菜系因地理、氣候、習俗、特產的不同形成了不同的地方風味，菜系的劃分單就漢族的飲食特點而言，目前有四大菜系、八大菜系、十大菜系之說，而且劃分系類仍有繼續增加的趨勢。如果按四大菜系分：有魯菜、川菜、粵菜和淮揚菜。八大是前者加上浙、閩、湘、皖，合稱新八大；到了近代再加上新興的京、滬，共十大菜系。其中各大菜系交相輝映，各有千秋，成為了中華民族珍貴的文化瑰寶！
一，淮 揚 菜
淮揚菜集江南水鄉揚州、鎮江、淮安等地菜餚之精華，是江蘇菜系的代表性風味。淮揚菜選料注意鮮活鮮嫩；製作精細，注意刀工；調味清淡味，強調本味，重視調湯，風味清鮮；色彩鮮豔，清爽悅目；造型美觀，別緻新穎，生動逼真。
二、四川菜系，簡稱川菜。
特色：它以麻辣、魚香、家常、怪味、酸辣、椒麻、醋椒為主要特點。
四川盆地氣候溫和，物產豐富，自古有"天府之國"的美譽，"食在四川"的美食文化名貫古今,而成都更把川菜的精華髮揚光大。
川菜作為全國四大著名菜系之一，已歷經千年，迄今已有3000多個品種，數百種名菜。川菜以辣聞名天下，卻不僅僅止於辣味。川菜屬中國四大菜系(川、粵、魯、淮揚)之一，其強勁的勢力早已滲透到全國各地每個角落。
三、廣東菜系，簡稱粵菜。
特色：它以選料廣泛，講究鮮、嫩、爽、滑、濃為主要特點。它主要由廣東菜、潮州菜和東江菜組成。
四、魯菜
歷史:魯菜發端於春秋戰國時的齊國和魯國（今山東省），形成於秦漢。宋代後，魯菜就成為"北食"的`代表,是我國八大菜系之一。魯菜是我國覆蓋面最廣的地方風味菜系，遍及京津塘及東北三省。
派別:沿海的膠東菜（以海鮮為主）和內陸的濟南菜以及自成體系的孔府菜。
特色:魯菜講究調味純正，口味偏於鹹鮮，具有鮮、嫩、香、脆的特色。十分講究清湯和奶湯的調製，清湯色清而鮮，奶湯色白而醇。
:魯菜常用的烹調技法有30種以上,傳說中將自己的兒子蒸熟了獻給齊王吃的易牙，實際上是當時善於調味的烹飪大師。魯菜中的清湯，色清而鮮，奶湯色白而醇，獨具風味，可能是繼承古代善於做羹的傳統；而膠東菜以海鮮見長，則是承襲海濱先民食魚的習俗。而“食不厭精，膾不厭細”的孔夫子，還有一系列“不食”的主張，如“魚餒而肉敗不食，色惡不食，臭惡不食，失餒不食，不時不食，割不正不食，不得其醬不食……”。說明當時的魯菜已經相當講究科學、注意衛生，還追求刀工和調料的藝術性，已到日臻精美的地步。
The style of cooking has formed different lacol flavor because of the change of geography, climate, custom, local product, the division of the style of cooking is as regards diet characteristic of the Han nationality only, there are four major styles of cooking, eight big cuisines, saying of ten major styles of cooking at present, and divide department types and still have the tendency to continue increasing. If divide according to four major styles of cooking: There are Shandong Cuisine, Sichuan Cuisine, Guangdong Cuisine and Huaiyang Cuisine. It is that the former add Zhejiang, Fujian, Hunan, Anhui that eight is big, call new eight big jointly; Combine with new developing Beijing, Shanghai, ten major styles of cooking altogether by modern times. Among them the major styles of cooking enhance each other’s beauty, has his strong points, has become Chinese nation’s precious cultural rarity!
First, Huaiyang Cuisine
Quintessence of Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, Huaian and other places cooked food of the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River that Huaiyang Cuisine is collected, it is a representative flavor of the style of cooking of Jiangsu. Attention is lifelike and tender that Huaiyang Cuisine selects materials; Making is meticulous, pay attention to the cutting and slicing skill; Flavour light flavor, emphasize this flavor, pay attention to adjusting the soup, the flavor is clear and fresh; Bright in luster, fresh and cool and pleasing; Handsome in appearance, unique and novel, vivid and lifelike.
Second, style of cooking of Sichuan, are abbreviated as Sichuan Cuisine.
Characteristic: It is fragrant with chilli, fish, the daily life, strange smell, sour and hot, pepper flax, vinegar pepper are the main characteristic.
It is temperate in climate in Sichuan Basin, the produce is abundant, have the good reputation of " land of plenty " from ancient times, the diet culture name of " eating in Sichuan " is passed through at all times, and develop the quintessence of Sichuan Cuisine in Chengdu.
Sichuan Cuisine has already gone through millennium, has already had more than 3000 varieties so far as one of four major famous styles of cooking the whole country, several hundred kinds of famous dish. Sichuan Cuisine with hot to all over the world, but not confined to piquancy while being well-known. Sichuan Cuisine belongs to one of four major styles of cooking of China (Sichuan, Guangdong, Shandong, Huaiyang), its powerful force has already permeated through each corner in all parts of the country.
Third, style of cooking of Guangdong, are abbreviated as Guangdong Cuisine.
Characteristic: It is extensive with the materials, it is the main characteristic to pay attention to freshly, softly, comfortably, slipperily, densely. It is mainly made up of Guangdong dish, Chaozhou cuisine and Dongjiang cuisine.
Fourth, Shandong Cuisine
History: Shandong Cuisine make a start Qi and Guo (today Shandong) Lu at period in the Spring and Autumn and the Warring states, form on Chinese Qin. After Song Dynasty, Shandong Cuisine became the representatives of " north food ", was one of the eight big cuisines of our country. Shandong Cuisine is the most widely covered style of cooking of lacol flavor of our country, spread all over Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu and three provinces in the northeast of China.
Group: Coastal eastern Shandong cuisine (take seafood as the core) and cuisine of Jinan of the inland and Confucian mansion cuisine establishing one’s own system.
Characteristic: Shandong Cuisine stresses and flavours purely, it is salty and fresh that the taste is partial to, have fresh, soft, fragrant, fragile characteristics. Pay attention to the modulation of clear soup and milk soup very much, the color of clear soup is clear and delicious, the soup color of milk is white and alcohol.
Shandong Cuisine commonly used cooking skill and technique have more than 30 kinds, legend steam one’s own son familiar to dedicate to whom Qi Wang wipe out exchange the tooth, in fact it is a culinary art master who was good at flavouring at that time. Clear soup of Shandong Cuisine, color clear fresh, milk soup color white and alcohol, have flavor alone, might inherit, good at tradition to make custard ancient times; And eastern Shandong dish good at with seafood, adopt seashore the people eat custom of fish first. Confucius of " eat no rice but is of finest quality, the meat chopped into small pieces is not minded thinly ", there are a series of opinions not " eaten ", if " the fish are discouraged and the meat is frustrated and does not eat, color evil is not eaten, bad smell evil is not eaten, it is too discouraged to eat to lose, does not eat frequently, cut, eat, can’t sauce its eat ……". Prove at that time Shandong Cuisine stress science, pay attention to hygiene quite already, pursue cutting and slicing skill and artistry of condiment, exquisite stage of already getting day by day.
