Tianjin Food
Introduce
There is a saying to conclude Chinese cuisines: "Sweet taste in the South, salty taste in the North, sour taste in the East, and spicy taste in the West". Locating in a land of rich products and undertaking hundreds of years of development, Tianjin cuisine has gradually improved into a complete system covering Han dishes, halal dishes, vegetarian dishes, local specialties and folk snacks. Tianjin cuisine originated from the folk and won in the fecund location, which fulfilled its unique feature.
Characteristics
Tianjin cuisine has a wide range of ingredients and is good at cooking river and sea food as well as wild birds. The taste is changeable, mainly fresh, salty and greaseless. Soup is principal and used flexibly to coordinate different dishes. It also pays attention to collocating the color of dishes.
Representative Dishes
The most representative Tianjin flavor dishes are the Eight Great Bowls, the Four Great Stews, and the Four Treasures as Winter Tonics.
Eight Great Bowls
The "Eight Great Bowls" banquet has strong local characteristics: eight people are sitting around a table, and eight dishes are served for a table, all the containers are uniformly local large bowls. Before the eight bowls, six or twelve dry, fresh and cold vegetables and meat are served as cold dishes.
Four Great Stews
The "Four Great Stews" are not separate dishes, but serve as side dishes to the other main dishes at the table.
Four Treasures as Winter Tonics
"Four Treasures as Winter Tonics" refers to Lapland Bunting (sparrows), salangid, purple crabs and hotbed chives. Lapland Bunting is a kind of sparrow and winter prey. The oil-fried Lapland Bunting is a delicacy that goes with liquor.
Cooking
"Du(笃)" is a unique technique of Tianjin cuisine. Though most of its ingredients are common and taste light, the cooking process of “Du”—through cooking seasoning, soup, etc.—can make sure their thick flavor.
Braising(扒) is also a unique cooking technique of Tianjin cuisine.
Popular Food
Fried Prawns 煎烹大虾
Due to the use of the frying technique, the ingredients can directly contact the wok for cooking, so that the original color of prawns can be well maintained, and the golden brown color appears more bright, tasting more fresh and mellow.
Unique Gluten 独面筋
Make a small cut on each of the fried gluten ball and then soak in warm water for 20 minutes.
Sour & Granulated Purple Crabs 酸沙紫蟹
Since it pays attention to sour, sweet, Sour & granulated taste, slightly salty and slightly spicy, hence the name.
Koryo Salangid 高丽银鱼
Also known as fried salangid; it is a traditional and famous local dish in Tianjin.
Braised Whole Shark Fin 扒通天鱼翅
It belongs to the traditional flavor, high-grade banquet-used dish of Tianjin cuisine, and is used to be served as the grand and the leading dish. Since the use of a whole shark fin which is intact from top to bottom (rather than by pieces of shark fins), hence the name.
Eight-treasured Tofu 八珍豆腐
This dish is featured for the melt-in-the-mouth tender tofu and the delicious Eight Treasures.
Stir-fried Old Threes 老爆三
The raw materials are sheep heart, sheep liver and sheep kidney, which are characterized by red color, salty and fresh taste and strong garlic flavor.
Traditional Food
Sautéed Shelled Shrimp, Netted Bouncing Carp, Xianxie shrimp flat, official roast fish strips, fried Lapland Bunting, Asparagus Salad and so on all are traditional delicacies of Tianjin cuisine.
Sautéed Shelled Shrimp 清炒虾仁
Netted Bouncing Carp 罾蹦鲤鱼
Xianxie shrimp flat 香榭虾扁
Official roast fish strips 官烧目鱼条
Fried Lapland Bunting 炸铁雀
Asparagus Salad 龙须菜
Others Food
Abalone Shrimp 鲍鱼虾
Braised Cucurbita Maxima 溜南北笋
Braised Cabbage with Shrimps 虾脑扒白菜
Vinegar Braised Fish Rolls 酸沙鱼扇
Braised Vegetarian 扒全素
Netted Bouncing Car 罾蹦鲤鱼
Sour & Granulated Whole Shark Fin 扒通天鱼翅
Yan’s Dried Meat Floss Dish 鸡茸燕菜
Fried Prawns 煎烹大虾
Fried Shrimps 炒青虾仁
Sour & Granulated Purple Crabs 酸沙紫蟹
Koryo Salangid 高丽银鱼