苏说文化八大菜系之中国苏菜（英文版）

Jiangsu Cuisine, also called Su Cuisine, one of the eight Chinese Cuisines with over 2,000 years’ history, is famous for its beautiful appearance, fresh, umami, natural, mild, lightly sweet and well preserving the original flavor of food materials. Famous Su dishes are Brine-Boiled Duck, Sweet and Sour Mandarin Fish, Braised Meat Balls, Beggar’s Chicken and so on.

江苏菜，又称苏菜，中国八大菜系之一，有2000多年的历史，风格雅丽，形质均美，口味和醇，清淡适口，咸中带甜，注重本味。代表菜有盐水鸭、松鼠鳜鱼、红烧狮子头、叫花鸡等。

In Qin and Han Dynasties, Yangzhou in Jiangsu became an administrative region and the economy boomed and many exquisite and delicious foods like Braised Meat Balls were created. In Sui Dynasty, some northern cooking methods had spread to Yangzhou since the Emperor Yang built the Grand Canal which connected the North and South of China thus promoted the development of cooking techniques in the South. In Tang Dynasty, Yangzhou became the economic center of east China and Persia and Arabic businessmen brought Muslim flavors and cooking methods to Su Cuisine dishes. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Su food became sweeter. And, Su Cuisine and Zhe Cuisine were honored as Two Poles of South Chinese Food.

秦汉时期，江苏扬州已经建制，经济繁荣，许多精美的菜品已经出现，如红烧狮子头等。隋炀帝时，随着京杭运河的贯通，北方烹饪方法传到扬州，促进了南方烹饪技术的发展。唐代时，扬州是华东的经济中心，苏菜吸收了波斯和阿拉伯商人的穆斯林风味和烹饪方法。宋代，苏菜口味趋甜，和浙菜同被誉为“南食”的两大台柱。

Su Cuisine dishes are served delicately like artworks. The ingredients are rich, mainly including freshwater fish and sea food like reeves shad, knife fish, balloon fish, silverfish in Tai Lake, crab in Yangcheng Lake and crucian in Nanjing Dragon Pool. Excellent vegetables used include lotus root, Chinese chestnut, cane shoots, winter bamboo shoots and water chestnut.

苏菜形制精美，极具艺术性。其用料广泛，以江河湖海水鲜为主，如鲥鱼、刀鱼、河豚、太湖银鱼、阳澄湖大闸蟹、南京龙池鲫鱼等。优良佳蔬有莲藕、板栗、茭白、冬笋和荸荠等

Su Cuisine chefs focus on the art of cutting. The food carvings and cuttings are extremely exquisite and changeful. Skillful Jiangsu chefs can even cut tofu 2cm thick into 30 slices, and the finished shredded tofu is like a single hair and can go through the needle eye.

苏菜厨师刀工精细，刀法多变。一块2厘米厚的方干，可以切成30块薄片，切丝如发，能穿针引线。

Su Cuisine is mainly composed of four local styles, that is, Jinling Cuisine, Huaiyang Cuisine, Suxi Cuisine, and Xuhai Cuisine.

苏菜主要由四种地方菜肴组成，包括金陵菜、淮扬菜、苏锡菜、徐海菜等。

Jinling Cuisine chefs are good at stewing, simmering and roasting, pursuing 14 flavors such as sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, fragrant, stinky, fresh, crisp, tender and so on. Jinling Cuisine is especially famous for its duck dishes. Representatives of Jinling duck dishes include Jinling Roasted Duck, Jinling Salted Duck and Duck Soup.

金陵菜烹调擅长炖、焖、叉、烤。讲究七滋七味：即酸、甜、苦、辣、咸、香、臭；鲜、烂、酥、嫩、脆、浓、肥。金陵菜以善制鸭馔而出名，代表菜有金陵烤鸭、盐水鸭、鸭汤等。

Combining the northern and southern food characteristics, Huaiyang Cuisine has formed its own style, fresh, crisp, salty and slightly sweet. Huaiyang cutting technique is the best. It was once selected as Royal Cuisine.

淮扬菜结合了南北方菜品的特点，形成了自己鲜、脆、嫩、咸中带甜的风味。苏菜中，淮扬菜刀工为最佳，曾入选宫廷菜肴。

Suxi refers to Suzhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, and Shanghai. Suxi Cuisine dishes are rich in snacks and focus on the appearance and color of the dishes.

苏锡指苏州、无锡一带，西到常州，东到上海。苏锡菜以小吃见长，注重造型，讲究美观，色调绚丽。

Xuhai Cuisine is popular in Xuzhou and Lianyungang, and the main cooking materials are sea food and the chefs are particularly good at boiling, frying and decocting.

徐海菜集中在徐州和连云港，以海味取胜，烹调技艺多用煮、炸、煎等。