Pump some fresh blood into your diet
Vampires are not the only creatures that suck every last drop from their prey.
The Chinese do it, too. It seems like Chinese cooking has explored every possible method of making every part of an animal edible: feet, tails, tongues, lungs, livers and yes, even blood.
The throwaway crisis in the city
Shanghai has the largest number of restaurants of any city in China, a staggering 62,353, according to dianping.com, a leading online platform for restaurant customer reviews. But these restaurants along with supermarkets, bakeries and modern lifestyles, are creating a mountain of wasted food every day in the city. A report published by the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering at the China Agricultural University on October 17, the United Nations’ International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, estimated that China was wasting 8 million tons of protein and 3 million tons of edible fats every year.
All souped up
If you were to do an on-the-spot poll of Chinese people’s favorite winter dishes, it’s safe to assume that mutton soup – or varieties thereof – would probably appear in the top three (it should be pointed out that “mutton” soup is sometimes made with goat meat, but is still always referred to as mutton). And as the weather gets even colder, eateries are doing a booming business in this popular staple. Mutton is famous for being able to dispel colds, for nourishing the kidneys and for improving blood circulation.
In the soup
The wintry season is now entering December, and in the traditional Chinese calendar, it coincides with the solar term daxue, which means “heavy snow.” And this year, the solar period lasts from December 7 to 21.
Dish of the season
People in China often utter popular sayings about eating for the season, reminding each other that one should jinbu, or eat nourishing food to build up one’s health, in the winter to be strong enough to take on a tiger in the coming year. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the practice of jinbu in the colder months can help prevent illness in the following year. As the weather gets colder, Chinese all over the country will be preparing for the season by eating nourishing food.
Soup's on!
It’s time to face it: Winter’s here. To some, this means goodbye to good moods and hello to hunkering down for a long winter’s scowl. To those who have discovered the joys of cooking to the season, it means a whole array of hearty dishes to choose from, chief among these being soups.
A sporting chance
According to the Chinese agricultural solar system, lidong, which means “start of winter,” fell on November 7 this year. As the temperatures drop, it’s important for citizens to know how to keep healthy and warm during the long, chilly winter months.
Return of the shell
How time flies! It is already time for crab maniacs to enjoy another feast of this shell-encased gift from the sea. Chinese people say that September is the best month for eating female crabs, as their roe is at its best at that time, and October is the time to eat their male counterparts, as their crab cream, or reproductive organs, is at its best. Every year around this time, as conversation turns to what seasonal dishes are hot in China’s restaurants, crab comes up time and again.
Chinese cooks make the most out of crab, dazzling diners with various kinds of dishes that use almost every part of the crustacean, from the body to the pincers, from the meat to the gut. While it’s very common to steam crab and serve it with vinegar, there are still thousands of popular ways to cook crabs. This week, we share with you a few special crab recipes from chefs from all over the country.
Potato lovers' paradise
I love potatoes. These hearty jewels from the earth go well with any kind of protein, and as the crisp, cool air of autumn sweeps away the last traces of summer weather, there’s nothing I love more than tucking into a great potato dish. I even own a cookbook on nothing but potatoes that I used in my kitchen back home in the Midwestern US.
New report rings alarm bells on food security in 2050
The 2012 Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Report was launched Wednesday at the World Food Prize symposium in Des Moines, Iowa, with warnings of regional food security challenges despite global progress.