Your ultimate guide to the magic of Chinese flavour by the award winning and bestselling author Fuchsia Dunlop.

When people in ancient China spoke of the ‘five tastes’, they were talking not only literally about the five tastes recognized in Chinese gastronomy – sour, bitter, sweet, pungent and salty – but also metaphorically about all the ingredients and flavours at a cook’s disposal.

In her new book Five Taste: The Magic of Flavour in a Chinese Kitchen, Fuchsia shows us that with a few core seasonings, flavour combinations and techniques, you can conjure up delicious dishes from whatever ingredients you have to hand, whether seasonal treats from a farmers’ market, specialist produce or basic vegetables from a supermarket. These recipes – which celebrate the Chinese philosophy that good health and pleasure are inseparable when it comes to food – will show you how to celebrate the irresistible flavours of China in your own kitchen. You don’t need to be a Chinese cook to find inspiration in the Chinese arts of flavour.

Fuchsia Dunlop was the first Westerner to train as a chef at the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine, and has been travelling around China, researching and cooking Chinese food, for some 30 years. Her award-winning and bestselling books include The Food of Sichuan, Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper, Every Grain of Rice and Land of Fish and Rice, several of which are now published in translation in China. Shas been travelling around China, researching and cooking Chinese food, for some 30 years. Based in London, she speaks, reads and writes Chinese.

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