Chinese food, considered to be the biggest cultural exchange between China and other countries, is famous for its colors, aromatic flavors and the variety of its regional cuisines and ingredients. The following ten dishes are each unique in their own way yet they all have exquisite flavors, wonderful presentations and deep cultural meanings.
中國菜色、香、味俱全，菜系發達，食材豐富，被譽為最好的中外文化交流大使。以下十道菜取材烹飪各有其道，卻都口感上乘、外觀精致、文化寓意深遠。

Fried Shrimps with Cashews
腰果蝦仁

Compared with the heavy tastes of Spicy Tofu, this dish is relatively light. Known for being nutritious, good-looking and tasty. Fried Shrimp and Cashews is said to protect the cardio-cerebral-vascular system and prevent cardiovascular disease. The shrimp is usually soft and easily digestible and accented by the cashews.
相比口味較重的麻辣豆腐，本品口感清淡，向以營養豐富、色澤誘人、美味可口著稱。據說腰果蝦仁能有效保護心腦血管系統，預防心腦血管疾病。蝦仁肉質鮮嫩，易于消化，與酥脆的腰果同炒相得益彰。

The dish is easy to cook at home. There are two very important tips that you should follow. First, if the shrimp is a bit too hard, one can put flour inside of them to soften them up. Second, one knows when the cashews have been in long enough once they start to sink in the hot water. They should then be fried until golden yellow.
腰果蝦仁是道家常菜。烹飪時注意以下兩點：第一，如果蝦仁較老，可放些面粉，使之軟嫩；第二，將腰果浸泡在熱水中，一俟下沉，即可撈出炸至金黃。

Main Ingredients: shrimp, cashews and celery.
主要食材：蝦仁、腰果、芹菜。

Chow Mein
炒面

Chow Mein is a rich source of nutrition and has many health benefits including improving digestion, anemia and immunity. Extremely popular in China and all over the world, this stir-fried noodle dish comes in many varieties. Cantonese Chow Mein is the most famous in Western countries.
炒面營養豐富，有益健康，有促進消化、改善貧血、增強免疫力等功效。本品在全球都頗受歡迎，在中國尤為風靡。本品做法多樣，在西方最為知名的是粵式炒面。

In American Chinese cuisine, Chow Mein consists of noodles, meat, onions and celery. It is served as a specific dish at westernized Chinese restaurants. The East and West Coasts of the United States do have some differences in preparation of this dish. On the East Coast, Chow Mein is almost always prepared in the “Hong Kong” style and crispy. On the West Coast, Chow Mein is almost always steamed and soft.
在美式中餐中，炒面用料有面條、肉、洋蔥和芹菜等。這道菜被奉為西方中餐館的特色菜。美國的東西海岸做法存在差異，東海岸的炒面類似港式，口感筋道，而西海岸大多采用蒸制，口感糯軟。

Most restaurants in China cook this dish by deep frying the noodles; the fastest way to obtain the beautiful golden yellow noodles associated with this aromatic dish.
中國大多數餐館會先將面條油炸，以最快方式使之呈現金黃色。

Main Ingredients: noodles and oil.
主要食材：面條和食用油。

Peking Duck
北京烤鴨

Now considered to be one of China’s National Foods, the Peking Duck is prized for its eloquent taste and stunning presentation. This famous dish can be found at restaurants all around Beijing. Upscale restaurants take this dish so seriously that some even have their own duck farms and use only a special kind of duck for their specific Peking Duck dish.
北京烤鴨味道醇厚、色澤鮮亮，被譽為國菜，北京各大飯店均有供應。高檔餐館更是考究，甚至有自己的養鴨場，以特定品種的鴨子作為原材料，制作獨具特色的北京烤鴨。

The Quanjude Restaurant, one of the largest roast duck restaurants in Beijing, if not the world, opened its door in 1979. Filled to capacity, Quanjude can serve as many as 5,000 meals a day. Peking Duck is famous for its thin, crispy skin, and its delectable and aromatic meat, which is highly popular among all foreigners, including foreign celebrities and leaders.
全聚德（和平門店）建于1979年，系北京乃至全球最大的烤鴨店之一。全聚德每天最多可提供5000桌供顧客用餐，北京烤鴨外皮薄脆，肉質細嫩，口味鮮美，受到很多外國友人的大力推崇，其中不乏社會名流、國際政要。

Main Ingredients: duck, pancake and greenonions.
主要食材：鴨肉、薄餅、大蔥。

Won Ton Soup
餛飩

Won Ton Soup, called “Hun Dun” in Mandarin, is a highly welcoming dish in China. Since China is a nation of diverse ethnic groups and different cultures, each region has their own shapes for won tons. Won tons are usually boiled and served in soup, but they can also be deep-fried.
餛飩在中國備受鐘愛。中國民族眾多，文化各異，因此各地餛飩外形各異。餛飩一般是煮熟帶湯食用，也可以油炸。

The most versatile shape for won tons is a simple right triangle. Made by folding the won ton in half and pulling together to two opposite corners, won ton’s flat profile allows it to be pan-fried like a pot sticker in addition to it being boiled or deep-fried.
餛飩最常見的形狀是簡單的直角三角形。制作時先將餛飩皮對折，再將對角捏合。此種餛飩外形扁平，因而可以煮制或油炸，亦可采用鍋貼式做法，以平底鍋煎制。

Many people mix up won tons and dumplings, but there are three major differences. First, they have different starting shapes; won tons make use of a 6cm square or isosceles trapezoid base while dumplings use a 7cm diameter circular base. Second, the “skin” used for won tons is much thinner than the “skin” used for dumplings. Finally, won tons are always found in soups while dumplings are dipped in condiments and sauces.
很多人容易混淆餛飩和水餃，事實上兩者有三大區別。其一，餃子皮與餛飩皮外形不同。餛飩皮為邊長約6厘米的正方形或是底邊長6厘米的等腰梯形；水餃皮為直徑約7厘米的圓形。其二，兩者有薄厚之別，餛飩皮遠薄于水餃皮。其三，餛飩一般與湯一起供應，而水餃則是配以蘸料。

Main Ingredients: pork, shrimp, vegetables and green onions.
主要食材：豬肉、蝦、蔬菜、大蔥。

Dumplings
餃子

During the Spring Festival, Chinese families will get together and have dumpling parties. It is said that the dish was invented by Zhang Zhongjing, one of the finest Chinese physicians in history. Dumplings have a 1,800 year long history which is why it is one of the most popular traditional foods in China and extremely popular in Western countries.
每逢春節，中國人會全家團聚，一起吃餃子。據說餃子由東漢名醫張仲景首創，距今已有1800年的歷史。餃子是中國最受歡迎的傳統美食之一，同時也受到西方人的大力追捧。

They may be cooked by boiling, steaming, simmering, frying or baking.
餃子的烹調方法主要有煮、蒸、燉、炸、烤等。

Dumplings feature thin skin, soft stuffing, and unique shapes. Dumpling stuffings are various, including pork, beef, cabbage, carrots, and/or onions among others. Deep cultural meanings are usually associated with this dish, for example dumplings stuffed with celery is called “qin cai jiao” in Chinese, which is a homophone for the phrase that means “hard working and lots of wealth.”
餃子皮薄餡松，造型獨特。餃子餡料豐富，豬肉、牛肉、卷心菜、蘿卜、洋蔥等均可。餃子常有深刻的文化寓意，如用芹菜作為餡料的餃子稱為芹菜餃，因“芹”“菜”分別與“勤”“財”諧音，寓意“勤勞和財富”。

Main Ingredients: meats, vegetables and flour.
主要食材：肉類、蔬菜、面粉。

Spicy Tofu (Mapo doufu)
麻辣豆腐（麻婆豆腐）

Spicy Tofu, known in Chinese as “mapo doufu”, is one of the most famous dishes from Sichuan cuisine. The dish features the trademark “hot” spiciness along with the characteristically tongue-numbing nature of Sichuan’s flavorful food.
麻辣豆腐，又稱麻婆豆腐，是川菜中最有名的菜肴之一。食用后口舌俱麻，唇齒留辣，充分體現了川菜“麻辣”的特點。

Spicy Tofu can be found in restaurants all over China, as well as in South Korea and Japan, where the flavors are adapted to local tastes. The Japanese style still retains the “spiciness”, even though spicy is not the preferred taste in Japanese cuisine, and is coupled with Japanese rice.
中國各地餐館里均能見到麻婆豆腐。在韓國、日本也很常見，不過加入了當地風味。盡管日本料理不以“辣”見長，但日式做法仍然保留了這一特點，食用時通常搭配日本米飯。

Main Ingredients: tofu (Bean Curd) and beef.
主要食材：豆腐、牛肉。

Egg-fried Rice
蛋炒飯

Originally from China’s ancient western regions, egg-fried rice has now become part of Chinese people’s daily cuisine. Famous for its aromatic smells, soft textures and handsome presentation, one can easily find this popular dish anywhere in China, from high class hotels to family-run restaurants on the street.
蛋炒飯最早出現于中國西部地區，現今已經成為中國人的家常菜。本品香氣撲鼻、質地松軟、望之令人垂涎，在中國的高級酒店或街邊小攤均能見到。

While it is fairly easy to make, there are some points that should be kept in mind: use left-over rice rather than newly-cooked rice for better taste. Additionally, before frying, the rice should be churned up.
本品烹飪方法雖然簡單，仍有幾點需要注意：為保證口感，用剩飯而不用新飯；炒前應充分攪拌。

Main Ingredients: rice, eggs and oil.
主要食材：大米、雞蛋、食用油。

Spring Rolls
春卷

Spring rolls are an appetizer, eaten either fresh or fried.They are usually eaten during the Spring Festival in China, hence the name. The dish bears very auspicious meanings as it resembles gold bars and people tend to link them with ideas of wealth. Of course, they also taste good.
春卷是道開胃點心，炸制或即食均可。本品通常在春節期間食用，因而得名春卷。春卷外觀酷似金條，因而寓意財富。當然味道也很好。

Main Ingredients: flour, pork, vegetables and oil.
主要食材：面粉、豬肉、蔬菜、食用油。

Kung Pao (Gong Bao) Chicken
宮保雞丁

Kung Pao Chicken is the most famous dish of Guizhou cuisine. It is popular among both Chinese and foreigners. Ask a foreigner to name some of Chinese dishes, Kung Pao Chicken will be one of them.
宮保雞丁是一道貴州名菜，頗受中外食客青睞。如果讓外國人列舉幾道中國菜，宮保雞丁一定包含在內。

The dish is named after Ding Baozhen, a late Qing Dynasty official. Born in Guizhou, Ding served as the head of Shandong province and later as the governor of Sichuan province. His title, Gong Bao, or palatial guardian, is where the name Kung Pao Chicken derives.
這道菜以晚清名臣丁寶楨命名。丁寶楨原籍貴州，曾任山東巡撫，后任四川總督，逝世后被清廷追贈 “太子太保”銜，世稱“丁宮保”，本品也因此得名。

Main Ingredients: chicken, dry red peppers and peanuts.
主要食材：雞肉、干辣椒、花生米。

Sweet and Sour Pork
咕咾肉/糖醋雞

Sweet and Sour Pork is a Chinese dish that is particularly popular in Cantonese cuisine and can also be found in Zhejiang cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, and Shandong cuisine. The dish is now popular all over the world. With its great look and taste, Sweet and Sour Pork takes the cake among foreigners’ favorite Chinese dishes.
咕咾肉是一道經典名菜，在浙菜、粵菜、川菜、魯菜中都有一席之地，其中以粵菜做法最負盛名。現今這道菜聞名全球。本品酸甜可口、色澤誘人， 是外國人最為青睞的中國菜肴之一。

Main Ingredients: pork tenderloin, soy sauce, ketchup, salt, vinegar, bell pepper and onion.
主要食材：豬里脊肉、醬油、番茄醬、食鹽、醋、甜椒、洋蔥。

譯/游瓊瓊 審訂/仲文明

（選自《英語世界》2017年第9期，編輯：Helen）