Invitation to a banquet : the story of Chinese food
Dunlop, Fuchsia2023
Book
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.
Main title:
Invitation to a banquet : the story of Chinese food / Fuchsia Dunlop.
Author:
Dunlop, Fuchsia, author
Edition:
First American edition.
Imprint:
New York, NY : W.W. Norton & Company, 2023.©2023
Collation:
466 pages : illustration, maps ; 24 cm
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 393-414) and index.
ISBN:
9780393867138 (hbk)9780393867138 (hardback)
Dewey class:
641.5951
LC class:
TX724.5.C5
Language:
English
BRN:
789804
| Location | Collection | Call number | Status/Desc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathleen Syme Carlton | -Food and Drink | FOOD 641.5951 DUNL | Available |
| North Melbourne Library | -Food and Drink | FOOD 641.5951 DUNL | In-transit from North Melbourne Library to narrm ngarrgu Library and Family Services (Set: 06 Jul 2026) |
| Southbank Library | -Food and Drink | FOOD 641.5951 DUNL | On loan - Due: 19 Jul 2026 |