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Brittany Byrnes
China's Mealtimes — When, What, and How Chinese Eat. (2016). ChinaHighlights. Retrieved 21 August 2016, from http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-food/dining-time.htm

Chinese Cooking Utensils. (2016). China Family Adventure.com. Retrieved 21 August 2016, from http://www.china-family-adventure.com/chinese-cooking-utensils.html

Chinese Dining Etiquette. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 21 August 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkyE2rPac3s

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Jaime Du Mont
("Chinese New Year 2017 Date, Chinese New Year Calendars from 2016 to 2025", 2016)

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Jaime Du Mont
(2016). Travel.nationalgeographic.com.au. Retrieved 11 August 2016, from http://travel.nationalgeographic.com.au/travel/countries/china-facts/

China. (2016). Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 August 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China

Chinese New Year 2016: What is the traditional meaning of giving red packets?. (2016). International Business Times UK. Retrieved 11 August 2016, from http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/chinese-new-year-2016-what-traditional-meaning-giving-red-packets-1542370

China. (2016). Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 August 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China

Chinese New Year in Australia. (2016). Timeanddate.com. Retrieved 11 August 2016, from http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/australia/chinese-new-year

Chinese New Year Traditions. (2016). Chinesenewyears.info. Retrieved 9 August 2016, from http://www.chinesenewyears.info/chinese-new-year-traditions.php

Hoisin Chicken Stir-fry Recipe. (2016). Taste.com.au. Retrieved 8 August 2016, from http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/28479/hoisin+chicken+stir+fry

Nian gao. (2016). Wikipedia. Retrieved 11 August 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nian_gao#Significance_and_rituals

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Jaime Du Mont
A communist nation located within South East Asia, China is the 3rd largest country in the world. The populous nation consists of 1.3 billion people, and 'spans a total of 9,596,960 square kilometres'  (2016). The economic giant thrives off industry such as iron, coal, mineral fuels, and steel, with particular focus on the construction of machinery. The exportation of textiles and apparel is also vital to sustaining Chinas' economy. Agriculture is an important industry in China, with particular focus on the production of rice, potatoes, sorghum, and wheat.

The large nation is outlined along the coast of the Pacific ocean, and is a nation of plateaus, mountainous ranges that capture nearly two thirds of the country. Vast expanses of fertile land are present throughout the nation. The geographical diversity found throughout China is unrivalled throughout most places, river deltas, rolling hills and vast plains are present in the east. With mountainous regions and high plateaus in the west.

There is a notable presence of sub arctic temperatures in the North, with a striking contrast of tropic regions in the south. The climate of China means that despite a much opportunity for diversity, some foods are unable to grow in certain regions.

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Jaime Du Mont
Chinese cuisine has a vast historical significance throughout the world. Chinese food has received high praise for both its' taste and appearance, as well as it's simple methods of cooking. Chinese cooking involves attention to detail, flavour, and presentation.

There are a variety of different ingredients that hold high fame within the world of traditional Chinese cookery, some of these include green, leafy vegetables, small portions of proteins, eggplant, rice, and noodles. Each individual dish is cooked through the use of a special method of cooking designed to ensure that no flavour is lost. Different methods of cooking can mean that the same ingredients taste, and look different in differing dishes.

There are many ways of cooking dishes throughout China. However, the most common methods are stir-frying, deep-frying, shallow-frying, braising, boiling, steaming and roasting. Stir Frying is the method of cooking most commonly associated with Chinese cuisine, and is the process of frying foods in a small amount of oil whilst stirring briskly. This technique is believed to have originated as early on as the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E. – 220 C.E.). Deep frying as a method of Chinese cookery uses more edible oil than stir-frying, this method produces crisp-textured food.

Other methods of cooking in Chinese culture include braising. Braising produces 'melt in your mouth' food. The process of braising includes adding the adding of all ingredients and seasonings into a wok, cooking it for a brief amount of time before submerging it all in water, boiling it, and finally leaving it to simmer for an hour or so.

Image of Stir Fry ("Hoisin Chicken Stir-Fry Recipe")

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Jaime Du Mont
Chinese New Year is an annual celebration that is considered to be the first day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar. In 2016, Chinese New Year was observed from the 8th of February, and ended on the 22nd of the same month. It works in accordance with a 12  year animal zodiac cycle, and utilises food, symbols, and colour to celebrate and encourage prosperity for the year to come. 'Lucky' foods are eaten throughout the festival season, which usually runs for around 16 days. New Years Day holds specific meaning during the celebration, with specific foods being eaten to bring good luck for the year ahead.  New Years is frequently considered a reunion day for family members, and revolves around prosperity and growth throughout the new year.

Traditionally speaking, fish or dumplings would be served, with the latter being more present throughout the north of China. New Years Eve is the night in which most families stay at home to enjoy the comfort found in family. The significance of these dishes are not held only within the end product, but in the preparation and presentation.

Other examples of traditional food include 'New Year Cake' or Nian Gao, which is commonly found throughout eastern China. The cake is made from a glutinous rice flour, combined with water and sugar.   The cake, although mostly being eaten during the Chinese New Year, it can also be found to be traditionally eaten during the festival of Duanwu.

Colour as a symbolic gesture is considered vital in ensuring that the year to come is prosperous and full of vitality. In Chinese culture, red is mean to correspond with good fortune and joy. The colour also traditionally corresponds with fire, which is of important cultural and historical significance. Red envelopes (called Hong Bao, Ang Pao, or Lai See) with money are commonly given to either children or the elderly on special occasions. Red symbolises good luck, and also the riddance of evil from society.

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Traditional Eating Patterns and Food Etiquette 

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Traditional Eating Patterns and Food Etiquette 

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Brittany Byrnes
Breakfast is most commonly eaten between 7-9am as children go to school and adults have jobs. traditional breakfast foods consist of soya-bean milk, deep-fried dough sticks, porridge, steamed stuffed buns, or rice noodles.

Lunch is between 12-2pm, as lunch is only eaten during breaks it is often rushed. Commonly a nap is taken after this meal. the meals range from noodles or rice, plus some meat and vegetables; no more than three dishes. But if there is a business lunch or any important lunch appointment, the lunch menu is usually richer and more varied.

Dinner is the largest and longest meal of the day and occurs between 6-8pm. As people arrive back home at around 6, meals are prepared after this. For the Chinese, dinner has become the most important meal of the day. Foods for this meal may consist of soup, a variety of meats and vegetables, and rice.

Eating is an important part of Chinese culture, as it is done to celebrate, to honour guests, socialise and to bond. Good manners is a positive family attribute representing how you were brought up. Some proper etiquette while eating a meal range from seating, number of plates ordered as an odd number of dishes is often ordered at a funeral. when pouring drinks for others it is polite to serve others before yourself, properly hold chopsticks and don't point them to guests as they are considered as 'longer fingers'. Elders get first choice of meals. It is polite to only take a small portion of food so that everyone is able to share.

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Brittany Byrnes
A Wok: The tall thiner sides give the fast warmth vital for frying and the round base shape keep the food at the middle where the warmth is higher. Likewise it is much less effort to toss around the ingredients without it falling everywhere, and it utilises insignificant measures of oil for frying. That makes it the favoured Chinese cooking utensil for any formula that requires the stir fry strategy which is regularly utilised as a part of Chinese food.

Chinese Cleaver, Chopping knife and Boards: Choppers are perfect for slicing, dicing, cutting, and shredding, anything from vegetables to meats. You can likewise use the wide sharp edge to convey foods from the chopping board to the wok or  pot. Knifes have thicker edges than choppers, they weigh more and can deal with errands like cutting through bones. At times these Chinese blades have wholes on the front which are made for hanging and storing use a strong wooden chopping
board to stay away from slippery surfaces

Ladles, Frying Spoons, Long Chopsticks: Chinese spatulas are commonly used for cooking and scooping in a hot wok, you can throw all of ingredients rapidly and effectively with these scoop like utensils. Frying spoons are incredible for lifting things from oil, for instance an entire fish or chicken pieces. They are likewise utilised habitually to strain or skim or to lift bubbling dumplings or won tons.
The long cooking chopsticks are excellent for stir frying, beating eggs, mixing noodles and blending fixings.

Metal or Bamboo steamers: Chinese use bamboo or aluminium steamers regularly to steam dumplings and buns, fish, meats or vegetables. Steaming is an extremely solid approach to cook and the various types of steamers are a generally utilised Chinese cooking hardware. In Western nations vegetables are for the most part utilised for steaming, while in Chinese cooking, vegetables are generally stir fried or blanched. Chinese steam meats, fish and seafood regularly. Some extremely well known steamed dishes incorporate steamed fish, steamed crabs and obviously steamed dim sims. Conventional Chinese steamers are made of bamboo. The wicker container can be stacked on top of each other, secured by a top. The base of the wicker container woven like a grid, lets the steam go through to the entire pile of baskets which sits on a wok. The adjusted base of the wok is loaded with the bubbling water.

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Jaime Du Mont

China shares high fame within the world of food, with a myriad of flavours being individual to each different region within China. Within the eastern regions of china, flavours tend to be milder than those flavours found in places where minority populations live. Catonese cuisine finds fame within freshness of flavour and the reduction of spices, with emphasis on sweet sauces.

Spicier cuisine, such as that found within the Sichuan Province, focuses on the excessive use of both garlic and chilli. These flavours, often combined with Sichuan Peppercorn, are found throughout warm soups and sauces. Both styles of cuisine share similarities within how they are cooked and prepared, with little meats, plenty greens, noodles, soups, and rices.

In a striking contrast, foods found in inner mongolian cuisine features more meats and dairy products than any other form of Chinese cuisine.
Dishes include 'large portions of red meat, such as  mutton, beef, and venison' ("China's Regional Cuisines — Chinese Food Types North–South", 2016). Roasted animals are often considered appropriate meals within this culture.

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Brittany Byrnes
Chilli sauce

Chinese mushrooms, dried:

Dark soy sauce

Fermented black beans

Ginger

Hoisin Sauce

Oyster Sauce

Rice

Rice vinegar

Rice Wine

Toasted sesame oil
Fish Sauce
Noodles