In “Invitation to a Banquet” Fuchsia Dunlop celebrates the cuisine’s spread and savour
. The most memorable dish, however, was the plain white cup of broth served at the end. Made from chicken, probably with ham and dried scallop as well, it was simple, austere and perfect.
Ending a banquet with soup may seem odd to Westerners, accustomed as they are to sweets at a meal’s close. But, as, an English food writer, explains in an authoritative new book, stock is a unique, intrinsic expression of a chef’s art, much as a voice is for a singer. And the “transparent, almost invisible soup…in its quiet golden, ineffable loveliness” is an ideal conclusion to a banquet, with its opulence and strong flavours.
“Invitation to a Banquet” is Ms Dunlop’s seventh book. Unlike those for which she is best known, including “The Food of Sichuan” and “Revolutionary Kitchen” , this is not a cookbook. Instead, she has chosen 30 dishes and used each to illuminate different aspects of Chinese cuisine—and, in turn, Chinese life and history.
This is less of a departure for Ms Dunlop than it seems. Like other outsiders who spend their lives focused on a foreign cuisine—as, an English food writer, did in Mexico, or Paula Wolfert, an American, did in the Middle East—she is more a gatherer than an inventor of recipes. Ms Dunlop’s well-researched cookbooks read as mini-ethnographies.
Readers will not learn how to make braised pomelo pith with shrimp eggs but how and why Chinese chefs have long prized unusual ingredients, such as the bitter pith of a giant citrus fruit.
Belgique Dernières Nouvelles, Belgique Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
New bakery and cafe on Great Western Road already attracting queuesThe bakery has been in business for over a decade has finally opened its much-anticipated cafe on Great Western Road - and it's already proving hugely popular.
Lire la suite »
Chinese stimulus arrives, but no bazooka yetTweaks to lending rate and stamp duty are not matching the scale of the problem
Lire la suite »
Chinese stimulus arrives, but no bazooka yetTweaks to lending rate and stamp duty are not matching the scale of the problem
Lire la suite »
Putin suffers worst night yet after large scale drone attack hits airportBetween 10 and 20 drones reportedly hit an airport in the Pskov region of Western Russia.
Lire la suite »
Air attack kills two in Kyiv while Russia accuses Ukraine of drone assaultDrones struck an airport in western Russia’s Pskov region, according to the Kremlin.
Lire la suite »
Air attack kills two in Kyiv while Russia accuses Ukraine of drone assaultDrones struck an airport in western Russia’s Pskov region, according to the Kremlin.
Lire la suite »