The first of the four major cuisines is Shandong cuisine.

Shandong cuisine, one of the four traditional Chinese cuisines, originated from the Qi and Lu states (today's Shandong region) during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It has a long history and wide influence.

Its gestation period can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period, further developed in the Qin and Han Dynasties, matured in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, became a major cuisine of its own in the Song Dynasty, and a large number of dishes entered the palace during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Shandong cuisine is exquisite in the selection of ingredients, fine knife skills, comprehensive techniques, mild seasoning, and various dishes. The requirements for heat are particularly demanding and strict, emphasizing the effect of fresh, crisp and tender dishes.

Mid- and low-end popular dishes often have a prominent aroma of green onions and sauces, and are mainly stir-fried and roasted, and are best served with pasta. They are widely popular in areas of my country where pasta is the main food. High-end dishes often use broth, sea cucumber, fresh abalone, shark's fin, and Taishan red scales. Fish and other precious ingredients are often grilled, steamed and other techniques, which have the popular aftertaste of palace cuisine and official cuisine. They are "upright and upright, not deviant." Pay attention to etiquette.

Shandong cuisine plays an important role in Chinese food culture: Chinese food’s pursuit of exquisiteness and the food philosophy of harmonizing five flavors originated in Shandong; Shandong cuisine has the most spontaneous characteristics among the four major cuisines, with many regional cuisines.

Most of these basic cooking techniques originated from Shandong cuisine; influenced by the palace and officials, there are a large number of dishes in Shandong cuisine that extremely test cooking skills. Shandong cuisine bears the heavy responsibility of retaining the essence of traditional food culture.

Shandong cuisine, named after its origin from Shandong, which was known as the "State of Qilu" in ancient times, is the earliest local flavor in China and one of the four famous cuisines in China.

The formation and development of Shandong cuisine are determined by Shandong's history and culture, geographical environment, economic conditions and customs.

Shandong is the birthplace of Chinese Confucian culture, and Confucius’ saying “You never tire of fine food, and you never tire of fine meat” had a profound impact on the development of Shandong cuisine.

Rich resources and ancient cultural traditions provide superior objective conditions for the formation and development of Shandong cuisine.

Shandong is located in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has a mild climate, rich products, and a wide variety of vegetables with high quality. It is known as "one of the three largest vegetable gardens in the world."

Zhangqiu's green onions, Cangshan's garlic, Laiwu's ginger, Jiaozhou's cabbage, Weifang's radish, etc. are all high-quality vegetables famous at home and abroad.

Fruit production ranks first in the country, and its quality is excellent, such as Yantai apples, Laiyang pears, Leling jujubes, Dezhou watermelons, Feicheng peaches, etc., which are famous throughout the country.

The output of aquatic products ranks third in the country.

Shark's fin, sea cucumber, prawns, gargi fish, flounder, abalone, Shih Tzu tongue, scallops, red snails and other seafood are well-known at home and abroad.

The brewing industry in Shandong has a long history, such as Luokou's vinegar, Jinan's soy sauce, Jimo's old wine, etc., all of which are famous for their quality.

The rich products provide abundant material resources for the development of Shandong cuisine.

As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Qilu cuisine emerged. It uses cattle, sheep, and pigs as its main ingredients, and is also good at making poultry, game, and seafood.

There are many written records of the cooking requirements and fashions and hobbies of the time.

During the Western Zhou, Qin and Han dynasties, Qufu, the capital of the Lu State, and Linzi, the capital of the Qi State, were both very prosperous cities. The catering industry was flourishing and famous chefs emerged in large numbers.

Yi Ya, the favorite of Duke Huan of Qi, was an excellent cook before he succeeded.

The book "Book of Rites" has special descriptions of meal, food, drink, stew, preserved meat, soup, delicacies, etc., from the combination of raw materials, cooking methods to seasoning requirements.

"Book of Rites? Nei Principles" states that "the blending method depends on the materials; the use of the five flavors depends on the time."

The requirements for seasoning are "more sour in spring, pungent in summer, salty in winter, and smooth and sweet."

"Book of Rites" has basically outlined various cooking methods and requirements such as cooking, boiling, roasting, braising, and cannon.

It can be seen that many of the discussions on cooking theories in historical materials come from the Qilu state. They were widely spread in these areas and became customary, thus laying the foundation of Shandong cuisine.

During the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties, Shandong cuisine evolved rapidly.

In "Qi Min Yao Shu", Jia Sixie made a relatively comprehensive summary of the cooking methods in the Yellow River Basin, especially in Shandong.

The methods of frying, roasting, stir-frying, and stir-frying mentioned in the book are still widely used in Shandong cuisine.

The book also describes the preparation methods of some famous dishes. Roast duck and roast suckling pig, which are famous at home and abroad, were widely spread in this area at that time.

The discussion about cooking in "Qi Min Yao Shu" had a profound impact on the formation and development of Shandong cuisine.

After improvements and refinements in the Sui, Tang, Song and Jin dynasties, Shandong cuisine has gradually become the representative of northern cuisine.

During the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, Shandong cuisine maintained its simple charm, learned the strengths of other cuisines, and developed new styles.

At this time, Shandong cuisine entered the palace in large quantities and became a delicacy of the imperial cuisine. It was widely used in North China, Northeast my country and other regions.

In modern times, in order to meet various needs, chefs, on the basis of inheriting traditional skills, used their ingenuity, competed and prepared new dishes.

The new dishes with various taste characteristics and various artistic shapes have made Shandong cuisine a big step forward in the direction of more refined processing, more beautiful shapes and scientific food preparation while maintaining the traditional flavor.