Like most cultures, the Chinese culture regards its cuisine highly, and for good reason. Over the centuries, Chinese cuisine took over other corners of the world, influencing many cuisines in Asia and growing richer in the process. Known mainly for its rice, soy sauce, noodles, and tea, the Chinese kitchen isn’t homogeneous. In fact, there are eight main regional cuisines that have distinct tastes and local characteristics.
But in order to truly appreciate its richness and diversity, you should choose your tour guides wisely. English writer and cook Fuchsia Dunlop should do the trick. Considered the Western world’s most influential writer on regional Chinese food (with emphasis on Sichuan food), Dunlop has written about Chinese cuisine over the last two decades, her work both published as articles and books.
Dunlop also leads culinary tours of China, submitting herself to the task at hand. Through her tours, she hopes to unlock the secrets of authentic Chinese food and teach others how to shop, cook, and eat like a local. An award-winning author, her titles include Land of Fish and Rice: Recipes from the Culinary Heart of China, which is an introduction to the food and flavors of Shanghai and the Lower Yangtze or Jiangnan region.
But you can also follow her advice on Instagram. A recent post, for instance, gave praise to yan du xian soup: a Shanghainese specialty traditionally made with fresh spring bamboo shoot, salt pork, and fresh pork. “In Chinese, ‘salted’ rhymes with ‘fresh’, so the name has a ring to it,” explains Dunlop. “‘Du’ is an onomatopoeia for the sound of simmering… As it simmers, the soup fills the kitchen with marvelous aromas.”
According to Dunlop, what makes Chinese food stand out is that it’s both very ancient and very contemporary. “China really was the original foodie culture, and people over the centuries have written about food,” she remarked once in an interview with Eater.
You’d want to take note!
