Fujian Cuisine

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Fujian Cuisine

Fujian cuisine, also called Min Cai for short, holds an important position in China's culinary art. Fujian's economy and culture began flourishing after the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). During the middle Qing Dynasty around 18th century, famous Fujian officials and literati promoted the Fujian cuisine so it gradually spread to other parts of China.

Fujian cuisine comprises three branches -- Fuzhou, South Fujian and West Fujian. There are slight differences among them. Fuzhou dishes, quite popular in eastern, central and northern Fujian Province, are more fresh, delicious, and less salty, sweet, and sour; South Fujian dishes, popular in Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou and the golden triangle of South Fujian, are sweet and hot and use hot sauces, custard, and orange juice as flavorings; West Fujian dishes are salty and hot, prevailing in Hakka region with strong local flavor. As Fujian people emigrate overseas, their cuisine become popular in Taiwan and abroad. Generally speaking, Fujian dishes are slightly sweet and sour, and less salty, and often use the red distiller's grain for flavoring.
Fujian cuisine is characterized by the following four aspects:

(1)Ingredients of seafood and mountain delicacies: Fujian cuisine emphasizes seafood and mountain delicacies. Fujian Province has a favorable geographical location with mountains in its north and sea to its south. Many mountain delicacies such as mushroom, bamboo shoots and tremella are often found here. The coastal area produces 167 varieties of fish and 90 kinds of turtles and shellfish. It also produces edible bird's nest, cuttlefish, and sturgeon. These special products are all used in Fujian cuisine. The local people are good at cooking seafood, featuring in methods of stewing, boiling, braising, quick-boiling, and steaming, etc.

(2) Fine slicing techniques: Fujian cuisine stresses on fine slicing techniques so much that it is reputed as sliced ingredients are as thin as paper and shredded as slim as hairs. Everything sliced serves its original aroma. Fine slicing techniques may better show the aroma and texture of food. Cutting is important in Fujian cuisine. Most dishes are made of seafood, and if the seafood is not cut well, the dishes will fail to have their true flavor.

(3) Various soup and broth: The most characteristic aspect of Fujian cuisine is that its dishes are served in soup.

(4) Exquisite culinary art: Fujian dishes are tasty because of their emphasis on a series of delicate procession: selecting ingredients, mixing flavors, timing the cooking and controlling the heat. When a dish is less salty, it tastes more delicious. Sweetness makes a dish tastier, while sourness helps remove the seafood smell.

Typical dishes are Buddha-jumping-over-the-wall, flaked spiral shell lightly pickled in rice liquor, litchi fish, and mussels quick-boiled in chicken broth, of which Buddha-jumping-over-the-wall is the most famous; the name implies the dish is so delicious that even the Buddha would jump over a wall to have a taste once he smelled it. A mixture of seafood, chicken, duck, and pork is put into a rice-wine jar and simmered over a low fire. Sea mussel quick-boiled in chicken soup is another Fujian delicacy.

闽菜
闽菜是福建菜的简称，它是中国烹饪主要菜系之一，在中国烹饪文化宝库中占有重要一席。福建的经济文化是南宋以后逐渐发展起来的，清中叶后闽菜逐渐为世人所知。

闽菜由福州、闽南、闽西三路菜组成。福州菜路流行于闽东、闽中、闽北地区；闽南菜则广传于厦门、泉州、漳州、闽南金三角；闽西菜则盛行于闽西客家地区，极富乡土气息。闽菜的风格特色是：淡雅、鲜嫩、和醇、隽永。口味偏重甜、酸和清淡，常用红糟调味。

闽菜的特点主要表现在四个方面：

一、烹饪原料以海鲜和山珍为主
由于福建的地理形势倚山傍海，北部多山，南部面海，苍茫的山区，盛产菇、笋、银耳、莲子和石鳞、河鳗、甲鱼等山珍野味；漫长的浅海滩涂，鱼、虾、蚌、鲟等海鲜佳品常年不绝。平原丘陵地带则稻米、庶糖、蔬菜、水果誉满中外。山海赐给的神品，给闽菜提供了丰富的原料资源，也造就了几代名厨和广大从事烹饪的劳动者，他们以擅长制作海鲜原料，并蒸、氽、炒、煨、爆、炸、康确矫娑谰咛厣！

二、刀工巧妙，一切服从于味
闽菜注重刀工，有“片薄如纸，切丝如发，剞花加荔”之美称。而且一切刀工均围绕着“味”下功夫，使原料通过刀工的技法，更体现出原料的本味和质地。它反对华而不实，矫揉造作，提倡原料的自然美并达到滋味沁深融透，成型自然大方、火候表里如一的效果。

三、汤菜考究，变化无穷
闽菜重视汤菜，与多烹制海鲜和传统食俗有关。闽厨长期以来把烹饪和确保原料质鲜、味纯、滋补联系起来，从长期积累的经验认为，最能保持原料本质和原味的当属汤菜，故汤菜多而考究。有的白如奶汁，甜润爽口；有的汤清如水，色鲜味美；有的金黄澄透，馥郁芳香；有的汤稠色酽，味厚香浓。

四、烹调细腻，特别注意调味
闽菜的烹调细腻表现在选料精细、泡发恰当、调味精确、制汤考究、火候适当等方面。特别注意调味则表现在力求保持原汁原味上。善用糖，以甜去腥膻；巧用醋，因酸能爽口，味清淡则可保持原味。因而有甜而不腻，酸而不淡而不薄的盛名。

著名的菜肴有：佛跳墙、醉糟鸡、酸辣烂鱿鱼、烧片糟鸡、太极明虾、清蒸加力鱼、荔枝鱼肉。

佛跳墙起源于清朝末年，为福州“聚春园”名师郑春发所创制，至今已有100多年的历史。它采用多种精料精心煨制而成，程序复杂，各料互为渗透，味中有味，质地软嫩脆润、浓郁荤香，营养丰富，是福州传统名菜之首。

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