Foreign food ingredient integrated in Chinese food culture | Culture original source |
---|---|
Goat, sheep, and various fruits and vegetables | Western and Central Asia |
Sweet potatoes varieties and peanuts | Transported by mariners from Central and South America |
Champa rice, drought-resistant rice introduced to the southeastern coastal Fujian Province | Transported from India |
Imported from Bactria, an ancient region in Central Asia | |
Pomegranates, lima bean, watermelon, muskmelon, carrot, fennel, grapes, celery, and other spices | Came to China through the Overland Silk Road from Central Asia into the Xinjiang Uygur territories in western China (Fig. 1) |
Cucumber | Entered China from Western Asia during the Han Dynasty |
Red hot chili peppers | Transported Portuguese sailors through sailing the Indian Ocean |
Almonds, figs, sugar beets, spinach, and lettuce | Introduced by traders and migrants from the Middle East, Western, and Central Asia |