Lu Cuisine

Synopsis

Lu Cuisine is the foremost of China's Eight Great Cuisines, originating from Shandong with a history of over two thousand years. It primarily features savory and fresh flavors, emphasizes the natural taste of ingredients, and excels in cooking techniques such as quick stir-frying, braising, and stewing. Representative dishes include Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions, Sweet and Sour Carp, Nine-Turn Large Intestine, and Dezhou Braised Chicken. Lu Cuisine has had a profound influence on northern Chinese cuisines and imperial court cuisine.

Overview

Lu Cuisine is the foremost of China's Eight Great Cuisines and one of the most historically profound and influential culinary traditions. Originating from the ancient states of Qi and Lu (present-day Shandong Province) during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, it boasts a history of over two thousand years. Lu Cuisine is characterized by savory and umami flavors, emphasizing the natural taste of ingredients. It excels in cooking techniques such as quick-frying (爆), stir-frying (炒), braising (烧), pan-frying (塌), stewing (扒), and simmering (焖). Its influence on northern Chinese cuisines and imperial court cuisine is profound. It can be said that the entire foundation of northern Chinese cuisine is built upon Lu Cuisine.

Lu Cuisine's position as the leader among the Eight Great Cuisines is attributed not only to its long history but also to its comprehensive and sophisticated culinary techniques. The knife skills, heat control, and seasoning in Lu Cuisine have reached an exceptionally high standard. During the Qing Dynasty, the head chefs of the imperial kitchens were predominantly from Shandong, which deeply embedded Lu Cuisine's culinary philosophy into Chinese imperial and official mansion cuisines.

Three Major Schools

Representative Dishes

Scallion-Braised Sea Cucumber (葱烧海参) is one of the most representative dishes of Lu Cuisine. It uses premium spiny sea cucumber with large scallions, a specialty of Shandong, as the supporting ingredient. The sea cucumber is first simmered until thoroughly infused with flavor, then finished with scallion oil. The finished dish has a bright reddish-brown color, with the sea cucumber being tender, glutinous, and fragrant, complemented by a rich scallion aroma. It is a classic masterpiece that perfectly combines seafood with land-based ingredients.

Sweet and Sour Carp (糖醋鲤鱼) uses Yellow River carp, first deep-fried until golden and crispy, then topped with a sweet and sour sauce that is perfectly balanced in flavor. The presentation is elegant—the head and tail of the fish arch upward as if leaping over the Dragon Gate. The exterior is crispy, the interior tender, and the taste sweet and sour.

Nine-Turn Large Intestine (九转大肠) is a classic of Jinan Cuisine. Pig large intestine is processed through multiple layers and then braised in soy sauce. The procedure is intricate, reportedly involving steps like boiling, frying, and braising, which aligns with the "nine turns" in its name. The finished product has a reddish-brown luster, a soft and tender texture, and encompasses all five flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty.

Dezhou Braised Chicken (德州扒鸡) is hailed as the premier chicken dish of China. During preparation, the chicken is coated with maltose, deep-fried for color, then simmered for hours over low heat with various spices. The finished dish is golden in color, with meat so tender it falls off the bone, and even the bones are infused with flavor.

Cooking Techniques

The cooking techniques of Lu Cuisine are the most comprehensive and sophisticated among all Chinese culinary traditions. Among them, the quick-frying (爆) method is the most representative technique of Lu Cuisine. It requires stir-frying ingredients over extremely high heat for a very short time, allowing them to retain a crisp and tender texture while being fully infused with flavor. Oil-Blasted Double Crispiness (油爆双脆) is the pinnacle of this technique, simultaneously quick-frying chicken gizzard and pork tripe—two ingredients extremely difficult to control in terms of heat—to perfection, testing the chef's skill and experience.

The broth-making skill of Lu Cuisine is also exceptional. Lu Cuisine's superior stock is divided into clear broth (清汤) and milky broth (奶汤). The clear broth is as clear as water yet rich in flavor, while the milky broth is white as milk and has a mellow, thick texture. A pot of excellent Lu Cuisine stock requires simmering ingredients like chicken, duck, and pork bones over low heat for several hours. It is the soul of many famous Lu Cuisine dishes.

Cultural Influence

The influence of Lu Cuisine on Chinese culinary culture is ubiquitous. The preparation method of Beijing Roast Duck originates from the roasting techniques of Lu Cuisine. Tianjin's Jianbing Guozi (煎饼果子), Northeast China's Guo Bao Rou (锅包肉), and Henan's Hui Mian (烩面) all bear traces of Lu Cuisine's influence. Since the Qing Dynasty, Lu Cuisine chefs have long dominated the imperial kitchens and the back kitchens of major restaurants, allowing Lu Cuisine's culinary philosophy and techniques to spread widely across the nation.

References

1. Baidu Baike: https://baike.baidu.com/item/鲁菜
2. Wikipedia: https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/鲁菜
3. Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism: https://whhlyt.shandong.gov.cn