Sweet in the south and salty in the north, spicy in the east and sour in the west, to some extent, reflect the regional differences of China's food culture, and also reflect the relationship between people's tastes and geographical environment. The climate in southern China is hot and humid, and it is rich in rice, so rice is the staple food; The northern climate is relatively dry and cold, suitable for the growth of crops such as wheat, so flour is the staple food. Shanxi people can be said to be jealous of evil, and they can be said to be the first "Western acid". Before eating, they often bring vinegar bottles and drink three spoonfuls of vinegar each to "satisfy their appetite". Before the reform and opening up, every Spring Festival, other places should offer a little good wine. The oil and salt shops in Taiyuan posted a note: "Supply old vinegar, one catty per person.

Why do "outsiders" in Shanxi and other places like to eat sour food? When you open the map of China, you can see that the soil and water in these areas, especially the Loess Plateau, Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and its surrounding areas, contain a lot of calcium. Their diet contains correspondingly more calcium. In this way, it is easy to cause calcium deposition in the body and form stones through food. Through long-term practical experience, the working people in this area have found that eating more acidic foods is conducive to reducing diseases such as stones. As time goes on, they will gradually develop the habit of eating acid.

Now people call Sichuan women "spice girls" instead of "Sichuan girls", which is probably the reason. People who like spicy food are generally related to the humid climate and the geographical environment. The eastern part of China is located in the coastal area, and the local climate of Korean nationality in Northeast China is also wet and rainy, with cold and wet in winter and spring. Although Sichuan is not in the east, it is located in a basin, wet and foggy, and the sun is rarely seen all year round, so it is called "Shu dogs bark at Yue".

In addition, eating spicy food in the northeast is also related to the cold climate. Eating spicy food can drive away the cold. Lu Xun also had the habit of eating spicy food to drive away the cold when studying abroad. The northern part of China is the Inner Mongolia Plateau. Northerners seldom had fresh vegetables in the past. Lu Xun said: "When the cabbage in Jiaodong was transported to Beijing, the root of the cabbage was hung upside down at the door of the fruit shop with a red rope, which was euphemistically called' Glue Vegetable'. North China is located in a warm temperate zone, with cold and dry winters, mild and rainy summers and large annual temperature difference. In the past, even a small amount of vegetables was very sad in winter, and at the same time, they didn't want to "waste", so northerners would pickle vegetables and "enjoy" them slowly, so most people in northern Renye Fang developed the habit of eating salty food.