Simon Foster - CHINA's Three Gorges & Xi'an

Eastern ( Huaiyangcai )

Eastern cooking uses lots of bamboo, mushrooms, seafoodand freshwater fish, although its often heavy use of oil can make it unpalatable to some. Shanghainese( shanghaicai ) cuisine is at the refined end of the eastern scale and offers wide varieties of lightly cooked, miniscule treats akin to dim sum, most notably xiaolongbao ( steamed pork dumplings).

Western ( Szechuancai )

Szechuanand Hunanare famed for their spicy dishes, which are arguably the hottestyou'll find anywhere in the world. In Szechuanese cooking the meator tofuis merely a vehicle allowing the chili-laden sauce to deliver its knockout punch. Flavors are carefully constructed to produce strange-sounding but delicious dishes such as fish-flavored pork(which contains no fish), but the real trick is being able to differentiate any of the manifold tastes after your mouth has been numbed by the fragrant, potent huajiao ( flower pepper).

Culinary Experiences Not to Miss

African Chicken– this very un-Chinese sounding spicy dish has its roots in the Portuguese trade routes of yesteryear and can be enjoyed throughout Macau.

Beggar's Chicken( jiaohuaji ) – this delicious eastern dish allegedly first came into being when a beggar who had no cooking utensils was given a chicken and ingeniously packed mud around the bird to cook it in his fire. To his surprise this method not only cooked the chicken perfectly, but also removed the feathers when the baked mud casing was cracked open.

Beijing duck( beijing kaoya ) – crispy oven-roasted duck in wafer-thin pancakes with spring onions and plum sauce is the dish to try in the capital.

Caramelized Apples( basi pinguo ) – other than seasonal fresh fruit, desserts aren't that common in Chinese restaurants and this dish of sliced apples coated in caramelized sugar makes for a wonderfully sweet change.

Mapo Tofu( mapo dofu ) – the spiciest tofu Szechuan has to offer.

Crossing the Bridge Noodles( guoqiaomian ) – a kind of miniature one-person hotpot, this Yunnanese dish was supposedly devised by a Qing scholar's wife in order to keep his food warm when she carried it out to his place of study, by covering it in a layer of insulating oil.

Dim Sum( dian xin ) – the archetypal Cantonese breakfast made up of dozens of miniature taste sensations (see The Four Major Styles, Southern , above).

Drunken Prawns( zuixia ) – prawns marinated in alcohol.

Dumpling Banquet( jiaozi yanhui ) – a northern specialty with innumerable elaborate stuffed parcels, generally served in fine surroundings.

Fish-flavored Pork( yuxiang rousi ) – a spicy Szechuanese dish with sauce that supposedly imitates the taste of fish.

Gongbao Chicken( gongbao jiding ) – this dish of diced chicken, peanuts (or cashews), chilies and flower peppers is at its hottest and best in Szechuan, but you'll find versions of it in restaurants throughout the country.

Hotpot( huoguo ) – a bowl of bubbling broth (sometimes divided into a spicy half and a vegetable stock half, known as yuan-yuang huoguo ) into which you dip wafer-thin strips of meat and assorted vegetables. This is my favorite meal to eat in a group and is popular throughout the country, particularly in Chongqing and Szechuan.

Stretched Noodles( lamian ) – this Hui (Muslim) dish is usually prepared with beef, chili, coriander and leek or spring onion and is to be enjoyed as much for its preparation as its consumption. The noodles are made by continually stretching the dough between the fingers with a wide sweeping motion of the arms. Seconds later the noodles will be dropped in to cook and just a few minutes after that you'll be tucking into them. Around the country you'll find clean, simple canteens offering a hearty bowl of beef stretched noodle soup for under a dollar, which can't be beat on a cold winter's day.

Sweet and Sour Fish( tangcu yu ) – the contrast between the two elemental flavors of this Cantonese dish has made it popular around the world, but you need to try it in southern China to experience the real deal.

Yangshuo Beer Fish( yangshuo pijiu yu ) – the specialty dish of this rural region, Beer Fish lives up to its name and is cooked in the local brew, Liquan, until it is so succulent it falls off the bone.

Where to Eat

China has a mind-boggling array of eating options, many of them ridiculously cheap. If you're on a budget, there are tiny canteenswhere you can eat for under a dollar, but for not a lot more there are private dining rooms and regional specialties just waiting. Dining in China is a social affair and, if you're traveling in a group or on business, you may find yourself in a lavish Chinese banquet hall. Conversely, for the single traveler, restaurantsoffer a hurdle; Chinese food is designed to be eaten by groups sharing a number of different dishes that offer a wide variety of tastes and textures. On your own you'll only be able to manage one of these dishes and thus part of the essence of eating in China is lost – indeed, sitting by yourself with your one dish in a restaurant surrounded by noisy groups, you may feel even more out of place than usual. However, there is some salvation for the single traveler – canteens and street vendorsoffer meals for one and, although choices are more limited, it's generally cheap and tasty fare and you won't be the only one dining alone. Bear in mind that people eat early in China; breakfast is from 6-9 am, lunch from 11 am-2 pm and dinner from 5-9 pm. After that you may have to hunt out a street stall or fast food joint.

Canteens

Every town in China has plenty of these small, cheap, hole-in-the-wall, places whose appearance often belies the excellent fare sold within. From Muslim-owned beefor mutton noodleventures to hotpotand dumpling joints, canteens usually specialize in just a few tasty dishes and will also offer drinks, chopsticks and napkins, but not much else.

Restaurants

Restaurants range from lavish affairs(often in upscale hotels) to smaller family businesses. Traditionally they have three floors, the bottom of which may be more akin to a canteen, the middle a standard restaurant and the top housing private dining rooms (for which you may have to pay a supplement). These days private rooms often come complete with KTVequipment, should you want to sing for your supper! Tables are usually circular, with a Lazy Susan (rotating turntable) in the center of the table to liven things up! Staff tend to be neatly dressed in matching uniforms and will make sure that your glass or teacup never runs dry.

Markets & Streetfood

China's streets and markets are alive with food vendors night and day and, if you're on a budget, in a hurry or traveling alone, streetfood is the way to go. What you find varies from region to region but you're sure to come across excellent barbecued mutton skewers(usually sold by Muslims from the northwest), boiled or roast corn on the cob(the latter is often chilied), noodles, dumplingsand steamed buns, along with a host of other choices. Street vendors often have a few chairs and tables and may sell beer, while more elaborate set-ups in nightmarketscan resemble outdoor restaurants with all the food on display. In touristy areas always ask the price before ordering, as even though it still won't add up to much, some places will inflate prices enormously for foreigners.