The subject of Western food is increasingly discussed in Chinese circles, and an increasing number of people are willing to explore the Western kitchen. After teaching cooking at the Kitchen Classroom (西餐教室) in Kunming, I’ve seen a lot of different reactions to new dishes, as well as a lot of different reasons why people like them. Some attitudes towards food are quite similar to the West, while other dishes find themselves on menus for completely different reasons.

Just like Chinese food abroad has little in common with the food here, the most famous foreign dishes in China are surprising. The introduction of some are rooted in history: Russian borscht (罗宋汤) became well known in the wake of Soviet expansion. Others seem to have sprung up overnight and without explanation, like fast food, fried chicken and soft serve ice cream cones. But the most popular Western dishes are all popular for their own reasons, and can now be found in cities across the country.

1) Steak (牛排)
There’s very little more satisfying than slicing in to a nicely marbled steak. Fine cuts of meat can go for hundreds of dollars, and a well-prepared steak is a mark of distinction for a good chef. The same is true in the East as it is in the West. Steak is the king of Western foods in China. It was eaten by foreigners in cities long before 1949, and steak places began opening soon after the country did. When I was hired at the Kitchen Classroom, it was the first dish they asked me about.

The enjoyment of steak comes from a different place in China, starting with texture and doneness. It is well-done in the Middle Kingdom, and often to an extreme degree. The pillowy texture associated with a still pink centre is just not worth the possible health risks for a lot of diners. And while watching a charred brick of meat thud on the table can ruin the evening for a number of foreigners, a loud clunk means it’s time to dig in for many Chinese. That’s because the real appeal of a steak is less the texture or even the taste, but the sheer decadence of chomping down a huge piece of meat. It’s also an accessible dish: there’s no cheese or cream, no strong spicing and no real surprises. It’s basically one big ingredient.

2) Pizza (比萨)
It’s probably true of every country in the world these days, but pizza is on the top five of anyone’s list of favourite foods. Pizzas of all toppings were taught on a weekly basis in the Kitchen Classroom and classes were almost always full. It was introduced early enough to have become pervasive, to the point where some wealthy Chinese even prepare the dish at home. Even before Pizza Hut introduced the standard American pizza in 1987, it was familiar to returned students and in the big cities. Many Chinese consider Italy one of the few countries in the world with good local cuisine and this helps push any Italian dish to the top of the list.  

Pizza also gets points for accessibility, being simple, lightly flavoured, and easy to eat. It’s also featured in a lot of TV and movies, so it’s well-known. A lot of foreigners turn their noses up to Chinese fruit pizza, but one correctly made with very little sauce and a heap of fruit can be a nice addition to a pizza dinner. Pizza might be one of the dishes most open to interpretation by Chinese chefs, and a number have enough experience with it to toss out some nice surprises from time to time. Be prepared for other uncommon toppings: squid and even peanuts find themselves atop a great many pies.

3) Spaghetti (意大利面)
Ahh… noodles. The popular story says that when Marco Polo brought noodles to Italy they were an instant hit. Almost all classes involving pasta opened with various re-countings of the tale. Regardless of their origin, noodles are hugely popular around the world. It would seem that pasta is more accessible because noodles already exist in China. The truth is, a nice tomato sauce is deeply satisfying for anyone, and a pasta-based dish is a good introduction to foreign food for many.

Unlike a lot of the concoctions that appear on modern plates, spaghetti was introduced to the region a long time ago, and is often served in Korea and Japan as well, with their own local twists. The most common sauce that comes with spaghetti is Bolognese, the second being marinara. Although many chefs can deftly execute the noodle dish, it can sometimes be a little runny for foreign diners’ tastes. This is because restaurants tend to stir-fry the ingredients in a wok, and don’t always take the time to reduce the sauce before serving.

4) Tiramisu (替拉米苏)
The ubiquity of tiramisu is astounding. It has penetrated Chinese confectionery from corner coffee shops to convenience store cookie flavours. For such a dish invented only 40 years ago, its introduction to China is shrouded in mystery. This helps explain the wide availability of the otherwise useless mascarpone cheese in supermarkets across the country. Our own store sold large amounts of the ingredients.

Any chef worth his salt in China is sure to have a special method for soaking ladyfingers in coffee and dousing it in mascarpone. A lot of tiramisu’s popularity derives from Italy’s sterling reputation as a culinary destination and the cumulative effects of decades of popularity. Like pizza and spaghetti before it, there is still an undeniable satisfaction to be derived from sinking into a well-made pastry. It is a good accompaniment to coffee, another treat that has been growing in popularity.

The truth is a lot of Western food is still developing in China. In terms of time, it’s decades behind other Asian countries for exposure to foreign food ideas. It’s also not very widely available outside big cities and tourist towns. Although Pizza Hut, McDonald’s and KFC have branches in hundreds of cities, these represent only a fraction of what is eaten in other countries. Still, the native desire for a greater variety of culinary options is growing.

Some unfortunate misinterpretations still occur, but a number of Chinese chefs are really trying to make not only traditional food from other countries, but also their own native versions that can be delicious. These cooks are part of a long running trend of trying and tasting foreign things that, today, shows no signs of abating. While the foreign food awareness of today might seem low to some, it is far more advanced than a few years ago, and is growing every day. Who knows what new and interesting flavours will find their way into the China’s cutting edge eateries tomorrow.
 

Related links
7 Signs You’ve Walked in to a Bad Western Restaurant
A Week of Western Food in China for 100 RMB
If You Have a Beer in China, Thank a Pole

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Keywords: Popular foreign food in China western food China Italian food China foreign cuisine China