China in Seven Banquets: A Flavourful History

by Thomas David DuBois (editor)

China in Seven Banquets ranges through 5,000 years of China’s food history in seven iconic meals, from the ancient Eight Treasures fête to the ‘Tail-Burning Banquet’ of the Tang Dynasty and the Qing court’s extravagant ‘Complete Manchu-Han Feast’. We also experience lavish repasts from literature and film, a New Year’s buffet from 1920s Shanghai and a delivery menu from the hyperglobal twenty-first century, even peeking into the tables of the not-too-distant future. Drawing on decades of experience eating his way around China, Beijing-based historian Thomas David DuBois explains why culinary fashions come and go, and recreates dozens of historical recipes in a modern kitchen. From fermented elk to absinthe cocktails, this is Chinese food as you’ve never seen it before.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, China, Food History, Food, Food Writing, Food and Drink

335 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 12, 2024

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are many delicious history nuggets throughout this exploration. Fascinating history and future of food in China. The banquets include an ancient meat fest for the elderly in Confusian time, to imperial China and an exploration of the tastes of several dynasties, a lavish movie based menu, and a new years’s buffet from 1920’s Shanghai and a delivery menu from our current century. The book concludes with a banquet from the future and a best guess of the policies and practices that support it.

The history sections are insightful but not in depth. In the second chapter, differences in the menu were noted but the explanations were quite cursory or non existent. Explanations of ancient trends may be difficult to find, but it would be okay to note the lack of scholarship.

I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the Confusian menu for its impracticality regarding the best way to sustain elders- much bland meat. The second chapter as mentioned was a bit cursory. As we approach more modern menus the stories were more deft and the author more animated in his opinions.

If you are interested in China past and present (and future) or in cuisine trends this is worth a read.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard about this book on the YouTube channel “Chinese Cooking Demystified” in their “63 Chinese Cuisines” video and I am really glad I put it in my to-read. This was an incredibly informative and very accessible intro to the food history of China.

[Matthew Kagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable book and (for me) an opportunity to learn how Chinese cuisine has evolved over the centuries, and continues to evolve. As a non-expert, I was surprised to learn that many (most?) of the flavors and dishes I consider quintessentially Chinese aren't indigenous, but evolved from interactions with other cultures. In fact, the most authentically "Chinese" dishes from centuries back sound pretty boring. The book is fast paced and well written and has a nice "story"-like pacing that keeps you turning the pages.

The author's predictions about where Chinese food seems headed in the future don't sound too exciting (uniform, industrial, etc.) But I suppose the same could be said for American food, or really, food anywhere in a fully globalized world.

[Julie]

I picked up this book on the recommendation of Max Miller from Tasting History. It’s essentially a primer into the history of Chinese food and cooking. While it begins with ancient history, the book is primarily focused on more recent history, especially the last 200 years or so. As a primer directed at a primarily non-Chinese audience (like me), I thought it did a pretty good job. I thought the inclusion of recipes written with their original measurements and ingredients was a fun and interesting choice, and I enjoyed a lot of the vignettes. That said, the author admits that 5,000 years is a massive time span to cover, and I wonder if this book wouldn’t have done better as a book series, with each one fleshing out a particular period or cuisine. Or taking one single ingredient or dish and tracing its development through time. I did enjoy the book and found it quite informative. It’s just that now I wish I could do a bunch of deep-dives into a lot of the cultures, cuisines, and dishes that were mentioned.

[Malcolm · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a history buff I give it a 3, however if I was in the food industry or a chef I believe it would merit a 5.

[Gabriel Salgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing historical account of China’s evolving culinary trends. Lacking a bit of regionalization but overall a good comprehensive place to start

[Abhishek Kona · Rating 1 out of 5]

Its very academic and a listing of facts, lacks narrative to be fun for a normie to read.

Ya China got things from many cultures and incorporated it. Cool cool cool