Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food
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- Create Date：2023-11-20 01:21:29
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Fuchsia Dunlop
- ISBN：0393867137
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Summary
The world’s most sophisticated gastronomic culture， brilliantly presented through a banquet of thirty Chinese dishes。
Chinese was the earliest truly global cuisine。 When the first Chinese laborers began to settle abroad， restaurants appeared in their wake。 Yet Chinese 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 Invitation to a Banquet ， award-winning cook and writer Fuchsia Dunlop explores the history， philosophy， and techniques of Chinese culinary culture。 In each chapter， she examines a classic dish， from mapo tofu to Dongpo pork， knife-scraped noodles to braised pomelo pith， to reveal a distinctive 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 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 cooked， eaten， and considered in its homeland。 Weaving together history， mouthwatering 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。
Chinese was the earliest truly global cuisine。 When the first Chinese laborers began to settle abroad， restaurants appeared in their wake。 Yet Chinese 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 Invitation to a Banquet ， award-winning cook and writer Fuchsia Dunlop explores the history， philosophy， and techniques of Chinese culinary culture。 In each chapter， she examines a classic dish， from mapo tofu to Dongpo pork， knife-scraped noodles to braised pomelo pith， to reveal a distinctive 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 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 cooked， eaten， and considered in its homeland。 Weaving together history， mouthwatering 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。
Reviews
Sam Enright
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Would have made for a truly excellent documentary。
Michael Reilly
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This is a survey/history/appreciation/analysis of food and cooking in China。 Dunlop was trained as a chef in China。 She has been cooking， writing， teaching， tour guiding and traveling to Chinese food for 30 years。 This is her magnum opus。 No recipes。 It is a book about Chinese food in all of its glories。 Each chapter is on a particular piece of Chinese cooking; rice， pigs， cooking on a wok， steamed food， dumplings， the importance of mouth texture， soup， etc。 The chapters usually start with her v This is a survey/history/appreciation/analysis of food and cooking in China。 Dunlop was trained as a chef in China。 She has been cooking， writing， teaching， tour guiding and traveling to Chinese food for 30 years。 This is her magnum opus。 No recipes。 It is a book about Chinese food in all of its glories。 Each chapter is on a particular piece of Chinese cooking; rice， pigs， cooking on a wok， steamed food， dumplings， the importance of mouth texture， soup， etc。 The chapters usually start with her visiting a outstanding restaurant that features a dish which features the chapter's topic。 She usually gives a history of the topic， frequently going back over a thousand years。 She discusses how it fits into Chinese cuisine and the contrast with Western cuisine and she sprinkles in wonderful stories from her experience。 This is one of those books that is filled with interesting stuff， for example;-An obvious thing I never focused on， the typical Chinese kitchen has no oven， which means no roasting or baking -Typical stir fries are not greasy at all if they are eaten as intended， with rice。 They are not meant to be eaten as a stand-alone dish。-Chinese cuisine uses almost no animal milk。 Soy fills that role。 -The Chinese word for meat means pig unless it is further specified。 "Rou" is meat， beef is "niu rou"。 Mutton is "yang rou"。"Stinky and Rotten" is a style of delicacies involving cooking with brine made from fermented vegetables。-Sweet and sour dishes are not a big part of Chinese cuisine。 It was widely popularized in Western Chinese restaurants。 -A sweet desert at the end on a meal is not part of Chinese cuisine。 This is a big book which covers a huge geographical area and an amazing variety of food and cooking techniques。 It could only be written by someone with a lifetime of experience。Dunlop is an enthusiastic guide。 She does an excellent job describing her eating adventures from the fanciest of joints to the humblest。 She has clearly thought long and hard about Chinese food and cooking。 I found this this to be a fascinating， well written， guide。 It prompted me to pull out the old wok and try a few new recipes。 。。。more
Mai
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Nonfiction November
Book Club of One
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Fuchsia Dunlop’s Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food is a wide ranging survey of the history， traditional recipes and current practices of Chinese food。 Dunlop is an English Writer and cook specialized on Chinese cuisine， while clearly an outsider， she is very open and respectful in her treatment of the subject。 While the book ends with a timeline， the chapters do not follow a chronological development。 Instead they focus on a particular food preparation method， ingredient or dish Fuchsia Dunlop’s Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food is a wide ranging survey of the history， traditional recipes and current practices of Chinese food。 Dunlop is an English Writer and cook specialized on Chinese cuisine， while clearly an outsider， she is very open and respectful in her treatment of the subject。 While the book ends with a timeline， the chapters do not follow a chronological development。 Instead they focus on a particular food preparation method， ingredient or dish。 Dunlop details the difficulties of describing a large geographic region with a single description， even noting where the Chinese have been debating how to divide and name their food regions。 Dunlop draws from her own experiences， historic research and interviews in the various sections。 A key consideration and is addressing our understanding of Chinese food， as represented in most American towns and cities as the inexpensive takeaway。 And of course this is not considered healthy as it is considered fast food。 If one to eat in the more traditional Chinese manner as Dunlop details， one would eat seasonally， with a lower emphasis on meat and much more rice or other starches。 One should avoid as much as possible to generalize， and here Dunlop avoids that pitfall， instead giving a wide ranging history and descriptions of the ingredients and tastes。 Not a book one sets down without the desire to eat。 As an audiobook， the author read the work and remains steady and engaging throughout。 Though I do not have the language knowledge to address the accuracy of the Chinese。 A great read for those interested in food history looking for a more general work， not those looking for a more traditional chronological history of development。 I received a free audio version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher。 。。。more
Dezirah Remington
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Thank you to NetGalley and Highbridge Audio for the ALC。 While I prefer books written by own voices， Dunlop shows how to be an outsider and write a book about a culture that is respectful and made with love。 Dunlop's choice to live in China， study the language and the cuisine both as a chef and an eater makes this expansive tour of Chinese cuisine delicious and expansive。 Dunlop blends current trends with historical practices。 She manages to present culinary culture from the problematic （endange Thank you to NetGalley and Highbridge Audio for the ALC。 While I prefer books written by own voices， Dunlop shows how to be an outsider and write a book about a culture that is respectful and made with love。 Dunlop's choice to live in China， study the language and the cuisine both as a chef and an eater makes this expansive tour of Chinese cuisine delicious and expansive。 Dunlop blends current trends with historical practices。 She manages to present culinary culture from the problematic （endangered species parts used by some） and the spiritual （a version of vegetarian eating within Buddhist principles） to the loss of processes in an industrialized and capitalist leaning society， this is a deep look at Chinese culinary practice。 And it is delicious。 About fifteen years ago I was able to regularly eat with a family two generations removed from Canton， while most of the time we ate Americanized， the times that I was invited to special dinners or restaurants were experiences。 The flavors and textures were new to me。 I’m still happy I had the opportunity to expand my palate。 This book not only reminded me of those memories， but pushed me to want to tour China as well。 。。。more
Annabelle
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My first introduction to Fuchsia Dunlop was many years ago， watching the late Anthony Bourdain on an episode [of Parts Unknown] where she talked him through， of all things， a Chinese banquet menu。 Her explanation was thorough without being boring， bridging cultural gaps for "westerners" without talking down to the audience and immediately conveying the respect and admiration she has for the Chinese culture generally and their foods in particular。 I soon sought out her cookbooks and have a couple My first introduction to Fuchsia Dunlop was many years ago， watching the late Anthony Bourdain on an episode [of Parts Unknown] where she talked him through， of all things， a Chinese banquet menu。 Her explanation was thorough without being boring， bridging cultural gaps for "westerners" without talking down to the audience and immediately conveying the respect and admiration she has for the Chinese culture generally and their foods in particular。 I soon sought out her cookbooks and have a couple on my shelf that I turn to whenever I want a faithful recipe for a "Chinese" dish。 This book was a longer reprise of the "introduction" to Chinese cuisine that she provided to Bourdain and his audience all those years ago。 Each chapter is designated by a dish in her banquet menu and quickly opens into a broader topic。 A bit of anthropology， some history， some debunking of myths and prejudices， and a number of personal stories that convey her affection for the land and its foods were spread across the many "courses" of prose that the author served in this well written "banquet"。I listened to this book as an audiobook with the narration provided by the author herself， and though not every author has the clear and steady vocal presence to do their own narration， in this case it was very masterfully done。 The audiobook has the advantages of not only conveying the tone of the author but also having anything that was written in Chinese pronounced correctly。 The only drawbacks were that I would have liked a map of China to better picture the areas that she referenced as she spoke of them and pictures of the foods as they were discussed that I'm assuming would be provided in a physical book。 Overall， I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who is fascinated by China and its cooking。I received advanced access to this audiobook thru NetGalley （for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher， HighBridge Audio） in exchange for an honest review。 The opinion expressed here is my own。 。。。more
Sonia Williams
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I am a fan of all books written by Fuchsia Dunlop - this is not a recipe book per se however it is a fantastic delve into the culture and cuisine of China。 I have mixed heritage and brought up with the customs and dishes of Hong Kong。 The book gives me background to my lived experience of being part Chinese， the mannerisms， the dishes， the complex hierarchies and holistic way in which food is viewed in Chinese culture。 Food is a fundamental of life - a common greeting in Hong Kong is sik farn la I am a fan of all books written by Fuchsia Dunlop - this is not a recipe book per se however it is a fantastic delve into the culture and cuisine of China。 I have mixed heritage and brought up with the customs and dishes of Hong Kong。 The book gives me background to my lived experience of being part Chinese， the mannerisms， the dishes， the complex hierarchies and holistic way in which food is viewed in Chinese culture。 Food is a fundamental of life - a common greeting in Hong Kong is sik farn la？ or have you eaten yet？ This for me encapsulates the Chinese view of food and life。The authors depth of knowledge and descriptions， of food， traditions and landscapes are evocative and send me heading to the kitchen to try out recipes from her other works。 A must read for those who want to know more of the food tapestry that is woven throughout the culture of China。My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing access to this ARC， all views are my own。 。。。more
Sheila
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Listened to this， abridged， on BBC R4。 Mouthwatering for anyone with a Chinese food penchant。
Farah G
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In a world where OwnVoices are too often drowned out by self-styled experts holding forth on the cultures of others， Fuchsia Dunlop is the real deal。 While not Chinese herself， her expertise with regard to Chinese cooking and cultural aspects relating to the cuisine（s） of this vast nation are amply demonstrated in this book。 As is her love of China。 In this respect， Dunlop also displays an admirable degree of cultural sensitivity。The reader is introduced to all kinds of interesting things about In a world where OwnVoices are too often drowned out by self-styled experts holding forth on the cultures of others， Fuchsia Dunlop is the real deal。 While not Chinese herself， her expertise with regard to Chinese cooking and cultural aspects relating to the cuisine（s） of this vast nation are amply demonstrated in this book。 As is her love of China。 In this respect， Dunlop also displays an admirable degree of cultural sensitivity。The reader is introduced to all kinds of interesting things about China and its culinary culture， including the spiritual dimension of food and the value of using food as an offering to the spirits。 The Chinese view that what separates civilized human beings from savages is basically also about whether food is cooked or not was fascinating to learn more about。 The way that the consumption of Chinese food spread around the world， and the fact that it has for so long been the case that a simplified form of Cantonese cooking has been used as a kind of universal representation of the many and diverse forms of Chinese food is as maddening as it is obvious to anyone who knows anything at all about Chinese cooking！ Hopefully， this book will make that clear to any reader who is still ignorant of this rather important fact。。。Dunlop's use of various key dishes to tell the story of Chinese cuisine is an inspired framework on which to hang her stories and history。 This is a terrific book - just don't read it on an empty stomach！I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Michelle
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Actual rating: 3。5 stars！Thank you to Penguin Press UK and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review。As somebody that was raised at a Chinese takeaway shop in England， I loved the sound of this book。 In it， James Beard award-winning cook and writer Fuchsia Dunlop explores and ruminates everything from the history of Chinese food to the philosophies and techniques。 The book is cleverly divided into chapters that each focus on a classic dish， each furthe Actual rating: 3。5 stars！Thank you to Penguin Press UK and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review。As somebody that was raised at a Chinese takeaway shop in England， I loved the sound of this book。 In it， James Beard award-winning cook and writer Fuchsia Dunlop explores and ruminates everything from the history of Chinese food to the philosophies and techniques。 The book is cleverly divided into chapters that each focus on a classic dish， each further diving into specific aspects of Chinese gastronomy。Dunlop writes in an assured manner， beautifully bringing the cuisine and country to life。 There are some wonderful passages where she meets local food producers， chefs and even home cooks， discussing at length the dishes and techniques and table manners of Chinese food。 If I’m honest， I was at first wary that this was written by a non-Chinese author， but a few pages in and I was already thoroughly enamoured by Dunlop’s breadth of knowledge and experience。 There’s brilliant commentary about food and its impact on the planet， insight commentary about Western vs。 Eastern tastes and outlooks towards food， and so much valuable history。 Invitation to a Banquet is a gorgeous celebration and introduction to Chinese cuisine， and it truly made me feel so nostalgic for many dishes that I ate growing up。 。。。more
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