The World's Food

Main

Abalone and shrimp congee

Main

Braised cabbage with shrimp

Main

Braised cucurbita maxima

Main

Braised whole shark fin

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Chatang

Chatang (chinese: 茶汤; pinyin: chátāng; lit. 'tea soup') or seasoned flour mush is a traditional gruel common to both beijing cuisine and tianjin cuisine, and often sold as a snack on the street. it is made from sorghum flour and/or broomcorn millet and/or proso millet flour and glutinous millet flour. the chinese name is figurative, not literal, as there is neither any tea nor any soup in this dish.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Chestnut

The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus castanea, in the beech family fagaceae. they are native to temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. the name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.the unrelated horse chestnuts (genus aesculus) are not true chestnuts but are named for producing nuts of similar appearance that are mildly poisonous to humans. true chestnuts should also not be confused with water chestnuts, which are tubers of an aquatic herbaceous plant in the sedge family cyperaceae. other species commonly mistaken for chestnut trees are the chestnut oak (quercus prinus) and the american beech (fagus grandifolia), both of which are also in the fagaceae. brazil nuts, called "brasil chestnuts" ("castañas de brasil" in spanish) or "chestnuts from pará" ("castanha-do-pará" in portuguese) are also unrelated.

Main

Crab

Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) (greek: βραχύς, romanized: brachys = short, οὐρά / οura = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. they live in all the world's oceans, in fresh water, and on land, are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, and have a single pair of pincers. they first appeared during the jurassic period.

Main

Crayfish

Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters (to which they are related). in some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mudbugs, baybugs or yabbies. taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies astacoidea and parastacoidea. they breathe through feather-like gills. some species are found in brooks and streams, where fresh water is running, while others thrive in swamps, ditches, and paddy fields. most crayfish cannot tolerate polluted water, although some species, such as procambarus clarkii, are hardier. crayfish feed on animals and plants, either living or decomposing, and detritus.the term "crayfish" is applied to saltwater species in some countries.

Main

Dongbei da lapi

Cold mung bean noodles with shredded pork, vegetables, egg strips and mustard

Main

Donkey

The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family equidae, the same family as the horse. it derives from the african wild ass, equus africanus, and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, equus africanus asinus, or as a separate species, equus asinus.: 1 it was domesticated in africa, probably about 5,000: 2 or 6,000: 3715 years ago, and has been used mainly as a working animal since that time. there are more than 40 million donkeys in the world, mostly in underdeveloped countries, where they are used principally as draught or pack animals. while working donkeys are often associated with those living at or below subsistence, small numbers of donkeys or asses are kept for breeding or as pets in developed countries. a male donkey is known as a jack or jackass, a female is a jenny or jennet, and an immature donkey of either sex is a foal. jacks are often mated with mares to produce mules; the biological reciprocal of a mule, from a stallion and jenny, is a hinny.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Dumpling sauce

Sauce made for dumplings (gyoza, jiazi), many different dipping sauces exist

Dessert, Sweet

Ear-hole fried cake

Ear-hole fried cake (chinese: 耳朵眼炸糕; pinyin: ěrduǒyǎn zhà gāo) is a fried rice cake that is a popular street food in tianjin, china. it was invented by a street vendor named liu wanchun (劉萬春) during the guangxu emperor's reign. ear-hole fried cakes are considered a traditional food of tianjin and are sold as street food, in restaurants, and commercially.traditionally, it is made of fried yellow rice bread. the bread is kneaded, filled with red bean paste, and covered in sugar. the cake is then fried until crispy.ear-hole fried cake is often referred to as one of the "three tianjin delights", (chinese: 天津的"三绝"食品) along with mahua (snack) and goubuli.

Main

Eight great bowls

A collection of eight mainly meat dishes

Main

Eight-treasured tofu

Stir fried tofu with sea cucumber, crab, chicken, shellfish, squid, magnolia, snow peas

Main

Fish

Many species of fish are caught by humans and consumed as food in virtually all regions around the world. fish has been an important dietary source of protein and other nutrients throughout human history. the english language does not have a special culinary name for food prepared from fish like with other animals (as with pig vs. pork), or as in other languages (such as spanish pescado vs. pez). in culinary and fishery contexts, fish may include so-called shellfish such as molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms; more expansively, seafood covers both fish and other marine life used as food.since 1961, the average annual increase in global apparent food fish consumption (3.2 percent) has outpaced population growth (1.6 percent) and exceeded consumption of meat from all terrestrial animals, combined (2.8 percent) and individually (bovine, ovine, porcine, etc.), except poultry (4.9 percent). in per capita terms, food fish consumption has grown from 9.0 kg (19.8 lb) in 1961 to 20.2 kg (45 lb) in 2015, at an average rate of about 1.5 percent per year. the expansion in consumption has been driven not only by increased production, but also by a combination of many other factors, including reduced wastage, better utilization, improved distribution channels and growing consumer demand, linked with population growth, rising disposable incomes and urbanization.europe, japan and the united states of america together accounted for 47 percent of the world's total food fish consumption in 1961, but only about 20 percent in 2015. of the global total of 149 million tonnes in 2015, asia consumed more than two-thirds (106 million tonnes at 24.0 kg per capita). oceania and africa consumed the lowest share. the shift is the result of structural changes in the sector and in particular the growing role of asian countries in fish production, as well as a significant gap between the economic growth rates of the world's more mature fish markets and those of many increasingly important emerging markets around the world, particularly in asia.

Main

Four great stews

A collection of stews, for example, beef, chicken, duck, mutton, seafood

Main

Four treasures as winter tonics

Lapland bunting (sparrows), salangid, purple crabs and hotbed chives

Main

Fried lapland bunting

Sparrows

Main

Fried prawns

Shrimp or prawn dishes are often prepared by frying, especially deep frying. there are several styles.

Main

Goubuli baozi

Dumpling with 18 folds, filled with beef, lamb, seabass, pork

Main

Gracilaceae algae

Main

Grilled vegan

Seasoned and boiled sliced magnolia, shiitake mushrooms, cucumbers, winter melon, carrots and cabbage

Breakfast

Guobacai

Soup made with crispy crepe strips, bean curd, green onions, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Guobacai

Soup made with crispy crepe strips, bean curd, green onions, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Ham sausage

Sausage similar to kielbasa

Breakfast

Jianbing guozi

Jianbing guozi (chinese: 煎饼馃子) or "deep-fried dough sticks rolled in a thin pancake" is a popular chinese street food originating in tianjin, and has been hailed as "one of china's most beloved street breakfasts", especially in tianjin and neighboring hebei province. it is a sub-category of jianbing. it consists of pancakes made from mung bean flour, eggs, and youtiao (fried dough sticks) or crispy "dragons", served with sweet bean sauce, diced green onion, and optionally chili sauce.

Main

Koryo salangid

Fried salangid

Main

Lamb

Lamb, hogget, and mutton, generically sheep meat, are the meat of domestic sheep, ovis aries. a sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. the meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. older sheep meat is mutton. generally, "hogget" and "sheep meat" are not used by consumers outside norway, new zealand, south africa and australia. hogget has become more common in england, particularly in the north (lancashire and yorkshire) often in association with rare breed and organic farming. in south asian and caribbean cuisine, "mutton" often means goat meat. at various times and places, "mutton" or "goat mutton" has occasionally been used to mean goat meat.lamb is the most expensive of the three types and in recent decades sheep meat is increasingly only retailed as "lamb", sometimes stretching the accepted distinctions given above. the stronger-tasting mutton is now hard to find in many areas, despite the efforts of the mutton renaissance campaign in the uk. in australia, the term prime lamb is often used to refer to lambs raised for meat. other languages, for example french, spanish, italian and arabic, make similar or even more detailed distinctions among sheep meats by age and sometimes by sex and diet—for example, lechazo in spanish refers to meat from milk-fed (unweaned) lambs.

Dessert, Sweet

Mahua

Mahua (chinese: 麻花) or fried dough twist is a chinese dough twist that is fried in peanut oil. it has a shiny and golden look. it is prepared in various ways with different flavors, which range from sweet to spicy, and usually has a dense and crisp texture. the origin of mahua can be traced back to thousands of years ago. many places have a tradition of eating mahua, and mahua is considered a signature food of the northern chinese city of tianjin.

Main

Maobuwen jiaozi

Main

Mutton

Lamb, hogget, and mutton, generically sheep meat, are the meat of domestic sheep, ovis aries. a sheep in its first year is a lamb and its meat is also lamb. the meat from sheep in their second year is hogget. older sheep meat is mutton. generally, "hogget" and "sheep meat" are not used by consumers outside norway, new zealand, south africa and australia. hogget has become more common in england, particularly in the north (lancashire and yorkshire) often in association with rare breed and organic farming. in south asian and caribbean cuisine, "mutton" often means goat meat. at various times and places, "mutton" or "goat mutton" has occasionally been used to mean goat meat.lamb is the most expensive of the three types and in recent decades sheep meat is increasingly only retailed as "lamb", sometimes stretching the accepted distinctions given above. the stronger-tasting mutton is now hard to find in many areas, despite the efforts of the mutton renaissance campaign in the uk. in australia, the term prime lamb is often used to refer to lambs raised for meat. other languages, for example french, spanish, italian and arabic, make similar or even more detailed distinctions among sheep meats by age and sometimes by sex and diet—for example, lechazo in spanish refers to meat from milk-fed (unweaned) lambs.

Main

Official roast fish strips

Main

Pork cutlet

Main

Sauteed shelled shrimp

Main

Seafood

Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus and squid), crustaceans (e.g. shrimp, crabs, and lobster), and echinoderms (e.g. sea cucumbers and sea urchins). historically, marine mammals such as cetaceans (whales and dolphins) as well as seals have been eaten as food, though that happens to a lesser extent in modern times. edible sea plants such as some seaweeds and microalgae are widely eaten as sea vegetables around the world, especially in asia. seafood is an important source of (animal) protein in many diets around the world, especially in coastal areas. semi-vegetarians who consume seafood as the only source of meat are said to adhere to pescetarianism. the harvesting of wild seafood is usually known as fishing or hunting, while the cultivation and farming of seafood is known as aquaculture and fish farming (in the case of fish). most of the seafood harvest is consumed by humans, but a significant proportion is used as fish food to farm other fish or rear farm animals. some seafoods (i.e. kelp) are used as food for other plants (a fertilizer). in these ways, seafoods are used to produce further food for human consumption. also, products such as fish oil and spirulina tablets are extracted from seafoods. some seafood is fed to aquarium fish, or used to feed domestic pets such as cats. a small proportion is used in medicine, or is used industrially for nonfood purposes (e.g. leather).

Main

Shrimp

Shrimp are crustaceans with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly caridea and dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are referred to as "shrimp". more narrow definitions may be restricted to caridea, to smaller species of either group or to only the marine species. under a broader definition, shrimp may be synonymous with prawn, covering stalk-eyed swimming crustaceans with long, narrow muscular tails (abdomens), long whiskers (antennae), and slender legs. any small crustacean which resembles a shrimp tends to be called one. they swim forward by paddling with swimmerets on the underside of their abdomens, although their escape response is typically repeated flicks with the tail driving them backwards very quickly. crabs and lobsters have strong walking legs, whereas shrimp have thin, fragile legs which they use primarily for perching.shrimp are widespread and abundant. there are thousands of species adapted to a wide range of habitats. they can be found feeding near the seafloor on most coasts and estuaries, as well as in rivers and lakes. to escape predators, some species flip off the seafloor and dive into the sediment. they usually live from one to seven years. shrimp are often solitary, though they can form large schools during the spawning season.they play important roles in the food chain and are an important food source for larger animals ranging from fish to whales. the muscular tails of many shrimp are edible to humans, and they are widely caught and farmed for human consumption. commercial shrimp species support an industry worth 50 billion dollars a year, and in 2010 the total commercial production of shrimp was nearly 7 million tonnes. shrimp farming became more prevalent during the 1980s, particularly in china, and by 2007 the harvest from shrimp farms exceeded the capture of wild shrimp. there are significant issues with excessive bycatch when shrimp are captured in the wild, and with pollution damage done to estuaries when they are used to support shrimp farming. many shrimp species are small as the term shrimp suggests, about 2 cm (0.79 in) long, but some shrimp exceed 25 cm (9.8 in). larger shrimp are more likely to be targeted commercially and are often referred to as prawns, particularly in britain.

Main

Sour and granulated purple crabs

Main

Sour and granulated whole shark fin

Main

Stir fried large yellow croaker

Stir frying (chinese: 炒; pinyin: chǎo) is a chinese cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. the technique originated in china and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of asia and the west. it is similar to sautéing in western cooking technique. scholars think that wok (or pan) frying may have been used as early as the han dynasty (206 b.c. – 220 a.d.) for drying grain, not for cooking, but it was not until the ming dynasty (1368–1644) that the wok reached its modern shape and allowed quick cooking in hot oil. well into the 20th century, while only restaurants and affluent families could afford the oil and fuel needed for stir fry, the most widely used cooking techniques remained boiling and steaming. stir fry cooking came to predominate over the course of the century as more people could afford oil and fuel, and in the west spread beyond chinese communities.stir frying and chinese food have been recommended as both healthy and appealing for their skillful use of vegetables, meats, and fish which are moderate in their fat content and sauces which are not overly rich, provided calories are kept at a reasonable level.the english-language term "stir-fry" was coined by yuen ren chao in buwei yang chao's book how to cook and eat in chinese (1945), to describe the chǎo technique. although using "stir-fry" as a noun is commonplace in english, in chinese, the word 炒 (chǎo) is used as a verb or adjective only.

Main

Stir fried old threes

Stir frying (chinese: 炒; pinyin: chǎo) is a chinese cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. the technique originated in china and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of asia and the west. it is similar to sautéing in western cooking technique. scholars think that wok (or pan) frying may have been used as early as the han dynasty (206 b.c. – 220 a.d.) for drying grain, not for cooking, but it was not until the ming dynasty (1368–1644) that the wok reached its modern shape and allowed quick cooking in hot oil. well into the 20th century, while only restaurants and affluent families could afford the oil and fuel needed for stir fry, the most widely used cooking techniques remained boiling and steaming. stir fry cooking came to predominate over the course of the century as more people could afford oil and fuel, and in the west spread beyond chinese communities.stir frying and chinese food have been recommended as both healthy and appealing for their skillful use of vegetables, meats, and fish which are moderate in their fat content and sauces which are not overly rich, provided calories are kept at a reasonable level.the english-language term "stir-fry" was coined by yuen ren chao in buwei yang chao's book how to cook and eat in chinese (1945), to describe the chǎo technique. although using "stir-fry" as a noun is commonplace in english, in chinese, the word 炒 (chǎo) is used as a verb or adjective only.

Dessert, Sweet

Tangdui

Hawthorn berries filled with bean paste, nuts, seeds, then grilled and coated in syrup

Dessert, Sweet

Tanghulu

Tanghulu () or tang hulu (simplified chinese: 糖葫芦; traditional chinese: 糖葫蘆; pinyin: táng húlu; lit. 'sugar calabash'), also called bingtang hulu (冰糖葫芦; 冰糖葫蘆; bīngtáng húlu; 'rock-sugar calabash'), is a traditional northern chinese snack consisting of several rock sugar-coated fruits of chinese hawthorn (crataegus pinnatifida) on a bamboo skewer. it is named for its calabash-like shape. tanghulu is often mistaken for regular candied fruits; however, it is coated in a hardened sugar syrup. this sweet and sour treat has been made since the song dynasty and remains popular throughout northern china.chinese hawthorn is the traditional fruit used for the skewering, but in recent times vendors have also used various other fruits, such as cherry tomatoes, mandarin oranges, strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, kiwifruit, bananas, or grapes. the pits and seeds of the hawthorn are emptied out and are commonly filled with sweet red bean paste before being skewered and dipped.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Tianjin preserved vegetable

Tianjin preserved vegetable (chinese: 天津冬菜; pinyin: tiānjīn dōngcài; lit. 'tianjin winter vegetable'; also called tung tsai (chinese: 冬菜), tientsin preserved vegetable or tianjin preserved cabbage) is a type of pickled chinese cabbage originating in tianjin, china. it consists of finely chopped tianjin cabbage (箭杆菜; a variety of chinese cabbage with an elongated shape) and salt. garlic is also generally added in the pickling process, although it is omitted in versions prepared for consumption by members of certain chinese buddhist sects, who practice strict buddhist vegetarianism and do not consume garlic or other spicy foods. this pickled vegetable is used to flavor soups, stir fries or stewed dishes. tianjin preserved vegetable is commercially available in earthenware crocks or clear plastic packages.