China Flavour

What do you think when you picture China Tour? Now over though the Beijing Olympics and Shanghai Expo, 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:

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. If you want to taste the genuine flavours of Beijing duck, there’s no  better place 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.

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. In a chic city like Shanghai, you can experience 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.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.

A Cantonese seafood meal, where diners select their meal from an aquarium to ensure that their meal is as fresh as it can be is not to be missed. 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 Sichuan style of cooking that originated in the mountainous province of the same name. 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 wealth of cuisines and traditions to explore makes a fascinating China tour. China Tour of gourmet experience will leave you relaxed, revitalised and full of new flavour!