Eating in China can be an overwhelming experience, especially with the vast variety of delicious foods to try. With so many regional delicacies, it's truly a gourmand's paradise. In the north, fill up on a tasty dish of wontons (hundun), filled with leeks and minced pork or Mongolian hotpot (??ngg? huoguo). a savoury brew of mutton, onions and cabbage.

In the south, enjoy morning dim sum in Guangzhou or a bowl of Cantonese snake soup (she g?ng) in one of the city's boisterous night markets. While in Macau, taste the Macanese dish porco a alentejana, a delicious casserole of pork and clams that is not to be missed.

When travelling through China's arid northwest, consider trying a bowl of noodles topped with sliced donkey meat (lurou huang mian) or hearty roasted mutton (kao yangrou).

And don't forget delectable stinky tofu (chou doufu) - some say it's the equivalent to Euro- pean stinky cheese.

The Chinese revere rice not only as their staff of life but also for its aesthetic value. Its mellow aroma is not unlike bread. Its texture when properly done - soft yet offering some resistance, the grains detached -sets off the-textures of the foods that surround it. Flavours are brought into better focus by its simplicity. Rice is the unifier of the table, bringing all the dishes into harmony.

Noodles are a staple in the north and eaten more than rice, which is more commonly eaten in southern China. Noodles can be made by hand or by machine but many people agree that hand-pulled noodles (Iamian) are the tastiest. Watching the noodles being made is almost as much a treat as eating them. First the cook stretches the dough in their hands, shakes it gently up and down and swings it so the dough twists around itself many times until it becomes firm. The dough is pulled and stretched until it becomes very fine. Often the noodles are served in a spicy broth.