The 8 Great Cuisines of China
Updated: Sep 3, 2023
The 8 great cuisines of China, each is distinct and has many major sub-varieties. Yet when we think of Chinese food in Western countries, we find that most of the dishes we eat are dramatically altered versions of one or two of these culinary traditions. This is why I sought out to learn more about all of these traditions… and I hope you all learn something too!
When you think of Chinese food, what do you think of? Many people would probably say Chop Suey, General Tao Chicken, and Ginger Beef for example, but in reality these dishes are dishes developed by Chinese Americans that are entirely original or differ significantly from their Chinese dish counterparts! In fact a lot of the dishes at many of the “Chinese” restaurants I’ve been to in North America are actually Chinese American restaurants! This doesn’t take anything away from these restaurants, Chinese American food is absolutely amazing! It’s just a little bit harder to come across authentic Chinese food in Canada in my experience.
There are actually 8 main cuisines of China. They are; Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan, and Zhejiang. Keep reading to learn about each of these amazing cuisines!
ANHUI CUISINE
Anhui cuisine refers to the cuisine that originated in the Huangshan region of China, a mountainous region that is a UNESCO world heritage site.
With a plethora of wild herbs and vegetables in the region, the cuisine incorporates many herbs and vegetables in the cooking and dishes are often prepared by braising or stewing. Anhui cuisine is also known for tofu, and stinky tofu, as it is the people of Anhui that are thought to have originally developed tofu and stinky tofu in China.
Being on the Eastern coast of China, seafood is also utilized to some degree. Here, you will also find the use of locally produced colza (rapeseed) oil in cooking, which is largely done over fires that use different materials to generate the specific heat necessary for what is being prepared (and we all know how delicious food cooked over a fire is).
CANTONESE CUISINE
Perhaps the most famous Chinese cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, is well known for its dim sum, char siu, and congee. This cuisine originates from the Guangdong province of China and focuses more on balanced flavours as opposed to strong spices or an abundance of herbs.
Due to the availability of nearby seafood and the ability to breed a variety of livestock, a wide variety of seafood and meat is used in Cantonese cuisine. Dried/preserved ingredients and sauces are also very common in Cantonese cuisine for flavouring dishes. The sauces used are usually mild in flavour yet still overwhelmingly tasty, with a focus on sweetness and umami.
Dishes are usually stir-fried, shallow fried, steamed, or braised with these delicious sauces. These amazingly well balanced sauces and the tender protein often associated with Cantonese cuisine is perhaps why adaptations of Cantonese food into American-Chinese food have been the most prevalent in the West!
FUJIAN CUISINE
Fujian cuisine is the food of the Fujian province of China, whose capital is Fuzhou. In this region, rice is a staple and soup dishes are very common. In fact, it seems some say that this province has some of the best soups in China!
Two common ingredients in Fuzhou are red yeast rice and fish sauce. I have had the pleasure of eating plenty of food containing fish sauce but I have never tried red yeast rice… it amazes me how many ingredients there are in the world that may be super common where they originate but that I had never heard of up until now!
This brings up a side note I wanted to mention, always try new foods/ingredients even if you may be a little nervous! Who knows, you may find your new favourite dish or ingredient to cook with!
Back to Fujian cuisine though, the region is largely forested and coastal, so wild herbs and seafood are very common in dishes. A famous dish from this region is called Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, a variety of shark fin soup.
A final note, similar to what you will see in regards to a lot of other Chinese cuisines, in Fujian cuisine the use of fresh ingredients and artistic presentation are important! Hearing this and seeing pictures of traditional Chinese cuisine always makes me hope that I can find some more diverse Chinese food options here in Canada!
HUNAN CUISINE
Hunan cuisine is the deliciously spicy cuisine of China. With the abundant use of chilies, it is considered the spiciest cuisine in China, as opposed to Sichuan cuisine which heavily involves the Sichuan pepper which is more numbing than spicy!
One of the most famous dishes of this regions is the Chopped Pepper Fish Head on the right… look at all those chilies! The use of smoked and cured products are also prevalent in Hunan cuisine along with more oil use and frying than in other Chinese cuisines.
JIANGSU CUISINE
Jiangsu cuisine is focused on preparation, presentation, and selection of seasonal ingredients. The food is typically less strongly seasoned with intense spices and is instead more focused on the flavours of the ingredients used and presentation. This includes the use of aromatic and flavourful ingredients like bamboo shoots and water chestnut in order to add flavour to dishes.
The Yangtze River Delta is also located here so there is a high availability of seafood. There are a variety of regional styles of Jiangsu cuisine, each with slightly different ingredients and preparation methods, the most famous being Huaiyang cuisine. A famous dish of this cuisine is the Nanjing Salted Duck, which is the dominant duck dish in Southern China compared to Peking Duck which is more popular in Northern China (apparently both are mind-blowingly delicious).
SHANDONG CUISINE
With Shandong being an early cultural center and one of the first “civilized” regions of China, Shandong cuisine has had significant influence on other Chinese cuisines.
In this region the protein of choice is seafood, coming from both rivers and the ocean. As opposed to rice being the staple carbohydrate, as in many of the other cuisines, bread is unique to the cuisine being developed from a variety of grains and is the staple carbohydrate. Maize is also unique and essential to Shandong cuisine, being prepared by steaming, boiling, or frying.
The food is regarded as focusing on umami flavours with significant garlic use as well as sweet and sour flavours, and is also famous for its use of vinegar and peanuts. Soups/stews are also popular in this region, and if you haven’t had a Chinese-style soup before you definitely need to make it a priority because they are absolutely delicious in my experience!
Some of the famous dishes to look out for if you’re on the hunt for some Shandong food include Sweet and Sour Fish, Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallion, and Braised Prawns in Oil.
SICHUAN CUISINE
Probably the second most well known Chinese cuisine after Catonese, food from the Sichuan province is known for its spicy food due to the common use of chilies and, more notably, the use of Sichuan peppercorns!
If you have never had Sichuan food or don’t know what Sichuan peppercorns are I should probably start with that since it is a vital part of Sichuan cuisine. When you have food with these peppercorns you will notice your mouth going numb… which sounds a little bit crazy but from the Sichuan food that I have had it really elevates the eating experience! Other than the mouth numbing effect, I actually have some Sichuan peppercorns at home and as far as the flavor on their own goes I would say that it is floral and lemony. This makes for an amazing addition to both flavour and stimulates your mouth with a tingly feeling.
This combination of spicy chilis and mouth numbing Sichuan peppercorns is referred to as “mala” and is a common flavour in Sichuan food, along with Yuxiang, Guaiwei and others. These famous combinations of spices are added to various dishes, such as the common meats of the region, including pork as the dominant meat consumed alongside beef.
Of course, Sichuan food is not just about being spicy, most dishes contain a balance of spicy with sweetness, sourness, umami, and warm spices like star anise. If you want to get the signature punch of spiciness try the famous Sichuan Hot Pot or Sichuan Boiled Beef (which you can have the pleasure of trying at Chez Chili in Montreal… but this amazing restaurant will also get a post of its own in the future).
For some other dishes that are still spicy but won’t knock your socks off you can try the famous dan dan mian (which I have been dying to try), twice cooked pork (which is also available at Chez Chili and my friend said it was awesome), or of course mapo tofu.
ZHEJIANG CUISINE
On the Eastern Coast of China you will find the province of Zhejiang. The capital city of Zhejiang is Hangzhou, a massive city that’s highly commercialized.
As with any of these culinary traditions there are many subtraditions, including Hangzhou (after the capital city) along with Shaoxing, and Nibgbo cuisine. In general though, the coast allows this region to celebrate seafood as a main component of its cuisine! This includes things like fish and shrimps but also more exotic dishes (by Western standards) like sea cucumber and turtle!
In Hangzhou you can find some of the most famous Zhejiang dishes such as West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy, Braised Dongpo Pork and Beggar’s Chicken. If you’re looking for more seafood dishes, Ningbo cuisine has plenty! Here you’ll find croaker (a type of fish) and eel in a variety of dishes but also the famous Crystal Sugar Turtle, Fried Lichen and Sea Cucumber dishes! This is such an amazing example of the different seafood that is consumed around the world, I’d love to try it someday!
Shaoxing Cuisine may sound familiar to you as well, and that’s because this is where the world famous Shaoxing wine comes from which has become a staple in Chinese cooking. This of course means that Shaoxing wine is a staple in Shaoxing cuisine, being used in dishes like Wine Chicken. Fermented bean curd, like in much of China, is also popular in this cuisine. Overall, if you like seafood as much as I do, take the opportunity to try some artistic, healthy, well-balanced Zhejiang cuisine if you ever get the chance!
I hope you guys enjoyed learning about Chinese cuisine with me! If you enjoyed this post make sure you checkout my other posts too! Also, here are some references that I got my information from in case you want to read more about Chinese cuisine.
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