5 popular food items recommended for the well-heeled traveller in China

The Chinese love eating – that’s a fact. Food is an important part of the Chinese culture. It has been for thousands of years. It is usual for a Chinese to greet another with “Have you eaten?” rather than ‘How are you?” as practised in the West. Chinese do love their food! Broadly, there are eight recognized great regional cuisines in mainland China today. These come from the Han Chinese. They are the majority of the Chinese people living in mainland China today – more than 90%. There are also lesser known cuisines of the minority tribes.

Additionally, there are also “spin-offs” or localized Chinese cuisines that were adapted to local tastes and available ingredients when the Chinese started emigrating in the 19 th century to countries like the U.S. and South-East Asian countries like Malaysia, Vietnam and etc.

Below are five of the more popular dishes recommended for well-heeled travellers to China, and especially for those who…