| The Chinese culture is the oldest continuous civilization | | | | brains, roots and even flowers taste delicious! |
| in the world and throughout the ages, plenty as well as | | | | A popular Chinese method of cooking - stir-frying - |
| famine have helped to shape the character of one | | | | could well have been the result of efforts to cook with |
| important aspect of the Chinese culture - the Chinese | | | | the minimum of fuel in times of chronic fuel scarcity. |
| food recipes, Chinese cuisine. During prosperous years, | | | | Food, cut into small pieces or slices, is quickly stirred in |
| there was always an upper class who had enough | | | | a little hot oil over a few minutes of intense heat. Food |
| time and money to devote to the sampling of delights | | | | cooked in this manner has its natural juices sealed in |
| turned out by their culinary staff. These were the | | | | while the color, texture and flavor are preserved. It is |
| legendary multi-course banquets and feasts. | | | | also highly nutritious. |
| On the other hand, many times through China's history, | | | | Dairy products are practically unknown in Chinese |
| floods, drought and other natural disasters have | | | | cooking since cattle were more profitably utilized as |
| destroyed the crops and laid the country to a waste. | | | | draft animals in earlier times. So the main sources of |
| Adversity and necessity forced the people to seek | | | | meat were pigs and poultry which were easily fed on |
| and use new sources of food. Today, the Chinese are | | | | swill and leftovers. They also occupied less space so |
| experts in the preparation of such exotic items as eels, | | | | that the majority of the land-area could be devoted to |
| frogs and snakes, besides making use of every edible | | | | growing cereals; these certainly could feed more |
| part of animal and plant. When well-cleaned, correctly | | | | people than any number of cattle raised on the same |
| prepared and cooked with the right seasonings, tongue, | | | | area! |