Kit Heathcock

China as a Gourmet Travel Destination

Visit China for a gourmet travel experience like no other. A wealth of cuisines and traditions to explore makes for a fascinating holiday and if you choose the luxury options of boutiques hotel and experienced concierge service you can do it all in comfort too.

What do you think when you picture China? Right now of course the Olympics spring to mind: Beijing transformed by an enormous stadium and filled with athletes with the world all looking on. Now the Olympics are over though, China will revert to its complex mix of ancient tradition, modern competitive market, sophisticated cities and rural simplicity. A gourmet tour to China travels through the whole mix of culture via the diverse flavours of a country that few Westerners really know.

An enormous country like China has a huge range of culinary traditions. In a chic city like Shanghai, you can experience Fusion Chinese, the most modern innovative cuisine drawing on the wealth of traditions China offers. Traditional tea ceremonies offer a glimpse into the elaborate rituals of a formal culture, where beauty and elegance are integrated into every move. Relaxed food opportunities, such as sampling street nibbles in neighbourhood markets contrast with more formal meals at restaurants rated high in the international gourmet world.

A Cantonese seafood meal, where diners select their meal from an aquarium to ensure that their meal is as fresh as can be is not to be missed, but to get a feel of the old China a visit to some of the historic rural towns outside Shanghai, is essential to introduce you to the world of tea houses, canals and gardens that still delight the eye and the palate.

If you want to taste the genuine flavours of Beijing duck, where better to sample it than Beijing itself. A bustling city that still retains its traditional tea houses among all the sophisticated big city modernity, Beijing is also ideally placed to visit the Great Wall of China, where you could lunch on delicious traditional dishes in the shadow of this ancient wonder of the world.

As well as Cantonese cuisine from southern China, with an emphasis on fresh ingredients cooked quickly in a stir fry, be sure to try the spicier Szechuan style of cooking that originated in the mountainous province of the same name. Beijing lies in the northern part of China where the staple crop is wheat and they have many more dishes based on noodles, pancakes and dumplings, instead of the rice favoured in the south. Eastern China combines both these staples and is often characterised by its use of sugar to sweeten dishes as well as being famed for its 'red-cooking, using soy sauce to simmer meat slowly, until it takes on a reddish tinge.

Of course travelling around China is much easier with the help of a dedicated concierge service. Adventurous travellers can go it alone, but for those who like to travel in luxury, having an insider's knowledge at your beck and call to ease the way and lead you to the best boutique hotel or finest food is essential. Look for companies that have plenty of experience and specialise in luxury travel, that will pick out the best for your China gourmet experience and leave you relaxed, revitalised and full of new flavour!

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