Various Chinese seasoning

Chinese has a long history of producing and eating various seasonings<-a>. Chinese seasonings contain both traditional oriental seasonings and new brought in seasonings. We can classify all the seasonings according to different aspects.<-p>

1<-strong><-em>, According to their properties and the way they are sold<-strong>, we can classify Chinese seasonings in six categories:<-p>

(1), Brewed seasoning<-strong>: the materials of brewed seasoning are mainly the crops with rich protein and starch concentration. With the help of microorganisms, the materials are fermented and a series of changes happen. These changes make the raw material into different organics. Some common products in this category include soy sauce<-a>, rice vinegar<-a>, sauces, tofu sauce.<-p>

(2),pickled vegetable<-strong>: the microorganisms react with enzymes in vegetable cells and transform proteins and part of carbohydrates into amino acids, sugars, pigments. We can get wet pickles by adding salt water and half dry pickles by dehydrating wet pickles. Some common products in this category include mustard, sprout, winter vegetable, preserved vegetable, bubble ginger.<-p>

(3), fresh vegetable<-strong>: fresh vegetable seasonings are mainly fresh vegetable like ginger, garlic, chili, green onion.<-p>

(4), dry seasoning<-strong>: seasonings in this category are root, stem, dry fruit with special flavor such as pepper, dry chili, aniseed, mustard, cinnamon, garlic powder<-a>, etc.<-p>

(5), aquatic seasoning<-strong>: some kinds of animal and vegetable also can be used as seasoning after dehydrated. Seasonings in this category contain high protein concentration and are very fresh. Products of this category are fish powder, dry shrimp, shrimp shell, shrimp egg, shrimp sauce, shrimp oil, oyster, crab products, mussel.<-p>

(6), other seasoning<-strong>: these seasoning can’t be classified in the former categories. These seasonings are salt, MSG, sugar, cook wine, curry powder, five spice powder, sesame oil, sesame sauce, barbeque sauce, silver shrimp paste, tomato salad, tomato sauce, etc.<-p>

2<-em>, according to the shape of seasonings<-strong>, they can be classified in these categories: sauce (spicy sauce, soybean sauce, XO sauce, etc.), soy sauce (light soy sauce, shrimp soy sauce, dark soy sauce), juice (barbecue juice, bittern, OK juice), flavor powder (pepper powder, onion powder, garlic powder, pumpkin powder, chicken powder<-a>), solid seasoning (sugar, salt, MSG).<-p>

3<-strong><-em>, according to the flavor<-strong>, seasonings can be classified in salt seasoning (salt, soy sauce, etc.), sweet seasoning (sugar, honey), bitter seasoning (tea juice, tangerine peel, bitter almond), spicy seasoning (chili, pepper, mustard), sour seasoning (rice vinegar, tomato juice, hawthorn sauce), fresh seasoning (MSG, chicken powder, shrimp oil, fish powder, oyster). The above are single seasonings, most seasonings are seasoning blends like oil curry, sweet sauce, pepper salt, etc.<-p>