not
always considered as necessary in cooking as salt. But for people from East
China, sugar is just as important as salt. The wide use of sugar as seasoning
in this area may be mainly because of its ability to make food taste fresher.
3. Bitter (Bitter Tea)
Tea is one of the hundreds of bitter foods and beverages available
in China. In a Chinese food market, you are sure to come across a wide variety
of bitter food. Some have telling names like bitter melon, bitter buckwheat or bitter tea, others are bitter in nature but have misleading names. Others
are fresh herbs and you may not recognize at all.
4. Hot (Chilli)
People from Southwest China are famous for their love of hot peppers. A variety
of chilli-related seasonings, including chilli powder, chilli sauce, pickled chilli, dried
chilli, stir-fry chilli oil and so on, have played an important role in creating the
Sichuan culinary style.
5. Salty (Salt)
People in northern China prefer salty, heavy food, with salty pickles. In
autumn, some women, especially in rural areas, are busy making pickles for the
coming winter.
cooking was created. The basic rule was that the five flavours - sour, sweet,
bitter, hot and salty - must be combined in a meal to achieve balance of
flavour.
However, the five-flavour rule isn't really
adequate to describe the full range of Chinese cuisine. Any one of these
flavours may dominate in a certain region. For instance, vinegar is crucial for
the people from North China's Shanxi Province; people from East China's Jiangsu
and Zhejiang provinces are fond of sweet food; spicy food, which makes some
people sweat, is preferred in the Southwest of China and salty food is popular
in the cold north.
The diverse geography, climate, and history in
different regions may offer a clue to why particular flavours dominate in
certain areas.
These are the five tastes:
1. Sour (Vinegar)
People from North China's Shanxi Province are most known for their
love of vinegar. It is even said that vinegar is a must at their tables and a
meal isn't complete without it. Locals say, drops of vinegar make a bowl of
noodles more delicious and chefs all over Shanxi usually use vinegar to give a
distinctive sour flavour to dishes. Some people are in the habit of dipping
dumplings and steamed stuffed buns into vinegar for a second before eating them;
and people from Shanxi are even jokingly said to sip vinegar like a soft drink.
2. Sweet (Sugar)
Although sugar is commonly used as a condiment, sugar is not
always considered as necessary in cooking as salt. But for people from East
China, sugar is just as important as salt. The wide use of sugar as seasoning
in this area may be mainly because of its ability to make food taste fresher.
3. Bitter (Bitter Tea)
Tea is one of the hundreds of bitter foods and beverages available
in China. In a Chinese food market, you are sure to come across a wide variety
of bitter food. Some have telling names like bitter melon, bitter buckwheat or bitter tea, others are bitter in nature but have misleading names. Others
are fresh herbs and you may not recognize at all.
4. Hot (Chilli)
People from Southwest China are famous for their love of hot peppers. A variety
of chilli-related seasonings, including chilli powder, chilli sauce, pickled chilli, dried
chilli, stir-fry chilli oil and so on, have played an important role in creating the
Sichuan culinary style.
5. Salty (Salt)
People in northern China prefer salty, heavy food, with salty pickles. In
autumn, some women, especially in rural areas, are busy making pickles for the
coming winter.