Jiangsu Food
Jiangsu cuisine (Jiāngsū cài) Jiangsu Food, also known as Su cuisine, is one of the Eight Great Cuisines of China. Due to its similarity with Zhejiang cuisine, it is sometimes grouped with it as Jiangzhe cuisine. It primarily consists of regional styles such as Jinling cuisine, Huaiyang cuisine, Suxi cuisine, and Xuhai cuisine. Jiangsu cuisine originated over two thousand years ago, with Jinling cuisine tracing its roots to the pre-Qin period when the people of Wu were skilled in preparing grilled fish, steamed fish, and fish fillets. Over a thousand years ago, duck was already a famous dish in Nanjing. During the Southern Song dynasty, Su cuisine and Zhejiang cuisine were considered the two main pillars of "Southern food" (南食). Su cuisine is the second largest imperial cuisine, and state banquets today still primarily feature Su cuisine.
Su cuisine is skilled in stewing, braising, steaming, and stir-frying. It emphasizes the preparation of broth, preserving the original flavors of ingredients. Its taste is fresh and light, rich but not greasy, subtle but not bland. Meat is often cooked until tender and falling off the bone while retaining its shape, and vegetables are cooked until tender yet crisp while retaining their flavor.
History
Jiangsu cuisine (short for Su cuisine) began in the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. During the Tang and Song dynasties, economic development promoted the prosperity of the catering industry, and Su cuisine became one of the two main pillars of "Southern food." During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Su cuisine developed more rapidly along the Grand Canal north-south and the Yangtze River east-west. The geographical advantage of the coastal region expanded the influence of Su cuisine at home and abroad.
Characteristics
Characteristics of Jiangsu cuisine include: extensive use of ingredients, with a focus on fresh seafood from rivers, lakes, and the sea; meticulous knife skills; diverse cooking methods, excelling in stewing, braising, simmering (煨), and steaming (焐); pursuing the original flavor, resulting in fresh and mild tastes (fresh and light, salty with a hint of sweetness, favoring the five pungent flavors, emphasizing the original taste); dishes are elegant in style and beautiful in both appearance and quality, with strong adaptability.
Jiangsu is known as the "land of fish and rice," with abundant resources providing a strong foundation for its cuisine. Famous aquatic products include the "Three Freshness of the Yangtze River" (Reeves Shad, Coilia, Pufferfish), Taihu whitefish, Yangcheng Lake hairy crab, Nanjing Longchi crucian carp, and various other seafood. Excellent vegetables include Taihu water shield, Huaian bulrush, Baoying lotus root, chestnuts, Euryale ferox seeds (jitoumi), jiaobai (wild rice shoots), winter bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts. Additionally, various game birds and animals contribute to the rich variety of ingredients.
The elegant and refreshing style of Jiangsu cuisine is reflected in its meticulous and versatile knife skills. Whether for elaborate cold dishes, decorative hot dishes, or fruit and vegetable carvings, techniques like deboning while keeping the shape or intricate carving demonstrate superb mastery.
Classic Dishes
- 羊方藏鱼 (Yángfāng cáng yú) - Lamb with Fish Inside
- 霸王别姬 (Bàwáng bié jī) - Farewell My Concubine (dish name, traditionally made with turtle and chicken)
- 三套鸭 (Sān tào yā) - Three-nested Duck
- 煮干丝 (Zhǔ gānsī) - Boiled Shredded Tofu
- 狮子头 (Shīzi tóu) - Lion's Head Meatballs
- 水晶肴蹄 (Shuǐjīng yáo tí) - Crystal Salted Pork Hock
- 金陵盐水鸭 (Jīnlíng yánshuǐ yā) - Nanjing Salted Duck
- 松鼠鳜鱼 (Sōngshǔ guìyú) - Squirrel Mandarin Fish
- 梁溪脆鳝 (Liángxī cuì shàn) - Liangxi (Wuxi) Crispy Eel
Main Branches
Su cuisine is composed of Jinling cuisine, Huaiyang cuisine, Suxi cuisine, and Xuhai cuisine. Its taste is fresh and light, salty with a hint of sweetness, and it emphasizes the original flavor. Cooking techniques excel in stewing, braising, simmering, and steaming. Ingredient selection is broad, and ingredients are used to their fullest potential. The Jiangsu cuisine system was originally separated from the Jiangzhe cuisine system. The original Jiangzhe cuisine system could be divided into Nanjing style, Huaiyang style, Southern Jiangsu style, Zhejiang style, and Huizhou style. Later, Zhejiang cuisine and Huizhou cuisine became two of the Eight Great Cuisines due to their distinct characteristics. The Xuhai style from the original Shandong cuisine system, along with the Nanjing, Huaiyang, and Southern Jiangsu styles from the original Jiangzhe cuisine system, now form Su cuisine.
Jinling Cuisine (Jīnlíng cài)
Jinling cuisine is one of the four representative styles of Su cuisine, centered in Nanjing and extending to areas like Jiujiang in Jiangxi. Jinling cuisine originated in the pre-Qin period, was already famous by the Sui and Tang dynasties, and formed a distinct style in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Ingredients in Jinling cuisine primarily consist of aquatic products, emphasizing freshness. It features meticulous knife skills and is skilled in cooking methods such as stewing, braising, roasting, and simmering. The taste is mild, fresh, fragrant, crispy, and tender. Dishes are delicate and exquisite, with an elegant style. Jinling cuisine emphasizes knife skills, excels in controlling heat, features versatile techniques, and has a taste that is suitable for both northern and southern palates. Representative dishes include Jinling roast duck, salt-cured duck (yan shui ya), duck soup, duck intestines, duck liver, and duck blood.
Jinling snacks are one of the Four Great Snacks of China, ranking first among them. With a long history, unique flavors, and diverse varieties, they have been passed down since the Six Dynasties period, spanning over a thousand years and comprising over a hundred varieties. Famous snacks include both savory and sweet items, with various shapes. The Qinhuai River-Fuzimiao (Confucius Temple) area is a representative hub, where Fuzimiao Qinhuai snacks are characterized by delicate craftsmanship, beautiful presentation, carefully selected ingredients, and unique flavors. Besides Fuzimiao, areas like Hunan Road, Xinjiekou, Chaotian Palace, Changle Road, Shanxi Road, Zhongyang Gate, Huimin Bridge, and Yanzi矶 have also gradually formed concentrations of snack stalls.
Huaiyang Cuisine (Huáiyáng cài)
Huaiyang cuisine is represented by Yangzhou and Huaian. It is mainly popular along the Grand Canal, extending south to Zhenjiang, north to Hongze Lake and the Huai River area, and east to the coastal region. It is referred to as "State Cuisine" (国菜) alongside the Kongfu cuisine of Shandong.
Within the entire Su cuisine system, Huaiyang cuisine possesses both the fresh, crisp, and tender characteristics of Southern dishes and integrates the salty, colored, and rich characteristics of Northern dishes, forming its own style that is moderately sweet and salty, with a hint of sweetness in the salty taste. Huaiyang cuisine features the most meticulous knife skills; a piece of dried tofu 2 cm thick can be sliced into 30 thin pieces, and shredded finer than hair. Cold dish preparation and plating techniques are extremely demanding. Even seemingly simple techniques like "fan-shaped three-piece" (扇面三拼), involving detailed slicing and arrangement, require immense skill. The meticulous knife work, skillful plating, combined with appropriate color coordination, make Huaiyang cuisine resemble intricately carved artwork.
Suxi Cuisine (Sūxī cài)
Suxi cuisine covers the Suzhou and Wuxi areas, extending west to Changzhou and east to Shanghai. It is similar to Zhejiang cuisine and the Southern Anhui and Yangtze River styles of Anhui cuisine. Some experts believe Southern Jiangsu cuisine should belong to Zhejiang cuisine. The biggest difference between Southern Jiangsu cuisine and Zhejiang cuisine is that Southern Jiangsu cuisine is sweeter, especially in Wuxi. Shanghai cuisine, within Southern Jiangsu cuisine, has been greatly influenced by Zhejiang, showing a trend towards becoming a new cuisine called Hù cài in the 21st century.
Its dishes emphasize presentation, focusing on aesthetics with harmonious colors and vibrant shapes. Dishes cooked in clear broth (bai zhi qing dun) are unique, and some dishes incorporate fermented (zao) and red yeast rice (hong qu) flavors, offering a special aroma. The taste is generally sweeter, especially in Wuxi. It is rich but not greasy, subtle but not bland, cooked until tender and falling off the bone while retaining its shape, and tender and crisp while retaining its flavor.
Suzhou snacks are one of the Four Great Snacks of China, offering the largest variety. Main items include spiced soy bean curd, pine nut candy, rose seeds, shrimp roe soy sauce, date paste sesame cakes, lard rice cakes (zhuyou nian gao), xiaolongbao, Suzhou tangbao (soup dumplings), Cangshu lamb, and A灶 noodles (Ao Zao Mian).
Wuxi dishes and snacks also emphasize the integration of context in their preparation, with harmonious color schemes and vibrant shapes. Traditional Wuxi dishes like "Mirror Box Tofu," "Taihu Boat Snacks," and "The World's Best Vegetable Dish," innovative dishes like "Phoenix Valley Brocade Chicken" and "Fish and Rice Abundant," and famous Wuxi banquets like the "Xishi Banquet" and "Qianlong Banquet" all incorporate the charm of the Taihu water town, fully reflecting the cultural depth of Wuxi cuisine. They emphasize integration with life, the natural environment, and reality, fully demonstrating the characteristics of Wuxi's food culture: the pursuit of beauty and a high standard.
Xuhai Cuisine (Xúhǎi cài)
Xuhai cuisine is represented by Xuzhou cuisine. It is popular in the Xuhai and Henan regions, and is relatively close to the Kongfu cuisine of Shandong. It was once considered part of Lu (Shandong) cuisine.
Xuhai cuisine is moderately fresh and salty, favoring the five pungent flavors (onion, garlic, chives, ginger, mustard) and respecting all five tastes; it is clear but not bland, rich but not heavy. Regardless of the ingredients used, its dishes pay attention to "food therapy" and "food tonic" effects. Additionally, Xuzhou cuisine often uses large crabs and dog meat, with the "Whole Dog Banquet" being particularly famous. Cooking techniques often include boiling, pan-frying, and deep-frying. Representative Xuhai dishes include: 霸王别姬 (Bàwáng bié jī), 沛公狗肉 (Pèi gōng gǒu ròu), and 彭城鱼丸 (Péngchéng yúwán).
All regional styles have undergone development and change. Huaiyang cuisine has become slightly sweeter from being mild, seemingly influenced by Suxi cuisine. Suxi cuisine, especially Suzhou cuisine, has shifted from a sweeter taste to a milder one, influenced by Huaiyang cuisine. Xuhai cuisine has significantly reduced its saltiness and its colors have become more elegant and lighter, aligning with Huaiyang cuisine.