Hearty Stews & Warming Spices

While Chinese city-dwellers today have the privilege of buying meat at large wet markets or modern supermarkets, many people in rural northern China depend on local butchers or their own small herds. With poverty still widespread in these areas, many of the cuts of meat available to locals are the cheaper, tougher ones. This explains why many dishes are marinated with wine, bean sauces and aromatics, and stewed until fork-tender.