Chinese food list with pictures | The best Chinese dishes to order

Some people who haven’t been to Asia before and thinking about going on vacation or even living in China, have prejudices about chinese food.

Due to this TutorMandarin wants to introduce you some typical dishes and what foreigners might be aware of, to make their experience as special as possible.

First of all, people should take into account, that China is a huge country. So there are several different local delicacies and differences when it comes up to food. Most people “acclimate” to the food if you’re there long enough. Food is one of the best parts of visiting/ living in China. And even if you eat healthy/ safe food — it may be too spicy or have things that you’re stomach is not used to and have separate problems.

Where to get good Chinese food in China

In China, you have different options to grab some good food. But there are some differences regarding the food quality which should be considered.

Maybe it’s obvious, but you usually take a risk with anything off the street or in a small restaurant. You get a higher quality, if you eat at a “chain store”, a restaurant or at restaurant ins malls/ shopping centers. The best rule seems to be: go with your gut! If you don’t feel comfortable or have the impression, that the restaurant isn’t as clean as it should be, you should not eat there. Otherwise, give it a try!

Tip: Even if you don’t plan to eat street food, you should visit some of the local night and food markets. There is no better way to get to know a country than experiencing their cuisines. People who have a good sense of smell should be aware of stinky tofu!

What are local delicacies around China?

North-China

Feature: Salty, simple, fewer vegetables with wheat as the staple food

Regions: Beijing, Xi’an, Inner Mongolia, and Northeast China 

Whole roast lamb

Dumplings

Beijing Roast Duck

Hand-pulled noodles

East-China

Feature: Sweet and light with a lot of fish and seafood dishes

Regions: Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui

Steamed chestnuts with chicken

Sweet and sour mandarin fish

Sweet and sour spare ribs

Steamed hairy crab

Dim sum

South-China

Feature: Sour, spicy, with a lot of preserved ingredients

Regions: Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi provinces

Guizhou sour soup fish

Wonton noodles

Sticky rice cakes (粑粑 baba /baa-baa/)

West-China

Feature: Hearty halal food with lamb the main meat

Region: Xinjiang, Tibetan

Naan bread

Garlic Mutton

Xinjiang Big Plate Chicken

Tibetan sweet tea

What are good Taiwanese food dishes?

Taiwanese cuisine is rooted in Fujianese cooking but was influenced by the Japanese during the occupation period, too. Therefore, it’s difficult to define, and best thought of as an umbrella term for a huge variety of dishes and styles, most of which can be summarized as xiǎochī, or “little eats”. Being an island, Taiwan is particularly renowned for its seafood.

Braised pork rice

Soup dumplings

Beef noodles

Oyster omelet

Gua bao

And of course Bubble tea – famous around the world! But this is actually originally from Taiwan!!!

About Chinese Food

We at TutorMandarin would really like to recommend you to try as much food as you can, as long as you feel comfortable. Otherwise, you might regret it as soon as you’re back home. Try to avoid fast food restaurants and dishes that you are familiar to. You didn’t take that long way to another country to eat the same things like you did before. Taste differ, but it is always worth it! So, grab your chance and experience a new taste!

Would want to learn vocabulary and phrases, that you might need at the night market or at a restaurant? TutorMandarin offers topic oriented courses, also for food. Interested to learn Chinese language for your next trip?  Sign up our free trial to learn Mandarin and download the Chinese App for more Chinese language materials and to learn Mandarin online!