Quanzhou cuisine has its roots in the city's unique historical background, benefiting from local natural resources and traditional cooking techniques. It also incorporates the material and spiritual life customs passed down through generations, embodying Quanzhou's rich cultural heritage.

　　The wisdom accumulated by the local people in their daily lives has given rise to a distinctive culinary art of Quanzhou cuisine that blends the flavors of land and sea while focusing on original tastes. The simplicity of the ancient Yue people, the elegance of the Wei and Jin aristoc- racy, and the refined practices of the Southern Song Dynasty imperial clan members have all shaped people's culinary memories through the tides of history. The"gastronomy artists" have passed down their exquisite skills through generations, faithfully recording Quanzhou's flavors in the annals of food history. Historical figures like Lin Hong, a famous gourmet from the Southern Song Dynasty, compiled the cookbook Simple Offerings from the Mountain, leaving a brilliant mark on the history of Chinese culinary culture. Today, acclaimed chefs and intangible cultural heritage Culinary practitioners continue to teach and share their knowledge, alongside the everyday cooking of countless families, sustaining the vibrant legacy of Quanzhou cuisine.

　　The Jin Dynasty

　　During the Jin dynasties (266-420), a large number of people from the Central Plains migrated to Fujian, settling down and flourishing. The"Southward Migration"brought advanced production technologies from the Central Plains, fostering the integration of Minyue culture with Central Plains culture. As the saying goes, "People share the same ancestor; languages share the same origin", the authentic dialect from the Central Plains, particularly from the Heluo region was also brought to this region. After more than a thousand years of inheritance and development, the Minnan dialect, which is hailed as a "living fossil of ancient Chinese", has been recognized as one of the world's top 100 major languages. 

　　In the first year of the Taiyuan period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty(376),Nan'an began producing green tea.

　　Tang Dynasty

　　Wang Yanbin (886-930) served as the gover- nor of Quanzhou for over 20 years. In his poem Spring Day Reflections, he wrote: "Because I car- ry the aged pine wine, I cook new bamboo shoots porridge".The people of Quanzhou have always adhered to the Central Plains culinary habits and techniques, emphasizing refinement in delicacy and meticulousness in preparation. This includes various types of soups, including meat soup, fish soup, oyster soup, and rice noodle soup.

　　During the Tang Dynasty, the tea production industry in Quanzhou was already quite wide- spread. In the Zhenguan period (627-649), Nan'an began producing granulated sugar.

　　Song Dynasty

　　During the Song Dynasty, the brewing industry began to flourish in Quanzhou. In the third year of the Chunyou period in the Southern Song Dynasty (1243), the production of aged vinegar started in Yongchun.

　　In the late Southern Song Dynasty, Lin Hong, a Quanzhou native, compiled Simple Offerings from the Mountain, a significant work that included recipes primarily based on locally sourced vegetables (such as beans, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and wild greens), fruits (like pears, oranges, chestnuts,apricots, and plums), and various animals (including chicken, ducks, sheep, fish, shrimps, and crabs). This book detailed the names, ingredients, and cooking methods of these foods, interspersed with anecdotes and poetry, earning it the reputation of "one of the earliest cookbooks in China". It is also a significant work for spreading culinary culture. As a valuable heritage of the health and wellness cuisine culture during the Song Dynasty, it plays an important role in the healthy gourmet treasure of Min cuisine and its unique culinary brand within Chinese cuisine.

　　Yuan Dynasty

　　During the Song and Yuan dynasties, the handmade sugar industry thrived. Those who cultivated sugarcanes often engaged in sugar production as well. They used traditional methods to craft various types of sugar, including white sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, block sugar, bowl sugar, return bowl sugar, and rock sugar. Sugar workshops were widespread along both banks of the Jinjiang River.

　　Ming Dynasty

　　In the third year of the Wanli reign (1575), a Spanish legation visited Quanzhou. Officials from Xingquan Region hosted a banquet for the delegation, preparing small baskets made of gold and silver threads for each guest, filled with sugar-based delicacies. The feast also featured numerous meat dishes, including castrated chicken, regular chicken, geese, ducks, cured meats, beef slices, and over 50 plates of banquet dishes.

　　In the twelfth year of the Wanli reign (1584), coastal ships from Quanzhou brought back sweet potato seedlings from Nan'ao Island, successfully introducing them to the local area.

　　Qing Dynasty

　　During the Kangxi period (1662-1722) , kumquat candy production was started in Yongchun, while Anxi Tieguanyin tea production emerged in Yaoyang, Anxi. In the tenth year of the Xianfeng reign (1860), the production of Huangdan (also known as Golden Osmanthus Tea) began in the areas around Luoyan and Xiping.

　　In the Qianlong period (1733-1795), the father-son duo Sun Qingshui and Sun Bang created "Bangshegui" in Yongchun's Wulijie, resembling a turtle and symbolizing "longevity and health".

　　During the Daoguang period (1821-1850), Guo Xinchun from Yongchun secretly crafted "Chunshengtang" medicinal wine. In the second year of the Xuantong reign (1910), the "Wanxinghao" sweet rice cake shop was established in Tangtou Village, marking the early signs of a time-honored brand.

　　The Republic of China Period(1912-1949)

　　In the early Republic of China Period, people in Quanzhou began to establish brands. The Overseas Chinese in Yongchun pooled resources to found Huaxing Tea Company, which mass-produced Shui Xian Tea and later created Buddha's Hand Tea (also known as Citron).

　　High-quality snacks started to gain popularity. In 1930, the 19th year of the Republic, Zhuang Jiegan and his brothers from Jinjiang established Yuanhetang Candied Fruit Factory in Qingyang, producing over 50 products, including honeyed apricots, salted bayberries, salt- ed jujubes, grapefruit peel candy, honeyed lotus seeds, and bamboo olives, with an annual output of 500 tons. By 1940, the 29th year of the Republic, Anhai Shizhen Juhonggao Rice Cake, made from glutinous rice, white sugar, and kumquats, became widely popular.

　　In 1938, the 27th year of the Republic, Wang Ruitang from Hui'an established a small distillery. The Xianyuan Shop in Yongchun County also produced wine, with an annual out- put of 10,000 kilograms of rice wine and 5,000 kilograms of "Baisui "medicinal wine. Chun- shengtang also formulated "Longevity Wine" and "Wind-cold Injury Medicinal Wine", participating in the provincial commodity exhibition in 1940.

　　Early Days of the Founding of the People's Republic of China

　　In 1954, Yongquan Distillery became the state-owned Quanzhou Distillery, primarily producing rice wine, sweet potato wine, and molasses wine. By 1958, Quan zhou Comprehensive Food Factory, using gluten as its main ingredient and employing a protein hydrolysis method with hydrochloric acid, began producing powdered monosodium glutamate containing 80% sodium glutamate. Other food factories also started to make pastries, such as Fried Flour Bar, Heart-shaped Fortune Cake and Malao, which became popular among the public.

　　During this period, several state-owned restaurants opened in Quanzhou. Notable establishments included Furenyi Restaurant (at the entrance of Shuimen Alley on Zhongshan South Road), Mantang Restaurant (on Xinmen Street), Halal Restaurant (at the intersection of Chengtian Alley on Zhongshan Road), Mass Restaurant (on Zhongshan Middle Road), Yuanfang Restaurant (next to the Qiaoguang Cinema on Zhongshan South Road, leading to the saying "Eating at Yuanfang, and watching films at Qiaoguang"), Tongcheng Restaurant (next to the South City Gate, at the corner of Zhongshan South Road near the Tianhou Temple), the Dazhong Station Restaurant (across from the old Quanzhou Bus Station), and Zhonglou Restaurant (which included an ice hall, allowing Quanzhou residents to enjoy the taste of ice cream for the first time).

　　After Reform and Opening Up

　　In the 1970s, the "Qilin Brings Auspiciousness" of Quanzhou Licheng District Catering Service Company won the gold medal for decorative platters at the prestigious dish appraisal conference in Fujian Province; the "Peace" brand red bean milk product from Taitong Food Factory was included in the Dictionary of Industrial Products of China. Traditional restaurants also saw new formats emerge, with trendy names becoming popular, such as the Qilin Pavilion on the second floor of Furenyi Hotel, the high-end restaurant on the third floor of Mantang Hotel, and Quanzhou Grand Restaurant near the Bell Tower. Mantang Hotel kept pace with the times by establishing a music tea house and inviting professional performers from the Municipal Federation of Trade Unions and opera troupe to give a performance, which was very well-received by customers.

　　Since the 1980s and 1990s, with the development of the private economy, Sichuan cuisine, Hunan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, and "fast food" began to enter Quanzhou. In January 1999, Quanzhou held its first Flavor Food Grand Competition, and gourmet food gradually integrated into people's lives through media and events. In April 1991, the first sole proprietorship established by Taiwanese businessmen, Haoxing Restaurant, opened, leading to a rapid development of private restaurants in Quanzhou, which gradually overshadowed state-owned restaurants. State-owned flour mills, sugar factories, and monosodium glutamate plants gradually withdrew from the historical stage, while private food enterprises transitioned from family workshops to modern businesses. Well-known companies like Dali, Panpan, and Qinqin were established, with products represented by leisure food gradually becoming the mainstream in the market, and Jinjiang City was awarded the title of China's Leisure Food Capital.

　　In 1999, Quanzhou built a food street; in 2004, Quanzhou was rated as a "Famous Food City in Fujian"; in 2005, the Quanzhou Food Industry Association was established; in 2010, the Quanzhou Time Honored Company Association was formed; in 2012, the Quanzhou Chefs Association and Quanzhou Snack Business Association were established; in 2015, the Quanzhou Catering and Cooking Industry Association was founded... Quanzhou's food industry is becoming increasingly diverse.

　　Passed on from Generation to Generation

　　The culinary tradition of Zayton, which has lasted for a millennium, originates from the harmonious balance of flavors and is showcased in cooking techniques. The inheritance of Quanzhou's food culture benefits from the careful maintenance of generations of people.