Chaozhou Caipengrenjiyi
01 · Historical Records
The formation of Chaozhou cuisine is the result of a long blending of the foodways of the Central Plains, southern Fujian and the local Chaoshan area. Chaozhou lies in eastern Guangdong, and during the Ming and Qing dynasties migration back and forth was frequent, so the skills of the Central Plains and southern Fujian were brought in with it; while locally there is much mountain and little level land facing the sea, with abundant vegetables and fruit and a steady supply of aquatic products, so the habit of eating fresh things and relying on seafood is especially pronounced. In the past, Chaozhou people went abroad to make a living and took this way of eating to the Nanyang region, and the tables of overseas Chaozhou communities can still be recognized as following the local approach: over more than a thousand years Chaozhou cuisine has thus come out from the stoves of individual households, merged into the daily life of the local people, and travelled far with Chaozhou people, becoming a bond linking Chaozhou people at home and abroad.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Chaozhou is located on the southeastern coast of Guangdong Province and has a subtropical maritime monsoon climate; the whole city has much mountain and little level land, with convenient land and water transport. The region has luxuriant vegetation, fertile fields suitable for growing vegetables and fruit, and, facing the sea, rich aquatic products, providing abundant resources for the formation and development of Chaozhou cuisine. In the broad sense, Chaozhou cuisine includes Chaozhou dishes, Chaozhou braised delicacies, Chaozhou snacks, Chaozhou assorted salted relishes and preserved fruits. Its cooking methods include stir-frying, stewing, steaming, simmering, deep-frying, oil-blanching, covered baking, plain blanching, griddle-frying, braising in spiced brine, sugar-coating, syrup-braising, grilling, jellied preparation and teppanyaki. The production process follows ancient methods and is completed by hand on the basis of the cook's practical experience, emphasizing judging the heat by eye and closely observing the colour of the dish, in harmony with intuitive understanding. Its main famous dishes include open-fire roasted conch, stuffed "hundred-flower" chicken, skilfully roasted wild goose, stewed mutton with northern scallion, eight-treasure vegetarian dish, Yunnan ham with the "protect-the-country" vegetable, pumpkin with taro paste, sugar-coated taro and Chaozhou beef balls, among more than 400 varieties. Chaozhou cuisine emphasizes dietary therapy and health preservation: before the assorted platter, shacha rice cakes or vegetable congee are usually served first, with attention to protecting the stomach; according to seasonal changes and the characteristics of the diners, a cup of water boiled with green herbs or honeyed preserved fruit is also served before the meal, with health-giving properties. In addition, eating dishes both cold and hot, serving each dish with its own dipping saucer, and gongfu tea during the meal are all features of Chaozhou cuisine.
Stewing and the sugar-crusted method
Stewing methods cook gently in broth without drying it out, while the sugar-crusted method boils syrup to a sandy state, coats taro and turns it until a white bloom forms, needing sugar at exactly the right stage.
Chicken stuffed with a hundred flowers
A mixture is packed into the bird and simmered in a clay pot, the skin first moistened with stock so the aroma travels inward; the lid is lifted only sparingly so the fragrance is not lost.
Satay rice cakes and congee before the banquet
Before the cold platter, satay rice cakes or vegetable congee are served not as hospitality but to prepare the stomach; tea is poured through the banquet to cut the richness and balance heat and cold.
Judging heat by eye and colour by eye
Everything is done by hand without instruments: the fire is judged by the sound and flame at the stove mouth and the progress of a dish by the turn of oil and sauce in the pan.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Chaozhou cooking technique is a traditional culinary craft blending the food cultures of the Central Plains, southern Fujian and local Chaozhou; it originated in Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, and is widely distributed in Guangdong and around the world. Chaozhou cuisine uses fresh ingredients, most of them taken from local sources, and makes good use of seafood. Its dishes are marked by the "three many" — many aquatic products, many vegetable dishes and many sweet dishes — and it prizes lightness and freshness, being deeply loved by the public. For more than a thousand years Chaozhou cuisine has been integrated into the daily life of the local people; it is an important bond linking Chaozhou people at home and abroad, and it has also promoted local economic development, possessing high social, economic and cultural value.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present, Chaozhou cooking technique is widely transmitted and spread mainly through means such as masters taking on apprentices, the opening of specialized classes in colleges and schools, lectures in communities and the media, and training at social training institutions. Chaozhou cooking technique is a cultural expression formed through transmission, innovation and development over the generations; it contains diverse cultural elements and has a strong local character, possessing important historical value.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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