The perception of Chinese dishes is ever-evolving, truly capturing the essence of the cuisine itself: a celebration of time and place. Just as Nom Wah’s menu reflects a century of Cantonese culinary adaptation in New York, the diverse food traditions across China mirror each region’s unique history and geography. Defining “Authentic Chinese Food”—or authenticity in any culinary culture—is inherently complex, encompassing a vast spectrum of influences.
“Chinese food is not a monolith,” emphasizes Betty Liu, cookbook author and Epicurious contributor, known for her work focusing on Shanghai cuisine, her family’s origin. Liu describes Shanghai food as vibrant, fresh, and aromatic. “The spices and ingredients we use—like star anise, Shaoxing wine, and aromatics such as ginger and scallion—are all about enhancing the natural flavors of our fish and proteins,” she explains.
Shanghai, along with neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, thrives on a historically fertile estuary, where river meets sea. These transitional zones are globally recognized for their rich ecosystems. Over centuries, the local cuisine has profoundly respected the abundant proteins from this productive hub. Recipes and cooking methods are designed to highlight the quality of primary ingredients.
A regional favorite includes delicate, coin-sized river prawns, lightly coated in egg white and starch, quickly deep-fried, and served with subtle green tea notes. Annually, during autumn, hairy mitten crabs are steamed whole, then cracked open, dipped in earthy black vinegar, and savored for their rich, creamy interiors. Salted ducks also hold a special place in the region’s culinary landscape, stemming from historical practices where ducks aided rice farmers in weeding and pest control. Dishes are often minimally seasoned, yet exceptionally flavorful. “It’s rightly called ‘the land of fish and rice.’ The network of streams emphasizes locally grown produce, which, due to the area’s agricultural richness, has deeply shaped the cuisine,” Liu notes.
Despite Liu’s cookbook being a tribute to her family’s culinary heritage, it sometimes faces criticism for not fully representing “authentic” Chinese food. These criticisms often stem from a limited understanding of the cuisine’s vast nuances.
“People assume Chinese food is too salty,” she recounts, recalling a colleague’s belief that consuming Chinese food inevitably leads to bloating due to high sodium levels. “This is a major misconception.”
China’s immense size and 1.4 billion population, representing 18% of the global population, encompass a landmass rivaling the continental United States. This vast territory includes towering Himalayan ranges, tropical jungles, singing sand dunes, and dramatic karst mountains. Each of these distinct regions boasts unique culinary traditions, so diverse they could be considered separate cuisines altogether. The true authenticity of Chinese food lies in this very diversity and regional specificity, moving beyond singular, simplistic definitions.
