North-south divide defines Chinese cuisine

Chinese dishes vary in flavor, ingredients and cooking methods depending on the region and ethnicity of their origin. This diversity means northerners and southerners may never be on the same page when it comes to cooking the same ingredients.

Every year, especially when traditional festivals come around, netizens nationwide fall into arguments about which method of preparing, cooking and eating traditional food is most authentic.

For example, during the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on June 7 this year, it is traditional to eat zongzi - glutinous rice cakes stuffed with various fillings. However, southerners enjoy savory cakes filled with pork and egg yolk, whereas northerners prefer sweet fillings made from dates and bean paste. Many Northern netizens said on Weibo that they find savory zongzi "intolerable" and "disgusting".