Anhui cuisine is one of the Eight Culinary Traditions of China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. It is derived from the native cooking styles of the Huangshan Mountains

Huangshan Mountains

Huangshan , is a mountain range in southern Anhui province in eastern China. The range composed of material that was uplifted from an ancient sea during the Mesozoic era, 100 million years ago. The mountains themselves were carved by glaciers during the Quaternary...

 region in China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 and is similar to Jiangsu cuisine

Jiangsu cuisine

Jiangsu cuisine is one the Eight Culinary Traditions of China. It is derived from the native cooking styles of the Jiangsu region in China. In general, Jiangsu cuisine's texture is characterized as soft, but not to the point of mushy or falling apart. For example, the meat tastes quite soft but...

.

Methods and Ingredients

Anhui cuisine is known for its use of wild herbs, from both land and sea, and simple methods of preparation. Braising and stewing are common techniques. Frying and stir-frying are used much less frequently in Anhui cuisine than in other Chinese culinary traditions. Anhui cuisine consists of three styles: Yangtze River

Yangtze River

The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...

 region, Huai River region, and southern Anhui

Anhui

Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...

 region. Anhui has ample uncultivated fields and forests, so the wild herbs used in the region's cuisine are readily available.

Representative dishes

English	Chinese	Description
Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang or Li Hung-chang , Marquis Suyi of the First Class , GCVO, was a leading statesman of the late Qing Empire...  Hodge-Podge Hodge-Podge (soup) Hodge-Podge is a soup made of a mixture of various ingredients. According to the 1903 The Steward's Handbook and Guide to Party Catering, it is "common English for Hotch-Potch, a mixture; mutton soup thick with pieces of meat and all sorts of vegetables, also Hot-Pot."Often this soup is a token of...		A popular dish named after Anhui's Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang Li Hongzhang or Li Hung-chang , Marquis Suyi of the First Class , GCVO, was a leading statesman of the late Qing Empire... , who was a top official of the late Qing Dynasty Qing Dynasty The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....  (1644–1911). The dish, a complex soup, is somewhat salty with a hint of sweetness. Many types of ingredients can be used in the dish but the most common include sea cucumber Sea cucumber (food) Sea cucumbers are marine animals of the class Holothuroidea used in fresh or dried form in various cuisines.The creature and the food product is commonly known as bêche-de-mer in French, trepang in Indonesian, namako in Japanese and in the Philippines it is called balatan... , fish, squid, bamboo, dry bean curd, chicken, ham, and assorted vegetables.
Luzhou Roast Duck		A popular dish from the provincial capital Hefei Hefei Hefei is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province in Eastern China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Anhui... , which first gained renown when it was given in tribute to the Imperial Court. While not nearly approaching the world wide fame of Peking Duck Peking Duck Peking Duck, or Peking Roast Duck is a famous duck dish from Beijing that has been prepared since the imperial era, and is now considered one of China's national foods.... , Luzhou Roast Duck has won awards and distinction within China.
Sanhe Shrimp Paste		A regional dish that originated in the ancient city of Sanhe, but can currently be found in neighboring Hefei. The dish's main components are rice flour Rice flour Rice flour is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye....  and a regional species of small white shrimp. The shrimp are stir fried with leeks and soy sauce, meanwhile the rice flour is soaked in water and later added to the shrimp. The dish must be eaten with a spoon, is pleasantly salty, and is brown in color.
Egg Dumplings		These dumplings, usually associated with rural cooking, use thin sheets of egg instead of flour for the wrapping. Egg dumplings traditionally use pork as a filling. In preparation a ladle is lightly coated with oil and heated, well beaten eggs are spooned into the ladle and cooked until the egg mixture forms into a dumpling wrapper. The pork filling is then spooned into the egg wrapping and finally it is steamed. Often served with soy sauce.
Wushan Imperial Goose		The history of Wushan Imperial Goose dates back more than 1,000 years to the to the Tang Dynasty Tang Dynasty The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire... . The dish is light in color while it is fragrant and salty in taste.
Ba Gong Shan Stinky Tofu