Regional Chinese Cuisines in Chinese 菜系
càixì
Cuisine, style of cooking in Chinese is 菜系 (cài xì).
Also searched for as: sichuan food, cantonese food, eight great cuisines, cuisine.
Specific cuisines: Sichuan, Cantonese and more. 15 essential regional cuisines words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Chinese food changes dramatically from region to region, and 菜系 (cài xì) is the word for these regional cuisines. 川菜 (chuān cài), Sichuan food, is famous for its numbing heat, while 粤菜 (yuè cài), Cantonese food, is known for fresh, 清淡 (qīng dàn), or light, flavours and dim sum. Knowing these names helps you read menus, compare tastes and ask friends about the 地道 (dì dao), or authentic, food of their hometown.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 菜系 | cài xì | regional cuisine |
| 川菜 | chuān cài | Sichuan cuisine |
| 粤菜 | yuè cài | Cantonese cuisine |
| 湘菜 | xiāng cài | Hunan cuisine |
| 鲁菜 | lǔ cài | Shandong cuisine |
| 东北菜 | dōng běi cài | Northeastern cuisine |
| 早茶 | zǎo chá | dim sum (morning tea) |
| 点心 | diǎn xin | dim sum; snacks |
| 麻辣 | má là | numbing and spicy |
| 清淡 | qīng dàn | light (in flavour) |
| 地道 | dì dao | authentic |
| 特色 | tè sè | speciality |
| 家常菜 | jiā cháng cài | home-style dish |
| 北方 | běi fāng | the north |
| 南方 | nán fāng | the south |
Usage tips
- The short names come from traditional names for the provinces: 川 for Sichuan, 粤 for Guangdong, 湘 for Hunan and 鲁 for Shandong. You'll see them on menus and restaurant signs.
- 喝早茶 (hē zǎo chá) is the Cantonese custom of going out in the morning for tea and dim sum, which is why 早茶 has come to mean the whole meal.
- 北方 (běi fāng) cooking leans on wheat, such as noodles, dumplings and steamed buns, while 南方 (nán fāng) cooking is traditionally built around rice.
Common mistakes
- Assuming all Chinese food is spicy: only some cuisines, like 川菜 and 湘菜 (xiāng cài), are known for heat. If you want something mild, ask for 清淡 (qīng dàn) or 不辣 (bù là) dishes.
- Using 点心 (diǎn xin) and 早茶 (zǎo chá) interchangeably: 点心 are the dishes, while 早茶 is the meal and outing, so you 去喝早茶 (qù hē zǎo chá) and order 点心.
Mini dialogue
- A你喜欢吃川菜吗？Nǐ xǐ huan chī chuān cài ma?Do you like Sichuan food?
- B喜欢，可是太麻辣了，我吃不了太多。Xǐ huan, kě shì tài má là le, wǒ chī bù liǎo tài duō.I do, but it's so numbing and spicy that I can't eat much.
- A那你试试粤菜吧，比较清淡。Nà nǐ shì shi yuè cài ba, bǐ jiào qīng dàn.Then try Cantonese food. It's fairly light.
- B好啊！周末我们去喝早茶吧。Hǎo a! Zhōu mò wǒ men qù hē zǎo chá ba.Great! Let's go for dim sum at the weekend.
Example sentences
- 中国有八大菜系。China has eight major regional cuisines.
- 川菜又麻又辣。Sichuan food is numbing and spicy.
- 粤菜比较清淡。Cantonese food is fairly light.
- 湘菜比川菜还辣吗？Is Hunan food even spicier than Sichuan food?
- 鲁菜是山东的菜。Lu cuisine is the food of Shandong.
- 东北菜的分量很大。Northeastern dishes come in big portions.
- 周日我们去广州喝早茶。On Sunday we're going to Guangzhou for dim sum.
- 这些点心都是刚做好的。These dim sum are all freshly made.
- 我不太能吃麻辣的东西。I can't really handle numbing, spicy food.
- 医生让我吃得清淡一点。The doctor told me to eat lighter food.
- 这家店的川菜很地道。The Sichuan food at this place is very authentic.
- 这道菜是我们店的特色。This dish is our restaurant's speciality.
- 我最想念妈妈的家常菜。What I miss most is Mum's home cooking.
- 北方人喜欢吃面食。People in the north like wheat-based food.
- 南方的菜比较甜。Food in the south is rather sweet.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Regional cuisines speaking island has 8 everyday questions about regional cuisines to prepare your own answers to.