On Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:32:43 GMT, blake murphy
wrote:

On Sun, 3 Feb 2008 13:47:03 -0600, Sqwertz
wrote:

On Sun, 3 Feb 2008 10:11:08 -0600, Asia wrote:

What are the major differences in Schezwan and Cantonese cuisine and what
are the major ingridients used in both. I would like someone from China to
answer this

Well, I could tell you this, But I'm not in China so I don't fir
your prejudiced requirements.

-sw

besides, how many americans would read alt.food.american?

your pal,
blake

actually, those interested in regional differences in cuisine would
find more variety in the US; not just because of geography influencing
native ingredients, etc. but because of the varying cultures of the
immigrants.

and since my family is originally from southern china, i'll point out
that any cuisine near a coast is likely to have more seafood in the
cuisine and this is true for cantonese & chiu chow cuisines. also,
rice tends to be more a staple crop near water & a wamer climate; a
lot of rice is grown in the gulf coast, the mississippi delta,
arkansas, and (oddly enough) the sacramento valley in northern CA
(major irrigation), whereas the landlocked states tend to produce
wheat (and corn - which isn't common in china). similarly, in inland
china (like in the schezuan province, wheat is the staple crop, so you
should expect to find breads and noodles instead of rice. most chinese
do not eat rice. i expect this to be more of a surprise since the
primary "chinese" cuisine seen in the states tends to be cantonese due
to the emigration/immigration patterns.

regardless of the region, there will always be an emphasis on balance
with texture complementing tastes, which tends to be a foreign concept
in western cuisines. as to the reputed spiciness of nothern cuisines,
this tends to be true, but asians in general tend to combine hot
spices with foods that have a texture/mouth feel that could be
described as slippery. this is not limited to chinese cuisine - udon
or tofu is often ornamented by yuzukosho (a citrus pepper sauce).

i am not saying that this is the only reason - i suspect that the
origins are similar to that of chili - without refrigeration, spicing
up meat past its prime might have been a way to make it palatable.
also, the alkaloid capsaicin (sp?) is known to have an effect on the
body's ability to regulate temperature - and you can find spicy
cuisines in regions where the weather could be considered unbearably
hot. but this is merely conjecture on my part.











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"any words spelled incorrectly are probably typing errors"