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Chinese · regional cuisine

Cantonese

The cooking of Guangdong and Hong Kong, prized for freshness and clean, precise flavour: steamed fish, roast meats, slow-boiled soups, wok hei and dim sum.

Flavour character: Light seasoning that lets the main ingredient lead: ginger, spring onion and soy for fish; sweet-savoury glazes on roast meats; oyster sauce, fermented black beans and hoisin used with restraint; smoky wok hei in stir-fried noodles.

90 recipesBrowse recipes
Whole steamed fish topped with shredded ginger and spring onion in soy sauce

History

Guangzhou was for centuries China's main port for foreign trade, and its cooking drew on abundant seafood, river fish, poultry and year-round vegetables. Yum cha (tea with dim sum) grew out of Guangzhou teahouses in the 19th century and flourished in Hong Kong in the 20th. Emigrants from the Pearl River delta, especially Taishan, opened most of the first Chinese restaurants in North America, Britain and Australia, so 'Chinese food' abroad was largely Cantonese-derived for a century. Hong Kong added its own cha chaan teng (tea-café) style after 1945, mixing Cantonese and British elements.

Well documented

Geography and influences

The subtropical Pearl River delta and South China Sea coast: rice paddies, fishponds, orchards and markets selling live seafood and poultry.

  • Overseas trade through Guangzhou
  • Hakka and Chaozhou (Teochew) neighbours
  • British colonial Hong Kong (milk tea, toast, baked goods)
  • Portuguese Macau

Regional variations

Guangzhou
The classical centre: dim sum, roast meats and slow-boiled tonic soups (lou fo tong).
Hong Kong
Cantonese base plus cha chaan teng dishes such as milk tea, Hong Kong French toast and pineapple buns.
Shunde
Known for freshwater fish and delicate dishes; named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy (2014).
Chaozhou (Teochew) and Hakka
Neighbouring Guangdong styles: Teochew braised goose and fish balls; Hakka salt-baked chicken and stuffed tofu.

Festive and seasonal food

  • Turnip cake (lo bak go) and nian gao at Lunar New Year
  • Whole steamed fish and white-cut chicken for family feasts
  • Roast suckling pig at weddings and openings
  • Mooncakes at Mid-Autumn

Signature dishes

Not on the site yet: Har gow (shrimp dumplings), Siu mai, Roast goose, Siu yuk (crisp roast pork belly), Cheung fun

Cantonese recipes

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