Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food
£19.00£23.80 (-20%)
‘A brilliant, passionate and spellbinding tour de force’ Claudia Roden
‘Fuchsia Dunlop is one of the world’s best writers on Chinese food’ Ken Hom CBE
The epic tale of the world’s most sophisticated gastronomic culture, told through a banquet of thirty Chinese dishes
Chinese was the earliest truly global cuisine. When the first Chinese labourers began to sojourn and settle abroad, restaurants appeared in their wake. Yet Chinese food has the curious distinction of being both one of the world’s best-loved culinary traditions and one of the least understood. For more than a century, the overwhelming dominance of a simplified form of Cantonese cooking ensured that few foreigners experienced anything of its richness and sophistication – but today that is beginning to change.
In this book, the James Beard Award-winning cook and writer Fuchsia Dunlop explores the history, philosophy and techniques of China’s rich and ancient culinary culture. Each chapter examines a classic dish, from mapo tofu to Dongpo pork, knife-scraped noodles to braised pomelo pith, to reveal a singular aspect of Chinese gastronomy, whether it’s the importance of the soybean, the lure of exotic ingredients or the history of Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. Meeting local food producers, chefs, gourmets and home cooks as she tastes her way across the country, Fuchsia invites readers to join her on an unforgettable journey into Chinese food as it is made, cooked, eaten and considered in its homeland.
Weaving together historical scholarship, mouth-watering descriptions of food and on-the-ground research conducted over the course of three decades, Invitation to a Banquet is a lively, landmark tribute to the pleasures and mysteries of Chinese cuisine.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Particular Books (31 Aug. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 480 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0241516986 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0241516980 |
| Dimensions | 16.2 x 4.2 x 24 cm |
by Jeff Andover Cook
A description of Chinese foods and it’s history but not a cookery book. A chapter on “What is ingredients” but there are no illustrated recipes and not a single illustration in the whole book.
I’ve only recently discovered Fuschia’s writings and the other five or so books I have purchased over the last few weeks are without hype “life changing”. I eat after I have prepared and cooked a meal. I cook a new meal having seeing and “tasted” a meal from a picture, a meal I am inspired to go on to prepare.
To be clear – all of Fuschia’s previous books are extraordinary. 5 Stars for those. This one is a banquet with neither food or recipes – not a cookery book. I hate writing this but if you are looking for a new book following Fuschia’s previous writings this may not be what you seek.
by Fussy Buyer
If your a foody & love Asian cuisine then I would definitely recommend this book.
by D.N.W.
It’s not whether it is edible, but how we can eat it…sums up the raison d’etre of the Chinese people (length and breadth geographically, as well as down the millennia) in what FD gushes as the world’s greatest cuisine (probably rightly so – and very very far removed from Chinese food as we in the west or east know it, simplistically and as a “cheap” food). Having eaten some of her older books’ previous offerings (aka fish fragrant aubergine and other nice Sichuanese chicken dishes in past years), and travelled in Sichuan with its great spicy ingredients, I enjoyed this new offering. The (young) author’s knowledge of Chinese foods and cooking is certainly encyclopedic and deep to say the least. The audiobook is very well narrated, with Chinese pronunciation of key terms too (but I can not bring myself to get accustomed to her pronunciation of tofu! – must be right) . She eats her way through some dishes I’d rather not, in the spirit of sheer curiosity and knowledge as well as for her sheer enjoyment (not for the squeamish!… crunchy pig’s ear or drunk prawns, raw) but also brings out alot of fascinating information on the extraordinary breadth and nuances of Chinese rice and vegetables, as well as traditional ways of cooking ingredients etc., which is quite enlightening! The chapters are very interesting but it is a long book. Cudos to her mention at the Intro of hot butter cuttlefish, the star “home grown” Chinese signature dish of Sri Lanka – delicious and unavailable outside…!
by Nicholas Constantine
I love this book: an immersive exploration of Chinese cuisine and culture. I couldn’t put it down, and having tested out my newfound knowledge on Chinese friends, they’re amazed at the detail and the accuracy! Lots of “how do *you* know that?!” My only feedback for a second edition would be that I’d love the Pinyin words to include tone marks, so I can try to pronounce them.
by Colin
I’m devouring every page – just like Fuchsia does every tasty, slippery, unctuous course – it’s a brilliantly observed, gorgeously written trip through three decades of her experiences in China and through thousands of years of the world’s most loved and often-overlooked cuisine. She makes it feel all so approachable and her depth of knowledge on Chinese food is peerless. Highly recommend!
by JGB
Having spent a lot of time in China I can assure you this book is authentic.
It’s not a recipe book, it’s about the food of china and the regional variations.
by K. Robertson
If you want to know how to cook the dishes each chapter is supposedly based on look elsewhere. As a culinary guide to Chinese cuisine it sits alongside others. Interesting but not useful. Well written, entertaining yet ultimately less than useful.