Cantonese Food

Summary

• Exotic foods lovers should visit Canton, which also recognized as Guangdong. Guangdong will serve anything from snake, dog, rat, to monkey's brain.
• Monkey's brain can eat it two ways. Either alive or cook.
• For light hearted eater, Canton also best known for their dim sum. Dim sum can translate as "little heart."

Yum, what to eat?

There is a saying of "Cantonese will eat anything with wing, except airplane, anything with legs, except table." By this saying, you know that you are in for a treat because the Cantonese are known for their exotic foods.

The cooking of Cantonese widely uses almost anything you can think of such as rat, snake (also python), snake egg, and insect. Bizarre is the name of the game. Cantonese cooking is exceptionally well known for their use of fresh meat and their unique cooking methods.

One of the feasts that are known in Canton is "Monkey's Brain." Personality, I never try it before. However, there are two methods to enjoy this feast.

First, the most infamous way to eat monkey's brain is eat it when the monkey is alive. The method involves putting the monkey inside a cage and has it head come out from a hold on top of the cage. For starter, you may need to clean the monkey by shave the hair of it head.

After that, you can use a hammer to break the monkey's head. And voila, the brain is there for your enjoy. Many people do not like to cook; they just eat as it with some wine.

Second way to eat monkey's brain is having the cooker do the killing for you. What they do is take out the brain, boil it, and spice it with some wine. Then, the cooker will bring it out for your enjoyment.

"Dim Sum" a little heart...

Now, before saying, "I will never step foot in this town." I should say that Cantonese is not only known for their exotic foods, but they also know for their dim sum as well. Dim sum is a type of dumpling, which can be boil, steam, or deep fried.

The good thing about dim sum is people can stuff anything that they want in there. Whether it stuff with meat, nut, seed, spice, it is always come out delicious.

The word "Dim Sum" also carries a meaning of "little heart." So, if you want to try monkey's brain but do not have a heart to do so, you may consider of stuffing the brain inside the dumpling.

Even though, you may eat the monkey brain, you can still say that you care enough for the monkey to put it in your "heart." Just kidding. I know it's horrible.

<<< Return to Chinese Culture Food
<<< Return to Facts about China

Recommended Articles

• Sichuan (southwest)
• Yangzhou (aka Huaiyang, east)
• and Shandong (northeast)/other