By INESA PLESKACHEUSKAYA

Many specialists think that the world's gastronomic variety can be divided into three main groups: French, Middle Eastern and Chinese cuisines. Sure, there are people who would not agree: Italians will bombard you with pizza and pasta, Spaniards have paella, and even my fellow Belarusians can take part in this argument with our famous potato pancakes draniki. Many Americans also think that pizza and pancakes belong to their national cuisine. I once had a hot dispute on this matter with an American woman, my strongest argument: "My ancestors had pancakes on their dining tables centuries before America had even been discovered!"

Despite all these arguments, one thing is for sure - the Chinese phenomenon deserves a special place in the world's recipe books and our hearts. Chinese people themselves consider their cuisine as "the brightest pearl" of their culture. And justly so.

Food for Chinese is a genuine cult, exquisite art and source of candid pleasure - all in one. Chinese people never "have a bite," they don't even have such a phrase in their vocabulary - they eat thoroughly and quickly. The traditional Chinese welcome greeting "chi fan le ma?" translate as "Did you eat?" Out of necessity, Chinese people have managed to eat nearly everything growing, moving or flying. This necessity has since been turned into virtue and now Chinese cuisine boasts nearly 5,000 dishes catering to any taste. They are divided into styles and varieties depending on geography, nationality or social status of their creators, adaptors and eaters: There are family and temple styles, official, palace and medicinal dishes. Foods are also separated into hot and cold, formal, sweet and soups, depending on cooking style. Specificity in Chinese cuisine is such that not one dish can be separated from its origin, geography, climate, natural resources, local traditions, social and cultural factors all have a say.

Foods in Chinese cuisine traditionally belong to two categories: main and additional. The main or staple food is carbohydrate, and meat, fish and vegetables are, and have always been considered additional food. The foundation of Chinese culinary arts is the combination of these two. Chinese chefs also use additional seasoning and condiments, especially for meat and fish dishes. For centuries, five main seasonings corresponding to the five senses have distinguished Chinese food: ginger for pungency, vinegar for tartness, salt for savoriness, wine for bitterness and syrup for sweetness. It was in the Middle Ages that they started using soy sauce.

English-speaking people assert that the foundation of Chinese cuisine lies in the three G's: garlic, ginger and green onion. This is one explanation for its famous pungency.

Philosophy is present in every single aspect of everyday life in China, particularly in its culinary arts. The differentiation between main and additional foods demonstrates the principles of balance between yin and yang. Most fruits and vegetables belong to yin, as they are moist and soft with a cooling effect that nourishes the feminine aspect of our nature. Yang food is fried, hot and generally features red meat that warms and nourishes our masculine aspect. As yin and yang compliment each other in philosophy, so do they in food. This is why Chinese people don't add soy sauce to rice, as they both belong to the yang group and eating them together causes an imbalance.

Another philosophical principle used often in Chinese cuisine is "to place true into false." Within this concept, the aim of any Chinese chef is to obscure the ingredients of a dish. Because of this principle, Buddhist monks who are supposed to be vegetarians don't even notice they are not eating meat as there are so many vegetarian dishes resembling meat and fish in form and taste such as "roast" soy beans or "fish" made of eggs.

China is such a vast country it is no surprise that different people like different dishes. The easiest and most obvious difference is that southerners prefer rice as their staple food and northerners prefer noodles. Nearly every province and even some cities have their trademark dishes; Beijing has roast duck, Yangzhou has fried rice and Suzhou has shellfish. One of the most famous Guangdong Province dishes is "Dragon and Tiger Battle" made of three kinds of poisonous snakes, wildcat and seasonings. It is extremely hard to find a restaurant with this dish on its menu as the SARS outbreak last year prompted many restaurants to stop serving cat.

Food in China is not just for filling a stomach; it is full of sense and significance. This is especially true on traditional holidays celebrated in accordance with the lunar calendar. Almost every dish on a table has meaning: oranges and chicken for good luck, fish for bounty, chestnuts and tofu for wealth. During marriage celebrations, newlyweds eat sweet balls made of glutinous rice to ensure a sweet and harmonious marriage. Parents and guests pour nuts, dates, candies and oranges onto the marital bed in hopes of inspiring a son. On a baby's first birthday, its mother and other family members are presented with boiling eggs dyed red meaning that the mother is cleansed and can visit the temple to pray.

The Chinese idea that when eating fish, you should take a little bit from both head and tail, stresses overall balance. If you dine with Chinese friends, be careful to never leave your chopsticks sticking out of a bowl full of rice. This is how people pray for ancestors and make sacrifices.

So, every time you are about to enjoy Chinese cuisine - without a doubt one of the world's best - don't forget that as Confucius once said food is the "people's Heaven."

INESA PLESKACHEUSKAYA is the Beijing bureau chief of the Belorussian national newspaper Belarus Today and the National TV channel ONT.