Regional Cuisine

[West] Different regions in West China

Changsha

Located in the centre of the upper Yangtze drainage area, Changsha had always been rich and powerful. Its cooking foundation was built on Hunan's and then further elaborated.

Sichuan/Szechuan
Sichuan, which is located along the Yangtze, produces the hottest food among all the other regions. Since Yangtze flows through Sichuan, it is very fertile and has a large population. Strong herbs or herblike spices are greatly used instead of garlic and chilies. If chilies are really needed, they will be dried, then stir-fried to bring out the full heat of their spicy chemicals. The crushed and dried ones are even used for garnishing in some restaurants. West Asian food is important in Sichuan. For example, there are foods such as

• baked foods


• mashed walnut dishes


• broad beans


• pastes

Very little marine foods are used since there aren't many lakes. Therefore bean products are most commonly used.

Hunan
Regarded as the finest Chinese cuisine of all, Hunanese cooking is not as hot as Sichuan's.

Yunnan
Yunnan food, which is very similar to Sichuan food, is also influenced by the local development and by the minor groups in the area. Slight differences may be notable in the smaller amount of spices and hot flavourings used. With some influence from the West, Yunnan produces pork goods like sausages and bacon too!

Regional Cuisine

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