Why is there no cheese used in Chinese food ?

Answer 1

The other statements listed (not in the recipes, they're lactose intolerant etc.) are true, but the *cause* of there not being cheese (and, of them not gaining lactose tolerancy) in traditional Chinese dishes is that --
The domestication of cows for milk, to make the cheese, in China is a fairly recent development. There are no milk products in traditional Japanese cuisine or that of many other cultures either. Crab rangoons and several other "Chinese" dishes are American inventions, not traditional Chinese.

Answer 2

Well, the only cheese I can think of are cream cheese won tons. I don't know if that is a chinese dish or an american chinese dish. Other than that I think you're pretty much right. Thats only in my experience though, there are many people out there who know a great deal more than me about chinese food.

Answer 3

Cheeses can also be made with goat milk or pig milk. Any mammal that produces milk can be used to produce various dairy products. However, cheeses are a Western tradition, mostly from Europe and there is no cheese or dairy-products traditionally used in Asian cuisine, like that of China, Japan or Korea. They use soybeans to make tofu, a cheese-like product in texture and appearance, but not flavor.

Answer 4

The gene for lactose tolerance originated in Europe. It is not present in American Indian, Oriental and African genomes, except where there has been some inter-breeding with Europeans. It is also very recent: 10,000 years or so old. American Indian, African and Oriental cuisines do not use dairy products because they could not be digested.

Cattle are an important part of African culture, but mainly for their meat and blood, and as a measure of wealth: in tribal cultures doweries are paid in cattle.

In the Orient they were used in agriculture to draw plows, and as a source of meat, but not milk. In India, they were (and in many cases still are) regarded as sacred, and their meat is not eaten, although ghee is used in cooking. Ghee is made by melting butter and skimming the oil off to be used in cooking, leaving the milk solids behind, since they are indigestible to natives of the Indian subcontinent.

Answer 5

I have noticed Chinese women drinking milk on many occasions but people there have told me that they can smell cheese on foreignors. It doesn't appear to be appetizing to them and, after I got back, I was used to not eating it as well. The question should be, "Why does anyone eat cheese?"

Answer 6

Probably Chinese don't like cheese at all or ever. It's obvious you said they don't used it in their foods. Hope I manage to answer well.

Answer 7

Its not a staple food used in China. Nor is it something that was made in the early days of China.
Cheese also isnt spicey nor does it have the Chinese flar - As such, therefor its not something that would regularly be used in Chinese dishes.

Answer 8

chinese don't really do "dairy" as part of their diet, so cheese and milk are not popular. average chinese wage/standard of living couldn't afford it, so the industry never really developed until recently. will be interesting to see what their diet looks like in 20 years.

Answer 9

I don't really know but I'm glad about it cause I don"t like cheese.

Answer 10

Good question.
What's interesting, though, is that the result is they have had FAR less cases of cancer and heart disease because they ended up eating WAY less animal protein than the typical Western diet.
It's true.
http://www.nutrition.cornell.edu/ChinaProject/
And now that they're eating more animal protein, guess what's happening?
http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/01/6.28.01/China_Study_II.html
Read this excellent book! It could change your life.
http://thechinastudy.com