Introduction
介绍
The Chinese Philosopher Laotse once said:“Governing a great nation is much like cooking a small fish”He meant that governing a country required just the right "seasonings" and adjustments for successful results. This metaphor clearly iNustrates the importance of food in Chinese culture!
中国哲学家老子曾经说过:“治大国若烹小鲜。”他的意思指统治一个国家需要正确的“作料”和调节才能获得成功的结果。这个比喻明确地阐明了食物在中国文化中所具有的意义!
Chinese food can be roughly divided into the Northern and Southern styles. In general，Northern dishes are oily without being cloying and the flavors of vinegar and garlic tend to be stronger. Food made from wheat also plays an important role in Northern cooking;noodles，ravioli-like dumplings，steamed stuffed buns，fried meat dumplings，and steamed buns are the most common flour-based foods. The cooking styles of Peking，Tianjin，and Shandong are probably the best known styles of Northern Chinese cuisine. An elaborate，stuffed chicken symbolizes the Chinese wish for plenitude and satisfaction. Representative Southern cooking styles include:Sichuan and Hunan cuisine which are famous for their liberal use of chili peppers; the Jiangsu and Zhejiang styles which emphasize freshness and tenderness;and Cantonese foods which tend to be somewhat sweet and full of variety. Rice and rice products such as rice noodles，rice cakes，and rice congas are frequently seen in Southern style cooking.
中国食品根据烹饪方法可以大致分为南方风味和北方风味。大体说来，北方菜的油比较重但不会让人腻，而且一般更强调使用醋和大蒜。面食在北方的烹饪中也发挥了重要的作用;面条、饺子、蒸包子、肉锅贴以及馒头都是最常见的面食。北京、天津以及山东的烹饪风格可能是中国北方菜肴中最为人们所熟悉的。一只精心烹制并塞满馅料的鸡，象征着中国人实现富足和满足的愿望。南方风味的烹饪方法中具有代表性的则是川菜和湘菜，它们的出名之处在于大量使用了红辣椒;而江苏和浙江风味的烹饪方法则注重鲜嫩;广式菜一般比较甜而且种类繁多。米饭和诸如米线、米饼以及米粥等大米食品是南方风味的烹饪手法中所常见的。
In Chinese cooking，color, aroma，and flavor are of equal importance in the preparation of each dish，in satisfying the gustatory，olfactory，and visual senses.Any entree is a combination of three to five colors，selected from ingredients that are light green，dark green，red，yellow, white，black, or caramel-colored. Usually，a meat and vegetable dish is made from one main ingredient and two to three secondary ingredients of contrasting colors. It is then cooked with the appropriate method，seasonings，and sauces to make an aesthetically attractive dish. The primary methods of preparation include stir-frying，stewing，steaming，deep-frying，flash-frying，and pan-frying. A dish with a fragrant aroma will certainly whet the appetite. Among many others，some ingredients that contribute to a mouth-watering aroma are scallions，fresh ginger root, garlic，chili peppers，wine，star anise，cinnamon stick, pepper，sesame oil，and dried black Chinese mushrooms. Of utmost importance in cooking any dish is preserving the fresh，natural flavor of the ingredients and removing any undesirable fish or game odors. In Western cooking，lemon is often used to remove smells of fish;in Chinese cooking，scallions and ginger serve a similar function. Soy sauce，sugar, vinegar, and other seasonings'‘ He add richness to a dish without covering up the natural flavor of the ingredients. A well-prepared dish will be rich for those who like strong flavors，not over-spiced to those who like a blander taste，sweet to those who like a sweet flavor, and hot to those who like a piquancy. A dish that is all of these things to all of these people is a truly successful one
在中国的烹饪中，色、香、味在每一道菜单准备过程中都同样重要，因此在味觉、嗅觉以及视觉L给人以满足。任何一道主菜都会拼出三至五种颜色，这是选择了淡绿色、深绿色、红色、黄色、白色、黑色、或是酱色的配料使然。通常一道荤素搭配的菜肴要选择一种主料和两三种颜色悬殊的配料。然后再通过适当的方法进行烹饪、加作料、调味，以求做出具有美感的菜肴。烹饪的主要方法包括炒、炖、蒸、炸、煎。一道冒着香味的菜肴定会激起人们的食欲。有些配料可以让菜产生令人垂涎欲滴的香味，例如葱、鲜姜、大蒜、红辣椒粉、酒、八角茵香、肉桂棒、胡椒、蓖麻油以及香菇干。无论烹饪哪一道菜，最重要的就是要保持配料新鲜、自然的香味和去掉所有鱼和动物身上难闻的腥味。在西方的烹饪中，柠檬经常用来去掉鱼腥味;而在中国的烹饪中，葱和姜则起到类似的作用。酱油、糖、醋以及其他作料都使菜肴更加丰富多样，而且不会盖住配料的自然香味。一道美味的菜肴就是对于口味较重的人来说十分鲜美，对于口味较淡的人来说不会觉得味道过重，对于喜欢甜食的人来说会觉得香甜可口，而对于喜食辣味的人来说辣味可口。如果一道菜能够为所有这些人做出这些口味的话，那么就算取得了真正的成功。
Tradition
传统
However, color，aroma，and flavor are not the only principles followed in Chinese cooking; nutrition is the first concern. A theory of the“harmonization of foods" can be traced back to the Shang dynasty's scholar Yi Yin. He relates the flue flavors i. e. sweet, sour, bitter, piquant，and salty to the nutritional needs of the
five major organ systems of the body(the heart, liver, spleen，lungs，and kidneys)，and he stresses their role in maintaining good physical health. In fad，many of the plants used in Chinese cooking such as scallions，fresh ginger root, garlic，dried lily，and tree fungus have properties of preventing and alleviating various illnesses. The Chinese have a traditional belief that food and medicine share the same origin and that food has a medicinal value. This view can be considered the forerunner of nutritional science in China. According to this theory，a correct proportion of meat to vegetable ingredi- ents should be maintained. One-third of meat-based dishes should be made of vegetable ingredients，and one-third of vegetable dishes should consist of meat. In preparing soups，the quantity of water used should total seven-tenths the volume of the bowl. Basically，the correct ingredient proportions must be adhered to in the preparation of each dish or soup in order to ensure optimal nutritional value.
但是，色、香、味并不是中国烹饪中所需遵循的唯一原则;营养是首要考虑因素。“食物的调和”理论可以追溯到商朝时的学者伊尹。他将甜、酸、苦、辣、咸这五味与人体五种主要器官系统(心、肝、脾、肺、肾)的营养需要相对应，然后他强调了它们对保持良好的身体健康所具有的重要性。实际上，中国烹饪中所使用的许多植物都有防治各种疾病的功能，例如葱、鲜姜、大蒜、百合干以及树菇。中国人传统上认为食物和药物具有共同的起源而且食物具有药用价值。可以将这种观点认为是中国营养科学的先驱。根据这一理论，应当保持正确的荤素搭配比例。如果是以荤菜为主的菜肴，那么三分之一的配料应当是素菜;而以素菜为主的菜肴应当三分之一的配料是荤菜。在做汤的时候，所用水的量应当占碗中总量的七成。基本上说，在烹饪每一道菜或汤的时候都必须遵循正确的配料比例，以便确保理想的营养价值。
The Chinese have a number of traditional rules and customs associated with eating. For example，food must be eaten while seated. Also a set order of who may be seated first among men，women，old，and young exists. Furthermore， one must eat main courses with chopsticks and soup with a spoon.
中国人有许多与吃有关的传统规定和习俗。例如，食物必须坐着吃。而且对于男女老幼的人座顺序也是约定俗成的。此外，吃主菜的时候必须用筷子，而喝汤的时候要用勺子。
The Present
目前
In this cosmopolitan world，Chinese food is available in practically a major and many other cities of the globe. In fact, either in any large city or little village in China，you do not have to walk very far to find a restaurant. Even in home cooking，food is prepared with sophistication and variety. Northern style dishes include Peking duck, smoked chicken，chafing dish with sliced Iamb, fried fish slices in sauce，beef with green pepper, and dried scallops with Chinese white radish balls. Representative of the Southern style of cooking ore duck smoked with camphor and tea，chicken baked in salt，honey glazed ham，flash-fried shrimp，braised egg plant in soy sauce，and Sichuan style bean curd.
在世界各地，人们实际上在全球所有主要城市以及其他许多城市中都能品尝到中国食品。其实，在中国，不管是在大城市还是小村庄里，无需走上多少路就可以找到一家饭店。即使是在家中烹饪，食物的制作也十分精细、多样。北方风味的菜肴有北京烤鸭、烧鸡、羊肉火锅、醋烟鱼片、青椒牛肉以及干贝萝卜丸子。南方风味的烹饪中具有代表性的有樟茶鸭、盐水鸡、蜜炙火腿、干蝙虾、烧汁茄子以及麻婆豆腐。
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