Chinese cuisine question re: cheese.

[DemoTex]

Does Chinese cuisine ever use cheese? If so, what cheeses? I cannot recall ever having a cheese in a Chinese (or Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, etc) dish. In fact, I never saw cheese used in French-influenced Vietnamese cuisine in Saigon or Nha Trang.

If cheese is not used, why? I can see warm weather storage problems in the past, but northern China and Korea have cold climates.

[Texasgal]

1. You know.. I never thought of this..

Your right... there is no cheese!

[Daisy Adair]

2. I have a Chinese friend who told me that there's no dairy in China

because there's no land for dairy farms. She told me that a lot of Chinese don't like dairy because they aren't used to it and it's never become part of their culture.

She's totally grossed out at the thought of sour cream.

[Sanity Claws]

3. Those cultures do not have a history of dairy farming

I think the Mongols and Tibetans rely on yaks and their milk but most Far East Asian cultures do not have a history of dairy farming and do not use dairy products.

[jmm]

4. Are crab rangoons real Chinese food

or are they about as authentic as fortune cookies? I know they have cream cheese in them.

[SOteric]

6. Heh! Not even.

Crab Rangoon is a creatiion of the Trader Vic's Polynesian-themed restaurants. It started in Oakland in the 1950's. It didn't even start out pretending to be Chinese, much less American Chinese, and I've no clue how it came to be associated with Chinese and Chinese American cuisine. - Except of course that it fits in rather naturally with most kinds of more authentic Dim Sum. :shrug:

[mykpart]

24. Not only that, but they don't even have real crab in them!

I know 'cause I'm allergic to shellfish!

[democracyindanger]

5. Most asians lack an enzyme that

help digest dairy products.

[Shine]

7. Hey, that's what I was gonna say.

[Nikia]

9. They are the most lactose intolerant people

I read that on one of the web pages when I was looking up lactose intolerance since I probably have that problem. Almost all East Asians are lactose intolerant. Europeans of Scandanavian descent are the most lactose tolerant people.

[KitchenWitch]

17. Yup yup yup!

My husband is Amerasian and is very lactose intolerant. He likes dairy, but dairy disagrees with him.

[DemoTex]

8. Good answers ..

But I used to have bodacious cafe-au-laits and cream-based sauces in Saigon. There was at least enough dairy for that. It is a question that just crossed my mind tonight as I wokked mushrooms and spinach. I wokked enough to make a spinach/mushroom and feta cheese omelet for breakfast tomorrow. THAT got me thinking about the Chinese-cheese link. I might keep this burning question kicked for more ideas.

Mac

[TheMightyFavog]

10. Well, Vietnamese cuisine does have a bit of French elements to it..

Due to the French Colonialism. That would explain the use of dairy in that region of Asia.

[DemoTex]

12. Yep, that was my point with the cafe-au-lait tidbit.

OK. Just as I thought. There is no Asian equivalant of Pont l'eveque d'Isigny. Lucky duckies!

[Daisy Adair]

11. No one ever said is was absent from the culture, just not the "norm".

The region was never one of dairy farming. The biological make-up of the people and the physical make-up of the region are not condusive to dairy and dairy products.

Now, I am NOT Chinese, but my money says that cafe-au-laits are not part of the "typical" Asian diet.

[DemoTex]

13. " ..cafe-au-laits are not part of the "typical" Asian diet .."

I agree, and my point about cafe-au-laits was bent toward the French influence in Indochine. My original question was purely: "Why no cheese in China?" The secondary question concerns why/how do certain European dairy customs flourish in certain spots in Asia (Hong-Kong, Hanoi, Saigon, Singapore) without a fresh dairy souce, without some cheese being the by-product. Oh, I'm sure it's to be had, only if asked for.

Imported, expensive, and laden with costive dangers: cheese. I'll do a little OJT research at next month's Singapore Air Show. I'll be there covering civilian training issues for my UK magazine employer.

[supernova]

14. There's also coconut milk

that the Thais use for curries, for example.

It's as good as cream. :9

[DemoTex]

19. Indeed! Love it and use it in my cooking.

And it is as good as dairy cream. While this (non-animal coconut milk) might be the linchpin answer to my original question, I must throw in a spoiler question. Are there any eastern (Asian) religions that prohibit cheese (any/all cheeses) in the way some religions have other dietary restrictions (like Islam's ban on pork meat)?

BTW: Dr. DemoTex came back from Bangalore, India violently ill. She blames the curry, daily X3. But it runs deeper than that. Yesterday her ophthalmologist said that she is going blind very quickly. She started having the blinding headaches in Bangalore (remember, I started over there). A family member in Atlanta (my brother's gay partner) reports that friends of his with a certain F-100 corporations, who are required to travel to and from Bangalore, stay sick. With the same symptoms. Otherwise we are tracking a specialist, with the help of my radiologist brother, for my wife's bad situation.

Mac

[Daisy Adair]

18. Awesome, report back your findings!

Again, my only experience is through my friend with whom I cannot get in touch at the moment. Though, her English is very broken and I am not sure to what extent she's researched the topic. We have discussed the topic; being in Wisconsin and all.

Have a safe trip!!

[Rabrrrrrr]

15. No. They have no cheese; not traditionally, anyway.

The very northern parts will have a form of it, but for the most part, no.

[DemoTex]

20. But what about where there are goats? Goat milk? Goat cheese?

I'm thinking:YES! Goat Cheese Saves! Betterin' Jebus, if U-B-Hongry. Know whut I mean, Vern?

Mac

[Kali]

16. Krab wontons

:puke:

doubt if they serve these in China, though.

[spindrifter]

21. What about the Mongolian fermented horse milk that

the Chimp supposedly drank when he was there? I'm no food chemist, but I think that fermentation probably takes care of any lactose intolerance problems the people may have. Similarly, the condensed milk in cafe sua (Vietnamese-style coffee) is processed, which probably helps people who have trouble digesting dairy products.

[u4ic]

22. I was just about to mention mare's milk

Mongolian cultures used it...I believe it's called kefir, the fermented product, and is also in eastern European cultures, too, but I believe some of their kefir is cow's milk.

My grandparents were from Ukraine and whenever someone was sick they fed them mare's milk, if at all possible. They found it quite the 'cure-all'.

[AlienGirl]

25. Condensation doesn't get rid of lactose

Condensation just concentrates the lactose, along with the other non-water components of milk. Pure butt-cano fuel.

Tucker

[The empressof all]

23. Tibetian Yak Cheese

http://www.igourmet.com/shoppe/shoppe.asp?cat=1&subCat=Asia

Scroll down a bit on the link.
I haven't tried it yet, I'm still eating my way through Italy. Looks interesting though.

[Kali]

26. Your question intrigued me so I asked over at the Lonely Planet

forum, the Thorntree. I asked where, geographically does dairy start becoming a part of diet in Asia. Here are a rew replies:



BeekeeperUSA
Posted: 18 Jan 2006
4:19am
2.

Mongolia, Tibet... ask Nutrax about the butter tea... and I guess it depends upon where your start point is located.

-------------------------
www.wanderingbuddhist.com

Myanmarbound
Posted: 18 Jan 2006
4:36am
3.

Its changing very rapidly anyway. China is becoming a big market for dairy goods, following on changes in dietary patterns in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Although not a big place for dairy, Indonesia's national milk company has been ensuring Indos get some calicum in their diet for the last few decades.

India is obviously the big place for dairy...

amelias
Posted: 18 Jan 2006
6:16am
4.

Mongolia, Tibet, and of course India have dairy as a major component of their traditional diets. I think that for most of East Asia -- China, southeast Asia, Japan, Korea -- dairy is still fairly new. In those areas, I think that dairy products got their foothold mostly with well-off urban people who were exposed to Western cultures and foods. From there, it gradually spread through ordinary capitalist marketing, and is still spreading.

Myanmarbound
Posted: 18 Jan 2006
8:04am
5.

Quote

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spread through ordinary capitalist marketing
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but perhaps also because Asians are as willing as anyone else to try new flavours and find that they like them????

amelias
Posted: 18 Jan 2006
8:43am
6.

Getting people to try things, and because they might like them, is entirely within the realm of ordianry capitalist marketing.


etmchina
Posted: 18 Jan 2006
9:23am
7.

In China, dairy first became popular as yogurt, which I think is easier to digest. Ice creams with high-ice content came next, but now milk is popular.