With the development of history and the change of dynasties, Central Plains immigrants began to move south, bringing a Central Plains diet style of "never tired of cooking in detail, but never tired of eating in essence". Gradually, Cantonese cuisine began to take shape. According to their unique characteristics and preferences, local people have added these elements to Cantonese cuisine, forming a very special cuisine.
The formation and becoming one of the most famous cuisines in China is closely related to the local geographical environment, economic conditions and customs.
Geographically speaking, Guangdong is located in the subtropical zone, bordering the South China Sea, with abundant rainfall, evergreen seasons and abundant products, which provides great conditions for the development of Cantonese cuisine. It is recorded in Huainanzi Spirit that Cantonese people in the Western Han Dynasty had a very high evaluation of diet, and they could easily cook different diets with different cooking methods. In this way, Cantonese people added local hobbies and tastes to it. On the basis of continuous accumulation, absorption, innovation and improvement, it has formed a variety of cuisines, exquisite cooking, exquisite and delicious food characteristics, which has become one of the most representative food cultures in China in the past century and has influenced the whole world.
In terms of economic conditions, Guangdong has been one of the most prosperous areas in China since the Middle Ages. Therefore, cultures from all over the world, including Southeast Asia, Europe and America, collide here, and China culture, which has always been "inclusive", gradually localizes foreign food culture. After absorbing western culture, Cantonese people adopted the method of making Cantonese cuisine more delicious in western food through flexible divergent thinking, and integrated it into the production process of Cantonese cuisine, thus enhancing the fresh and fragrant characteristics of Cantonese cuisine. The most typical example in this respect is that Guangdong chefs quoted the baking methods of western food, and steaks, pork chops and other diets created their own unique cooking methods and famous dishes in China; Drawing lessons from the practice of western food, the sauce of Cantonese cuisine was created, and the practice and eating method of Cantonese cuisine were well innovated.
As far as customs are concerned, Cantonese people love to drink soup, which is known all over China. In Guangdong's food culture, drinking soup before meals is an indispensable part of Guangdong's eating habits. To what extent do Cantonese people like to drink soup? There are 24 hours a day, and only Cantonese people in China are willing to spend four or five hours cooking soup. Traditional Chinese medicine culture believes that drinking soup can dispel cold, gastric lavage and dredge intestines, which plays a very important role in people's health. In Guangdong, with the unique Cantonese cuisine culture and superior conditions, Cantonese people have developed this soup-drinking culture to the extreme. Zhou Li, a historical book, records that "people who cross their toes are not food", "cooking crabs for food, eating rice for food" and having the habit of "eating raw". It means that in ancient times, Cantonese people have created various ways to eat seafood, which vividly reflects the rarity of Cantonese cuisine.