Chinese food, a culinary pleasure: 3 tips to enjoy it
Reading the title already started to make your mouth water, didn't it? Many of us, just talking about food in Chinese (餐饮 [cānyǐn]) makes our mouths water by thinking about our favorite dishes. Did you know that the history of Chinese food dates back thousands of years ago?
Of course, as time goes by, the numerous different regions, the diversity of the climate, local preferences, etc. have modified the flavors and textures of these ancestral recipes.
Tasty, colourful, aromatic... Without a doubt, learning to talk about food in Chinese is not only super attractive but also very useful if you travel to China, visit a Chinatown in a major city or eat in a Chinese restaurant and want to enjoy its delicious food.
Chinese Food Vocabulary in Restaurants
Here are some Chinese food words that you can find on a Chinese restaurant menu.
| Soy sauce | 酱油 | Jiàngyóu |
| Spring rolls | 春卷 | Chūnjuǎn |
| Fried noodles | 炒面 | Chǎomiàn |
| Special fried rice | 饭三乐 | Fàn sān lè |
| Chicken with orange | 橘子鸡 | Jú zǐ jī |
| Sweet and sour sauce | 糖醋汁 | Táng cù zhī |
The verb to eat in Chinese is: 吃 (chī) and if you want to ask someone 'what are you eating?' It is said: 你在吃什么? (Nǐ zài chī shénme?). On the other hand, if someone asks you, 'What do you want to eat?' It is said: 你想吃什么? (Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?). You can answer: 'I want to eat...' and the name of the food: 我想吃... (Wǒ xiǎng chī...)
The most popular types of meat in Chinese food
Learning Chinese food names related to different types of meat is very simple. In fact, if you already know the names of the animals, you just have to add the particle 肉 (ròu) = meat. Let's look at some examples:
| 鸡肉 (jīròu)= chicken |
| 我喜欢吃鸡肉 (Wǒ xǐhuan chī jīròu). I like to eat chicken. |
| 猪肉 (zhūròu) = pork |
| 他们在这里准备烤猪肉。 (Tāmen zài zhèlǐ zhǔnbèi kǎo zhūròu.) Here they prepare roast pork. |
| 牛肉 (niúròu)= beef |
| 牛肉很好吃。 (Niú ròu hěn hǎo chī). Beef is very tasty. |
| 鱼肉 (yúròu)= fish |
| 你吃鱼肉饺子了吗? (Nǐ chī yúròu jiǎozile ma?)= Did you eat fish dumplings? |
| 羊肉 (yángròu) = lamb |
| 我的祖母煮羊肉。 (Wǒ de zǔmǔ zhǔ yángròu.)= My grandmother cooks lamb. |
| 汉堡包 (hànbǎobāo)= hamburger |
| 我想买一个汉堡包。 (Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yīgè hànbǎobāo) I want to buy a hamburger. |
More Chinese Food Vocabulary
| 面包 (miànbāo) = bread |
| 松软的面包。 (sōngruǎn de miànbāo) spongy bread. |
| 色拉 (sèlā) = Salad |
| 你要色拉吗?(Nǐ yào sèlā ma?) Do you want salad? |
| 汤 (tāng) = Soup |
| 她熬一锅汤。 (Tā áo yī guō tāng) She prepared a pot of soup. |
| 热狗 (règǒu) = Hot dog |
| 在纽约，他们在街上吃热狗。 (Zài niǔyuē, tāmen zài jiē shàng chī règǒu.) In New York, they eat hot dogs on the street. |
| 豆腐 (dòufu) = tofu |
| 豆腐冷吗? (Dòufu lěng ma?) Is the tofu cold? |
| 鸡蛋 (jīdàn) = egg |
| 他早餐吃了鸡蛋和土豆。 (Tā zǎocān chīle jīdàn hé tǔdòu.) He has fried eggs and potatoes for breakfast. |
| 盐 (yán) = salt |
| 汤里搁点儿盐。 (Tāng lǐ gē diǎn er yán.) Put a little salt in the soup. |
| 糖 (táng) = sugar |
| 你喝茶搁糖吗? (Nǐ hēchá gē táng ma?) Do you put sugar in tea? |
| 巧克力 (qiǎokèlì) = chocolate |
| 巧克力是她的最爱。 (Qiǎokèlì shì tā de zuì'ài.) Chocolate is his favorite. |
| 冰淇淋 (bīngqílín) = ice cream |
| 你们卖草莓冰淇淋吗? (Nǐmen mài cǎoméi bīngqílín ma?) Do you sell strawberry ice cream? |
Did you know?
In Chinese cuisine, steam cooking is common, in addition to fried foods. Also, many traditional dishes include minced pork, seeds, or sesame oil. For example, Chop Suey, one of the classics, has among its ingredients, sesame oil, soy sauce and another must: ginger.
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So, 你最喜欢什么菜? (Nǐ zuì xǐhuān shénme cài?) What is your favorite dish? If you want to know more, I encourage you to check out this article about Chinese cuisine.
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