Hubei cuisine

Hubei cuisine
Chinese湖北菜
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinHúběi cài
Chu cuisine
Chinese楚菜
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinChǔ cài

Hubei cuisine, also known as Chu cuisine or E cuisine, is derived from the native cooking styles of Hubei Province in China.

History

Hubei cuisine has a history of more than 2,000 years. The names of dishes and cuisine styles can be found in ancient literature such as Chuci of Qu Yuan.

Ingredients

As Hubei has plenty of lakes, rivers and marshlands, freshwater produce are used as major ingredients in the local cuisine. A key ingredient that is found within many Hubei-style dishes is the lotus root.[1]

Style

Hubei cuisine emphasizes the preparation of ingredients and the matching of colors. It specializes in steaming techniques. Its style is influenced by the cooking methods of the cuisines of neighboring provinces such as Sichuan and Hunan. As a result, Hubei cuisine also uses dried hot pepper, black pepper and other spices to enhance the flavor of dishes.

Hubei cuisine comprises four distinct styles:

  • Wuhan style specializes in soups as well as noodle dishes, such as hot dry noodles.[1] Additionally, Wuhan is famous for its dry pots, which are similar to hot pot but without the soup base.[2]
  • Huangzhou style, which is more oily and tastes more salty than the others.
  • Jingzhou style, which specializes in fish dishes and uses steaming as the primary method of cooking.
  • Miao people style, which tastes thick, with the sour and hot most outstanding. It is found in the southwest of Hubei province.

Signature dishes

English Traditional Chinese Simplified Chinese Pinyin Notes
Three-Delicacy Dried Bean Curd Sheet 三鮮豆皮 三鲜豆皮 sān xiān dòu pí
Hot Dry Noodles 熱乾麵 热干面 rè gān miàn
Fish Cakes and Ball 魚糕丸子 鱼糕丸子 yú gāo wán zi
Mianyang Three Kinds of Steamed Food 沔陽三蒸 沔阳三蒸 miǎn yáng sān zhēng

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "The Best Hubei Dishes In Los Angeles". Kcet.org. January 22, 2015. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  2. ^ Thurman, Jim (December 10, 2014). "Welcome to Wuhan-Style Chinese Food. Here's Where to Get It in L.A." Laweekly.com. Retrieved October 17, 2018.