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Hubei cuisine (Chinese: 湖北菜; pinyin: Húběi cài), also known as E cuisine (鄂菜; È cài), is derived from the native cooking styles of Hubei province in China.
Contents
History
Hubei cuisine has a history of more than 2,000 years. The names of dishes and cuisine styles can be found in ancient literature such as Chuci of Qu Yuan.
Ingredients
As Hubei has plenty of lakes, rivers and marshlands, freshwater produce are used as major ingredients in the local cuisine.
Style
Hubei cuisine emphasises on the preparation of ingredients and the matching of colours. It specialises in steaming techniques. Its style is influenced by the cooking methods of the cuisines of neighbouring provinces such as Sichuan and Hunan. As a result, Hubei cuisine also uses dried hot pepper, black pepper and other spices to enhance the flavour of dishes.
Hubei cuisine comprises three distinct styles: