Chinese regional cuisine

[1][2] These styles are distinctive from one another due to the factors such as availability of resources, climate, geography, history, cooking techniques and lifestyle.

[5] However, in modern times the list is often expanded to the Eight Great Traditions (Chinese: 八大菜系; pinyin: Bādà càixì), which are as follows: Guangdong or Cantonese cuisine (Chinese: 粤菜; pinyin: yuècài) is a regional cuisine that emphasizes the minimal use of sauce which brings out the original taste of food itself.

[6] It is known for dim sum, a Cantonese term for small hearty dishes, which became popular in Hong Kong in the early 20th century.

The Cantonese style of dining, yum cha, combines the variety of dim sum dishes with the drinking of tea.

[1] Sichuan cuisine (Chinese: 川菜; pinyin: chuāncài; spelled Szechuan or Szechwan in the once-common postal romanization) is a style of Chinese cuisine originating from the Sichuan Province of southwestern China, famed for bold flavors, particularly the pungency and spiciness resulting from liberal use of garlic and chili peppers,[8] as well as the unique flavor of the Sichuan peppercorn,[9] famed for the mouthfeel it gives, (花椒; huājiāo) and facing heaven pepper (朝天椒; cháotiān jiāo).

[12] Shandong cuisine encompasses a diverse range of cooking techniques and utilizes a variety of seafood ingredients.

[13] Fujian cuisine is often served in a broth or soup, with cooking techniques including braising, stewing, steaming, and boiling.

Typical courses of Jiangsu cuisine are Jinling salted dried duck (Nanjing's most famous dish), crystal meat (pork heels in a bright, brown sauce), clear crab shell meatballs (pork meatballs in crab shell powder, fatty, yet fresh), and Yangzhou steamed jerky strips (dried tofu, chicken, ham and pea leaves).

Hunan cuisine (湘菜; Xiāngcài) is well known for its hot spicy flavor,[14] fresh aroma, and deep color.

Some typical dishes of Hunan cuisine are steaming smoked meat, stew fish, and rice noodle soup.

It partially relies on preserved foods and large portions due to the region's harsh winters and relatively short growing seasons.

As the most geographically, ethnically and culturally diverse province in modern China, it naturally features a wide variety of cuisine.