Yue Cai, or Cantonese Cuisine, is one of the eight major Han Chinese cuisines, originating in Lingnan and developed from Guangzhou Cuisine, Chaozhou Cuisine, and Dongjiang Hakka Cuisine. It is a cuisine that started late, but it has far-reaching influences, and most of the Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong, Macao, and other countries around the world are based on Cantonese Cuisine, which is on a par with the French Grand Din all over the world, and the Chinese food in foreign countries is basically all Cantonese Cuisine. Therefore, there are many people, especially Cantonese people, who consider Cantonese cuisine to be the representative cuisine of South China. Cantonese cuisine combines the characteristics of local flavors from Nanhai, Panyu, Dongguan, Shunde, Zhongshan, etc., and the strengths of provincial cuisines such as Beijing, Suzhou, Huaihua, Hangzhou, etc., as well as Western cuisines, and has been integrated into a self-contained cuisine. Cantonese cuisine takes the strengths of a hundred schools of thought, uses a wide range of ingredients, selects rare and exquisite ingredients, is good at imitating and innovating, and cooks according to the preferences of diners. The cooking techniques are varied and changeable, and the ingredients used are strange and extensive. In the cooking to stir-fry, explosion-based, with braising, frying, baking, pay attention to clear and not light, fresh and not vulgar, tender and not raw, oil and not greasy, there are "five nourishment" (fragrant, loose, soft, fat, thick), "six flavors" (sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, salty, fresh) said. It is seasonal, light in summer and fall, and rich in winter and spring. Famous Cantonese dishes include: chicken braised snake, dragon and tiger, roast suckling pig, chicken, salt-baked chicken, white shrimp, white chicken, roast goose, snake oil beef and so on.

The most important feature of Canton cuisine is that it has many varieties and fresh flavors. There is a popular saying in Guangzhou: "If your back is facing the sky, everyone can eat it." Qu Dajun's "New Words of Guangdong" reads, "All the foodstuffs in the world are available in the eastern part of Guangdong, and all the foodstuffs in the eastern part of Guangdong may not be available in the whole world," reflecting the fact that its cooking is characterized by a wide range of ingredients. , reflecting the fact that its culinary ingredients included almost all animals and covered a wide range. In addition to pork, beef, fish and chicken, it also included snakes, civets, dogs, cats, monkeys, rats, snails, insects, worms, cinnamon cicadas, dragon lice, centipedes, voles, chicken feet, duck tongues, beef whips and beef mince. Famous dishes include Five Snake Dumpling, Roasted Suckling Pig and Dragon, Tiger and Phoenix, Winter Melon Cup and Old Fire Soup. Although there are countless cooking methods in Cantonese cuisine, steaming, pan-frying and deep-frying are the most common cooking methods in restaurants because they are time-consuming and in line with the cooking philosophy of bringing out the fresh flavors.

Most Cantonese dishes use only ginger, scallions, sugar, salt, soy sauce, rice wine, cornstarch and oil. It is only when cooking offal that more spices such as garlic are added. Five-spice powder and white pepper are used in Cantonese cuisine, but usually only sparingly. People who are used to other cuisines may sometimes think that Cantonese cuisine is bland in flavor. In order to preserve the original flavor of Cantonese cuisine, it is usually made lighter, so it is preferred to be cooked by steaming, and fresh with salty, sour and spicy.

Liu An, "Huainanzi": "Yue people get bearded snakes as a delicacy, China (Central Plains) get and discarded useless."

Xu Ke, "清稗类钞-饮食-粤人之食鸟兽虫"："Guangdong food, quite different from the provinces, such as dogs, voles, snakes, centipedes, clams, mealybugs, cicadas, locusts, dragon lice, grasshoppers are also."

Han Yu "early southern food yi yuan eighteen concordance": "Horseshoe crab solid as Huiwen, bone eye phase negative line. The oysters stick to each other as a mountain, and a hundred or so of them are born. The tail of the fish is like a snake, and its mouth and eyes do not camp together. Clams are shrimp toad, the same real wave of different names. The chapter cited the horse armor column, bucket to the strange self-presentation. The rest of the dozens of species, all can be marveled at. I come to protect the spirits and demons, it is appropriate to taste the southern cooking. Seasoned with salt and acid, but when you look at it, you'll see that it's not just a matter of time, it's a matter of time. When the smell of the fish starts to grow, I swallow it and sweat my face off. But the snake is known to me from the past, and I am afraid of the evil in its mouth and eyes. I opened the cage and let it go, but I was still upset. I am not guilty of selling them, but I am not guilty of not slaughtering them. I don't pray that the spirit pearl will be rewarded, but fortunately I don't have any grudges. I will sing a song to remember this, and to tell my peers."

Guangdong noodles are best known as "Yifu noodles". According to historical records, it was created by the family cook of the calligrapher and governor of Yangzhou, Yi Bingshou, during the Qianlong period, and thus named Yi Fu Noodles. Yi Bingshou, known as Moqing, was a native of Tingzhou, Fujian Province, who was awarded a bachelor's degree in the Qianlong era. He was an elegant and elegant man who was good at poetry, good at painting, and rich in collections. He was the governor of Huizhou and Yangzhou, both of which are famous for their food. When he was governor of Huizhou, he used a chef surnamed Mai, this person is very good at cooking, the proprietor loves to eat, the chef will do, each other, the guests get along very well. Later Yibingshou transferred to Yangzhou, Mai chef also followed to go, where he considered the adoption of the Jiangnan modulation of the method of pasta, created the Yifu noodles.　The article about Yifu Noodle has Hong Weifa's Yangzhou Dreams - Yangzhou Noodles in the early Republic of China, which says: "In the past, Yibingshou was the governor of Yangzhou, and Yifu Noodle was his creation." There are also articles such as Zhao Heng's "Ramblings of a Gourmand - Gossiping about Yifu Noodles", Tang Lusun's "Speaking of the East and the West - Yangzhou Fried Rice and Yifu Noodles", and Zhu Zhenfan's "History of Eating Outside of the Woods - From Yangzhou Fried Rice to Yifu Noodles".

The legend of Yifu noodles in Zhengzhou is that there was a general surnamed Yi in Yecheng (present-day Anyang, Henan Province) during the Tang Dynasty. Once, he went back to his hometown to visit his relatives, but he was not expected to go home before he got a foothold, and the emperor suddenly sent an imperial decree, ordering him to return to the court. Yi family can not afford to organize a banquet, the chef in a hurry, the flour with eggs and noodles rolled and cut into noodles, fried in a frying pan, and then added to the casserole soup, add sea cucumbers, monkey head mushrooms, cooked chicken, magnolia slices, mushrooms, fungus, and other dishes, and accompanied by oil, pepper, chili oil, etc., served to the General Yi to taste, not only for the General to receive the wind, but also for the General to see him off. After the general tasted it, he greatly appreciated it, and this noodle has been passed down in the folklore ever since.

"Protector of the country dishes" is a famous dish in Chaozhou, according to legend, in 1278 A.D., the last emperor of the Song Dynasty - Zhao Nan fled to Chaozhou, boarding in an ancient temple in the mountains, the temple monks heard that it was the emperor of the Song Dynasty, he was very respectful, to see him! He saw that he was fatigued and hungry on the way, so he picked some fresh sweet potato leaves from one of his sweet potato fields, removed the bitter leaves and made a soup dish. The young emperor is hungry and thirsty, see this dish green and fragrant, soft and smooth and delicious. After eating it, he felt refreshed, so he greatly appreciated it. Song Shaodi saw the temple monks in order to protect themselves, to protect the Song Dynasty, in the absence of rice without food at the time, managed to make this bowl of soup for him. Very touched, then sealed this dish for the "protection of the country dishes", has been passed down to this day.

"Dragon and tiger" is also known as "leopard braised three snakes", "dragon and tiger wind braised", "chrysanthemum dragon tiger phoenix "is a famous traditional Cantonese dish. Snake production dishes in Guangdong has a history of more than two thousand years, the local had "autumn winds carry on, only it is fat carry on, nourishing its time carry on," the proverb, ancient times once as a palace delicacies." Dragon and Tiger" a dish rumored to have begun in the Qing dynasty Tongzhi years, when a man named Jiang Kong Yin, born in Guangdong Shao Guan, in Beijing as an official. After returning to his hometown, he often studied cooking and wanted to create new famous dishes. One year, he did seventy birthday, in order to come up with a new dish for friends and relatives to taste, they tried to make dishes with snakes and cats, snakes for dragons, cats for tigers, because the two meet will fight, so the name is "dragon and tiger". Friends and relatives tasted good, but felt that the freshness of the cat meat is not enough, it is recommended to add chicken **** cooking. Jiang according to everyone's views and added chicken in this dish, the flavor is better, so this dish will be famous. Later renamed "Leopard Beaver braised three snakes", "Dragon Tiger Phoenix braised", but people still customarily referred to it as "Dragon and Tiger". This dish is widely spread in the Lingnan area, and has become the main specialty of Guangdong cuisine, which is famous all over the world. Chinese and foreign guests to Guangzhou, have to taste this dish, or else said: "false this line."

Legend has it that during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, King Zhuang of Chu's general Yue Jiao raised an army to murder King Zhuang in an attempt to usurp the throne. King Zhuang was forced to a fierce battle in the area of Qinghe Bridge in Jingzhou. Yue Jiao was so powerful that King Zhuang could not defeat him and the situation was very critical. General Yang Yu Ji, who was loyal to King Zhuang, rushed to help in the battle, and the two sides finally decided the winner by archery. The two sides decided to fight by archery, one on the east side of the bridge and the other on the west side. Echigo fired three arrows first, which were all dodged by Yoyogi. When it was his turn to fire at Echigo, he adopted the method of using both the real and the imaginary, the first arrow was empty, the second was close, and the third was real, hitting Echigo's throat. After Yue Jiao was shot to death, Yue Jiao was chopped to pieces and a banquet was held to celebrate for Yang Yu Ji. When a dish made of eel and pork appeared at the banquet, King Zhuang named the dish "Dragon and Tiger Fighting". This dish has evolved over the years, there are also steamed and then deep-fried method of production.

The last year of the Southern Song Dynasty, the last of the last little emperor fled to the Chaoshan area, leaving Chaoshan people such as no tail snail, Song tea, pearl congee, phoenix Tianchi four-legged fish, Nan'ao Song well, Chaoyang Haimen Lotus Peak sword test stone, etc. Endless memories, just in that time of hunger, but also for posterity to leave a moist as jasper, smooth and tasty famous dish --- Protector of the country dishes. -Protector of the country dishes. Legend has it that the last of the young emperor fled to the outskirts of Chaozhou one evening to a deserted mountain broken temple, behind the pursuing troops, before the setting sun, hunger and panic forced to think about it must be weeping tears. However, the people of food is the day, nothing in the belly of the horse is not, this dragon seed dragon grandson is no exception. Naiji former precious food is like the sunset, leaving only the memories of the bleak. The old monk was terrified to serve the driver, the Pure Land of the world, difficult to cook the imperial meal, then come to the wisdom of the rush from the temple behind the garden grabbed a handful of groundnut leaves, scalding water, sprinkle some salt, served meals to save the driver. Unexpectedly, the young emperor ate, praised, asked why this dish, the monk clever, casually replied that "the protection of the country dish", the king and the court heard, greatly praised, and all rejoiced. The monk was very clever, and answered casually that "the protection of the country dishes".