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About Regional Chinese Cuisines in Beijing

2004/07/13

Just like the capital’s culture, Beijing cuisine has absorbed and been influenced by many of the flavours of China’s regions.

Chinese cuisine in general has the four distinct regional cooking styles of Sichuan (Chuan) to the West, Canton (Cantonese) to the South, Shangdong (Lu) to the East  and Jiangsu (Huaiyang) to the North and the cuisine of Beijing brings together these contrasting styles.

In Beijing you can find menus from around the world including Spanish, French and Italian restaurants that are well-established, and Japanese, Indian and Thai outlets, that are also very popular with local Beijingers.

About Regional Cuisines

Beijing is a culinary mirror held up to the four main geographic divisions that divide Chinese cuisine: South China’s Canton, North China’s Peking and Shanghai to the East and Sichuan to the West.

Rich in natural resources and neighbouring the sea, Cantonese cuisine is dominated by the pleasures of seafood and the produce of a semi-tropical climate.

Shanghai cuisine has much of the extremes experienced in the sharp contrasts of the weather and local flavour, rich and diverse, is found in crab soup, knuckle of pork and red-cooked lamb.

Szechuan cuisine is very popular in China and has been so since the Ming Dynasty. Composed of regional variations from Chengdu, Chongqing and Zigong, it is known for having over 50 different cooking methods.

Temple vegetarian dishes are also a feature.

Tips
  • Restaurants in Beijing usually do not require tips or a service charge. Some expensive restaurants will charge 15% service.
  • Opening times usually 11am-2pm and 5pm-10pm
  • Menus written in Chinese, so be warned: bring a friendly translator!!
  • Do not worry about getting the chopsticks right first time: practice not perfection!!
  • Do observe some of the taboos associated with eating in China.


 
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