A Spicy Feast

An Introduction to Hunan Cuisine

Short History of Chinese Cuisine

All about tradition, continuity outweighs change Fn (Grains & Starches) Ci (Main Ingredient)
Examples: Bok Choy
Chinese Eggplant Soy Bean Sprouts Snow Peas White Radish Dried Chinese Mushroom Bamboo Shoots Chinese Sausages Tofu Rice Noodles Steamed Rice

Examples: Egg/Wheat Noodles

Staple Foods

Rice Noodles Soybeans Wheat Vegetables Herbs Seasonings

Food Growth & Change

Four Key Factors:

Huge Geographical Area Food Is Medicine Demands of Different Class Levels Foreign Influence

Eight Regional Cuisines of China

Hui (Anhui) Yue (Guangdong) *Cantonese* Min (Fujian) Xiang (Hunan) Su (Jiangsu) Lu (Shandong) Chuan (Sichuan) Zhe (Zhejiang)

Xiang Cuisine (Food of the

Hunan Province)

Called Xiang because of Xiangjiang river Regions included

Xiangjiang river area Dangting Lake region Western Hunan mountain region

Cooking Techniques
Stewing Frying Braising Smoking Pot-Roasting

Xiang Cuisine (cont.)

Characteristics

Popular Ingredient s
-Chili Pepper -Shallots -Garlic (These three used all the time)

- Spicy, hot flavor - Fresh Aromas - Deep, dense color

Chiles- Said to cleanse ones palate and help cope with the humid climate

Xiang Cuisine (cont.)

Popular Dishes
Over 4,000 dishes total, 300 of which are very famous around China

Some Examples

Maos Braised Pork- The favorite dish of Chairman Mao;

eaten with steamed rice and simple, stir-fired veggies topped with sweet, succulent, and aromatic chunks of pork belly.

http://www.fuchsiadunlop.com/wpcontent/uploads/2008/11/rev-chinese-maos-pork.jpg

Xiang Cuisine (Popular Dishes)

Spicy Frog Legs- stir-fried frog legs with green peppers

glazed with a spicy, reddish-brown sauce

and

DongAn Chicken- originated back in the Tang Dynasty

(1,200+ years ago) by the Dong people of Hunan. This dish has nice shape, bright color, and is high in nutrition; tastes hot, sweet, crisp, tart, and tender

Stinky Tofu- The more it smells, the better the flavor it is tofu
brined in fermented milk; it varies in flavor and style depending on where its made; in Hunan stinky tofu is black.

http://www.echinacities.com /userfiles/2011-Year/1Month/24-Day/image014.jp

http://blog.beijingholiday.com/wpcontent/uploads/2010/08/choudoufu.jpg

Citations

"Hunan Food | Cuisine." Hunan Food | Cuisine. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.shanghaifinance.com/food/hunanfood/hunanfo od.php>. "The History of Chinese Imperial Food." The History of Chinese Imperial Food. China Internet Information Center, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.china.org.cn/english/imperial/25995.htm>. "Chinese Food Ingredients and Staples." Chinese Food Ingredients and Staples. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.china-family-adventure.com/chinese-foodingredients.html>. Chinese cuisine. (2007). In The New Food Lover's Companion, Barron's. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/barronflc/chinese_cuisi ne