Chinese food Archives - Crispy Croissants

In France, food is considered sacred. While preparing a French dish, the best quality of food is selected. The dining table is laid with the utmost care, before anyone takes a bite, even if it is a normal lunch. During having lunch, people put away their cell phones and no one looks at the clock.

For major areas, there is no typical French meal. Although people use the term French cuisine in order to describe the French food. Mostly the dishes in France are region-based and can vary depending upon the location. The main expectations are from breakfast.

French people often eat tartine for breakfast which is a slice of bread, commonly a baguette which is smothered with a fruity jam. Sometimes it is accompanied by yogurt and also a croissant and mostly accompanied by a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or a glass of orange juice. On weekends, people pick up freshly prepared viennoiserie from the bakery.

Lunchtime meals can vary according to different locations. At present days, French lunches are shorter in time but can still last for about an hour. For a major part of French people, lunch is a valued moment to take a short break from work and to socialize with your colleagues and friends.

As like lunch, dinner as well varies according to the locations. At this time, a four-course meal is served which is- entrée which is an appetizer, a plat which is the main course, fromage that is cheese, and a dessert. Some of the times salad course is also there that would follow the main course. In case, both the fish and a meat course are served then the fish would be served before the meat. Aperitifs and digest ifs are basically book ended French dinners. The aperitif takes place at the beginning of the meal. Various kinds of alcoholic as well as nonalcoholic drinks are served with small appetizers like nuts or olives in order to stimulate your appetite. On the other hand, the digest if occurs at the end of the meal. Guests are usually presented with various kinds of drinks with a high percentage of alcohol like whiskey, bourbon, or liqueur that aids digestion. In France, eating is a kind of celebration of the food kept before you and your friends. Mostly, the French enthusiast not only cherish the taste of the food but also the culture that embodies it.

True Chinese food has a sense of balance, lightness as well as simplicity that any home cook can master easily.

Different types of courses

A Chinese meal is comprised of two parts- staple food which consists of rice, noodles or steamed buns, ts’ai, vegetables, and also dishes of meat. The primary utensils for eating are chopsticks and ceramic spoons. In every Chinese meal, each and every person has their own bowl of rice but the accompanying dishes is served on communal plates and then shared by all the people. Basically, all the dishes are usually eaten together with all the people with a mouthful of rice. In China, desserts are not the main course instead Chinese consider eating desserts as snacks in between the meals. If desserts are served in a meal then the Chinese will serve them during the course of the meal with no firm distinction made. If they want to serve the dessert at the end of the meal then it is normally fresh fruit.

Cold dishes

In traditional Chinese banquet, these are the first course. To make cold dishes, salt, sugar, chili powder, light soy sauce, sesame oil, and vinegar are used. These can increase people’s appetite.

Hot dishes

Usually, the main course is also known as a hot dish. These are basically cooked using some techniques like deep frying, quick frying, stir-frying, Liu, hui, etc.

Soup and congees

In spite of adding milk or any cream into the soup. The Chinese usually prefer to add refined starches from corn to thicken the soups. There are also some light soups that do not utilize starches.

Congee is a type of porridge or gruel. Meat, fish, and sometimes vegetables and flavorings are used in congee. These are a good option for breakfast. These are very easy to digest so these are good choices for ill people and young infants.

Staple food and Xiaochi

Southern China has rice as its staple food. Whereas in northern china which is a wheat farming area, the Chinese eat flour-based foods like mantou, noodles, and dumplings.

Xiaochi are consumed as snacks. You can get these in street stalls or small kinds of restaurants. Usually, you can get one kind of snack at one stall only. These are usually light food, self-contained, and are easily portable. Different places in china have different kinds of Xiaochi. These are very much loved among tourists and local people of china.