What Is Fujian Cuisine? A Taste of Coastal China
Fujian Cuisine Overview🥗
Fujian cuisine, also known as Min cuisine, is one of the eight major culinary traditions of China. It emerged from the fusion of Central Plains Han culture and the culture of the ancient Minyue people. Originating in Fuzhou and based on Fuzhou dishes, it later incorporated the distinctive flavors of Eastern Fujian, Southern Fujian, Western Fujian, Northern Fujian, and Putian, forming a rich and diverse cuisine.
In a narrow sense, Min cuisine refers to Fuzhou dishes, which first appeared in Min County, Fuzhou, and eventually developed into three main branches: Fuzhou, Southern Fujian, and Western Fujian — collectively known as Min cuisine in the broader sense. Known for its fresh, mellow flavors, rich aromas, and abundant use of soups, Min cuisine is especially skilled in using red yeast rice and sweet-and-sour seasonings.
*Fujian Cuisine: Eight-Treasure Crab Roe Rice
*Fujian Cuisine: Poached Sea Clams in Chicken Broth
As the people of Fujian have long been engaged in maritime activities, their dietary habits gradually developed into a distinctive and open culinary tradition. Fujian cuisine is renowned for its mastery in preparing delicacies from both land and sea. While excelling in color, aroma, taste, and presentation, it particularly stands out for its rich fragrance and flavor. Characterized by its fresh, mellow, aromatic, and non-greasy qualities, as well as its extensive use of soups, Fujian cuisine holds a unique place in the world of Chinese culinary arts.
Fuzhou cuisine is light, refreshing, and emphasizes the use of soups to enhance freshness, excelling in the preparation of both mountain and seafood delicacies. Southern Fujian cuisine (including Xiamen, Zhangzhou, and Quanzhou) focuses on seasonings and flavoring, highlighting freshness and aroma; Chaoshan cuisine is also considered part of Southern Fujian cuisine. Western Fujian cuisine (around Changting and Ninghua) leans towards salty and spicy flavors, with a particular emphasis on mountain produce, showcasing the distinct characteristics of the mountainous regions. As a result, Fujian cuisine has developed three major specialties: its mastery of red yeast rice seasoning, its excellence in soup-making, and its skillful use of sweet-and-sour flavors.
Historical Origins🎭
As early as the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, following the turmoil of the Yongjia Rebellion, large numbers of aristocrats and scholars from the Central Plains migrated to Fujian. They brought with them advanced technology and culture, which, through blending and interaction with the ancient Yue culture of Fujian, greatly promoted the region’s development.
During the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, Wang Shenzhi and his brothers from Gushi, Guang Prefecture in Henan led their troops into Fujian and established the Min Kingdom, further advancing and enriching Fujian’s culinary culture. For example, red yeast (red koji) had already been used as a cooking ingredient in the Central Plains prior to the Tang Dynasty. The distinctive flavor profile of Fujian cuisine can be captured with just a touch of red yeast rice. As described by Xu Jian in the Tang Dynasty’s Beginner’s Records: “Guazhou red yeast, mixed evenly, is soft, smooth, rich, and melts in the mouth.”
After being introduced to Fujian by Central Plains migrants, red yeast became widely used, making red a dominant color in Fujian’s culinary aesthetics. The aromatic red lees produced from this fermentation process also became a common seasoning in cooking. Signature dishes such as red lees fish, red lees chicken, and red lees pork have become staples of Fujian cuisine, making “red yeast cooking” one of its defining characteristics.
*Fujian Cuisine: Drunken Pork Ribs
*Fujian Cuisine: Sliced Sea Conch in Light Fermented Rice Sauce
The Charm of Fujian Cuisine🏮
Archaeological discoveries at the Tanshishan Neolithic site in Hengxin Village, Gancao Town, Minhou County, Fuzhou, have unearthed pottery tripods and connected stoves used by Fujian’s ancient inhabitants. These findings provide evidence that the people of Fuzhou had transitioned from roasting to boiling food as early as 5,000 years ago.
Located in southeastern China, Fujian faces the sea to the east and is backed by mountains to the west. The province enjoys a humid climate with abundant rainfall, lush greenery, and spring-like weather year-round. Its long coastline and vast tidal flats offer a rich variety of seafood such as fish, shrimp, clams, snails, sturgeon, and oysters throughout the year. Meanwhile, the expansive river plains yield rice, sugarcane, vegetables, and a wide array of fruits, with lychees, longans, and citrus fruits especially renowned both domestically and abroad.
By making full use of these exceptional natural resources, the people of Fujian have created a unique and refined culinary tradition. Fujian cuisine is known for its meticulous ingredient selection, precise knife work, careful control of cooking temperatures, and a strong emphasis on soup preparation. It makes skillful use of seasonings, resulting in a wide variety of flavors.
The Core of Fujian Cuisine
Fujian cuisine, with Fuzhou cuisine at its core, not only dominates the culinary scene in Fujian and Taiwan, but also represents Fujian flavors in Chinatowns around the world. It is often said that “the aroma of Fuzhou cuisine spreads across the seas, and its food culture endures through the ages.”
Origins and Development⏲
Fujian cuisine, one of the eight major culinary traditions of China, gradually took shape through the fusion and exchange of Central Plains Han culture with the indigenous Yue culture of the region. As one of China’s most famous hometowns of overseas Chinese, Fujian has long benefited from its global connections. New varieties of ingredients and exotic seasonings introduced by overseas Chinese have greatly enriched the local food culture and expanded the repertoire of Fujian cuisine.
Through sustained interaction with people from abroad, particularly those from the Nanyang (Southeast Asian) islands, foreign culinary customs gradually blended into the daily diet of Fujian people, further shaping Fujian cuisine into a unique and open culinary system. As early as the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, following the turmoil of the Yongjia Rebellion, a large influx of aristocrats and scholars from the Central Plains migrated to Fujian, bringing with them advanced technologies and culture.
The integration of these influences with the ancient Yue culture of Fujian spurred the region’s development. Later, during the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, Wang Shenzhi and his brothers from Gushi, Guang Prefecture in Henan led troops into Fujian and established the Min Kingdom, further promoting the advancement and prosperity of Fujian’s culinary culture. For example, as early as the pre-Tang era, red yeast (red koji) was already used as a cooking ingredient in the Central Plains.
Xu Jian of the Tang Dynasty wrote in Beginner’s Records: “Guazhou red yeast, mixed evenly, is soft, smooth, rich, and melts in the mouth.” After being brought to Fujian by Central Plains immigrants, red yeast became widely used, making red the signature color of Fujian’s culinary aesthetics. The fragrant red lees produced from fermentation became a common seasoning in many dishes, giving rise to signature recipes such as red lees fish, red lees chicken, and red lees pork. Red yeast cooking has since become a defining hallmark of Fujian cuisine.
*Fujian Cuisine: Lychee Pork
*Fujian Cuisine: Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
Cooking Ingredients🐟
The origins and development of Fujian cuisine are closely tied to the region’s natural resources. Ingredients serve as the material foundation of cooking and are essential for ensuring the quality of dishes. At every stage — from the application of cooking techniques to achieving the desired flavors and presentation — the role of ingredients is crucial. Situated in the southeastern corner of China, Fujian is blessed with mountains and seas, a mild climate year-round, abundant rainfall, and spring-like conditions in all seasons.
Towering forests, vast bamboo groves, and crisscrossing rivers enrich its mountainous areas, while its long coastline and extensive tidal flats offer plentiful marine harvests. These favorable geographic conditions provide Fujian cuisine with an exceptional variety of ingredients from both land and sea. Through generations of diligent work and life experience, the region’s ancestors developed, selected, and gathered a diverse range of culinary ingredients for their descendants. The area abounds with rice, sugarcane, vegetables, and fruits, among which longans, lychees, and citrus fruits have earned widespread acclaim both at home and abroad.
Culinary Characteristics⌛
Meticulous Knife Skills, Integrated into Flavor
The seafood delicacies of Fujian are known for their tender yet resilient textures, which demand precise knife work that cannot be achieved through rough or careless preparation. As a result, strict cutting techniques are fundamental to Fujian cuisine. The knife skills are often praised for their artistry—scoring like lychee patterns, shredding as fine as hair, and slicing as thin as paper.
For example, in the dish Shredded Bamboo Shoots with Minced Chicken, the winter bamboo shoots are finely shredded into threads as delicate as golden silk and blended seamlessly with minced chicken and an egg batter. The result is tender minced chicken without excess oil, complemented by the crisp freshness of the bamboo shoots, creating a light, refreshing, and aromatic dish.
Another example is Quick-Fried Double Crisp, where the chef applies intricate crosshatch cuts to the tripe slices with swift, rhythmic knife strokes, leaving only a thin base layer to hold the pieces together. This creates a visually stunning effect. With a quick stir-fry, the dish achieves both freshness and crunchiness, making it not only delicious but also aesthetically pleasing.
Soup-Based Dishes with Light and Fresh Flavors
Soup plays a central role in Fujian cuisine and is one of its most distinctive features compared to other Chinese culinary traditions. This emphasis is closely tied to Fujian’s rich seafood resources. From both culinary and nutritional perspectives, Fujian chefs have long prioritized cooking methods that preserve the ingredients’ freshness, purity, and nourishing qualities.
Among all techniques, soup best showcases the natural flavors of the ingredients. This has given rise to the saying that Fujian cuisine is “soup-centered” or that “no meal is complete without soup.” For instance, in Sea Clams in Chicken Broth, the tender clams are gently poached in a triple-mushroom broth, resulting in a crystal-clear soup with a rich, lingering taste. In Milky Soup Fish, the broth is as white as milk, while the fish remains tender, sweet, and smooth. Another dish, Braised Pork Tendons with Scallions, features a thick, flavorful sauce with a rich scallion aroma and a sweet, pleasant taste.
Unique Seasonings: Sweet, Sour, and Fragrant
Delicious flavor is the universal pursuit in all cuisines, and mastery of seasoning is one of the hallmarks of Fujian cuisine. Fujian dishes are typically characterized by subtle sweetness, light acidity, and mild flavors — traits closely linked to the frequent use of both mountain delicacies and seafood as primary ingredients. Sugar is skillfully used to neutralize fishy or gamey tastes; vinegar is artfully applied to add a refreshing tang; and light seasoning allows the natural flavors of the ingredients to shine through.
The balance is celebrated for being sweet but not cloying, sour but not harsh, and mild but not bland, earning Fujian cuisine a distinguished reputation. Through generations of practice, Fujian chefs have developed extensive expertise. They carefully adjust ingredient quantities, timing, cooking sequences, and flavor profiles according to different ingredients, knife cuts, and cooking techniques, creating a wide array of rich and ever-changing tastes.
Delicate Techniques and Rich Variety
Fujian cuisine employs a wide range of cooking methods. In addition to its distinctive techniques such as quick stir-braising (liu), stewing (men), and poaching (tuan), it excels in stir-frying, steaming, and simmering. For example, Crispy Pork Rolls (Xiangling Rou) are pale yellow in color, crisp in texture, and slightly sweet and sour, producing a faint crackling sound when bitten—hence the name “sounding rolls.”
Another dish, Braised Shilin Fish in Oil, is golden in appearance, tender and sweet, with a rich and delicate flavor. For Fujian natives living away from home, these dishes serve as comforting reminders of their roots. As the saying goes: “Scenery evokes memories of things, and things awaken memories of home.” Through its distinctive flavors, Fujian cuisine keeps the emotional bond with one’s homeland alive.