Culinaria China: A Celebration of Food and Tradition

As a Chinese, I feel sad that Chinese cuisine gets misunderstood to such a great extent outside of China. I would say it is very difficult to get accurate and complete information about Chinese cuisine for people who do not speak/read the Chinese language. I have found misleading information about Chinese cuisine even in very popular culinary textbooks written in English. I give this book 3 stars because I do appreciate the amount of information included in this book considering that the authors are not Chinese. However, this book misses much important information about Chinese cuisine. Many regional cuisine styles/specialties are not well depicted. For people who are not from China, it could be very misleading. In China, cooking has historically been taught orally, and therefore there are many subtle variations for the same dish (Measuring spoons and cups did not exist in China before they were imported). For someone who is not Chinese, the best way to learn about Chinese cuisine is perhaps to talk to people who are from China. There are also excellent documentaries about food filmed in China (e.g. "A Bite of China") -- these may not provide complete information but at least the information presented is more accurate.

Great reference work on China and the regional types of cooking there. Better for background than as a collection of recipes which you will use every day.

These books are beautiful. For history of the food, area, and production quality they are cookbooks that food and book lovers will love. My favorite cookbooks ever.

I was a bit disappointed the book's format was smaller than the original cook books in the Culinaria series.

Really good cookbook as well as informative travel guide

Very good depiction of the food and food culture of China.a great addition to the Culinary series.

A+

I love these books fabulous pictures and explanations. Arrived promptly and in great condition.

A wonderful journey into the world of chinese cuisine. If however, you are looking for something that mimics the older 'Culinaria' style of books then you may be disappointed. Its too wide spread and I don't think the format is similar enough to evoke and satisfy the same feelings of wonder and curiosity.

Very nice!

A great present for any serious cook, my wife loved the detail.

nice books