Sichuan cuisine can generally be divided into three sects: Upper River Sect, Little River Sect, and Lower River Sect.
Upper River Sect, centered around Chengdu, values precise and detailed ingredients with a slightly mild and gentle taste.
Little River Sect, centered around Zigong, focuses on tender ginger and small chili peppers, with a fresh and rich flavor.
Lower River Sect is centered around Chongqing, known for its intensely spicy and numbing flavor.
Twice-cooked pork and Mapo Tofu both belong to the Upper River Sect, and almost all Sichuanese believe these two dishes best represent Sichuan cuisine.
Twice-cooked pork is considered by many to be the premier dish of Sichuan cuisine, famed for its unique flavor, bright red color, fatty yet not greasy texture, and perfect combination of color, aroma, and taste.
