Fujian cuisine, also called Min Cai for short, holds an important position in China's culinary art. Fujian cuisine(闽菜)is derived from the native cooking style of the province of Fujian,China. Fujian cuisine is known to be light but flavourful, soft, and tender, with particular emphasis on umami taste, as well as retaining the original flavour of the main ingredients instead of masking them.

Why did Fujian cuisine become popular around the world?

Fujian's economy and culture began to flourish after the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). During the middle Qing Dynasty around 18th century, famous Fujian officials and literati promoted the Fujian cuisine so it gradually spread to other parts of China. As Fujian people have emigrated overseas, their cuisine has become popular in Taiwan and abroad.

What are the four branches composing Fujian cuisine?

Fujian cuisine consists of four styles:

Fuzhou: The taste is light compared to other styles, often with a mixed sweet and sour taste. Fuzhou is famous for its soups.

Western Fujian: There are often slight spicy tastes from mustard and pepper and the cooking methods are often steam, fry and stir-fry.

Southern Fujian: Southern Fujian dishes are sweet and hot and use hot sauces, custard, and orange juice as flavorings. Spicy and sweet tastes are often found and the selection of sauces used is elaborate.

Fujian cuisine is characterized by the following four aspects:

methods of stewing, boiling, braising, quick-boiling, and steaming, etc.

(2) Fine slicing techniques: Chefs are skilled in the use of a kitchen knife, full of interest. Fujian cuisine stresses on fine slicing techniques so much that it is reputed as sliced ingredients are as thin as paper and shredded as slim as hairs. Everything sliced serves its original aroma.

(3) Various soup and broth: The Fujian people are peculiar about soup, which is full of changes.
The most characteristic aspect of Fujian cuisine is that its dishes are served in soup.

(4) Exquisite culinary art: Dishes are meticulously prepared, refined and graceful. Fujian dishes are tasty because of their emphasis on a series of delicate procession: selecting ingredients, mixing flavors, timing the cooking and controlling the heat. When a dish is less salty, it tastes more delicious. Sweetness makes a dish tastier, while sourness helps remove the seafood smell.

(5) Fujian Cuisine is characterized by clear, refreshing, delicious and light tastes, slightly sweet and sour.

Typical dishes are Buddha-jumping-over-the-wall, flaked spiral shell lightly pickled in rice liquor, litchi fish, and mussels quick-boiled in chicken broth, of which Buddha-jumping-over-the-wall is the most famous; the name implies the dish is so delicious that even the Buddha would jump over a wall to have a taste once he smelled it. A mixture of seafood, chicken, duck, and pork is put into a rice-wine jar and simmered over a low fire. Sea mussel quick-boiled in chicken soup is another Fujian delicacy.

Buddha Jumps over Wall

With a history of over 100 years, Monk Jumps over Wall is prepared with more than 20 ingredients, such as chicken, duck, pig‘s trotters and mutton, and stewed over a low fire with a jar for holding Shaoxing wine. Whenever this dish is served, the whole restaurant will be full of aromas. In the past a scholar composed a poem, saying: "All the neighbors enjoy pleasant aromas when the dish is served; and even a Buddha who is attracted by the smell jumps over the wall."

This nutritious dish is noted for clear soup, white and tender meat, and a refreshing and delicious taste.

Fujian is also notable for yenpi (燕皮), a thin wrapper made with large proportions of lean pork. This wrapper has a unique texture due to the incorporation of meat and has a "bite" similar to things made with surimi. Yenpi is used to make rouyen (肉燕), a type of wonton.

　This nutritious dish is noted for clear soup, white and tender meat, and a refreshing and delicious taste.