Top 5 Traditional Chinese Food You Cannot Miss – Delicious Creations of Ancient China

Originated in China almost 4000 years ago, Noodles is one of the oldest Chinese dishes that we see today. During the Jin Dynasty, thin, strip-like noodles made their first appearance in Chinese cuisine. Later in the Tang Dynasty, there has been a type of noodles that were cooled before eating. During the same period, long noodles were attributed to long-life. Thus it has been a tradition of the Chinese people to eat a dish of particularly long strands of noodles on their birthdays. However, the Yuan Dynasty is said to be the brainchild behind the fine dried noodles that we can purchase today from stores. At present, various interpretations of this dish can be seen in different regions in China. Cantonese Wonton Noodles, Beijing Noodles with Minced Pork, and Chongqing Spicy Noodles are some of these varieties.

A popular traditional food in China, Baozi, or the steamed stuffed bun includes a flavoursome stuffing that is held using a flour dough wrapper. The legends state that this dish was put together by Zhuge Liang as a sacrifice to cure his soldiers of a plague they caught during combat. The stuffing is said to be originally made of beef and mutton. These small, white delicacies can be found throughout China, and one can always debate on which region makes the best of these eatables. In the Southwest and the Northwest areas in China, the Baozi is filled with pork, whereas in Sichuan, you can find spicy steamed stuffed buns that should be dipped in hot sauce before eating. Shanghai offers Baozi that is brimming with spinach and tofu that is ideal for vegans and vegetarians.

If people say that dumplings might be the most popular traditional food in China, they aren't wrong. This dish can be traced back over 1800 years back to the Eastern Hang Dynasty when it was invented by Zhang Zhongjing as a medicine to prevent people from getting sick during winter. Thus, the first dumplings were stuffed with mutton, chilli, and herbs. Although dumplings are widespread across the globe nowadays, it was eaten only in China until the Song Dynasty, when it was first introduced to Mongolia, and gradually to the world. At present, dumplings are also prepared as a festival food. They are eaten during Chinese New Year as a means of bidding farewell to the old year and welcome the New Year.

One of the most popular Chinese dishes in the world, the Peking Roast Duck is a highly craved dish among food-lovers around the globe. The members of the Bush family, which includes two former presidents, are famous for being real lovers of this mouth-watering delicacy. It has been a highly-sought dish since the imperial times, and the first mention of this dish goes back to the Yuan Dynasty. This most famous gourmet cuisine in China can be enjoyed at many a Xian restaurant even those located inside popular hotels such as Grand Park Xian. There are two manners in which this dish is served to the guests. It is either showcased to the guests before taking away for slicing or sliced then and there. The slices are served along with a choice of pancakes, shallots, cucumber, and plum sauce.

A traditional Chinese delicacy that is specially made for the Dragon Boat Festival, Zongzi is traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period when it was prepared as sacrifices for ancient ancestors and gods. It is basically a dish where glutinous rice is steamed after being wrapped in reed leaves. Throughout the ages, this dish was prepared for various festivities, including commemorating Qu Yuan, a famous poet. It was fixed as the festival food of the Dragon Boat Festival during the Jin Dynasty.