Shanghai Cuisine

Shanghai does not have a definitive cuisine of its own, but modifies those of the surrounding provinces. What can be called Shanghai cuisine is epitomized by the use of alcohol. Fish, eel, crab, and chicken are "drunken" with spirits and are briskly cooked/steamed or served raw. Salted meats and preserved vegetables are also commonly used to adjuntify the dish.

The use of sugar is common in Shanghainese cuisine, especially when used in combination with soy sauce. Non-natives tend to have difficulty identifying this usage of sugar and are often surprised when told of the "secret ingredient". The most notable dish of this type of cooking is "sweet and sour spare ribs" ("tangcu xiaopai" in Shanghainese).

"Red cooking" is a popular style of stewing meats and vegetables associated with Shanghai.

Facing the East China Sea, seafood in Shanghai is very popular. However, due to its location among the rivers, lakes, and canals of the Yangtze Delta, locals favor freshwater produce just as much as saltwater products like crabs, oysters, and seaweed. The most notable local delicacy is Shanghai hairy crab.Shanghainese people are known to eat in delicate portions and hence the servings are usually quite small. For example, notable buns from Shanghai such as the xiaolong mantou and the shengjian mantou are usually about four centimetres in diameter, much smaller than the typical baozi or mantou elsewhere.

Due to the rapid growth of Shanghai and its development into one of the foremost East Asian cities as a center of both finance and contemporary culture, the future of Shanghai cuisine looks very promising.

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