Eight Major China Regional Cuisines

Chinese Cuisine: Overview

Dish Description Ingredients Region/Cuisine Kung Pao Chicken Stir-fried chicken with peanuts, chilli peppers, and vegetables Chicken, peanuts, chilli peppers, vegetables, soy sauce Sichuan Cuisine Peking Duck Roasted duck with crispy skin, served with pancakes, scallions, and hoisin sauce Duck, pancakes, scallions, hoisin sauce Beijing/Cantonese Cuisine Mapo Tofu Spicy tofu dish with minced meat and Sichuan peppercorns Tofu, ground meat, chili bean paste, Sichuan peppercorns Sichuan Cuisine Dim Sum Assorted small dishes served with tea, including dumplings, buns, and small plates Dumplings, buns, steamed or fried dishes Cantonese Cuisine Hot Pot Shared meal where ingredients are cooked in a simmering pot of broth at the table Various meats, seafood, vegetables, noodles, broth Various regions Xiaolongbao Steamed soup dumplings filled with pork and broth Pork, gelatinized broth, dumpling wrapper Shanghai Cuisine General Tso’s Chicken Deep-fried chicken pieces coated in a sweet and spicy sauce Chicken, cornstarch, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar Hunan Cuisine Chow Mein Stir-fried noodles with vegetables and protein Noodles, vegetables (such as cabbage, carrots), protein (such as chicken, beef, shrimp) Cantonese Cuisine Ma Po Eggplant Spicy stir-fried eggplant dish with minced meat and fermented bean paste Eggplant, ground meat, fermented bean paste Sichuan Cuisine Spring Rolls Crispy fried rolls filled with vegetables, sometimes with meat or shrimp Vegetables (such as cabbage, carrots), meat or shrimp, spring roll wrapper Cantonese Cuisine...

History of Chinese Cuisine

Chinese cuisine refers to the different kinds of food made in various regions and by different ethnic groups in China....

Eight Major China Regional Cuisines

...

1. Shandong Cuisine (aka Lu) Cuisine

Shandong cuisine is famous in northeastern China. It became popular across China, thanks to Ming and Qing dynasty emperors who enjoyed its refined dishes. It heavily influenced the cuisines of nearby regions like Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and the Northeast....

2. Sichuan Cuisine 川菜 Chuan cai

Sichuan cuisine is known for its spicy flavours, making it popular not just in China but also internationally....

3. Fujian Cuisine 闽菜 Min cai

Fujian province, located along the southern coast of the China Sea, is known for its mountainous terrain and rich culinary tradition....

4. Anhui Cuisine 徽菜 Hui cai

Anhui province in southeastern China is defined by its rugged and wild mountains which have influenced its food culture....

5. Zhejiang Cuisine 浙菜 Zhe cai

Zhejiang Cuisine, also known as Zhe cai in Chinese, refers to the culinary tradition of Zhejiang province in eastern China....

6. Jiangsu Cuisine 苏菜 Sū cài

Jiangsu cuisine, also known as Huaiyang Cuisine, comes from areas like Huai’an and Yangzhou in southern Jiangsu province....

7. Hunan Cuisine 湘菜 Xiang cai

Hunanese food comes from the eastern part of Sichuan province, near the Yangtze River....

8. Xinjiang Cuisine 新疆菜 Xinjiang cai

Xinjiang cuisine, known as “新疆菜” (Xinjiang cai), reflects the diverse cultural influences of the region blending elements from traditional Chinese, Central Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines....

Conclusion

Chinese food is diverse and comes from different regions with their styles. Each place has unique flavours and ways of cooking. Popular dishes like Peking duck and dim sum are enjoyed by people both inside and outside of China. Each region also has its special delicacies, like the hairy crab in Shanghai....

FAQs on Chinese cuisine and regional specialities

What are the main regional cuisines in China?...