Eight major cuisines of China

The eight major cuisines of China refer to China's eight major regional culinary traditions, each with its distinctive local flavors, including Shandong, Sichuan, Cantonese, Jiangsu, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Anhui cuisines. Each region has developed its own culinary culture with distinct cooking methods and flavors over time based on its unique climate, ge- ography, history, availability of produce, and dietary customs. Collectively these cuisines represent Chinese food culture.

Each of the eight major cuisines of China has its unique characteristics. Shandong cuisine has distinct salty and fresh flavors and is renowned for its seafood dishes. Sichuan cuisine, originating from Sichuan and Chongqing, is characterized by savory flavors with a spicy or numbing-spicy twist owing to the use of Sichuan pepper. Cantonese cuisine from Guangdong Province emphasizes the quality of ingredients to ensure fresh and savory tastes. Jiangsu cuisine, including four subsets – Nanjing Style, Xuzhou and Haizhou Style, Huai'an and Yang- zhou Style, and Suzhou and Nantong Style – is renowned for its careful ingredient selection and plating and is often seen at China's state banquets. Fujian cuisine is famous for its soups and its use of fermented red yeast rice and sweet and sour sauce. Zhejiang cuisine emphasizes light and delicate flavors. It features small and exquisite dishes that are tender and de- licious. Hunan cuisine is known for its hot and spicy flavors, fresh aroma and deep colors. Anhui cuisine features salty and fresh flavors, employing cooking techniques such as stewing, smoking, steaming, and braising.

The eight major cuisines of China are rooted in the traditional Chinese belief that there is no limit to fine cooking. Centuries of inter-generational transmission together with innovation in cooking techniques have laid the groundwork for Chinese cuisine to develop delicate, balanced, delicious, visually appealing, and healthy foods. Representing the unique cooking styles of various regions in China, these cuisines embody cohesion in diversity of the Chinese nation.

八大菜系

八大菜系，是中國飲食文化中具有鮮明地方風味特色，并為社會公認的菜肴流派，包含魯菜、川菜、粵菜、蘇菜、閩菜、浙菜、湘菜、徽菜。由于不同區域氣候、地形、歷史、物產及飲食風俗的不同，各地膳食文化經過長期演變， 形成了自成體系的烹飪技藝和風味菜品，成為中國飲食文化的鮮明標識。

八大菜系各有特色：魯菜起源于山東的齊魯風味，口味以咸鮮為主，比較擅長烹飪海鮮；川菜起源于四川、重慶， 以麻、辣、鮮、香為特色，善用麻辣調味；粵菜是廣東風味的菜肴，口味鮮香，選料精細；蘇菜由南京、徐海、淮揚和蘇南四種風味組成，用料嚴謹，造型別致，是中國國宴的主要菜品；閩菜是福建地方菜系，口味以鮮香為主，長于紅糟調味、制湯和使用糖醋；浙菜口味以清淡為主，菜式小巧玲瓏，菜品鮮美滑嫩；湘菜是湖南的菜肴，講究熱辣、濃鮮， 油重色濃；徽菜即安徽菜，口味以咸鮮為主，擅長燒、燉、熏、蒸類的功夫菜。

八大菜系根植于中國人“食不厭精、膾不厭細”的傳統理念，經過幾百年古法傳承和技藝創新，奠定了中國菜肴精細、中和、美味、美觀、健康的良好基礎。這些菜系不僅代表了中國各地區獨特的生活飲食風格，更體現了中華民族多元一體的思想文化和群體性格。