Jiang Nan

Jiangnan is the area of China encompassing the delta and areas to the south of the fertile Yangtze River. The area encompasses Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Nanjing amongst other cities. Jiangnan’s lushness has long made it a home to scholars, merchants and artists, with its cuisine reflecting its heritage: delicate, seasonal, and aesthetically sophisticated. Culinary Hallmarks include the traditions of Huaiyang, Zhejiang and Shanghai cuisine, with an emphasis on the natural taste of ingredients, seasonal produce and a sweet-savory balance. Dishes are often braised or stewed in umami-rich sauces such as soy or Shaoxing wine.

Sichuan Province and its major city of Chengdu is located in southwestern China, nestled in a fertile basin known as “Land of Abundance”. It’s a humid, subtropical area that often uses preserved, pickled or dried ingredients to balance the dampness. Sichuan techniques made their way inland to Jiangnan thanks to the latter’s merchant cities being along the Silk Road, “spicing up” the scene for the literati class there. Culinary Hallmarks are centered on the concept of mala, a portmanteau combining the Mandarin words for the tingling effect of Sichuan peppercorn with the heat of dried chilis. But it’s not all spicy- the cuisine includes sweet, sour, salty, bitter, aromatic and umami flavors in countless permutations. The use of dry pot cooking, wok-based dishes using minimal liquid, is popular here.

Sliced Ox Tongue in Chili Sauce has a Chinese name that translates literally to “Husband and Wife Lung Slices” (though highly-prized ox meat is used instead), referring to married street food vendor sin Chendu around the turn of the 20th century, who popularized the dish. It’s a classic example of Sichuan cold starters, meant to stimulate the palate and balance a meal with hot and cold textures with its use of peppercorns, chili oil, soy and sesame oil, and is found on nearly every Sichuan menu. From humble street food to premium appetizer, it is representative of a dish that has transcended class.

Sliced Pork Belly w/ Mashed Garlic Sauce is another beloved cold Sichuan appetizer renowned for its flavor and texture contrast, pitting cool, fatty pork against hot garlic in a symbolic and sensory harmony of opposites. A yin and yang, if you will. It is often one of the first dishes served in a multi-course Sichuan meal, as a means to awaken the palate. In Chinese cuisine, the use of pungent garlic is used as a digestant and a symbol of robustness and flavor, and this dish has flavor in spades.

Xiaolongbao, or steamed pork soup dumplings, originated in the Shanghai suburbs in the mid-1800s and is today a symbol of Shanghainese cuisine, most traditionally eaten for breakfast. Popularized by the global chain Din Tai Fung, each dumpling is meticulously folded with 12-18 pleats (the more pleats, the more respect the chef commands) and is served piping hot. The key to the soup is aspic- a jelly made from simmered pork skin that melts during teaming to become the rich broth inside. There is an etiquette to eating xiaolongbao: 1) Place it in the spoon. 2) Nibble the top to let steam out. 3) Slurp the soup. 4) Dip in the black vinegar and garlic sauce. 5) Eat the rest!

Peking Duck is a symbol of imperial refinement, originated in the Shanghai-area but made popular by the royals in Beijing (Peking) due to its opulence. Roast duck dishes in China were always popular in imperial kitchens, dating back to the Mongols in the 13th century .The dish we know today was refined during the Ming Dynasty of the 1400s, in fact the popular Beijing Peking Duck House Bianyifang was established in 1416 and is still in business today! Traditionally, white Beijing ducks are raised for 65 days before slaughtered, their skin separated from the fat by pumped air. It is then blanched, air-dried and glazed to achieve a lacquered skin before being roasted. The dish is a symbol of national pride and Jiangnan literati favorite, with many classic poems celebrating the dish’s pageantry.

Okra w/ Garlic Sauce reflects China’s global position on the Silk Road, with the native African vegetable likely making its way to China during the Qing Dynasty (early 20th century). The southern provinces soon embraced it due to their subtropical climates being conducive to its cultivation, and soon after that the dish caught on to China’s emerging wellness culture.

Asian Carp is native to Chinese rivers and lakes and has been domesticated and eaten in China for thousands of years, particularly in Jiangnan's Yangtze River basin. A mild fish with a firm texture, they are prized as symbols of abundance and perseverance, and are popular in kitchens for their adaptability to many of China's regional cuisines. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), carp is considered nourishing, helpful for digestion, lactation and postpartum recovery.

Braised Beef Flank w/ Potatoes is a comforting, home-style northern Chinese stew blending rich, slow-cooked beef with soft potatoes in a soy, ginger and garlic sauce. Potatoes were introduced to China from the Americas during the Ming Dynasty (16th century) via European traders and eventually became widely used in rural cooking, popular for its affordability and ability to feed many. Migrant workers moving to the cities in the 20th century brought the tradition with them. The dish is, today, a quintessential “meat and potatoes” dish adapted to Chinese taste.

Braised Pork Belly in Black Tea Sauce is a recent fusion dish, blending traditional Chinese technique (braising pork belly) with its love of tea, reflecting the latter’s modern-day use as a flavor enhancer and tenderizer and giving the dish a slightly smoky, malty note. The dish brings together two of China’s most symbolic consumables, pork belly (representing indulgence and prosperity) and the revered “poetry” of tea (elegance, ritual, health), the result being a dish of culinary “yin-yang” harmony between the hearty beef and the cooling, floral tea.

Kung Pao Chicken is one of the most iconic and popular dishes in Chinese cuisine, both within China and globally- no, this ain’t an American invention a la General Tso’s. “Kung Pao” is derived from the Mandarin word for “palace guardian” and is named after Ding Baozhen, a Qing Dynasty governor of Sichuan in the 19th century. Legend has it he was a lover of spicy food and skilled chef, and this dish was what he liked to serve guests. After his death, his signature chicken dish was so-named in his honor. Today it’s symbolic of Sichuan cuisine- a balance of sweetness, sourness, saltiness, umami and most of all, spice.

Tiger Shrimp in Sweet Chili Sauce reflects Sino-Thai fusion, inspired by Thai sweet chili sauce and popularized in the 1990s. In China, shrimp symbolizes happiness, wealth and laughter (it’s Chinese name, xia, sounds a lot like “ha”) and tiger prawns, especially, are considered a luxury status item, while the bright red sauce represents luck.

Cumin Lamb on a Sizzling Plate is a bold and aromatic stir-fry featuring wok-seared lamb, popular in the northwestern reaches of China, where the Hui Muslim and Uyghur culinary tradition of a lamb-centric diet with Central Asian Silk Road spices (cumin) ring strong. The cuisine made its way to the major coastal cities (Shanghai, Guangzhou) in the late 20th century, with the sizzling plate presentation becoming a hit for this sensory-heightening pizazz. Continuing China’s emphasis on food as medicine, the dish’s heat is associated with strength and vigor.

Lotus root is the instantly-recognizable, floral-flavored vegetable ubiquitous in Chinese cuisine for over 2,000 years. In Chinese texts and poetry, the lotus symbolizes purity, resilience and morality, as it grows out of muddy waters but blooms untainted. A Chinese idiom states that “though the lotus root is severed, its fibers still connect”, expressing the sentiment that even when people part ways, emotional ties remain. Though its flavor is mild, its crunch is satisfying, and the root is said to clear heat, improve digestion, and invigorate blood circulation.

Mapo Tofu is a flagship delicacy of Sichuan cuisine, deeply rooted in the street food history of Chengdu, where it originated in the late 1800s (Qing Dynasty). According to legend, an old woman with facial pockmarks (mapo translates to “pockmarked old woman”) ran a small tavern near the famous Wanfu bridge. Her specialty was a dish for laborers using tofu, beef minced from leftover cuts, chilis, scallions and oil. The dish became so beloved it became affectionately known as “Mapo’s Tofu”.

Preserved Ham Fried Rice Chinese preserved hams have been made for over 1,000 years, dating back to the Song Dynasty. Jinhua ham is dry-cured, aged, and intensely savory, akin to prosciutto or Iberico. Its pairing with fried rice, which evolved in the 7th century as a way to repurpose cold rice, likely came about to enhance the rice’s flavor. Today it’s a umami-packed fusion of rustic comfort and aristocratic flavor, pairing ubiquitous rice with the high-end, refined Jinua ham.

Stir-Fried Noodles are believed to have developed in NOrthern China during the Song Dynasty, making their way south and towards the coast, where they met the seafood-rich traditions of these locales.

Peach Gummies w/ Tremella reflects the growing Chinese trend of merging traditional medicinal foods with contemporary flavors. It’s a sweet, jelly-like dessert made by simmering peach resin with tremella mushroom in a light, sweetened broth often flavored with goji berries and red dates. The peach resinis rich in collagen and believed to promote skin health, digestion and detoxification (so no, these aren’t those gummies) while the tremella nourishes the lungs and promotes radiant skin. As such, the dish is sought out by women seeking beauty and balance, as well as the elderly seeking lung-nourishing foods.

Tsing-Tao is China’s most recognizable beer brand- a lager founded in 1903 by… Germans (of course!) during the period when the city of Qingdao was a German concession. Homesick Germans founded the German-British Brewery Company as a way to bring beer to the Far East, quickly winning a gold medal at the Munich International Beer Expo. After Germany lost control of the area after WWI, the Japanese and later the Chinese took over the brewery, keeping the German technique alive. Today it’s a household name, exported to over 100 countries and often the default beer at Chinese restaurants worldwide.