Chinese food can be roughly divided into Northern and Southern styles of cooking. In general, Northern dishes are relatively oily and the use of vinegar and garlic tends to be quite popular. Wheat, processed into pasta, also plays an important role in Northern cooking; noodles, ravioli like dumplings, steamed, stuffed buns, fried meat dumplings, and steamed bread are just a few of the many flour based treats enjoyed in the North of China. The best known regional variations of Northern Chinese cuisine include those of Beijing, Tianjin, and Shandong.

Representative of Southern cooking styles are Szechwan and Hunan cuisine, famous for their liberal use of chili peppers.

Within the whole of Southern cooking, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions emphasize freshness and tenderness, while Guangdong cuisine tends to be somewhat sweet and always full of variety. Rice and its byproducts, including noodles, cakes, and congee form the typical foundation for Southern dishes.