Eight Major Styles of Chinese Food - 八大菜系

Delicious Chinese cuisine can be divided into 8 kinds based on characteristics of its own origin, including the coloration (色), aroma (香), taste (味), and appearance (形); The taste of Chinese cooking from each region are commonly: south-sweet (南甜), north-salty (北咸), east-hot and spicy (东辣), west-sour (西酸). The 8 major styles of Chinese cuisine are:

1. Sichuan Cuisine (川菜) - Chuān cài

• Pock-marked bean curd (麻婆豆腐) má pó dòu fu
• Chicken cubes with peanuts (宫保鸡丁) gōng bǎo jī dīng
• Pork shreds with fishy flavour (鱼香肉丝) yú xiāng ròu sī
• Flavored beef shreds (灯影牛肉) dēng yǐng niú ròu
• etc

2. Guangdong Cuisine (粤菜) - Yuè cài

• Roasted suckling pig (烤乳猪) kǎo rǔ zhū
• Steamed turtle with chives sauce (清蒸甲鱼) qīng zhēng jiǎ yú
• King snake with bamboo slices (笋片烧蛇) sǔn piàn shāo shé
• Gourd cups (葫芦盅) hú lu zhōng
• etc

3. Shandong Cuisine (鲁菜) - Lǔ cài

• De Zhou grilled chicken (德州扒鸡) dé zhōu pǎ jī
• Bird's nest soup (清汤燕窝羹) qīng tāng yàn wō gēng
• Stewed clam (油爆大蛤) yóu bào dà gé
• Lotus flower and shrimps (荷花大虾) dà xiā
• etc

4. Huaiyang/Weiyang Cuisine (淮阳菜) - Huái Yáng cài

• Stir fried chicken and vegetables (蔬菜炒鸡片) shū cài chǎo jī piàn
• Pork ball and crab casserole (砂锅蟹肉丸) shā guō xiè ròu wán
• Chicken corn soup (奶油鸡丝玉米汤) nǎi yóu jī sī yù mǐ tāng
• Squid with crispy rice crust (鱿鱼锅巴) yóu yú guō bā
• etc

5. Zhejiang Cuisine (浙菜) - Zhè cài;

• Dong po pork (东坡肘子) dōng pō zhǒu zi
• Xihu sour fish (西湖醋鱼) xī hú cù yú
• Shrimp with tea flavour (龙井虾肉) lóng jǐng xiā ròu
• Beggar’s chicken (叫花鸡) jiào huā jī
• etc

6. Fujian Cuisine (闽菜) - Mǐn cài

• Sea food and poultry casserole (红烧鱼翅) hóng shāo yú chì
• Steamed chicken with egg-white (芙蓉鸡丸) fú róng jī wán
• Fried prawn (油炸对虾) yóu zhá duì xiā
• Crispy butterfish with lychee (荔枝鲳鱼) lì zhī chāng yú
• etc

7. Hunan Cuisine (湘菜) - Xiāng cài

• Dong'an chicken (东安鸡) dōng ān jī
• Braised pork (红烧肉) hóng shāo ròu
• Steamed turtle (清蒸海龟) qīng zhēng hǎi guī
• Chicken with cayenne pepper (辣子鸡丁) là zi jī dīng
• etc

8. Anhui Cuisine (安徽) - Huī cài

• Huang Shan stewed pigeon (黄山醉鸽) huáng shān zuì gē
• Gourd duck (葫芦鸭) hú lu yā
• Fricassee pork with egg-white (蛋花炖肉) dàn huā dùn ròu
• Pork rib with pine nuts (松仁排骨) sōng rén pái gǔ
• etc

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Reference: baidu and my chinese friends