The Taste of China [Hardcover]

Ken Hom (Author), Ka Tai Leong (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1990

The Taste of China combines a lively and informative narrative with authentic recipes from Ken Hom's travels within mainland China. His journey takes him from the private homes of family and friends, through the food stalls in bustling urban markets, to the local restaurants and tea houses. Ken travelled to almost every region of China and in this book presents a sense of the history, culture, and lives of the Chinese people. Here are recipes from all the regions of China—Green Beans stir fried with Chilli from Sichuan, Wonton Noodle Soup from Canton, and Fantasy Pork from Yunnan. Seasoned with glimpses into everyday Chinese life, The Taste of China is a glorious and rare culinary journey to enjoy and savor.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

If you're looking for help in recreating the Moo Goo Gai Pan you have delivered to your digs every other Thursday, this is not it: Hom ( Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery ) respects his subject too much to simplify it. Thus Western readers may be lured and dragged, protesting (feebly) that they don't have time to attend to "Food for the Body and Soul: The Medicinal and the Vegetarian" (here the meat of Chapter 10), that they are unnerved by Hom's recipe for sesame jellyfish, or desire a convenient substitute for bitter melon or silk squash. That's just too bad. Only for those dishes that most Americans really couldn't handle does Hom make exceptions: while explanations are given for shark's fin and bird's nest, recipes do not include them. Variety is wide, ranging from the typical wontons and sesame noodles to Portuguese-influenced dairy dishes like stir-fried milk. Leong Ka Tai's ( Beijing ) beautiful photographs show not only nicely arranged raw materials, final fare and a quaint duck herder but also the sloppier side of culinary endeavors, viz., a pork side slung over the back of bicycle. Likewise, Hom's text puts an array of gastronomic detail into the historical, social, agricultural and technological context of the real China. Author tour; BOMC HomeStyle alternate.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Hom, author of Fragrant Harbor Taste (S. & S., 1989), Asian Vegetarian Feast ( LJ 2/15/88), and other books on Asian cuisines, was able to visit a China few tourists have ever seen. His journey began at his ancestral village in Canton, but he traveled all over the country, eating in private homes and in restaurants rarely accessible to foreigners. He has collected recipes found in few other Western cookbooks, dishes that are the real food of China, adapted to be easily made in American kitchens. Leong Ka Tai's impressive photographs complement Hom's charming, sometimes moving, account of his travels. This is highly recommended.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (October 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671692216
• ISBN-13: 978-0671692216
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #215,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #60 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Asian > Chinese

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A treasure, plain and simple, November 14, 2007

By 

Makena White "Makena White" (Honolulu, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Taste of China: The Definitive Guide to Regional Cooking (Pavilion Classic Cookery) (Paperback)

This book is a treasure. It delights the eyes with its beautiful photographs of rural China; it delights the spirit with its thoughtful exploration of Chinese culinary tradition; it delights the mind with careful teachings on the important ingredients and methods of Chinese cookery, and finally it delights the tongue with foods that are healthy, nourishing and fantastically pleasing to the palate. In short, I love this book.

Steamed chicken with ginger scallion sauce, red cooked tofu, stir fried corn, gaozi dumpling soup, farmhouse chive and egg omelets, and many more I have now made so many times, over the course of a decade (or more) that I know them by heart, yet still I pull this book down off my shelf to revisit it like an old friend.

Track down a copy of this beautiful book and explore it slowly. You will never regret your decision, a cookbook cannot be any better. Aloha!

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Best Chinese Cook Book, January 31, 2005

By 

Nader Alnajjar - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Taste of China (Pavilion Classic Cookery) (Paperback)

Wonderful. This book is just great! Ken Hom has not only shown how you could cook good traditional Chinese Food but also taught us a great deal in Chinese history, culture and traditions.

Very easy to follow. I have learned a lot from the book.

Thanks Ken.

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for an overseas chinese!, December 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Taste of China (Pavilion Classic Cookery) (Paperback)

A very fascinating and practical guide to the real authentic chinese cooking. Very well researched and easy to follow. Being an overseas chinese, I only use to hear about these authentic dishes from my grandfather, today I am keeping the tradition alive by cooking them! Two Thumbs up!