On October 16th, award-winning writer and WildChina culinary expert, Fuchsia Dunlop released her fifth book: Land of Fish and Rice.
With the winter weather coming in, we decided to cozy up with a cup of Longjing tea and read through our copy of the book.
Armed with her meticulously observed notebook and Chinese chef’s cleaver that she carries everywhere, Fuchsia spent the better part of a decade immersing herself in the gastronomic heritage of the Lower Yangtze or Jiangnan. This richly historical culinary region has been known since ancient times as a ‘Land of Fish and Rice’ due to its plentiful produce.
Fuchsia has adopted the region as a second homeland where she feels just as comfortable in the kitchen of a local auntie as she does in the Michelin starred restaurants of Shanghai. At the beginning of her career as a interpreter of Chinese cuisine for the Western palate, she deepened her practice by being the first foreigner to be enrolled at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine. There’s nobody more qualified to take you on a voyage through the culinary heart of China whether it be in the resplendent pages of a book or on a one-of-a-kind immersive tour.
With its modern capital of Shanghai, local chefs have reaped the bounty of the plentiful lakes, rivers, fields, and mountains of the Lower Yangtze region for centuries. Interspersed with stunning recipe photography, the evocatively written book celebrates one of China’s most fascinating culinary regions.
Known for its delicacy and beauty, the recipes, techniques and ingredients of the Jiangnan kitchen were scrupulously studied by Fuchsia and rendered into this easy to digest book (pun intended).
Fuchsia’s Recipes by a Home Chef
Paul Keller via flickr
Fuchsia loves to share her unique insights into Chinese food culture and translate them into simple, delicious recipes for everyday chefs. The book includes recipes for many classic dishes including Beggar’s chicken, West Lake fish in vinegar sauce and Dongpo pork. Stir-fry up some of these recipes for your next dinner party, and you’ll leave your guests feeling like they have a Buddha belly.
Fuchsia’s new book is a must-buy for those interested in Chinese cuisine. We’re definitely keeping some copies to give as Christmas gifts for the foodies in our lives. To dive even deeper, she also leads tours for us that showcase her knowledge and skill as an expert chef.
Imagine wandering through the wholesale spice market, buying authentic spices that you’ve sampled with Fuchsia’s guidance and stepping into the private kitchens of local aunties who’ve been cooking in the traditional method for centuries. Fuchsia even lets you serve as her sous-chef on her small group or private trips.
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Fuchsia’s new book Land of Fish and Rice is available now. If you want to immerse yourself in the beautiful art of Chinese cuisine through the eyes of our expert, join our Gastronomic Tour of China or the Yunnan Gastronomic Tour.
