Chinese national cuisine as a cultural code (Part 2)

The second part of the article examines the major regional food cultures of China in terms of cooking techniques and flavors. The products used in Chinese cuisine are divided into «basic» (rice, noodles, bread, and other cereal products) and « supplementary» (meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, etc.). The author also emphasizes the differences in regional cui-sines in relation to «salty-sweet» and «sour-spicy» oppositions. There are eight main regional food cultures: Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, Fujian cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine, Zhengjiang cuisine, Hunan cuisine, Anhui cuisine. It is noted that each regional cuisine has its own characteristics and traditions, there is no pan-Chinese canon and one can hardly talk about the unity of Chinese cuisine. The authors consider gastronomic culture as a cultural text that helps to interpret historical and cultural meanings through symbols. The article presents the main cultural symbols of Chinese cuisine, with the linguistic component (nomination of dishes) being one of the most important. An important factor in forming the national culture code is the festive culture with its specific dishes reflecting the history and my-thology of the holiday. Elements of holiday cuisine as symbols of myths, traditions, and beliefs are less based on culi-nary considerations, but more on the nation's cultural code. Food becomes a sign of situations and events. The most significant and recognizable symbols of festive culture are traditional dishes. There is a set of obligatory dishes for cer-tain holidays - weddings, birthdays, holiday banquets, depending on particular celebrations. The authors examines cer-tain national, cultural, historical, and ethnographic lacunae that the names of Chinese dishes contain.