What Is Fujian Cuisine?

Fujian cuisine is a type of Chinese cuisine that can also be called min cai. Fuijan cuisine is derived from three separate influences, each of which is slightly different from the next. The three areas of Fujian cuisine are: Fuzhou, South Fujian, and West Fujian. Fuzhou dishes are fresher than the others, and contain less salt; they are also rarely very sweet or sour. South Fujian dishes are sweeter, hotter dishes that are flavored with hot sauces, custard, and orange juice. West Fujian dishes are the saltiest dishes of the three.

Though there are three categories of Fujian cuisine, there are also some unifying characteristics. Many Fujian dishes incorporate specialty ingredients sourced from the mountains, including mushrooms and bamboo shoots, and from the sea, including shellfish and cuttlefish.

Fujian cuisine also incorporates fine slicing techniques into its cooking and preparation methods, as fine slicing is said to better present the aroma and texture of food.

One of the most notable aspects of Fujian cuisine is that its dishes are mostly served in soup form, like mussels quick-boiled in chicken broth.

The most popular Fujian dish is Buddha-jumping-over-the-wall.