Sichuan cuisine By the late Qin and early Han period, Chuan cuisine had basically been established. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, it went through a rapid development. Then in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it had enjoyed a great reputation. Now, "Chuan" restaurants are spread all over the world. Authentic Chuan cuisine is represented by the dishes of Chengdu in Sichuan Province and Chongqing. It attaches importance to material choice and is particular about specifications. The side dishes distinguished by different colors have a clear distin ction between primary and secondary priority, thus being bright-colored and harmonious. It is characterized by sourness, sweetness, numbness, spiciness, fragrance, heavy oil and thick flavor. Placing an emphasis on seasoning, it can't go without chilies, pepper and Chinese red pepper as well as fresh ginger. It wins universal praise for its hotness, sourness and numbness, which are rare in other local dishes. These together develop the unique flavor of Chuan cuisine , whcih enjoys a good reputation as cuisine that is "one dish with one flavor and one hundred dishes with one hundred flavors". Its cooking methods inclu de baking, sautéing, dry-sautéing and steaming. Chuan cuisine is good at combining flavors and often has thick gravy. Based on the five flavors of saltiness, sweetness, numbness, spiciness and sourness, all kinds of seasonings are added, which cooperate with each other and develop into twenty three compound flavors of all sorts, such as home-style, salty and fresh, like-fish flavor, litchi flavor and bizarre flavor, as well as many others.Representative dishes: Braised chicken dices with peanuts, sautéed spicy pork, boiled beef in hot sauce, Mapo dofu (spicy bean curd), fried sliced pork meat with spicy sauce and fish with bean sauce, etc.Characteristics of Hunan Cuisine are: a great vareity of ingredients, shiny and strong colors, hot and spicy tastes, smoked and pickled flavors.