The cooking skills employed in the Hunan cuisine reached a high standard as early as the Western Han Dynasty, giving it a history of more than 2,100 years. Hunan is located in southeastern China along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. It contains rivers, lakes, mountains, rolling hills, plains, and pools, which provide abundant delicacies, such as game, fish, shrimp, crab, and turtle. Making full use of these rich resources, local people created a wide variety of delicacies. Hunan cuisine consists of more than 4,000 dishes, among which more than 300 are very popular. Hunan food is characterized by its hot and sour flavor, fresh aroma, greasiness and deep color.

Hunan dishes are so cooked because of the humid weather here, which makes it difficult for the human body to eliminate moisture. The local people eat hot peppers to help remove dampness to keep health.