Dining in Shanghai
风味十足上海菜
Shanghai Cuisine
The locals in Shanghai put it：'Blessed are those who are born in Shanghai as they have many chances to taste delicious food'. Shanghai Cuisine is not one of the Eight Major Cuisines of China but it is a blend of the most appealing aspects of other food. Also， Shanghai's chefs are always ready to adopt the best aspects of foreign cuisines and make them their own. Therefore， it may be safely said that you can enjoy all the best food from home and abroad in Shanghai.
上海人常说：“生在上海的人们是幸运的，因为他们有很多机会品尝美味的食物。”上海菜虽不属于中国八大菜系，但它却融合了很多其它菜系的特色。上海的大厨们还十分乐于吸收国外饮食的长处，中西合璧，洋为己用。因此，可以毫不夸张地说你在上海就可以吃遍天下。
Shanghai Cuisine， also known as Hu Cai， includes two styles - Benbang Cuisine and Haipai Cuisine.
上海菜，也被称为沪菜，有两种风格，一是本帮菜，另一种便是海派菜。
Benbang Cuisine， literally meaning 'local cuisine'， is the traditional family style that appeared in Shanghai over 100 years ago. Using fresh fish， chicken， pork and various vegetables as the main ingredients， Benbang Cuisine always has a great flavor and a bright color derived from the oil and soybean sauce. Like the dishes of Suzhou and Wuxi cuisines， Shanghai Benbang dishes taste fresh， mellow and sweet.
本帮菜，顾名思义，也就是指上海本地传统菜肴， 在上海已有上百年的历史。本帮菜多以新鲜的鱼、鸡肉、猪肉以及各种蔬菜为食材，多油多酱，味道浓郁，颜色鲜亮。像苏州菜和无锡菜一样，上海的本帮菜爽口，软润，香甜。
Haipai Cuisine， literally meaning 'all-embracing cuisine'is derived from the cosmopolitan culture formed in Shanghai in the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644--1911). It absorbs the advantages of many cuisines from other regions of China and even western countries， and then adapts them to suit local tastes. Fresh fish， shrimps and crabs are the main ingredients of Haipai Cuisine. The appearance， flavors and cooking techniques of the Haipai dishes have many variations.
海派菜与本帮菜不同，它是从清末时期在上海开始形成的兼容并包式的文化中发展形成的。它融合了全国乃至世界各地烹饪的优点，并加以改良，以适应当地人们的口味。鱼、虾、蟹是海派菜的主要食材。而其卖相、口味以及烹调方法也各式各样。
Benbang and Haipai Cuisine also have many things in common： First， they make great use of fresh meat， chicken， vegetables and especially various marine ingredients such as fish， shrimps and crabs. Secondly， Shanghai Cuisine has a great number of signature dishes made from various seasonal ingredients. Thirdly， a wide range of cooking techniques have been adopted， including steaming， braising， stewing， stir-frying， quick-frying， deep-frying， boiling， marinating， smoking and roasting. Fourthly， strongly hot food hardly ever forms part of Shanghai Cuisine. Most of the dishes taste fresh， clear， mellow， sweet or subtly spicy.
本帮菜和海派菜也有不少相通之处：首先，他们都大量使用新鲜肉类、鸡、蔬菜，尤其是鱼、虾、蟹等各种海鲜食材。其次，上海菜中的很多招牌菜是用时令食材制作而成。再次，很多的烹饪方法被吸收运用在上海菜之中，蒸、炖、煮、炒、快炒、炸、卤、熏、烤等，应有尽有。最后，上海菜中少有辣食，大都鲜美、爽口、醇厚、甜美或微麻。
In recent years， Shanghai Cuisine has been greatly influenced by Cantonese Cuisine. Consequently the dishes are now less oily and more delicate with the use of high quality and expensive ingredients. People here have become more concerned about a healthy diet. This means there is an upsurge in the trend towards the use of fresh ingredients and in particular good quality fruit and vegetables.
近年来，上海菜也受到了粤菜的影响，变得清淡、精致，使用了更多高质量的昂贵食材。上海人也越来越注重饮食的健康。这也就是说，如今的潮流趋势是更多的使用新鲜食材，尤其是高品质的水果、蔬菜。
Shanghai cuisine is a popular style of Chinese cuisine. The city of Shanghai itself does not have a separate and unique cuisine of its own， but modifies those of the surrounding provinces， such as Jiangsu and Zhejiang. What can be called Shanghai cuisine is epitomised by the use of alcohol. Fish， crab and chicken are 'drunken'with spirits and are briskly cooked， steamed or served raw. Salted meats and preserved vegetables are also commonly used to enhance the flavor.
上海菜是中国菜中一个受欢迎的种类。它吸收了江苏、浙江等周边省份的菜系特点。上海菜的还有一个特点便是使用酒。先用酒将鱼、蟹、鸡肉置于酒中，然后迅速烹调，或者不经烹调直接上菜。还会使用腌肉、冬菜来增加菜的风味。
The use of sugar is common in Shanghai cuisine， especially when used in combination with soy sauce.The most notable dish of this type is 'sweet and sour spare ribs'. 'Red cooking'is another popular style of stewing meats and vegetables.
糖也是经常在上海菜中使用的材料，特别是常与酱油一同使用。外地人或许会难以发觉这种“秘方”在菜中的使用。运用这种材料制作的菜品中最着名的当属“糖醋小排”。另外，红烧也是一种常用的烹调方法。
核心词汇
1.ingredient[in?ɡri?di?nt] n. 原料；要素；组成部分
例：The garlic was just such a key ingredient that this dish couldn"t have been made without it.大蒜是一个关键的组成部分，没有蒜就做不成这道菜。
2.braising [breizi?] n. 炖
例：Shanghainese cooking uses a lot of salted and preserved foods and relies on stewing， braising and frying.上海菜多用腌制食物，并使用蒸、炖、煎、炸的烹饪方法。
3.upsurge [?p?s??d?]n. 高涨，高潮
例：A new upsurge in construction is in the making.一个建设的新高潮正在兴起。
情景对话
A：Shanghai is really a paradise for those who like eating.上海真可谓是吃货的天堂啊！
B：Yes. Shanghai has various kinds of food， east and west.对啊，上海有来自中西的各种食物。
A：That'true. But I like local cuisine most.没错，但我还是最喜欢本地的菜。
B：What's your favorite dish？
你最喜欢哪道菜？
A：It must be Steamed Crabs in Clear Soup.当然是清蒸大闸蟹。
B：Why do you like it？
为什么？
A：The crabs are fresh and tasty. And you know one can never get tired of seafood， unless he is allergic to it.因为蟹肉新鲜美味。而且你知道的，一个人吃海鲜永远不会腻，除非是对海鲜过敏。
B：Haha， I can't agree any more！
哈哈，太同意了！
知识链接
着名上海菜
八宝鸭
八宝鸭是上海各家饭店的名菜，但以上海城隍庙上海老饭店烹制的为最佳，故被美食家誉为席上一绝，驰名中外。八宝鸭用带骨鸭开背，填入配料，扣在大碗里，封以玻璃纸蒸熟，鸭形丰腴饱满，原汁浓郁，出笼时再浇上用蒸鸭原卤调制的虾仁和青豆，满堂皆香。
白斩鸡
提到上海的特色风味菜，白斩鸡似乎是上海人的至爱，上海滩上经营白斩鸡的店家之多、品名之繁就是明证。假如说北京烤鸭是京城的招牌菜，那么沪上则推白斩鸡无疑。白斩鸡的渊源可溯自战国时代楚国的宫廷名菜露鸡。据郭沫若考证：露鸡即卤鸡，选用嫩母鸡投入五味调和的卤汁中煮熟而成，经历代相传而成为宫廷及民间的一款佳肴；在演化过程中又花开两枝：制法分成红白两种，红者为烧鸡，白者即现在的白斩鸡。
白斩鸡又称三黄油鸡，多作为宴席冷盘，供佐酒之用。上海白斩鸡始于清朝末年，先在酒店出现，用本地饲养的浦东三黄鸡制成，将做好的鸡悬挂在熟食橱窗里，根据顾客需要，随点随斩。后来，上海各饭店也普遍供应，不仅用料更加考究，而且还用熬熟的虾子酱油，随白斩鸡一起上桌，供顾客蘸食，其味更为鲜美。如今上海小绍兴酒家经营的白斩鸡最为着名。20世纪40年代，小绍兴原是鸡粥摊，解放后长期关闭。1978年恢复为小绍兴鸡粥店，由于该店坚持选用三黄鸡烹制白斩鸡，质量好，滋味鲜美，颇受广大顾客欢迎，并闻名全国。1985年小绍兴白斩鸡被商业部评为全国优质产品。现在尽管沪上百鸡竞争，但小绍兴的白斩鸡始终名列首位，销售数量、质量和声誉均居全国之冠。其用上海浦东地区三黄鸡入汤锅煮制而成。成菜色泽金黄，皮脆肉嫩，滋味异常鲜美，百吃不厌。