Texture in Chinese food

[Jon Tseng]

One thing I have noticed about Chinese food vs Western is a greater appreciation of texture, particularly gelatinous textures. eg:

- Prized products sharks fin, birds nest or abalone, which seems to be prized for texture as much as flavour

- Sea slug, fish maw, bamboo pith!

- Chicken feet!

I wonder what your thoughts are on this one - is there more emphasis on texture that in the West (bearing in mind it /was/ the French who brought us pied de cochon)? How important is texture vis-a-vis taste? Why do the chinese seem to dig gelatinous so much?

cheerio

J

[eatingwitheddie]

How important is texture vis-a-vis taste? Why do the chinese seem to dig gelatinous so much?

[Bux]

(bearing in mind it /was/ the French who brought us pied de cochon)

I'm reminded of the time my wife went back for second helpings of the jellied pig's feet at a wedding reception in Brittany. Unquestionably, it broke the ice and eased our acceptance, but it also elicited comments such as "My parents ate that, but we don't have much of a taste for that these days."

That appreciation is widespread in Europe, but it's probably strongest in rural cooking. To a small extent we all appreciate the quality a calves foot gives to the stock or the sauce, but not so many Americans appreciate at rich gelatinous bowl of tripe. I think you're correct however and it's appreciated tooa greater degree in Chinese food than European, both historically and today in urban areas.

Balance, I suppose like everything else, is relative. I think every western chef will claim his dishes are balanced, but it's not in the sense that Chinese chefs use the term. Japanese food as well seeks a balance that may be more like that sought in Chinese food and unlike western food which I feel seeks balance by reining in the extreme flavors more often than juxtaposing them. That's a random thought. Maybe I'm off base and might not be able to defend that.