China’s current ‘continental’ scale was slowly pieced together through more than 5,000 years of feudal warfare, uprisings, invasions and subsequent peace treaties. This is why remarkable differences still exist across provinces in terms of language, local customs and, naturally enough, cuisine.

So where should a budding Chinese food enthusiast begin? Fortunately, there are general rules of thumb to follow. Rice is the main staple in southern China, where the warmer and wetter climate is conducive for its growth. On the contrary, flour-based dumplings and noodles are favoured in the drier, colder climates in northern China. Imported spices are generously used in the western areas of Xinjiang and Gansu that sit on China’s ancient trade routes with Europe, while yak fat and iron-rich offal are favoured by the nomadic farmers facing harsh climes on the Tibetan plains.

For a more handy simplification, Chinese food experts have identified four main schools of Chinese cooking termed the Four “Great” Cuisines of China. They are delineated by geographical location and comprise Shandong cuisine or lu cai, to represent northern cooking styles; Sichuan cuisine or chuan cai for the western regions; Huaiyang cuisine to represent China’s eastern coast; and Cantonese cuisine or yue cai to represent the culinary traditions of the south.

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