Long, warm, wet days throughout the year create the perfect environment for cultivating most everything. The coast provides ample seafood, the groves are filled with fruits. Cooking methods and recipes here are sophisticated and varied. Since the local produce is so gorgeous, the cooking highlights its freshness, relying less on loud sauces and deep-frying. To the mountainous west, in Szechwan and Hunan provinces, steamy heat and spicy foods fill the restaurants.
Rice grows abundantly, as do citrus fruits, bamboo, and mushrooms.
The spiciness of the food tells of locally grown chiles and the inclinations of the local palate, though some say the spices are used to mask the taste of foods that rot quickly in the heat. Like the west in latitude, it has the added bonus of lowlands for rice cultivation and a rich ocean's edge for fish. However, the centuries and the accumulated wisdom of China's best chefs have conspired to make imperial cuisine an incredible achievement that belongs to all of China.