Abstract: Cuisine is one of the expressions for Chinese regional diet. The formation of cuisine is a long historical process in association with regional dietary habits, extensive dietary basis, complete food ingredients system, characteristic cooking technology system, landmark food and theoretical culture, among other factors. The establishment and division of a cuisine is affected by various factors, such as administrative divisions, regional environment and dietary differences. Originally divided into four major systems, the Chinese cuisine has now evolved into sub-cuisines specific to provincial-level regions, which constitute the collective concept of the national “Chinese cuisine” food culture.

Key words: cuisine, genre, flavor, formation, influencing factor