Why Cantonese Food Reigns Supreme in Chinese Cuisine
Cantonese Food Overview🍛
Cantonese food, also known as Guangdong cuisine, is one of the four major Chinese cuisines and one of the eight great culinary traditions of China. It encompasses various regional styles, including Chaozhou cuisine (also known as Teochew cuisine), Guangfu cuisine (Cantonese food from Guangzhou), Dongjiang cuisine (Hakka cuisine), and Yuexi cuisine, along with other local culinary traditions and cooking techniques from Guangdong. Shunde, Macau, and Chaozhou have been recognized as “World Cities of Gastronomy” by UNESCO.
Chaozhou cuisine, often referred to as “Chao cuisine,” is a prestigious culinary tradition well-known both in China and abroad. As one of the pillars of Cantonese food, it is distinguished by its meticulous ingredient selection, refined cooking techniques, and emphasis on fresh flavors. It combines Chinese and Western culinary influences, placing great importance on both taste and health. Chaozhou cuisine is often regarded as one of the most exquisite Chinese culinary traditions and has been honored as the best representation of Chinese cuisine on the international stage.
*Cantonese Food: Fried Egg
*Cantonese Food: Blanched Choy Sum
It has been selected three times as the sole representative of Chinese culinary culture at the World Expo. This cuisine is mainly found in Shantou, Chaozhou, and Jieyang. Originating from Central China, Guangfu cuisine is known for its sophisticated and intricate cooking techniques. Classic dishes such as clay pot rice and roast suckling pig trace their roots back to the “Eight Delicacies” of the Zhou Dynasty, while roast goose evolved from the famous Song Dynasty roast duck. Cantonese dim sum, initially introduced from Central China, has since developed into a unique and celebrated culinary tradition in Guangdong.
Guangfu cuisine incorporates regional styles from Nanhai, Panyu, Dongguan, Shunde, Zhongshan, and Wuyi, each adding its own distinct flavors. Hakka cuisine represents another major branch of Cantonese food, primarily popular in Meizhou, Huizhou, Heyuan, Shaoguan, and Shenzhen. It spans the regions of the Meijiang, Dongjiang, and Beijiang river basins, serving as both a cultural and economic bridge within the Greater Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau. Yuexi cuisine is representative of the western Guangdong region, particularly in Zhanjiang, Maoming, and Yangjiang.
A subcategory, Gaoliang cuisine, originates from the ancient Gaoliang Prefecture and is found in Maoming and Yangjiang. Zhanjiang cuisine, a prominent style within Yuexi cuisine, features a diverse range of ingredients, reflecting the tropical and subtropical influences of the region. Additionally, Danjiacai (Tanka Cuisine), a distinctive style within Cantonese food, originates from the local traditions of the Lingnan region. Shanwei cuisine, influenced by both Fujianese and Guangfu culinary traditions, skillfully blends the best of both worlds. Known for its precise knife techniques and expert use of seasonings, it has developed a unique flavor profile of its own.
Development History📖
Chaozhou cuisine (Teochew cuisine) in Cantonese food has a long history and a well-established system, beginning in the Han and Tang dynasties and reaching its peak during the Ming and Qing periods. It has evolved alongside the over 2,000 years of Chaozhou’s history, blending the culinary arts of the Tang and Song dynasties with the essence of famous dishes from both domestic and international kitchens. Chaozhou cuisine is known for its meticulous selection of ingredients, broad range of choices, delicate preparation, integration of Chinese and Western styles, and fresh, flavorful dishes.
*Cantonese Food: Golden Scalded Shark Fin
*Cantonese Food: Double Skin Milk
Its culinary techniques have been recognized as part of China’s intangible cultural heritage. Chaozhou cuisine is often referred to as “the best Chinese cuisine internationally” and is primarily found in Shantou, Chaozhou, and Jieyang. Guangfu cuisine (Cantonese food from Guangzhou) brings together distinctive regional flavors from Shunde, Nanhai, Panyu, Dongguan, Xiangshan, the Four Villages (Siyi), Baoan, and others. It incorporates techniques from other provincial cuisines such as Beijing, Suzhou, Huaiyang, and Hangzhou, as well as Western culinary traditions, blending them into a unique style.
Cantonese food draws upon the best elements of many traditions, with refined ingredients and techniques, often innovating within traditional recipes. The cooking methods are varied, with stir-frying and quick frying (爆炒) being central, but also including braising, pan-frying, and roasting. The flavors are emphasized as fresh, but not bland, tender but not undercooked, and oily but not greasy. The cuisine is known for its “five flavors” (fragrant, crisp, tender, fatty, rich) and “six tastes” (sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, and umami). Cantonese food is also highly seasonal, with lighter dishes in summer and autumn, and richer flavors in winter and spring.
Cantonese food is considered the representative Chinese cuisine abroad. Its cooking methods are complex and delicate, and it is not just a style of food, but a cultural experience, an atmosphere, a harmony, a folk tradition, a colorful aesthetic, and an embodiment of health standards.
Origins of Cantonese food🍖
The Chaozhou people are descendants of various ethnic groups, including the Tanka, She, Li, and Han peoples, with the Han being the dominant group among them. Aside from the Li people, who were fully assimilated, the other groups have had a significant influence on Chaozhou’s culinary habits. In Chaozhou cuisine, one can find remnants of ancient customs, such as the seafood traditions of the Tanka, rice cakes from She religious rituals, and “jin ji yu kuai” (raw fish), which was passed down from Central China.
*Cantonese food: Smooth and Tender Chicken
*Cantonese Food: Roast Duck
Guangdong is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, with ingredients readily available for cooking. This has fostered a culinary culture that favors fresh and lively food. Over time, with the migration of Central Chinese people to the south, the refined and meticulous cooking style of the Central Plains gradually influenced the region’s cuisine. The long course of history allowed Guangdong to both inherit the culinary traditions of the Central Plains and incorporate the best cooking techniques from foreign and diverse influences.
It then adapted these influences to local tastes, preferences, and customs, constantly evolving, improving, and innovating, resulting in a cuisine that is varied, refined, and flavorful. Over the past century, it has become one of China’s most representative and globally influential food cultures.
Formation of Cantonese food🧆
The migration of people from Central China brought with it the refined food styles of the north, particularly the saying “food should never be too fine, nor the fish too thinly sliced.” Over the years, Guangdong not only inherited the culinary traditions of the Central Plains but also absorbed various external influences, from the north and beyond, refining and innovating based on local tastes. Guangdong cuisine gradually formed its own unique characteristics, with dishes that are varied, precisely crafted, and of superior quality, offering a balance of delicate flavors.
Over the past hundred years, it has become one of the most prominent and influential cuisines in both China and the world. In the third year of the Jingtai reign (1452), Shunde became a county. Due to its proximity to Guangzhou, a major trading port, agricultural commerce flourished, and fish ponds were developed, marking the beginning of Shunde’s prosperous history. At that time, Shunde was known for its fertile soil and an emerging food culture in towns like Daliang, Chen Village, and Longshan.
Historical records state that the silk industry grew substantially during the Qing dynasty, and fish ponds became the dominant agricultural model. Shunde emerged as the “Silk Capital of the South,” and the people’s enthusiasm for appreciating fine food and refining culinary arts rose to new heights. This pushed Shunde chefs to perfect their cooking techniques. In his book Fengcheng Mengyou Lu (Dream Travelogue of Fengcheng), Qing scholar Liang Jiexiang wrote, “Shunde, the land of honey and milk, surpasses even Guangzhou in its refinement of food.”
The continuous innovation of Shunde’s cuisine enriched Guangdong’s culinary culture, and Shunde is now considered one of the “birthplaces of Cantonese food,” with Shunde dishes included as one of the “four schools of Cantonese food.” Cantonese food has continually absorbed cooking techniques from other regions, especially those of northern China and Western culinary traditions, adapting them with flexibility and creativity. Cantonese chefs, embodying the flexible and innovative thinking of Guangdong people, constantly experiment and refine everything that can be eaten, striving to enhance flavors and meet people’s desire for “fresh variety” in their food.
Cantonese cuisine has an inclusive foundation, known for drawing upon the strengths of different culinary traditions. The methods are not simply transplanted but adapted to suit the fresh, tender ingredients of Guangdong, reflecting the local preference for light, fresh, and new tastes. For instance, the northern technique of “exploding” (爆法) evolved into the Cantonese “oil bubbling” method, and the “braising” method was refined into a more layered and separated presentation. Western techniques like baking, breaded frying, pork chops, and beef steaks were adapted into unique Cantonese recipes.
*Cantonese Food: Curry Fried Rice
*Cantonese Food: Steamed White Eel with Black Bean Sauce
Cantonese chefs also created their own version of sauces, drawing from Western culinary practices, and pioneered their own methods for seasoning with sauces in Cantonese cooking. Chefs are also not afraid to challenge tradition and continually filter and innovate. For example, there is a saying in Cantonese cooking, “pork should not have ginger, lamb should not have soy sauce,” meaning that adding ginger to pork or soy sauce to lamb would overpower the natural flavor of the meat. However, younger generations of chefs have dared to challenge this taboo.
Through continuous exploration and experimentation, they have developed dishes such as ginger-flavored stir-fried pork, braised lamb trotters with soy sauce, and XO sauce lamb chops, all of which have become popular among diners. Apart from formal dishes, Guangdong’s snacks and dim sum are also meticulously crafted, and the local food customs, like the Guangdong morning tea and Chaozhou Gongfu tea, have transcended the mere act of eating to become an important part of Guangdong’s cultural identity. Notably, Chaozhou Gongfu tea culture has been recognized as part of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and Guangdong now boasts five such projects.
Regional Cuisines🍱
Chaozhou Cuisine🥣
Chaozhou cuisine has evolved over a long period, integrating Central Chinese and Minnan (Southern Fujian) cultures, creating a distinct culinary style. It is primarily distributed in the eastern regions of Guangdong Province, including Chaozhou, Shantou, and Jieyang. Over thousands of years, Chaozhou cuisine has been influenced by Fujian cuisine, as well as Cantonese sub-cuisines such as Guangzhou and Hakka cuisines.
It has also absorbed the flavors and techniques of famous dishes from other regions, blending the best of both Fujian and Guangdong culinary traditions into a unique flavor profile. Known for its emphasis on seafood and preserving the natural taste of ingredients, Chaozhou cuisine is recognized for its local character and distinctive cooking methods.
Guangfu Cuisine🥯
Guangfu cuisine, also known as Guangzhou cuisine, covers the entire Pearl River Delta region, including Hong Kong and Macau. It incorporates various local flavors, such as those from Nanhai, Panyu, Dongguan, Shunde, Zhongshan, Wuyi, and Baoan, as well as culinary influences from Beijing, Suzhou, Yangzhou, Hangzhou, and even Western cuisines, blending them into one cohesive style. Guangfu cuisine is considered the representative of Cantonese food and is deeply rooted in Central Chinese traditions.
Known for its diverse and flexible cooking techniques, it has a hallmark of “northern dishes gradually blending into southern styles.” The cooking methods mainly focus on stir-frying and quick frying, complemented by braising, pan-frying, and roasting. The cuisine is renowned for its freshness, with flavors that are clear but not bland, fresh but not crude, tender but not undercooked, and oily but not greasy.
It follows the principles of the “five flavors” (fragrant, crispy, soft, fatty, rich) and “six tastes” (sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, umami). Famous for its light, fresh, and tender dishes, Guangfu cuisine requires precise control of heat and oil temperatures, and it also accommodates many Western culinary methods. Shunde, a region in Guangdong, has been designated by UNESCO as a “City of Gastronomy,” and is often referred to as the birthplace of Cantonese cuisine.
Hakka Cuisine🥟
Hakka cuisine (also known as Dongjiang cuisine) is divided into five regional styles: Southern Jiangxi, Western Fujian, Meizhou, Dongjiang, and Overseas. Meizhou cuisine represents the most iconic Hakka cuisine, while Dongjiang cuisine is one of its sub-categories. Originating from the Hakka communities in the Dongjiang River area of Guangdong, this cuisine is characterized by heavy use of meats, minimal seafood, and a focus on bold, rich flavors.
Dishes often involve the use of clay pots, with a distinctive rustic and earthy taste. Hakka cuisine can be further categorized into “mountain-style,” “water-style,” and “scattered Hakka dishes.” Meizhou is considered the home of Hakka cuisine, and its dishes are known for their deep flavors, rich seasoning, and emphasis on hearty, savory ingredients.
*Cantonese Cuisine: White Cut Chicken.
*Cantonese Cuisine: White Cut Chicken
Shanwei Cuisine🍢
Shanwei cuisine is known for its seafood and incorporates elements from Guangfu, Minnan, Chaozhou, and Hakka cuisines, creating a unique culinary style. Known as Haulufeng cuisine, it originates from the Shanwei region of Guangdong and reflects the local cultural influences of the area. The cuisine shares similarities with Minnan food while also being shaped by the culinary traditions of Guangzhou. Over time, it has combined the best of both, creating a flavor profile all its own.
The cooking techniques emphasize knife skills and presentation, with methods such as braising, stewing, roasting, frying, steaming, stir-frying, and simmering. Shanwei cuisine is particularly known for its seafood, soups, and sweet dishes. Notable dishes include roasted goose, national dish vegetable, clear crab soup balls, fried snail balls, sweet meat rolls, and Tai Chi yam paste. Shanwei is also famous for its numerous snacks, such as millet cakes, beef patties, vegetable rice cakes, chive dumplings, winter pigeon, pork intestine rice rolls, layered cake, savory tea, and wontons.