Fourth Class – 浙菜 (Zhejiang Cuisine)

http://wscont2.apps.microsoft.com/winstore/1x/81a4882d-20f4-4ee8-b7c3-928bf205d485/Screenshot.34442.1000000.jpg, Sept. 2005

Zhe Cai is one of the eight biggest cuisines.  It’s from Zhejiang province in China.  Zhejiang province is a very beautiful province with lots and lots of lakes and river going through.  The most famous river that pass through the Zhejiang province is the Yangtze River which we also call it Changjiang in China.  With lots of fresh water in the province, zhe cai’s dishes is famous from it’s delicate taste and sweetness in all dishes.  Since the ancient time, ancestors in China always say: 上有天堂，下有苏杭 (There’s the heaven at top, and there’s Su Hang on the earth that is just like the heaven.).  Just from such compliment, you already know it must be one of the most delicious cuisines in China.

http://www.86wan.com/uploads/allimg/091229/1_091229103721_1.jpg, May 2009

Since Zhejiang province locates at east coast of China, it is able to get seafood very easily.  With lots of lakes and rivers going through the province, they are able to get fresh water seafood without any problems.  Even the weather condition in Zhejiang is giving it one of the best environments to grow wheat, rice, corn, beans, and all kinds of fruits and vegetables.  This makes zhe cai is able to have a very different variety of food choice. 

http://foodforgood.blogspot.ca/2010/08/blog-post_7219.html, Aug. 6th, 2010

One of the most famous dishes from Zhe cai is this 西湖醋鱼(xi hu cu yu).  Which is sweet and sour black vinegar fish from Xi Hu – a very famous lake locates in Zhe jiang province.  Its famous because of its sweet and sour taste which will make this a very suitable dish during summer time because sweet and sour will usually beats away the heat and make people eat more food.

http://www.pchouse.com.cn/baike/shenghuo/1149/, Jan. 16th, 2012

Another very famous dish is call 东坡肉 (dong po rou).  This dish is related to one of the most famous poet in China call 苏东坡(su dong po).  This is named after him not because he created it.  It is because this is his favorite dish.  Using stew technique, dong po rou was able to capture all the sauce favor inside the meat and forced out all the fats in the pork.

浙菜以是中国八大菜系之一。

(Zhe cai is one of the eight biggest cuisine in China.)

古人都说，上有天堂，下有苏杭，说的就是中国的浙江省。

(Ancestor said: there’s heaven at the top and there’s su hang on the earth.  This is decriping Zhejiang province in China.)

东坡肉是浙菜最出名的菜式之一。

(Dong po rou is one of the most famous dish in Zhe cai)

Vocab:

淡水鱼

Pinyin: dan shui yu       Explanation: Fresh water fish

Sentence:

淡水鱼说的就是生活在湖里和河里的鱼。

(dan shui yu shuo de shi sheng huo zai hu li he he li de yu.)

(Fishes lives in the lakes and the rivers are call fresh water fish.)

西湖

Pinyin: xi hu       Explanation: West Lake (very famous lake in Zhejiang province)

Sentence:

西湖风景如画。

(xi hu feng jing ru hua.)

(The West Lake is as beautiful as a painting.)

资源

Pinyin: zi yuan      Explanation: Resources

Sentence:

江苏是一个有很多资源的地方。

(jiang su shi yi ge you hen duo zi yuan de di fang.)

(Jiangsu province is a place with lots of resources.)

特色

Pinyin: te se      Explanation: characteristic

Sentence:

浙菜的特色是甜和鲜。

(zhe cai de te se shi tian he xian.)

(Zhe cai’s characteristic is sweet and fresh favor.)

时鲜

Pinyin: shi xian      Explanation: Seasonal fresh

Sentence:

这个蒸时鲜鱼很好吃。

(zhe ge zheng shi xian yu hen hao chi.)

(This steamed seasonal fresh fish is very delicious.)