China's Four Regional Cooking Schools
Because Cantonese cuisine is so popular, many North Americans don't realize that Chinese cuisine has distinct regional variations. The culinary map of China can be divided into four main regions, based loosely on geographical area:
- Northern or Beijing (Peking) Cuisine - includes Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, and the provinces of Hunan, Shantung, Hopei, Honon, Shansi, Shensi and Inner Mongolia. (Beijing, shown on the map, is the modern name for Peking).
- Eastern or Shanghai Cuisine - includes the provinces of Kiangsu, Chekiang, Anhwei and Fukien.
- Western or Szechuan Cuisine - includes the provinces of Szechuan, Hunan and Yunnan. Chengdu, shown on the map, is the capital of Szechuan province.
- Southern or Cantonese cuisine - includes the provinces of Guangdong (Canton) and Jangxi. (Guangzhou city, shown on the map, is also known as Canton city and is the capital of Guangdong)
These features will introduce you to different styles of cooking throughout China:
Chinese Regional Cuisine - an overview of China's four main regional cooking styles, with recipes for local specialties.
Cantonese Cuisine - The Cantonese have a saying: "Anything that walks, swims, crawls or flies with its back to heaven must be edible." Learn more about Cantonese cuisine, considered by many to be the finest of China's regional cuisines, then try preparing popular
Cantonese restaurant recipes and home-cooked dishes.
Szechuan Cuisine - Some Like it Hot - Highly spiced dishes are just one component of Szechuan cooking. Learn more and then try these top 10
Szechuan recipes.
Hot in Hunan - China's "other" western cuisine has a reputation for being even hotter than spicy Szechuan cooking.Want to know more about China? Matt Rosenberg, About's Guide to Geography, has a page of
basic data on China.
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