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Trying to pin down the tastes of real Dongbei (northeastern China) cuisine is not the
easiest of tasks. The influence here is strongly reminiscent of the contradictory Beijing
and Shandong styles, mixing simple, traditional cooking techniques with the huge
complexities of Imperial gastronomic arts. There are, however, a huge variety of other
influences that are combined with this. Manchurian, Russian, Korean, Japanese, Han, and a
variety of other minorities have all had their say in the styles that make up the present
culinary system. The Dongbei style is further mixed in Jilin by the fact that this fairly primitive
province is home to some highly exotic animals and plants, and the chefs of the province
have long been refining their cooking using these. If you can stomach it, the province
still produces dishes of endangered or contentious variety, including bear"s paw, deer"s tail, snow toad, and even dog"s
soup, a popular Korean dish. The area is also fairly popular for those suffering from a
variety of illnesses, since many of its more exotic dishes are linked to herbal medicine.
The most famous of these, ginseng
chicken, can be had, for a price, in most areas of Jilin. If the idea of leopard tongue does not leave you excited, Jilin also has a few
historical foodtypes for you to sample. The province has long been recognised as the home
of the Manchus, and the Manchurian influence can still be tasted here, whether in the form
of a spicy, Qing dynasty hotpot,
or in the flowing courses of the Three-set
Bowl Banquet. With its proximity to the border of Korea, and with a strong Korean
minority population, Jilin also serves up some impressive Korean delicacies. A Korean meal
is best started with a spicy pickles
appetizer, cooled down with some cold
noodles, finished off with a traditional Korean barbecue, with all of this washed down
with a few glasses of eye watering Soju (Korean wine). |
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