The eight major Chinese cuisines include Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Guangdong cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine, Fujian cuisine, Zhejiang cuisine, Hunan cuisine and Anhui cuisine. Among them, Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Guangdong cuisine and Jiangsu cuisine were formed in the early Qing Dynasty and became the most influential local cuisines at that time, known as the "four major cuisines". At the end of Qing Dynasty, four new local cuisines, namely Zhejiang Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine, Hunan Cuisine and Anhui Cuisine, were differentiated and formed, which constituted the "eight major cuisines" of China traditional cuisines.

The order of eight Chinese cuisines

Literally, Shandong cuisine is the Qilu flavor of Shandong. It is salty, healthy, gentle and gentle in temperament. It is a cuisine with the longest history, the richest technology, the highest difficulty and the most outstanding ability. Traditional dishes of Shandong cuisine include sweet and sour carp, onion sea cucumber, hibiscus chicken slices, Jiuzhuan large intestine, butterfly sea cucumber, Dezhou roast chicken and so on.

Sichuan, Sichuan cuisine originated in Chongqing, Sichuan Province. Mainly fresh and spicy, it appeared in Qin and Han Dynasties. After the introduction of pepper, it was called today's Sichuan cuisine after reform. Famous dishes include kung pao chicken, Mapo tofu, husband and wife lung slices, shredded pork with fish flavor, and dragon wonton soup.

Cantonese cuisine, or Cantonese cuisine, is a combination of Guangzhou cuisine, Chaoshan cuisine and Dongjiang cuisine. It is the most influential Chinese food in the world and is considered as the representative dish of China overseas. Among them, the traditional famous dishes are boiled chicken, roasted goose, roast suckling pig, braised pigeon, barbecued pork with honey, stewed lobster in soup, steamed bass, braised pork with plum vegetables, and salted chicken.

Jiangsu cuisine, also known as Jiangsu cuisine, was the second largest cuisine in the imperial court at that time, with sweet taste, fine knife work and exquisite material selection and modeling. Among them, there are famous dishes such as powdered lion's head, Jinling meatballs, braised chicken with yellow mud, dried shredded chicken soup, raw bran fermentation, anchovies, three sets of ducks and so on.

Fujian cuisine is represented by eastern Fujian and southern Fujian flavors. In fact, it is a Hakka dish, light, fresh and rich in soup, which is very suitable for eating in the western world. Famous dishes include Buddha jumping wall, mussel diving chicken soup, cangzao snail slices, boiled river, gossip banquet, hot and sour squid soup and so on.

Anhui cuisine originated in Huizhou, Anhui Province, and is good at cooking precious aquatic products. It tastes delicious and salty. There are braised civets, braised Huangshan pigeons, braised ham turtles and salted mandarin ducks.

Zhejiang cuisine pays attention to the freshness and skill of raw materials, with light taste and outstanding original flavor. There are shrimp in Longjing, stewed meat in West Lake, fried eel back, vinegar fish in West Lake, rock sugar turtle, steamed meat in lotus leaf, yellow croaker and sea cucumber soup.

Hunan cuisine is a local cuisine with a long history in China. Its main characteristics are sour, salty, fresh and fragrant taste. Some famous dishes include fish head with chopped pepper, steamed bacon, Liuyang steamed vegetables, ox hair and so on.