For this episode, we’re back to one of our all-time favorite topics – Chinese food – and we’re discussing it with world-famous Chinese food writer and chef, Fuchsia Dulop.

Fuchsia’s love with Chinese food traces back to Chengdu in 1992, where she was studying full-time, spending her free hours dipping into the kitchens of willing local restaurants, and eventually was invited to train as a chef at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine, the first westerner to do so. Today, Fuchsia has published six books (and counting) on Chinese cooking and culture.

During the chat, Mei and Fuchsia journey through the history and development of food and cooking in Chinese culture and daily life, covering famous dishes, entrepreneurs, influencers, and those paving a new path for authentic Chinese dishes abroad.

Listen to Episode 28:
Chinese Culinary History and Culture with Fuchsia Dunlop

You can also listen to The China Travel Podcast on:

喜马拉雅

Episode Overview:

00:28 – Introduction to Fuchsia Dunlop
03:34 – How Fuchsia found her niche
09:45 – Milestones in Fuchsia’s writing career
10:41 – Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper (Fuchsia’s memoir)
12:48 – Chinese readers’ response to Fuchsia’s books
14:15 – Western readers’ response to Fuchsia’s books
14:52 – The process that goes in to getting each recipe
17:04 – Famous Chinese chefs
19:12 – Famous Chinese dish namesakes
20:53 – The rise of the celebrity chef in China and appreciation for food as culture
23:05 – Produce: farmer’s markets vs supermarkets
24:42 – Evolution of food as culture in England and China
27:30 – Professional chefs in China
31:59 – Fuchsia’s favorite Chinese restaurants in London