The 5 Most Popular Chinese Dishes, Tasty Chinese Food

With a long history, unique features, numerous styles, and exquisite cooking, Chinese cuisine is one of the important constituent parts of Chinese culture. Chinese traditional dishes are famous for their color, aroma, taste, meanings, and appearance.

As China is a huge country, there are many regional differences in cuisine due to differing climates, history, local ingredients, dining customs, etc. According to the cooking styles and regional flavors, Chinese cuisines can be divided into eight Chinse cuisines, which include Sichuan Cuisine, Hunan Cuisine, Shandong Cuisine, Zhejiang Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine, Anhui Cuisine, Cantonese Cuisine, and Jiangsu Cuisine. Each cuisine has its popular dishes.

1. Peking Roasted Duck

Beijing Roasted Duck

Peking duck (北京烤鸭 Běijīng kǎoyā) is a famous dish from Beijing, enjoying world fame, and considered as one of China national dishes. Peking duck is savored for its thin and crispy skin. Sliced Peking duck is often eaten with pancakes, sweet bean sauce, or soy sauce with mashed garlic. It is a must-taste dish in Beijing!

As “the first dish to taste in China”, Beijing Roast Duck used to be a royal dish in medieval China. It has been a “national dish of diplomacy” since the 1970s, when it was first used for the reception of foreign guests by Premier Zhou Enlai (the first Premier of the People's Republic of China). It is highly praised by heads of state, government officials, and domestic and foreign tourists.

2. Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁 gōngbào jīdīng) is a famous Sichuan-style specialty, popular with both Chinese and foreigners. The major ingredients are diced chicken, dried chili, cucumber, and fried peanuts (or cashews).

People (Chinese takeaways) in Western countries have created a Western-style kung pao chicken, for which the diced chicken is covered with cornstarch, and vegetables, sweet and sour sauce, and mashed garlic are added. See How to Cook Kung Pao Chicken for a classic recipe and its history.

3. Sweet and Sour Pork

Sweet and sour pork (糖醋里脊 tángcù lǐjǐ) has a bright orange-red color, and a delicious sweet and sour taste. At the very beginning there was only sweet and sour pork, but to meet demands, there have been some developments on this dish. Now, the pork can be substituted with other ingredients like chicken, beef, or pork ribs.

4. Dimsum

Dim sum (点心 diǎnxin) is one of the most popular Cantonese cuisine dishes. It contains a large range of small dishes, including dumplings, rolls, cakes, and meat, seafood, dessert, and vegetable preparations. There are more than one thousand dim sum dishes in existence today.
Dim sum originated in Guangzhou city. People of Guangdong are fond of drinking tea in the morning or lunch. So, they often eat dim sum during their tea parties for breakfast and lunch. It is a popular way to get together with friends and relatives or have social gatherings. Read more about Dim sum.

5. Xiaolongbao

Xiǎolóngbāo (小笼包 ‘small basket buns’) are a kind of baozi (Chinese steamed bun). They are popular in Jiangsu and Shanghai. Xiaolongbao are traditionally cooked in a small bamboo basket, which gives them their name. The most common xiaolongbao filling is pork. Other ingredients can include beef, crab meat, shrimp, seafood, and vegetable fillings