| The cuisines of China (particularly the Cantonese) are | | | | Garoupa fish, Deep-fried crispy chicken, Crispy pig |
| dominating Hong Kong's culinary scene, and that is no | | | | belly, Roast Suckling Pig and, of course... the costly |
| surprise, as most Hong Kongers are of Cantonese | | | | Braised Shark's fin and Abalone |
| origin. Alongside the Chinese cuisines, you will find | | | | The Chiu Chow (Teochew) cuisine comes from |
| many restaurants specializing in other Far East | | | | Chiuchow (now called 'Chaozhou'), a city in China's |
| cuisines, such as Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, | | | | Guangdong Province, not far from Guangzhou and |
| Indian and others... European and British influence can | | | | Hong Kong. Expectantly, this cooking style is very |
| also be found, as Hong Kong was a British colony for | | | | similar to Cantonese cuisine, although Chiuchow cuisine |
| more than 150 years. | | | | does maintain a certain degree of culinary |
| Moreover, it can be said that during the years Hong | | | | independence... |
| Kong developed its own unique cuisine that combines | | | | Poached cold crab, Baby oyster with omelets, Chiu |
| Cantonese cooking with other elements... | | | | Chow style roast duck and Chiu Chow soya goose |
| Yum cha ("drinking tea") is an integral part of Hong | | | | are some of the recommended dishes. |
| Kong's culinary culture. | | | | The Sichuan (Szechwan) cuisine originates from |
| This Cantonese term refers to the custom of eating | | | | Sichuan Province in southwestern China and has an |
| small servings of different foods, mainly dim sum, while | | | | international reputation for being hot and spicy. |
| sipping Chinese tea. | | | | The most common ingredient is the Sichuan |
| Dim sum is probably Hong Kong's most popular dish. It | | | | peppercorn, or Fagara: An indigenous plant whose |
| literally translates to "touch the heart", which means | | | | peppercorns produce a fragrant, numbing, almost |
| "take what your heart picks" (that is because of the | | | | citrusy spice. Other common spices include Chili, Ginger, |
| great variety you can choose from...) | | | | Star anise, Fennel seed, Coriander, Chili bean paste, |
| Dim sum is typically served as a light meal or brunch | | | | Garlic and Spicy herbs. |
| that consists of various types of steamed buns, | | | | Common cooking methods include smoking, stir frying, |
| dumplings and rice-rolls, containing a range of fillings, | | | | braising and simmering, which allow peppers and |
| including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetarian | | | | aromatic seasonings time to infuse food with |
| options... It is normally eaten some time from morning to | | | | unforgettable tastes and aromas |
| early afternoon and usually served with Chinese tea. | | | | Famous Sichuan dishes include Sichuan style dan-dan |
| Visiting a traditional Hong Kong style tea house for | | | | noodle, Pork slices in a garlic sauce with a hint of chili, |
| Yum Cha is strongly recommended. | | | | Braised beef in Szechwan pepper sauce, Kung Pao |
| Another true "Hong Kong institution" is the Cha Chaan | | | | chicken, Ma Por tofu and Twice Cooked Pork. |
| Teng: A casual restaurant which can be described as | | | | Peking/Beijing (Mandarin) cuisine originates from China's |
| a hybrid between a Chinese tea house and a cafe... | | | | capital city. |
| Those places are normally open from morning till | | | | It developed over the centuries by thousands of skilled |
| evening and serve a variety of local favorites... from | | | | cooks from China's different regions, who flocked to |
| Hong Kong style toasts and milk tea to rice and noodle | | | | the "big city" to work for royal families and wealthy |
| specialties. | | | | government officials. |
| The Cantonese cuisine comes from the area around | | | | Peking duck is, by far, the most popular Pekingese dish, |
| the city of Guangzhou (Canton), in Guangdong | | | | and it is mostly prized for its thin and crispy skin. Other |
| Province, just a short drive from Hong Kong. | | | | famous dishes of the Peking cuisine include Hot and |
| Of the different Chinese cuisines, Cantonese is the | | | | sour soup, as well as Sauteed sliced beef with scallion |
| most popular outside China, probably thanks to the | | | | and Drunken pigeon. |
| fact that it is not as spicy as some of its | | | | The Shanghainese cuisine originates from coastal |
| "counterparts"... | | | | provinces around the city of Shanghai and is |
| Great diversity of ingredients is, perhaps, what | | | | characterized by the use of alcohol. Fish, eel, crab and |
| characterizes the Cantonese cuisine more than | | | | chicken are "drunken" with spirits and usually served |
| anything else... The Cantonese cuisine makes use of | | | | raw. |
| almost every ingredient under the sun and as the | | | | Salted meats and preserved vegetables are also |
| famous Chinese saying goes "The Cantonese will eat | | | | commonly used to spice up the dish. Another "secret |
| everything that swims except the boat, everything that | | | | ingredient" of the Shanghainese cuisine is sugar... |
| flies except the airplane, and everything that runs | | | | Sweet and sour spare ribs, Beggar's Chicken, |
| except the car"... | | | | Shanghai hairy crab, "eight treasure" duck, "drunken" |
| The Cantonese cuisine is also characterized by the | | | | chicken, braised eel and yellow fish are the most |
| use of very mild and simple spices in combination. | | | | popular dishes... |
| Ginger, spring onion, sugar, salt, soy sauce, rice wine, | | | | Contemporary fusion cuisine has made it big in Hong |
| corn starch and oil are sufficient for most Cantonese | | | | Kong over the last few years... The city's chefs keep |
| cooking, although garlic is also used abundantly. | | | | on coming up with innovative culinary creations that |
| Steaming, stir frying and deep frying seem to be the | | | | combine China's different cooking styles with those of |
| most popular cooking methods in Cantonese | | | | other regions, and the results are surprisingly delicious. |
| restaurants due to the short cooking time, and the | | | | Japanese, Indian, Korean and Southeast Asian |
| philosophy of bringing out the flavor of the freshest | | | | restaurants are very popular in Hong Kong and are |
| ingredients. | | | | well worth considering, especially if you are tired of |
| Other than the ultimate Dim sum, recommended | | | | Chinese food but still want to try something "authentic". |
| Cantonese dishes include Sweet and sour fish, Fried | | | | |