Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook

Just a note for folks who were/are fans of fuchsia dunlop's taste of plenty - she's got a new cookbook out, focusing on hunan, hence the name (hunan province was the home of chairman mao)

Dunlop was interviewed about the book on the June 16th episode of The Splendid Table. Listen here.

Best,
Michael

Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook (link)

I heard Dunlop on podcasts, and she's obviously an excellent authority, but I question (in complete ignorance of the book, which I have yet to read) if the title is justified. Mao's Cultural Revolution aimed to eradicate tradition, and this book focuses on "later imperial recipes" which one would think had no place in Mao's new world. My guess is the title was selected because it sounds much more interesting than Traditional Cuisine of Hunan Province.

I wonder if the Chairman loved Red-Braised Pork more for the color of the braise than anything else. Or does the name of the recipe refer to the fact that the pork was braised by party members?

Hammond

Much of the press from earlier this year centered around Mao's famous appetite for the country-style cuisine of his Hunan homeland. He went so far as to gather up all the great Hunan chefs for his personal delectation.
Post-Mao, many of these chefs moved on to Hong Kong and parts West.