Hunan Cuisine: Spicy Feast

Hunan cuisine dates back to the Warring States Period (over 2,200 years ago). With its hot, humid climate, abundant resources, and plentiful water, Hunan Province offers a wide variety of ingredients and agricultural products.

Hunan Cuisine is akin to the chili-rich Sichuan Cuisine. It is also characterised by a dense pungent flavour. Chili, pepper and shallot are necessities in Hunan Cuisine. The dishes is characterised by hot and sour flavour, fresh aroma, greasiness, deep colour, ect. The local people eat hot peppers to help fight dampness and cold. The main cooking methods for Hunan dishes are braising, double-boiling, steaming and stewing, with a focus on controlling the heat.. It is also renowed for its frequent use of preserved meat in cooking.

Typical menu items of Hunan Cuisine are stinky tofu, stir-fried pork with chili peppers, steamed fish head with peppers and braised dried pork with eel slices. The spicy and delicious Hunan cuisine will make you eat two more bowls of rice!