Shandong cuisine

Shandong cuisine (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Shāndōng cài), more commonly known in Chinese as Lu cuisine (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: lǔ cài), is one of the Eight Culinary Traditions of Chinese cuisine and one of the Four Great Traditions (). It is derived from the native cooking style of Shandong, a northern coastal province of China.

Shandong cuisine is famous for its wide selection of material and use of different cooking methods. The raw materials are mainly domestic animals and birds, seafood and vegetables. The masterly cooking techniques include Bao爆 (quick frying), Liu溜 (quick frying with corn flour), Pa扒 (stewing), roasting（烤）, boiling（煮）, using sugar to make fruit, crystallizing with honey.

It's commonly known that Shandong cuisine is divided into two styles, Jinan and Jiaodong. The style of Shandong cuisine are known for its light aroma, freshness and rich taste. It puts emphasis on its two types of broths, light and milky. Both broths are seasoned with scallions and goes well with the freshness of seafood.

Although less available in overseas Chinese restaurants (usually operated by migrants from southern China), Shandong cuisine is considered one of the most influential schools in Chinese cuisine; most of the country's culinary styles have developed from it. Modern cuisines in North China (Beijing, Tianjin and the northeastern regions) are branches of Shandong cuisine, and meals in most Northern Chinese households are typically prepared using simplified Shandong methods.

During the Spring and Autumn period (770-221 BC), Shandong was a territory of Qi and Lu. Both states, with mountains and fertile plains, were economically and culturally developed and had abundant aquatic products, grains and sea salt. Some of the earliest known descriptions of Chinese culinary methods come from the states. Yi Ya, a retainer of Duke Huan of Qi, was renowned for his culinary skill. Confucius (who was born in Lu) was quoted in the Analects as saying, "One should not indulge overly in fine flour, or in kuai (a dish akin to carpaccio) that is sliced too thinly". About food, he recommended: "Do not consume food which looks spoiled, smells spoiled, is out of season, is improperly butchered, or is not made with its proper seasoning"; this indicated a level of refinement in food preparation in Shandong at the time.

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