Over the centuries distinct local flavors evolved in Chinese dishes, such as the Northern food ("Lu" or the Shandong dishes), the Southern food ("Yue" or the Cantonese dishes), the Chuan food (Szechuan dishes), Huai Yang (Yangzhou) and the vegetarian foods and records respecting each kind of dishes.

The four oldest types of Chinese food: the Szechuan, Cantonese, Northern (Beijing) and Huaiyang gradually evolved into the Szechuan, Cantonese, Shandong, Yangzhou, Beijing, Anhui, Zhejiang and Hunan groups. Each of these groups has its own long history and characteristic traditional techniques.