Sichuan’s Spicy Cuisine Gets Served Up!

Food is a big deal in China. In fact, food and eating are so important that a common greeting is “你吃了吗？(Nǐ chī le ma?)” This means, “Have you eaten yet?” Want to find out about one of the most delicious, regional cuisines in China? Keep reading to feel the heat!

Chinese cuisine is categorized into four major groups: 鲁菜(lǔ cài), 粤菜(yuè cài), 淮扬菜(huáiyáng cài) and 川菜(chuān cài). Today we’ll talk about “四川菜(Sìchuān cài),” which means “Sichuan cuisine” and is known for “川菜(chuān cài)” in short. “四川(Sìchuān)” refers to Sichuan province, and “菜(cài)” means “dish”. Sichuan province is located in China’s southwest. Its cuisine is renowned for being “辣(là)spicy” and “麻 (má) numbing.” The numbing sensation is unique and can take some getting used to. It’s quite common in China for groups of friends and family to go out for a bite to eat together. If you’re lucky, you might even get to have Sichuan-style “火锅(huǒguō),or hot pot”, a communal stew filled with different meats and veggies. You share it with everyone at your table, and it’ll give your taste buds a spicy challenge.

Dialogue:

Jié Kè: Tiānna, tài là le,   wǒde shétou dōu má le.
杰 克：天哪，太 辣了，我的   舌头    都   麻 了。
Jack: Wow, It’s so spicy, I can’t feel my tongue. It’s gone numb!

Língling: Hāha, zhè kěshì yǒumíng de sìchuān huǒguō, dāngrán là.
玲玲：    哈哈，这  可是   有名      的   四川     火锅，   当然     辣。
Lingling: Haha, It is the famous Sichuan hot pot, of course it’s spicy.

What happens when you combine spicy and numbing? You end up with spicy and numbing sauce, or “麻辣酱 (Málà jiàng)”. The sauce mixes Sichuan’s unique numbing peppercorns, chili peppers and oil. It’s an extremely popular sauce all throughout China.

Example:

Wǒ xiǎng chī diǎnr là de.
我    想     吃 点儿 辣 的。
I want to eat something spicy.

Wǒ fēicháng xǐhuan chī chuāncài.
我     非常      喜欢   吃   川菜。
I like Sichuan food so much.

The United Nations gave Sichuan’s capital, 成都(chéngdū) the award “City of Gastronomy” for its cuisine. That’s how good it is! So if you want taste some delicious food, especially something spicy, visit Sichuan!

Quiz:

1. “你吃了吗？(Nǐ chī le ma?)” means what?
A. Where have you been?
B. What’s wrong?
C. Have you eaten yet?
D. Are you okay?

2. What kind of flavor is Sichuan food renowned for?
A. 酸(suān)
B. 甜(tián)
C. 苦(kǔ)
D. 辣(là)

See Answer Analysis