Chinese Cuisine Culture

8 major cuisines, ordering tips & dietary guides

🥢 8 Major Cuisines

Sichuan (川菜)

Spicy, numbing pepper

Cantonese (粤菜)

Fresh, mild, dim sum

Shandong (鲁菜)

Salty, seafood

Jiangsu (苏菜)

Sweet, delicate

Zhejiang (浙菜)

Fresh, bamboo shoots

Fujian (闽菜)

Soups, seafood

Hunan (湘菜)

Hot, sour, spicy

Anhui (徽菜)

Wild herbs, braised

📋 Ordering Tips

  • Use pointing or show pictures if language barrier
  • Ask for "Wei La" (微辣) for mild spice
  • Share dishes family-style (order 1 dish per person + rice)
  • Try local specialties - ask waiter for recommendations

🥗 Dietary Restrictions

Vegetarian

Say "Wo chi su" (我吃素). Buddhist restaurants are fully vegetarian.

Halal

Look for 清真 (Qingzhen) sign. Muslim areas have many options.

Allergies

Show allergy card in Chinese. Common: peanuts, shellfish, gluten.