Chinese cuisine is an important part of Chinese culture
and includes cuisines originating from the diverse regions of China.
Chinese food staples such as
rice, soy sauce, noodles, tea, chili oil, and tofu, or
utensils such as chopsticks and the wok, can now be found worldwide.
The most praised Four Great Traditions are Chuan, Lu,
Yue, and Huaiyang, representing cuisines of West, North, South, and East
China, respectively. The modern Eight Cuisines of China are Anhui (徽菜;
Huīcài), Guangdong (粤菜; Yuècài), Fujian (闽菜; Mǐncài), Hunan (湘菜;
Xiāngcài), Jiangsu (苏菜; Sūcài), Shandong (鲁菜; Lǔcài), Sichuan (川菜;
Chuāncài), and Zhejiang (浙菜; Zhècài) cuisines.
Color, smell, and taste are the three traditional aspects
used to describe Chinese food, as well as the meaning, appearance, and
nutrition of the food. Cooking should be appraised with respect to the
ingredients used, knifework, cooking time, and seasoning.