Chinese Gastronomy

by Hsiang-ju Lin

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399504184
• ISBN13: 9780399504181
• Release Date: January 1982
• Publisher: Tarcherperigree
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The Greatest Chinese Cookbook Ever Written in English

That's a sweeping statement, but for those who REALLY want to understand the "why" instead of just the "how" of Chinese cuisine, this is the book for you. It hasn't got an encyclopedic array of recipes (although it has plenty), but each one is illustrative of the point that the authors are trying to make in their wonderfully written, subtly humorous text. This is the book I always give as a gift to people who want to truly learn about Chinese cuisine (otherwise, I often give Gloria Bley Miller's "The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook," which certainly gives plenty of "what"). It's a pity that the original title, "Chinese Gastronomy," while perfectly descriptive, has such an inaccessible, elitist ring to it. I'm sure it put a number of potential buyers off. Clearly the authors thought so too: in a 1996 Tuttle reprint (easier to find that the 1969 original), this book was wisely--if less distinctively--renamed "The Art of Chinese Cuisine." The recipes for Economy Sauce, Pearl Balls (best recipe ever for this popular dim sum treat), and Spiced Tangerine Chicken alone make it worth the price--to say nothing of the fascinating text.

Maybe the best cookbook ever!

This cookbook,written by the wife and daughter of Lin Yutang,is simply the very best chinese cookbook ever written. It explaines what a chinese gastronome is looking for in terms of tastes, presentation and style and then gives an example recipe. Any one of the recipies is worth the price of the book. If you're having Chinese people over for dinner this is the book to use.There is a more recent edition titled "The Art of Chinese Cooking" that is currently being remaindered.I've worked as a cook, I've cooked from many cookbooks and this is my all time favorite.

Best book I have on Chinese cooking

By far this is the most Chinese of all of the books I have on Chinese cooking. After returning home from living in China for several years, I know that Chinese cooking takes skill and practice and is not just a matter of measuring ingredients. In many ways it is about choices that can only be made with knowledge of Chinese culture. I feel that this book addresses many of the issues that are required for successful Chinese cooking. The author made no compromises, which is refreshing!

A rare collection of tips the experts left out

Only the facts that a seasoned Chinese cook who lives amongst the Han Chinese for decades will have an insight into these subtle notions of enhancing Chinese foods. Few or none of the other so-called Chinese cookery books in the West have any of these well-known ideas of flavoring - facts known to those in the Far East of course - and few bother to print stories on these facts.

True to its title: recipes and stories of amazing food.

This book discusses Chinese food like no other cookbook. There are chapters on texture, flavor and how to cook food to preserve the characteristic flavors or how to alter them to create something unlike the original ingredients. It is not just a collection of recipes but another way of looking at food. Learn how to appreciate chinese food with this book and you will either eat at the best chinese restaurants or you will cook it yourself