Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chinese cuisines are celebrated for their remarkable qualities in color, aroma, and taste. There are eight major culinary styles, each characterized by its distinct flavors. The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) serves as a comprehensive measure of the inflammatory potential of diet and is designed for universal applicability in dietary assessments across all human studies. METHODS: The ingredients, food composition, and Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) of dishes from the eight major cuisines of China were analyzed based on two cookbooks. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was utilized for the analysis of non-normally distributed data. Additionally, systematic cluster analysis and chi-square analysis were conducted. RESULTS: A total of 980 dishes representing eight distinct cuisines were included in this study. Condiments emerged as the most prevalent ingredient across the various cuisines. In terms of standard servings (per 100 g), Sichuan cuisine exhibited the highest levels of energy (calories) and fat content. Conversely, Zhejiang cuisine displayed the highest carbohydrate content, whereas Sichuan cuisine recorded the lowest. When evaluated per energy-equivalent serving (per 2056 kcal), dishes from Sichuan cuisine contained the highest amounts of total fat and dietary fiber. In contrast, Fujian cuisine had the highest carbohydrate content, while Sichuan cuisine again had the lowest. Similarly, dishes from Anhui cuisine demonstrated the highest levels of protein and niacin, whereas Sichuan cuisine had the lowest. A significant difference was observed among the cuisines concerning the distribution of the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII). The percentage of pro-inflammatory dishes was highest in Anhui cuisine (63.1%) and lowest in Sichuan cuisine (41.9%). Additionally, Sichuan cuisine exhibited the highest percentage of high fat-protein dishes, while Anhui cuisine had the lowest, with a statistically significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: Distinct Chinese cuisines demonstrated varying preferences for ingredient selection, which can be partially attributed to the unique tastes associated with local culinary traditions. The energy and nutrient composition across different cuisines exhibited significant variability. Notably, the proportion of pro-inflammatory dishes was highest in Anhui cuisine, while Sichuan cuisine surprisingly contained the lowest percentage.