Zhejiang Cuisine 浙菜

浙江菜系，简称浙菜。由杭州、宁波、绍兴三种地方风味发展而成。
Zhejiang cuisine is called Zhe Cai for short. It has developed from local flavors in Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shaoxing.
浙菜特色：
The features of Zhejiang cuisine
讲究刀工、制作精细、变化较多、富有乡土气息。
Chefs of Zhejiang cuisine value cutting techniques, and Zhejiang cuisine is exquisitely crafted, full of transformations and rich in local flavors.
浙菜代表菜品
The representative dishes of Zhejiang cuisine
西湖醋鱼、龙井虾仁、干炸响铃、油焖春笋、西湖莼菜汤、叫化童鸡、东坡肉等。
West Lake vinegar fish, stir-fried prawn with Longjin tea, fried stuffed bean curd paste, braised spring bamboo shoots, West Lake watershield soup, beggars’ chicken and braised Dongpo pork etc.
浙菜原料
The raw materials of Zhejiang cuisine
浙江东濒大海，盛产海味，如著名的舟山渔场的黄鱼、带鱼、石斑鱼、锦绣龙虾及蛎、蛤、虾、蟹，还有淡菜、象山青蟹、温州蝤蛑和近年发展的养殖虾等。浙北是“杭、嘉、湖”大平原，河道港叉遍布，著名的太湖南临湖州，淡水鱼名贵品种，如鳜鱼、鲫鱼、青虾、湖蟹等以及四大家鱼产量极盛。又是大米与蚕桑的主要产地，素有“鱼米之乡”的称号。西南为崇山峻岭，山珍野味历来有名，像庆元的香菇、景宁的黑木耳。中部为浙江盆地，即金华大粮仓，闻名中外的金华火腿就是选用全国瘦肉型猪之一的“金华两头乌”制成的。加上举世闻名的杭州龙井茶叶、绍兴老酒，都是烹饪中不可缺少的上乘原料。
Zhejiang Province faces the sea on the east and is rich in seafood, such as the yellow croaker, the belt fish, the garrupa, the ornate spiny lobster from famous Zhoushan fishing grounds and oysters, clams, shrimp, crabs, mussels, blue crab from Xiangshan Mountain, the blue crab from Wenzhou as well as the farmed shrimp which have developed over recent years etc. Northern Zhejiang is the famous “Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou” plain wher watercourses and ports are to be found everywher. The famous Taihu Lake faces Huzhou to the south and is abound with famous and precious freshwater fishes such as mandarin fish, crucian, freshwater shrimp, and lake crab etc. as well as the top four Chinese carps including the black carp, grass carp, silver carp and bighead carp. Zhejiang is also a principal producer of rice and sericulture and has been known as “a land flowing with milk and honey”. There are high mountains and lofty hills in the southwest of Zhejiang; delicacies from the mountains are well known, such as Qingyuan mushroom and Jingning black fungus. In the center of Zhejiang Province is the Zhejiang Basin, also known as Jinhua Granary. Jinhua ham, which is both locally and internationally renowned, is the pork of Jinhua Both-Ended-Black Pig, one of China’s great breeds of bacon hog. In addition, the world famous Hangzhou Longjing tea leaves and Shaoxing aged wine are both high-quality ingredients necessary to cooking.
浙菜的历史
The history of Zhejiang cuisine
浙江烹饪的历史，可上溯到吴越春秋。浙菜中最古的菜要首推绍兴名菜“清汤越鸡”。其次是杭州的“宋嫂鱼羹”，至今也有880年的历史。从杭州近郊的良诸和浙东的余姚河姆渡两处人类活动的古遗址中发现，从猪、牛、羊、鸡、鸭等骨骸中证明，浙菜的烹饪原料在距今四五千年前已相当丰富。
The cooking history of Zhejiang traces back to the Historical States of Wu and Yue (currently Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province). The oldest Zhejiang cuisine dish must be the famous Shaoxing dish “Yue chicken with clear soup”. The second oldest is “Mrs. Song’s thick fish soup” from Hangzhou which has an 880-year long history. The bones of pig, cattle, sheep, chicken and duck etc. were found at the ancient relics on the outskirts of Liangzhu of Hangzhou and those of Yuyao Hemudu of Eastern Zhejiang wher the human beings had once lived. These bones serve as evidence that the cooking ingredients of Zhejiang cuisine were quite varied even four or five thousand years ago.
南宋建都杭州，北方大批名厨云集杭城，使杭菜和浙江菜系从萌芽状态进入发展状态，浙菜从此立于全国菜系之列。温州近闽，受闽菜影响，烹调上讲究清淡，以海产品为主，像三丝鱼卷、三片敲虾等菜也历史悠久。
Hangzhou is the capital city of the Southern Song Dynasty, wher a number of famous chefs from the north gathered. It caused Hangzhou cuisine and Zhejiang cuisine to enter into their stages of development and since then Zhejiang cuisine had joined the ranks of the list of national cuisines. Wenzhou is close to Fujian province and also influenced by Fujian cuisine. Its chefs prize light flavor cooking styles and Wenzhou dishes are mainly seafood dishes such as the black carp fish filet rolls with mixed shreds and shrimp with chicken, ham and mushroom etc. They enjoy a long history.
浙江菜系基本上分为三大派别，一派以烹调北方风味的“京帮”馆子，即烹饪一致看重的大帮菜，以烹调高档原料为主，如鱼翅、海参、燕窝、熊掌以及烤乳猪、挂炉鸭子（北京烤鸭），此帮杭州最强。另一派以红烧为拿手的徽帮，主要分布于杭、湖（吴兴）宁波等地，菜品以入味、重油、重芡、重色、经济实惠为主。另一帮即本地菜，真正的土生土长菜系。杭州规模较大的有西湖楼外楼，开设于清道光年间，以西湖醋鱼、龙井虾仁闻名。有城内清和坊的王润兴，人称“皇饭儿”。以鱼头豆腐，人称木榔豆腐，件儿肉、腌督笋拿手。绍兴有兰香馆，蓑衣虾球、专门烹制头肚醋鱼等标准绍菜。浙东宁波有东福园，咸菜大汤黄鱼、冰糖甲鱼等名菜是正宗的宁波地方传统菜。
Zhejiang cuisine’s dishes generally belong to one of three categories. The first category is that of Beijing style restaurants which serve dishes with a Northern flavor, i.e. the Dabang dishes that are always valued above others. The category’s ingredients are mainly high quality ones, such as shark’s fin, sea cucumber, bird’s nest, bear’s paw, roast suckling pig and roast duck (Beijing Roast Duck). Hangzhou cuisine is the most famous style within this category. The second category is Huibang style which is famous for the process of braising in soy sauce. This style is mainly scattered across Hangzhou, Wuxing and Ningbo etc. The dishes are tasty, rich in oil, thick by using a mixture of cornstarch and water and have great color as well as being economical and practical. The other category is that of local dishes - the truly native cuisine. The relatively large West Lake Louwailou Restaurant in Hangzhou was opened in the reign of Emperor Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty is famous for West Lake vinegar fish and stir-fried prawn with Longjing tea. Wangxingrun restaurant in Qinghefang, Hangzhou is known as “Huangfaner (the food of the emperor)”. Its specialty dishes are stewed fish head with tofu – also known as Mulang Tofu, boiled pork and pickled bamboo shoots. Lanxiangguan restaurant in Shaoxing provides standard Shaoxing cuisine such as shrimp balls with egg and specially cooked chub head with vinegar etc. There is a Dongfuyuan restaurant in Ningbo in the northern Zhejiang, which is famous for authentic local and traditional Ningbo dishes such as braised croaker soup with pickles and steamed soft-shelled turtle in crystal sugar soup.
浙菜独特的烹调方法
The unique cooking methods of Zhejiang cuisine
宋嫂鱼羹是用鳜鱼在水中煮，鱼剔除骨后将鱼肉放回原汤中加少许酱油、糖和较多的醋，不加油制作的工艺，创制了类似的“西湖醋鱼”。西湖醋鱼制作简单，鱼经宰杀，刀工处理，水煮后捞出加调料而成，但技术标准要求很高。像这种烹调方法全国名菜绝无仅有。绍兴名菜白鲞扣鸡也有类似情况，把鸡与白鲞（咸味黄鱼干品）同一只碗中，不加油，蒸后其味芳香入味。宁波盛产黄鱼，将黄鱼与咸菜同煮，做出了汤浓味鲜清口的咸菜大汤黄鱼。嘉兴过去盛产大闸蟹，除小吃店摊外，酒楼饭店不出售整只湖蟹，而历来用蟹粉（即湖蟹的肉）烹制菜肴。浙南重镇温州，讲究用汤，“三片敲虾”、“三丝敲鱼”均用高级吊汤。此外，杭州的泥烤菜“叫花童鸡”，用茶菜作配料的“龙井虾仁”等等，都是独特的烹调技术。
Mrs. Song’s thick fish soup is made in the following way: boil the mandarin fish in hot water. After removing the bones of the fish, put it back to the soup along with a little soy sauce, sugar and a larger proportion of vinegar. This cooking technique which is free of oil is also used in the making of the “West Lake vinegar fish”. The cooking of West Lake vinegar fish is very simple: kill the fish and process it with proper cutting techniques. Then boil it in the water, take the fish out then add seasonings. However, its preparation is exacting in terms of technical standards. This cooking technique is the only one of its kind amongst the cooking techniques of famous cuisines across the whole country. The famous Shaoxing dish Baixiang (preserved fish) with chicken is similar in terms of cooking methods: Put the chicken and the Baixiang (a kind of preserved yellow croaker with salty taste) in one bowl without any oil. Steam them so that they become fragrant and tasty. Ningbo is rich in yellow croakers. Boil the yellow croakers with pickles, then the braised croaker thick soup with pickles resulting in a light and fresh flavor. Fresh water crabs were once common in Jiaxing. Restaurants do not sell whole fresh water crab, but commonly cook dish featuring crab meat (i.e. lake crab meat). The important city of Wenzhou in Southern Zhejiang province has cuisine which stresses the importance of soups. Shrimp with chicken, ham and mushroom and the “three slices fried fish” are both high-class soups. In addition, the mud roasted dish “beggars’ chicken” from Hangzhou and stir-fried prawn with Longjing tea which includes both tea and vegetables are made through unique cooking techniques.