The Shandong (*Shantung) Style of Cooking
ORIGINATING in the ducal states of Qi and Lu, present Shandong Province, the Shandong style of cooking spreads throughout the entire Yellow River Valley and becomes representative of the cuisine of northern China. Shandong cuisine consists of three branches — the Jinan, Jiaodong (Eastern Shandong) and Confucian Mansion styles of cooking. Lying on China’s east coast, Shandong, rich in products and the birthplace of ancient sages Confucius and Mencius, is a birthplace of Chinese culture. The Confucius precept that “(People) take great pains to prepare food as exquisitely as possible and to mince meat as finely as they can…” deeply influenced Shandong cuisine.
Shandong cuisine is famous for its ingredients, the fineness of cutting, the duration and degree of cooking, the exquisite flavoring employed in its preparation and the use of soup. It is also noted for its seafood.
The Confucian Mansion style of cooking is refined and ingenious and exquisitely-prepared dishes are served according to strict standards and rites. For example, the “Manchu-Han Feast”, originally invented for the entertainment of emperors and imperial envoys, consists of 196 courses served on a 404-piece dinner service. Particular attention is paid to the names of the dishes, and often a dish’s name alludes to a literary quotation. Dishes include such specialities as Taking the Son to the Court and First-Rank Bean Curd. In accordance with the ancient admonition that “delicious should be served on a fine dinner setting”, the tableware used in Confucian Mansion cuisine is elegant and elaborate. During a feast, music is played to set rhyme schemes. …more to come .
