China -

China

The History of Chinese cuisine in China traced back to the Peking man and his use of fire and the invention of "cuisine" some 400,000 years ago. Some other accounts of the history of Chinese cuisine takes the beginning back to the Chinese Stone Age, where the cultivation of rice and the production of noodles, both typical representations of Chinese cuisine as we've known today, are understood from archaeological findings.

Over the centuries, as new food sources and techniques had been invented, the Chinese cuisine as we know it gradually evolved. Chopsticks, which are made from all types of materials and that are one of the hallmarks of Chinese cuisine, have been used as eating utensils at the least since the Zhou Dynasty. Stir-fried dishes became popular throughout the Tang Dynasty. The stir-fry method of cooking was invented out of necessity, so that they could conserve expensive and scarce fuel.

 Not long after the expansion of the Chinese Empire in the Qin Dynasty and Han Dynasty, Chinese writers noted the great differences in culinary practices among people from different areas of the realm. These differences followed to a great extent the varying climate and availability of foodstuffs in China. Different ethnic groups might occupy only small areas, but early on, their cuisines were included in systematic lists of Chinese cuisines.

The difference between northern and southern cuisines was among the earliest distinction which was noted, and one that continues to be observed today even as the food cultures of North and South China have evolved greatly since the distinction was first made. Northerners generally eat wheat based food, southerners eat rice based.