Fit for ancient emperors, Shandong cuisine (also known as Lu cuisine) is a sophisticated culinary art dating back more than 2,500 years.

Case in point: There are 11 basic ways of deep-frying alone.

Shandong province's diverse landscape -- from the Yellow River, the vast North China Plain and Mount Tai (one of the five great mountains of China) to the shorelines of the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea -- is often reflected in its sumptuous use of sea and land ingredients alike.

Foods are hearty, flavorful and often showcase a chef's skill in controlling the fire while cooking. Slow stews, taking hours to make, are among the highlights in Shandong.

Hailed as the head of the Four Major Cuisines of China, Shandong cuisine has dominated imperial kitchens since the Spring Autumn Period (771 to 476 BCE).

Confucius -- the famed Chinese philosopher and politician -- was also influential in molding Lu cuisine, creating his own eponymous sub-branch -- Confucius cuisine.

Two Shandong dishes to try are ba chicken -- ba is a unique way of cooking in which an item is deep-fried briefly before stewing on a medium fire for hours -- and yi pin tofu -- a tofu box stuffed with eight braised ingredients such as dried scallops, sea cucumbers, ham and bamboo shoots, then steamed in chicken stock.