Cantonese Cuisine - by food author Howard Hillman

Cantonese Cuisine

Chinese
regional cuisine

Cantonese

a concise guide
for diners & travelers

Why Cantonese
cuisine is special

Cantonese cooking is generally considered by gourmets to be China's best all around regional cuisine.

Cantonese
food insights

Covers large area

Cantonese cuisine today defines an area much greater than the city and immediate environs of Canton. My map depicts that area.

Where it excels

Cantonese cooking is the most diversified and subtly seasoned in China.

Natural flavors

Because the region produces China's finest raw ingredients, Cantonese chefs strive to bring out natural flavors rather than obscuring them with extra seasoning.

Color harmony

This is extremely important in Cantonese cooking.

Educated palates

Collectively, Cantonese diners have the most educated palates on earth.

Menu translations

The terms on Chinese restaurant menus in Western countries are usually transliterations of Chinese words pronounced with a Cantonese accent. This is so because most Chinese restaurant owners in the West are of Cantonese extraction.

Culinary corruptions

Of all the regional cuisines of China that have been exported abroad, Cantonese cuisine has been the most corrupted. For example, Cantonese chefs in China do not overuse soy sauce.

Famous specialties
of Canton

Lobster Cantonese

Lobsters are little known in China outside of Canton. In this treatment, stir-fried lobster chunks in the shell are sauced with ground pork, eggs, and garlic.

Roast Duck

The whole bird is brushed with a sweet baste, then baked. When expertly prepared, the duck flesh is tender and succulent and the skin is crispy with a glistening dark reddish brown hue.

Buddha's Delight

A meatless dish of many fresh and dried vegetables combined in a stir-fry.

Lemon Chicken

Batter-dipped chicken pieces are fried, then stir-fried with lemon and cornstarch until they are glazed.

Dim Sum

A Cantonese institution. Dim sums are midday treats served on small plates. Hundreds of dim sum varieties exist. They can be hot or cold, savory or sweet. Popular favorites include steamed dumplings, deep fried spring rolls, baked meat filled pastries and stuffed crab claws. Diners make their selections off carts pushed through the dining room. Tea is the traditional beverage.

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