Chinese

With more than 1.4 billion people, 3.7 million square miles, and 22 unique provinces, China boasts one of the most complex and varied cultural cuisines of any country. Each province and major city supports a regional cuisine completely unlike that of its neighbors—the most familiar is Guangdong’s sweet and mild sauces and braises, which informed and developed modern “American Chinese.” However, Guangdong is only the most popular of Chinese cuisines, and others boast far different and more varied flavor profiles and cultural significance. Coastal Jiangsu heavily features dishes made of or with fish, while its major city, Shanghai, has developed a popular and dynamic gourmet scene. Sichuan cuisine showcases intense heat and spice, embodied by the lightning taste of the Sichuan peppercorn. Hunan hold the place of honor as home of China’s spiciest dishes—some of which foreigners are warned against eating unprepared, else they suffer tremendous consequences—but is also home to historically fresh foods and herbs thanks to its expansive agricultural system. These regional variations, along with the many others present in China’s other provinces and cities, create a dynamic and magnificent array of dishes with rich cultural and regional significance.