WINNER OF THE FORTNUM AND MASON FOOD BOOK AWARDLONGLISTED FOR THE ANDRE SIMON AWARDA brilliant passionate and spellbinding tour de force Claudia RodenThe epic tale of the worlds most sophisticated gastronomic culture told through a banquet of thirty Chinese dishesChinese 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 worlds bestloved 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 Awardwinning cook and writer Fuchsia Dunlop explores the history philosophy and techniques of Chinas rich and ancient culinary culture. Each chapter examines a classic dish from mapo tofu to Dongpo pork knifescraped noodles to braised pomelo pith to reveal a singular aspect of Chinese gastronomy whether its 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 mouthwatering descriptions of food and ontheground 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.