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Chinese
regional cuisine
Shanghai
a concise guide
for diners & travelers
Why Shanghai cuisine is special
The cooks of Shanghai tend to cook with more flair than do their counterparts in
other Chinese regions.
Insights on the
cuisine of Shanghai
 "Shanghai cuisine"
today defines an area much greater than the city and immediate environs of
Shanghai. The term has been expanded to embrace the vast area known as the
Central Coast. My map depicts that area.
Compared to Cantonese
cooking, Shanghai cuisine is more assertively seasoned and higher in fat
content, thus generally higher in calories, but lighter and more mildly seasoned
than Mandarin cuisine.
The cuisine of this area is
characterized by the liberal use of sugar to sweeten dishes. To many of these
dishes, a large dose of the local rice wine vinegar is added, producing
sweet-and-sour specialties.
Most cooks in the region tend
to cook their ingredients to a degree of doneness that could shock a Cantonese
chef.
Famous specialties
of Shanghai
Sweet and Sour Pork -
Generally sweeter and more sour than the Cantonese version.
Beggar's Chicken -
Coated in wet clay, then baked, so that the hardened clay can be chipped away
from the tender chicken.
Soup Dumplings - They
are filled with a broth, then steamed. The soup squirts out in the diner's mouth
as he bites into the dumpling.
Ten Varieties Hot-Pot
- A plate of sliced meats and vegetables which the diners cook in a communal pot
of steaming broth.
Yangchow Fried Rice -
Leftover rice stir-fried with an especially rich mixture of foods.
Lion's Head - A
casserole dish of huge steamed pork balls.
Soused Shrimp - Live
shrimp are placed in spiced wine. They become inebriated, and are eaten in that
condition.
Squirrel Fish - A
flattened deep-fried fish served whole and smothered in sweet-and-sour sauce.
Eight Precious Rice -
A sweet rice pudding with mixed dried fruit, often served in mid banquet.
Dragon Well Tea -
Some connoisseurs consider it to be the finest green tea in the world. It is
grown near Shanghai.
Learn about these outstanding
regional Chinese cuisines
Click the 5 regional cuisine buttons:
 
 
Also learn
about these
exciting
world cuisines
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