Why is tuna not used in Chinese cooking?

Answer 1

I don't know, but I'm having salmon for dinner!!!

Answer 2

It's an interesting question.........

As said earlier - I'm not sure where your source of information is from for you to ask such a question.

Local cuisines are based on what is sourced locally and also what the public demand is.

Tuna is fished in the Atlantic as well as the Pacific Ocean so it can be available to chinese should they have a taste for it.

Being chinese myself, my family do not buy pieces of fresh tuna to cook with. It's true what Mike says. Typically a whole fish is steamed, fried, filletted, etc. Tuna is used in Japanese cuisine and is often consumed raw as sushi toppings or in sushi rolls. It's also sliced thinly and eaten as sashimi.

Canned tuna is eaten by the chinese, this is probably a more modern introduction and it's eaten in sandwiches as tuna mayonnaise or baked in buns to make savoury tuna bun.

Traditionally, chinese do not eat raw foods although nowadays culinary tastes are broadening and people learn to embrace different cuisines and try new things.

Answer 3

This is an interesting question, and I don't know the answer.

Authentic Chinese food is far removed from the stuff you get in takeout joints, but tuna is noticeably absent from authentic Chinese cuisine too. And when you do see it, it always appears in a dish that looks as if it were inspired by Japanese food prep techniques, e.g., sushi, sashimi, or broiled tuna steaks in a miso-based sauce.

Mike is not as far off as you might think. Most Chinese food prep techniques were developed before refrigeration or freezing were available, and when it comes to cooking, Chinese like to stick to their traditions. Tuna fish are too big to cook and serve as a whole fish. If they feature at all, they are much more likely to show up as salted, dried fish, the way you often see squid, anchovies, etc. Think of western bacalao, though I have to admit I haven't seen this with tuna.

Answer 4

Look at the size of China, consider the problems of transporting ocean fish (which tuna is) across those distances during the time Chinese cuisine was developed. Consider the kind of fish which can be grown in rice paddies and caught in rivers and the kinds of seafood that can be dried (shrimp, etc.) and transported and that is what you will find in Chinese cooking.
Where it is available, whole fish is baked as a feature course much more often than we do in general American cuisine although that is more common close to the seashore.

Answer 5

Chinese cook what they can get to hand and each region has its own special dishes. Here in France we can get fresh Tuna and my Chinese friends us it a lot. We also get Fois Gras and they use that too, in tempura batter dishes. Any French Chef would quake to think of it and on London prices I doubt if it would be served in Soho.
The Chinese as masters at adaption are top of the table for chefs, beleive me I lived and worked with then in Limehouse for a long time....

Answer 6

Have you ever heard of "garoupa"??? Very tasty and high priced fish size from 1.5 lbs to 15 or even 20 lbs, we (people live in Hong Kong or along the coast line in China or Asia) like to have it freshly killed then prepare it in different ways. There are also many different kinds of fresh water fish or sea fish we consume here, most are not frozen ones! Authentic Chinese cooking demands using fresh ingredients!

When we can afford to have some fresh / alive ones in the sea-water tanks in market or the restaurants, why do we want to order the frozen ones - i.e. tuna, salmon, trouts, etc are typical frozen fish that we didn't consume them till recent few decades.

Cantonese Cuisine is famous for preparing seafood, fresh, by all means, no frozen things should be put on the table. Serious, that's how picky we are about fish.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trentbigelow/272318283/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malbers/139150367/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/drytherain/123997631/
http://www.hongkongfoodguide.com/cgi-bin/search.pl?command=read&id=e4&l=e

Answer 7

In Malaysia chinese cuisine, we don't really use tuna. Our fishes are usaully river fishes and most of the time, the tuna i eat has a fishy smell. It's too flaky anyway for our crave for chunky flesh of fish meat.

Answer 8

because tuna is hard to find in china.... that's why they dont really use it on chinese cooking. they have different kinda fish and they have lots of fish dishes but they hardly found the same types of fish in america and most of the fish here is frozen, so it is not good to be eat...

Answer 9

the shanghai and cantonese are chinase fish kitchens, they use all kinds of fish by the dozen, uncluding tuna. where did you get the idea that chinese cuisine doesnt use tuna? youre probably used to the americanised styles, which are soully based on the hunan, szechuan and beijing kitchens. since fish isnt that popular in the us.

Answer 10

It is but not in westernised takeaways & Restaurants - to Mike :- you have the typical American Knowledge about other countries (apart from USA of course ) Zilch!! In case you hadn`t noticed China has a decent sized coastline & maybe they also have one or two fishing boats as well!!

Answer 11

where is your data to prove that point
I know nothing of Chinese food habits in China
but the silly notion of transportation may apply to remote areas but they know how to freeze food.
So I am sure if there is a demand they have it
as for the disgustting remarks by the bigots here it is a sad reflection on the english speaking people
what a shame..!