Shaanxi cuisine

Shaanxi cuisine (Chinese: 秦菜 or 陕西菜) is derived from the native cooking styles of northwestern China. Shaanxi cuisine makes elaborate use of ordinary materials, and is best known for its pork and lamb/mutton dishes. The flavor is strong and the taste is heavy. There is an emphasis on savory flavors such as salt, garlic, onion, and vinegar; sugar is seldom used. Cooking methods are mainly steaming, frying, and stir-frying. Due to its geographical location between the provinces of Shanxi and Sichuan, the taste of Shaanxi cuisine resulted in both sour and spicy, in addition to the salty taste. In comparison to other Chinese cuisines, noodles consisted of greater portion than rice, but in contrast to noodles of Beijing cuisine, and to a certain degree, Shanxi cuisine, the noodles of Shaanxi cuisine is nearly always wider, thicker, and longer.

The cuisine includes three regional styles:

* Northern Shaanxi style is characterized by the wide use of steaming as the method of cooking. The most common meat is pork, although lamb/mutton is also popular.

* Guanzhong style, the most popular of Shaanxi cuisines, uses pork and lamb/mutton equally with heavy flavors and tastes.

* Hanzhong style, similar to that of nearby Sichuan province, is characterized by its spicy taste.