Fujian cuisine is one of the eight major cuisines in China. It was formed through the mixing of the Han culture in the Central Plains and the culture of the Fujian and Yue people.
Fujian cuisine originated in Fuzhou, based on Fuzhou cuisine, and later fused with the flavors of Fujian East, South Fujian, West Fujian, North Fujian, and Putian.
Min cuisine in the narrow sense refers to Fuzhou cuisine, which originated in Min County, Fuzhou, Fujian, and later developed into three schools of Fuzhou, Southern Fujian, and Western Fujian, namely, general Fujian cuisine.
As the people of Fujian often travel to and from the sea, the eating habits have gradually formed a unique cuisine with open characteristics. Fujian cuisine is known for its delicious flavors of mountains and seas. On the basis of its excellent color, fragrance, and shape, it is especially good at “fragrance” and “taste”. Its fresh, mellow, meaty, non-greasy style features, and a wide range of soups Features, unique in the cooking altar garden.
Fuzhou cuisine is light and fresh, emphasizes fresh soup, and is good at all kinds of delicacies and seafood; South Fujian cuisine (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou area) pays attention to seasoning and fresh flavor; West Fujian cuisine ( Changting, Ninghua area) is more salty and spicy, The cooking is mostly mountain delicacies, especially mountainous flavor. Therefore, Fujian cuisine has three characteristics, one is better than red lees for seasoning, the other is better than soup, and the third is better than using sweet and sour.
In addition to the signature dish “Buddha Jumping over the Wall”, Fujian dishes also include sea mussels in chicken soup, eight-treasure red sturgeon rice, white fried razor clams, Tai Chi mashed taro, thin-sliced snails, stir-fried double crisp, southern fried liver, lychee meat, Drunk ribs, poached shark fin, dragon body anchovy prawns, jade pearl abalone, minced chicken and golden silk bamboo shoots, meaty rice fish lips, Dingbian paste, Fuzhou fish balls, meat yan, Zhangzhou noodles, Putian noodles, fried sea oysters, Shaxian noodles, flat food, Xiamen Shacha noodles, noodle paste, Minnan salted rice, Xinghua rice noodles, Dishes and snacks such as red glutinous fish, Wuliuju, Baixue chicken, and Changting dried tofu have unique flavors.
Soup is the essence of Fujian cuisine, and it is said that there are ten changes in soup. According to the textual research of Tanshishan Cultural Site, Fujianese had the tradition of eating seafood and making soup more than 5,000 years ago. Fujian is like spring all year round, and this climate is suitable for soup.
Cooking ingredients
The origin and development of Fujian cuisine cannot be separated from the local natural resources. Cooking ingredients are the material basis of cooking and the guarantee of cooking quality. Cooking raw materials play a key role in the development of cooking, the production of cooking effects, and the realization of cooking goals.
Fujian is located in the southeastern corner of China, surrounded by mountains and the sea, with a mild climate throughout the year, abundant rainfall, and spring all year round. The mountainous area has towering trees, green bamboos, criss-cross streams, and rivers; coastal areas have long coastlines and vast shallow beaches. Geographical conditions, delicacy and rich, Fujian cuisine, provide unique culinary resources. The local hard-working ancestors created, selected, and gathered rich and colorful cooking materials for future generations in their long-life practices.
Rice, sugar cane vegetables, melons, and fruits are abundant here, especially longan, lychee, citrus, and other good fruits are famous at home and abroad.
Mountain forests and streams are famous for tea, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, lotus seeds, coix seed rice, as well as delicacies such as muntjac, pheasants, partridges, river eels, stone scales, etc.; coastal areas are rich in seafood such as fish, shrimp, snails, and mussels, All year-round. According to Ming Tu Benjun’s “Minzhong Seafood Record”, there are as many as 257 kinds of Lin and Jie. There are more than 750 kinds of statistics of modern experts. In the “Tongzhi of Fujian” compiled in the Qing Dynasty, there are records of “Tea shoots, mountains and trees are all over the world” and “Fish, salt, mirage, clams, and green Qi”.
Fujian not only common cooking materials colorful, but also raw materials widely distributed specialty: Xiamen grouper, Fuzhou of Zhanggang million, Lianjiang abalone, western Fujian to build Ninglian Zi, Liancheng dried sweet potatoes, Shanghang radish, Yongding vegetables Gan, Wuping dried pig gall, Ninghua rat dried, Mingxi dried meat, Changting bean curd, etc., have a wide variety of different flavors, and enjoy a high reputation. These rich specialties provide the Fujian people with unique cooking resources and lay the material foundation for the formation of famous Fujian dishes.
The vegetarian dishes in Fujian cuisine also have their own unique features. The vegetarian dishes of Nanputuo Temple under the peak of the “Five Superpowers Lingxiao” in Xiamen strictly abide by the traditional Buddhist rules of eating grains and are good at cooking colorful and flavorful delicacies with vegan raw materials. Take a blessing, and give people beautiful artistic enjoyment. Famous dishes such as “Half Moon Zhenjiang”, “Siyu Guyun”, “Snow Gorge Silver Wave”, “Baibi Qingyun”, “South China Sea Golden Lotus”, “Lotus Paste Crispy” and other famous dishes. The names of the dishes are both appropriate in meaning and objective reflection.
The color, aroma, taste, and shape of the dishes. It is no wonder that celebrities, bachelors, poets, and painters are infinitely moved, and they chanted for them. Fujian vegetarian cuisine is well-known at home and abroad, and its fragrance is everywhere, attracting tourists from all over the world.
Dishes Appreciation
Buddha Jumping over the Wall（佛跳墙）
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, also known as Fu Shou Quan, is a specialty dish in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, and belongs to the Fujian cuisine. According to legend, the dish was invented by Zheng Chunfa, the owner of Juchunyuan Restaurant in Fuzhou during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. According to Mr. Fei Xiaotong, the inventor of this dish was a group of beggars.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall usually uses abalone, sea cucumber, fish lips, yak skin glue, king oyster mushroom, tendon, flower mushroom, cuttlefish, scallop, quail eggs, etc., and adds broth and Fujian old wine, and simmers over low heat.
Drunken Spare Ribs（醉排骨）
The key to making drunken ribs is the selection of raw materials and seasonings. Choose fresh pork loin to ensure the meat is tender; choose fresh water chestnuts to make the taste crisper. In terms of seasoning, you can add an appropriate amount of vinegar, sugar, wine and other seasonings to make it fully absorb the taste of the seasoning to achieve a sour, sweet and slightly spicy effect.
Drunken ribs are not only delicious, but also have high nutritional value. Pork is rich in protein and fat, which are essential nutrients for the human body; water chestnuts are rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, etc., which can help digestion and improve immunity. Therefore, it is not only a home-cooked dish, but also a nutritious dish.
Oyster Omelette（海蛎煎）
There is a folk legend about the origin of oyster omelet. In 1661, the Dutch army occupied Tainan. Zheng Chenggong, a native of Nan’an, Quanzhou, led his troops to attack from Luermen, intending to recover the lost territory. The Zheng army defeated the Dutch army with great momentum. The Dutch army was furious and hid all the rice. The Zheng army was short of food and thought of a clever idea. They mixed Taiwan’s specialty oysters and sweet potato flour, added water, and fried them into pancakes. Unexpectedly, it was passed down to later generations and became a popular snack in the province.
Eight Treasures Red Sturgeon Rice（八宝红鲟饭）
Eight Treasure Red Sturgeon Rice is a traditional specialty of Fujian, a traditional delicacy of Fuzhou City, and belongs to the Fujian cuisine – Fuzhou cuisine. It is named after the red sturgeon (blue crab) is mainly attached to eight kinds of ingredients such as duck gizzard and glutinous rice and steamed together. It has the effects of treating malnutrition, conditioning, strengthening the spleen and appetizing, conditioning, clearing away heat and removing fire. This dish tastes salty and fresh, soft, glutinous, fragrant, mellow, and has a unique flavor. The main ingredients are glutinous rice and red crab.
Chicken broth with clams（鸡汤汆海蚌）
Sea clams in chicken soup is a famous Fujian specialty, belonging to the Fujian cuisine – Fuzhou cuisine. It is a must-have soup dish in traditional banquets in Fuzhou. It uses Zhanggang sea clams and chicken as the main ingredients, and is accompanied by beef, pork tenderloin and other auxiliary ingredients. It is made with fresh sea clams as the raw material and boiled in boiling chicken soup, and the taste is salty and fresh.
Drunken Chicken（醉糟鸡）
Drunk Chicken is a traditional specialty of Fuzhou, Fujian Province. It belongs to the Fujian cuisine – Fuzhou cuisine. It is made by boiling fat hens with red fermented rice and then letting them become drunk. It has a light red color, crisp bones, tender meat, and a mellow flavor that is not greasy.
Tai Chi Taro Paste（太极芋泥）
Tai Chi Taro Paste is a Fujian dish made from betel taro, which is grown in abundance in Fujian, and is steamed with sugar and lard.
