Through the authors' personal travels through China came the realisation that what is commonly perceived as 'Chinese food' in the Western world is only part of the story, and thus followed the inspiration to celebrate the lesser known, wonderfully diverse aspects of this ancient culture's cooking. There is a growing global appreciation for regional Chinese fare - but it is mostly unrepresented in Chinese restaurants. Kitchen and Suvalko strove to capture the essence of the simple home cooking and explore the variation in cuisine among the different regions.
The result is a comprehensive compendium of dishes, divided into chapters by category, including: cold dishes, soups and hotpots, dumplings, breads and noodles, pork, chicken, fish, vegetables and desserts. Readers can delight in fermented foods from Shaoxing, river fish from Jiangxi province, smoked pork from Hunan, fish dumplings and flat breads from Shandong or bowls of fresh, steaming, soft tofu slathered in chilli and peppercorns from Sichuan villages. With food that is full of flavour, utilizes seasonal produce and is simple to prepare, and beautiful photographs shot on location, The Real Food of China will challenge everything you thought you knew about Chinese cooking!