12 Unusual Facts about Chinese Food that Will Surprise You

Do you love Chinese food? Yes, I do. Chinese food is well-known for its delicious hotpots and dumplings. Learn about the fascinating cultural and historical facts behind your favorite Chinese dishes.

1: Chinese food is considered one of the healthiest in the world.

Traditional Chinese food must always be fresh. Many dishes contain large quantities of vegetables, fish, meats, herbs, and spices. Each ingredient is carefully selected for its medicinal properties. Chinese people are not fond of eating canned/frozen foods.

Home-cooked Chinese dishes are nutritious and low in fat.

2: You will never eat the exact same dish twice in China!

China is home to 34 provinces, each with its own cuisine traditions. The Chinese have many cooking methods that allow them to create many different dishes with their ingredients. You can steam, stew, stir-fry, roast, sweet-sour, and soy-sauce chicken, among other options.

3: There are 8 culinary cuisines in China.

Although there are many cooking styles that Chinese follow, experts in Chinese cuisine have identified eight of the most popular. These cuisines can be viewed as models, each with its own unique style and strengths. Anhui, Cantonese and Fujian are the eight Chinese culinary cuisines.

4: Noodles, rice, and soup are staples.

People in the north of China love dumplings, noodles, and steamed buns. Bowls of rice and noodles are the staple meal in the south. People in the south eat very little wheat.

Winter melon soup is a popular soup in China. Trivia: Soup is traditionally served last in China. This is contrary to Western countries.

5: Traditional Chinese food is nearly completely dairy-free.

This is the most important fact about Chinese food if you are lactose intolerant. The authentic Chinese cuisine does not use milk-fat ingredients like cream, butter, and cheese. If you eat out in larger cities like Beijing or Shanghai, there may be a mix of dairy ingredients, but it is not as common as in the United States and Europe.

6: Food is served whole.

China is very strict about food waste. All parts of animals and vegetables must be used in food preparation. Instead of filleting a fish, it is gutted. The fish is served with the head and bones. For the bones, an extra plate may be added.

7: Food should be very soft and bite-sized so that chopsticks can be used.

A Chinese person will not use a knife or fork to eat. In China, this is considered barbaric. Instead, people use chopsticks. Chopsticks cannot cut meat, so Chinese food is often very soft or bite-sized. China uses 45 billion pairs annually of chopsticks!

Trivia: In China, it is considered taboo to use chopsticks vertically on food. This symbolizes death and funerals.

8: Presentation is everything!

Many Chinese homes serve intricately prepared food. Many decorative vegetables, carvings, and patterns are used to decorate the home. Sometimes they even go too far with food design. Chinese believe that the first bite begins with the eyes.

9: Every food has a superstitious symbol.

There is always a superstition attached to Chinese food. These superstitions can be based on the shapes of foods, their history and legends. To receive blessings, you must eat certain foods during special events or festivals. For example, ingot-shaped dumplings eaten during New Year can give you wealth.

10: Traditional Chinese meals are shared in a communal setting.

China is known for its communal eating of food with friends and family. People eat around the table, sharing their dishes with one another. For easy sharing, restaurants often have round tables with 10-12 seating and lazy Susan turntables.

During the COVID-19 epidemic, China temporarily prohibited sharing food with others.

11: Seasonal fruits are the most popular desserts.

Young Chinese have taken to sweets and cakes, but traditional Chinese dishes still include seasonal fruits as desserts. Fruits are often served right after meals. Persimmons and Mandarins are some of China's most recognizable fruits.

12 China is the home of tea.

China is the first place you think of when you think tea. It is believed that tea originated in the Yunnan province, during the Shang Dynasty around 3,000 years ago. Chinese traders traveled to the southwest region of China, and found people chewing tea leaves as medicine. Tea is now the second most popular beverage in China.

Sichuan Province man makes his own tea.

Here are some more fun facts about Chinese food!

•        Chop suey is not an authentic Chinese dish. The American immigrants who came from China invented it!

•        Ice cream isn't a Western invention. Ice cream actually dates back to 200 B.C. It is believed that the Chinese Emperor Cheng Tang enjoyed it so much, he kept it a secret until Marco Polo arrived in China with the idea of ice-cream.

•        Pasta is an invention of the Chinese. Archaeologists found a bowl of noodles that were intact from China over 4,000 years ago.

•        Although miso and sushi are well-known in Japan, they were first discovered in Chinese cuisines.

•        Before Heinz, there was "ketsiap", a Chinese food. It is made of fermented fish. The British brought Ke-tsiap to the West. There, tomatoes were the main ingredient.