Chinese food is, as far as we Westerners are concerned, shrouded in mystery, and as a result greatly misunderstood. One would expect a culture with such an ancient and illustrious history to boast an equally interesting gastronomic heritage, but you'll probably be surprised at the extent to which food, religion, philosophy, medicine and mere day-to-day existence are intertwined in this most enigmatic country.

Once upon a time (551BC actually) Duke Ling of Wei asked the famous Chinese philosopher Confucius his advice concerning military tactics. Confucius replied that he had learned very little on the subject of the military, but "I have indeed heard about matters pertaining to tsu [meat stand] and tou [meat platter]". At that time, Chinese gentlemen were judged on their knowledge and skill in culinary matters above almost everything else.

The way in which Chinese food relates to health and medical philosophy is equally interesting. As far as the Chinese are concerned, food is not only responsible for good health in general, but one's selection of food must be dependent upon one's particular condition at the time.

One of the basic principles is the division of food into fan (grains and other starchy foods) and ts'ai (vegetables and meats). A meal must have an appropriate balance between the two, although fan is taken to be the more vital of the two. This dichotomy is mirrored in the more familiar Chinese concept of yin and yang. One's bodily functions follow this principle, and different foodstuffs are classified according to whether they possess yin or yang characteristics.

When these forces are unbalanced, your health will deteriorate, but eating food possessing the required quality will rapidly return your health to normal.

One of the overriding attributes of Chinese cookery is its adaptability. The Chinese are no strangers to hard times, and most Chinese cooks will be brought up with an extensive knowledge of ingredients and techniques that will see them through when famine or poverty strike.

Of course, these days this is more a tradition than a necessity, but these skills can still be seen, particularly those concerning preservation of food. The Chinese are very adept at preservation methods, which include everything from sugaring and salting, to pickling, drying and smoking. They also preserve a wide cross-section of produce, including meat, vegetables, eggs and grains.

The Chinese larder contains a diverse range of ingredients and spices, some of which (to our more conventional palates) sound rather shocking! The main staples are rice (also known as fan) and noodles.

Noodles were actually a Chinese invention, and were brought to Europe by Marco Polo in the 13th century. They are either made with egg (mien) or rice (bijon). Bean curd is also very common, and commonly employed vegetables include radish, turnip, cabbage and mushrooms (which are often dried).

The Chinese use a variety of meats, including pork, beef, mutton, dog, chicken, duck and goose. Spices vary according to the region, but red pepper, garlic, ginger, spring onion and cinnamon are all popular.

The food of southern China (Cantonese) is generally associated with fish and seafood, whilst northern specialities reflect an emphasis on meat (including the famous Peking Duck). The central Chinese provinces of Sichuan and Hunan offer the spiciest food, where chilli and garlic are the prominent flavours. In fact, Chairman Mao (who was originally from Hunan) once remarked that the more chillies you eat, the more revolutionary you become!

A definitive list of Chinese dishes with appropriate translations is slightly beyond the scope of this general introduction to the subject. The best advice to those wanting to try out authentic Chinese food is to pop into Chinatown and speak to the guys in the restaurants.

The trouble is that most of the restaurants split their menus into two - an incomprehensible Chinese section (featuring the authentic stuff), and an English section (containing little or no authentic dishes, merely a list of anglicised offerings - lemon chicken, chop suey, etc).

If you explain you want to try the Real McCoy (so to speak) most waiters will be more than happy to translate the more unpronounceable but far more exciting entries on the list. Gan bei!

Words: Simon Tyler