Chinese cuisine 中國菜

概述
浙江省位于我国东海之滨，北部水道成网，素称鱼米之乡；西南丘陵起伏，盛产山珍野味；沿海渔场密布，水产资源丰富。当地劳动人民，在长期的生产和生活实践中，积极利用这些富饶的自然资源，创制出许多深受广大群众欢迎的菜肴，积累了丰富的烹饪经验，逐渐发展成为主要以杭州、宁波和绍兴三种风味为代表的地方菜系。杭州菜制作精细，变化较多，以爆、炒、烩、炸为主，清鲜爽脆，因时而异；宁波菜，以“鲜咸合一”，蒸、烤、炖制海鲜见长，讲究鲜嫩软滑，注意保持原味；绍兴菜，擅长烹饪河鲜家禽，入口香酥绵糯，汤浓味重，富有乡村风味。
浙江菜历史悠久，品种繁多。公元十三世纪时，有人曾搜集了近百种菜名，现在更有很大的发展，仅用本省“四时不乏”的竹笋为原料的常见菜品就有百余种。这些菜肴的烹制方法，绝大部分来源于民间。以当地人民常吃的“鱼羹”为例，早在《史记·货殖列传》中，就曾有“楚越之地，饭稻羹鱼”的记载，可见民间用鱼作羹，由来已久。如人们爱吃的“赛蟹羹”，相传就是七百多年前一位姓宋的劳动妇女，用桂鱼肉创制出来的，因此，原名“宋嫂鱼羹”。又如金华、义乌一带出产的“南肉”，南宋年间就已脍炙人口，久享盛誉，现在用它烹制的“家乡南肉”、“南肉春笋”等，仍是群众喜爱的大众菜肴。
也有一部分菜肴的烹制方法是从其他地区（主要是北方）传入，或是吸收了外地经验而加以改造的。据南宋人的笔记，当时“杭城食店，多是效学京师人”，爆、炒一类烹饪技术，大体上就是这时从北方传来的。如烹制鳝鱼，原来浙江人习惯用油、酱炒，后来参考了北方的制法，才改“炒”为“爆”，并配以蒜泥，即成了南料北烹的“生爆鳝片”了。
当然，许多传统菜的烹制方法，都是经过一个长期演变过程的。有二百多年历史的“西湖醋鱼”，最早是“用活青鱼切大块，油灼之，加酱、醋、酒烹之”，以后改“灼”为“蒸”，现在则先将活草鱼清水饿养，使它吐净泥质，再用沸水汆过，最后以各种调料浇汁烹制。杭州民间流传很久的“鱼头豆腐”，解放后，为了适应冬春季节的需要，根据广大工农兵的意见作了改革，在制法上，将“浓汁勾芡”改为“宽汤不勾芡”；在盛器上，将“瓷盆”改为“沙锅”。这样，既能保温，又能更好地保持菜肴的特点。

**Overview**
Zhejiang Province, situated along the eastern coast of China, is renowned as a "land of fish and rice" with its northern waterways crisscrossing the region. The southwestern hills abound with mountain delicacies and wild game, while its coastal areas are dotted with fishing grounds rich in aquatic resources. Over centuries, local communities have skillfully utilized these abundant natural resources to create beloved dishes and refine culinary techniques, gradually forming a regional cuisine represented by three distinct styles: Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Shaoxing.

- **Hangzhou cuisine** emphasizes meticulous preparation and seasonal adaptability, featuring techniques like quick-frying, stir-frying, braising, and deep-frying. Its dishes are celebrated for their fresh, crisp, and light flavors that vary with the seasons.
- **Ningbo cuisine** excels in steaming, roasting, and stewing seafood, harmonizing freshness with saltiness. It prioritizes tender textures and preserves the natural essence of ingredients.
- **Shaoxen cuisine** specializes in river delicacies and poultry, offering rich, savory broths and rustic flavors with dishes that are crispy on the outside and soft within.

**Historical Evolution**
Zhejiang cuisine boasts a long history and vast diversity. As early as the 13th century, nearly 100 local dishes were documented, and today its repertoire has expanded significantly. For instance, over a hundred common dishes feature bamboo shoots, a perennial local ingredient. Many culinary methods originated in folk traditions. Take "fish soup" (鱼羹), a staple noted in the *Records of the Grand Historian – Biographies of Merchants*: "In the lands of Chu and Yue, people eat rice and fish soup," highlighting its ancient roots. The beloved "Imitation Crab Soup" (赛蟹羹), for example, was created over 700 years ago by a woman surnamed Song using mandarin fish, hence its original name "Sister Song’s Fish Soup" (宋嫂鱼羹). Similarly, "Southern-style cured pork" (南肉) from Jinhua and Yiwu gained fame during the Southern Song Dynasty and remains popular in dishes like "Homestyle Southern Pork" and "Southern Pork with Spring Bamboo Shoots."

**Culinary Exchange and Innovation**
Some techniques were introduced or adapted from other regions, particularly northern China. Southern Song records note that "Hangzhou restaurants often imitated the capital’s culinary styles," with methods like quick-frying and stir-frying arriving from the north. For instance, Zhejiang’s traditional stir-fried eel with oil and soy sauce evolved into "Crispy Eel Slices with Garlic" (生爆鳝片) after adopting northern "quick-frying" techniques and adding garlic paste.

**Evolution of Classic Dishes**
Many traditional dishes underwent gradual refinement. "West Lake Vinegar Fish" (西湖醋鱼), with a 200-year history, originally involved frying large chunks of live carp with soy sauce, vinegar, and wine. Later, frying was replaced by steaming, and today, live grass carp are purged of mud in clean water, blanched, and served with a seasoned sauce. Similarly, the long-standing folk dish "Fish Head Tofu" (鱼头豆腐) was modernized post-1949 to suit winter and spring dining: the broth was lightened (replacing thick starch gravy with a clear soup) and served in a heat-retaining clay pot instead of a porcelain dish, better preserving its flavor and warmth.

This dynamic interplay of local tradition, cross-regional exchange, and continuous innovation has solidified Zhejiang cuisine’s enduring legacy in China’s culinary landscape.

浙菜概述

浙江东濒大海，有千里长的海岸线，盛产海味，如著名的舟山渔场的黄鱼、带鱼、石斑鱼、锦绣龙虾及蛎、蛤、虾、蟹，还有淡菜、象山青蟹、温州蝤蛑和近年发展的养殖虾等。浙北是“杭、嘉、湖”大平原，河道港叉遍布，著名的太湖南临湖州，淡水鱼名贵品种，如鳜鱼、鲫鱼、青虾、湖蟹等以及四大家鱼产量极盛。又是大米与蚕桑的主要产地，素有“鱼米之乡”的称号。西南为丛山峻岭，山珍野味历来有名，像庆元的香菇、景宁的黑木耳。中部为浙江盆地，即金华大粮仓，闻名中外的金华火腿就是选用全国瘦肉型名猪之一的“金华两头乌”制成的。加上举世闻名的杭州龙井茶叶、绍兴老酒，都是烹饪中不可缺少的上乘原料。

浙菜的历史，也就是浙江烹饪的历史，可上溯到吴越春秋。越王勾践为复国，加紧军备，并在今绍兴市的稽山，过去称“鸡山”，办起了大型的养鸡场，为前线准备作战粮草用鸡。故浙菜中最古的菜要首推绍兴名菜“清汤越鸡”。其次是杭州的“宋嫂鱼羹”，出自“宋五嫂鱼羹”，至今也有880年历史。从杭州近郊的良渚和浙东的余姚河姆渡两处人类活动的古遗址中发现，从猪、牛、羊、鸡、鸭等骨骸中证明，浙菜的烹饪原料在距今四五千年前已相当丰富。东坡肉、咸件儿、蜜汁火方、叫化童鸡等传统名菜均离不开这些烹饪原料。

南宋建都杭州，北方大批名厨云集杭城，使杭菜和浙江菜系从萌芽状态进入发展状态，浙菜从此立于全国菜系之列。至今八百多年的南宋名菜蟹酿橙、鳖蒸羊、东坡脯、南炒鳝、群仙羹、两色腰子等，至今仍是高档筵席上的名菜。绍兴除了清汤越鸡外，鲞扣鸡、鲞冻肉、虾油鸡、蓑衣虾球；宁波的咸菜大汤黄鱼、苔菜小方烤、冰糖甲鱼、锅烧鳗，湖州的老法虾仁、五彩鳝丝、嘉兴的炒蟹粉、炒虾蟹等，都有几百年的历史。温州近闽，受闽菜影响，烹调上讲究清淡，以海产品为主，像三丝鱼卷、三片敲虾等菜也历史悠久。

民国后，杭菜首先推出了龙井虾仁等新菜。但以杭菜为主的浙江菜系，基本上分为三大派别，一派以烹调北方风味的“京帮”馆子，即烹饪界一致看重的大帮菜，以烹调高档原料为主，如鱼翅、海参、燕窝、熊掌以及烤乳猪、挂炉鸭子（北京烤鸭），此帮杭州最强。另一派以红烧为拿手的徽帮，主要分布于杭、湖（吴兴）宁波等地，菜品以入味、重油、重芡、重色、经济实惠为主。另一帮即本地菜，真正的土生土长菜系。杭州规模较大的有西湖楼外楼，开设于清道光年间，以西湖醋鱼、龙井虾仁闻名。有城内清和坊的王润兴，人称“皇饭儿”。以鱼头豆腐，人称木榔豆腐，件儿肉、腌督笋拿手。绍兴有兰香馆，蓑衣虾球、专门烹制头肚醋鱼等标准绍菜。浙东宁波有东福园，咸菜大汤黄鱼、冰糖甲鱼等名菜是正宗的宁波地方传统菜。

浙菜有它自己独特的烹调方法。除人们的地域性口味偏爱外，富饶的特产也是其中因素之一。

宋嫂鱼羹是用鳜鱼在水中煮，鱼剔除骨后将鱼肉放回原汤中加少许酱油、糖和较多的醋，不加油制作的工艺，创制了类似的“西湖醋鱼”。西湖醋鱼制作简单，鱼经宰杀，刀工处理，水煮后捞出加调料而成，但技术标准要求很高。像这种烹调方法全国名菜中绝无仅有。绍兴名菜白鲞扣鸡也有类似情况，把鸡与白鲞（咸味黄鱼干品）同放一只碗中，不加油，蒸后其味芳香入味。宁波盛产黄鱼，将黄鱼与咸菜同煮，做出了汤浓味鲜清口的咸菜大汤黄鱼。嘉兴过去盛产大闸蟹，除小吃店摊外，酒楼饭店不出售整只湖蟹，而历来用蟹粉（即湖蟹的肉）烹制菜肴。浙南重镇温州，讲究用汤，“三片敲虾”、“三丝敲鱼”均用高级吊汤。此外，杭州的泥烤菜“叫化童鸡”，用茶菜作配料的“龙井虾仁”等等，都是独特的烹调技术。


An Overview of Zhe Cuisine

Zhejiang borders the sea to the east and has a coastline stretching thousands of miles, abundant in seafood. Famous examples include the yellow croaker, hairtail, grouper, ornate spiny lobster, as well as oysters, clams, shrimps, crabs from the Zhoushan Fishing Ground. There are also mussels, Xiangshan green crabs, Wenzhou swimming crabs, and the farm - raised shrimp developed in recent years. Northern Zhejiang is the vast plain of "Hangzhou, Jiaxing, and Huzhou", criss - crossed with rivers and harbors. The renowned Taihu Lake borders Huzhou in the south, where precious freshwater fish species such as mandarin fish, crucian carp, green shrimps, lake crabs, and the four major domestic fish species are highly productive. It is also a major production area for rice and mulberry, known as the "land of fish and rice". The southwest is characterized by mountain ranges, where wild delicacies have long been famous, like the mushrooms in Qingyuan and the black fungus in Jingning. The central part is the Zhejiang Basin, namely the large granary of Jinhua. The world - famous Jinhua ham is made from the "Jinhua Two - End - Black", one of the well - known lean - type pigs in China. Coupled with the world - renowned Hangzhou Longjing tea and Shaoxing old wine, they are all top - grade and indispensable ingredients in cooking.

The history of Zhe cuisine, that is, the history of Zhejiang cuisine, can be traced back to the Wu and Yue periods. Goujian, the King of Yue, stepped up military preparations for the restoration of his state. He established a large - scale chicken farm on Jishan (formerly known as "Chicken Mountain") in present - day Shaoxing City to provide chickens as rations for the front line. Therefore, the most ancient dish in Zhe cuisine is the famous Shaoxing dish "Clear - Soup Stewed Chicken". Next is Hangzhou's "Song Sao Fish Soup", originating from "Song Wu Sao Fish Soup", which has a history of 880 years. Archaeological discoveries at the ancient human activity sites of Liangzhu near Hangzhou and Hemudu in eastern Zhejiang, evidenced by the bones of pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, and ducks, prove that the cooking ingredients of Zhe cuisine were quite abundant four or five thousand years ago. Traditional famous dishes such as Dongpo Pork, Salted Pork Slices, Honey - Glazed Ham, and Beggar's Chicken all rely on these cooking ingredients.

During the Southern Song Dynasty, when Hangzhou became the capital, a large number of renowned chefs from the north gathered in the city, enabling Hangzhou cuisine and the Zhejiang cuisine system to develop from its embryonic stage. Since then, Zhe cuisine has been ranked among the national cuisine systems. The Southern Song Dynasty dishes that are over eight hundred years old, such as Crab - Stuffed Orange, Steamed Soft - Shelled Turtle with Mutton, Dongpo Dried Meat, Stir - Fried Eel in Southern Style, Immortal - Gathering Soup, and Two - Colored Kidney, are still famous dishes served at high - end banquets. Besides the "Clear - Soup Stewed Chicken", Shaoxing has dishes like Steamed Chicken with Dried Fish, Dried Fish and Pork in Jelly, Chicken in Shrimp Oil, and Cockscomb - shaped Shrimp Balls; Ningbo has Salted Vegetable and Yellow Croaker Soup, Baked Vegetable Cubes, Stewed Soft - Shelled Turtle in Rock Sugar Sauce, and Braised Eel; Huzhou has Traditional - Style Shrimps, Colorful Eel Shreds; Jiaxing has Stir - Fried Crab Roe and Stir - Fried Crabs and Shrimps, all of which have a history of several hundred years. Wenzhou, close to Fujian, is influenced by Fujian cuisine, emphasizing a light taste in cooking and mainly using seafood. Dishes like Three - Shredded Fish Rolls and Three - Sliced Beaten Shrimps also have a long - standing history.

After the Republic of China, Hangzhou cuisine first introduced new dishes such as Longjing Shrimp. However, the Zhejiang cuisine system, mainly represented by Hangzhou cuisine, is basically divided into three major factions. One is the "Jingbang" restaurants that cook northern - style dishes, which are highly regarded in the culinary world and mainly use high - end ingredients such as shark fin, sea cucumber, bird's nest, bear's paw, as well as roast suckling pig and hanging - oven duck (Beijing Roast Duck), with Hangzhou having the strongest influence in this regard. Another is the "Huibang" faction, which excels in braising in soy sauce and is mainly distributed in Hangzhou, Huzhou (Wuxing), and Ningbo. Their dishes are characterized by rich flavor, heavy use of oil, thickening, dark color, and affordability. The third is the local cuisine, a truly indigenous cuisine system. In Hangzhou, the relatively large - scale Louwailou, opened during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, is famous for West Lake Vinegar Fish and Longjing Shrimp. Wang Runxing in Qinghefang in the city, known as the "Imperial Restaurant", is proficient in dishes such as Fish Head with Tofu (also known as Wooden Mallet Tofu), Pork Slices, and Pickled Bamboo Shoots. In Shaoxing, Lanxiangguan specializes in standard Shaoxing dishes such as Cockscomb - shaped Shrimp Balls and Head - and - Belly Vinegar Fish. In eastern Zhejiang's Ningbo, Dongfuyuan's famous dishes like Salted Vegetable and Yellow Croaker Soup and Stewed Soft - Shelled Turtle in Rock Sugar Sauce are authentic Ningbo local traditional dishes.

Zhe cuisine has its own unique cooking methods. Besides people's regional taste preferences, the rich local specialties are also one of the contributing factors.

Song Sao Fish Soup is made by boiling mandarin fish in water. After removing the bones, the fish meat is put back into the original soup, with a little soy sauce, sugar, and more vinegar added, and it is cooked without oil. This technique created a similar dish, "West Lake Vinegar Fish". West Lake Vinegar Fish is simple to make. The fish is slaughtered, processed with knife skills, boiled in water, and then seasoned after being taken out, but it requires a high technical standard. Such a cooking method is unique among national famous dishes. The famous Shaoxing dish, Steamed Chicken with Dried Salted Yellow Croaker, also has a similar approach. The chicken and dried salted yellow croaker (salted dried yellow croaker) are placed in the same bowl, steamed without oil, and the resulting dish has an aromatic and flavorful taste. Ningbo is rich in yellow croakers. By cooking yellow croakers with salted vegetables, the thick - soup and fresh - flavored Salted Vegetable and Yellow Croaker Soup is created. Jiaxing used to produce a large number of hairy crabs. Except for small eateries and stalls, restaurants and hotels did not sell whole hairy crabs but have always used crab roe (the meat of hairy crabs) to cook dishes. Wenzhou, an important city in southern Zhejiang, pays attention to using soup. Dishes like "Three - Sliced Beaten Shrimps" and "Three - Shredded Beaten Fish" both use high - grade stock. In addition, Hangzhou's mud - roasted dish "Beggar's Chicken" and "Longjing Shrimp" with tea - flavored ingredients are all unique cooking techniques.