Chinese food is one of the most beloved cuisines globally, yet its underlying tenets remain little understood in the West. According to ancient Chinese culinary philosophy, the secret to cooking lies in harmonizing the five core tastes: sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty. In her newest book, Five Tastes: Delicious Recipes for Chinese Flavors, award-winning author Fuchsia Dunlop dives deep into reconstructing and understanding the historical principles of Chinese cooking that form the foundation of the country’s cuisines. As Andrew Coe wrote in his Wall Street Journal review, “Five Tastes introduces many unfamiliar ingredients to American readers…but the results are always delectable.” Fuchsia Dunlop will expand upon the history of these principles, their flavors, and how they are used by chefs today.
Fuchsia Dunlop is a James Beard award-winning author specializing in the cuisines of China. A fluent Chinese speaker, she was the first Westerner to train as a chef at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine. She is the author of several books, including the IACP award finalist Invitation to a Banquet and the James Beard finalist The Food of Sichuan. She currently lives in London.
Please note the special time for this program, since Fuchsia will be joining us from London.
Here’s a gift recipe for Green beans with strange-flavor sauce from Five Tastes.
