Pei-Mei and the Food Regions of China

Since I've done four different Pei-Mei dishes in the last month, I've spent a lot of time reading the books lately. From 2014 to now, I've posted my interpretations of 15 of her dishes, with a few others loosely inspired by her recipes. In this article, I will discuss the history and structure of these books, and how she classifies dishes into regional cuisines. Pei-Mei's Chinese Cook Book consists of three volumes. Volume I, published in 1969, presents 100 recipes roughly evenly split between four regions, plus 20 more listed under snacks and desserts. Volume II, published in 1974, switches to a categorization based on main ingredients (pork, beef, fish, etc.) and adds 110 new recipes. Although this makes it easier to find specific dishes, I do miss having the regional context. Volume III, published in 1979, is organized into menus for complete formal dinners of 12 to 17 dishes each. There are 7 regional menus, plus a vegetarian menu and a buffet menu, for a total of 130 more recipes. There are definitely some among the 360 total recipes that are very similar, such as three dishes that are basically slight variations on Lovers' Shrimp. One uses bigger shrimp, while one adds a third curry-based shrimp to the mix. My edition is clearly a matched set, probably printed when the third volume came out. Since my grandparents left Hong Kong in 1980, they must have purchased it just before they left.

In volume I, the recipes are split into eastern, southern, western, and northern China. Each section is preceded by a map showing which provinces are included. Since the book is from Taiwan, the map shown is actually the full territorial claim of the Republic of China, which includes the independent nation of Mongolia. The borders of the modern provinces of the PRC look a bit different, but I made the map above (credit to paintmaps.com, where you can make one) to show roughly what she means by these three regions. We can immediately notice that large portions of China are missing, and the book focuses on the heavily populated Han Chinese heartlands. The gash down the middle is interesting, as millions of people live there and have some intriguing culinary traditions. Shaanxi is famous for its noodles. While Hubei gets more press these days as ground zero for the coronavirus, they also have a rich food culture. 

Ultimately, trying to boil down a regional cuisine into a few pithy sentences is probably a mistake. It's like saying French food is just butter or Midwestern food is just hotdish and jello salad. All cuisines are varied. There are, however, some themes that reoccur within a region's cooking are useful to point out, as is highlighting some famous dishes. In the rest of this article, I will go through Pei-Mei's four regions and discuss some examples that have made over the years.

Eastern China

The eastern region consists of Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu provinces, along with the city of Shanghai. 

Sweet and sour spareribs

In volume III, Pei-Mei notes that the fertile land and good weather, along with numerous rivers, leads to a wide variety of vegetables, fish, and crustaceans featuring in the cuisine. She also notes that stewing is a predominant cooking method. I have posted a few dishes associated with this region:

• Sweet and sour spareribs (deep fried ribs in a sweet and sour sauce)
• Lion's head meatballs (large, braised pork meatballs)
• Shanghai-style shaomai (steamed dumplings with a sticky rice filling)

Some other notable dishes of the eastern China include the famous xiaolongbao, also known as "soup dumplings." I've attempted to make them once, and it didn't go too well. Braising in soy sauce, known as hongshao ("red cooking") is popular, as well. There is a famous dish of this type called Dongpo pork, which I had the opportunity to try in while in Hangzhou about 10 years ago. 

Southern China

The southern region contains just two provinces: Guangdong and Fujian. By volume III, she splits these up into two separate chapters. 

Minced pigeon in lettuce cups

Of Cantonese (Guangdong) cuisine, she has some interesting notes. In terms of ingredients, there is a large variety due to the favorable climate and coastal location. Guangdong was the entry point of the various European powers into China, which resulted in the colonial cities of Hong Kong and Macau. This resulted in some interesting fusion cuisine and a general incorporation of more western ingredients into Cantonese cooking. At the same time, the southern provinces were the origin of the first wave of Chinese diaspora to the United States and other places. Due to family connections to the region, I've posted quite a few Cantonese recipes, including:

• Char siu (roasted, marinated pork)
• Steamed pork cake (steamed patty of ground pork)
• Sweet and sour pork (deep fried pork in a sweet and sour sauce)
• Turnip cakes (steamed cake made from grated radish)
• Minced pigeon in lettuce cups (chicken, pork, and liver mixture wrapped in lettuce)
• Beef chow fun (stir-fried beef and rice noodles)

There are a lot more Cantonese dishes I'd like to attempt in the future. Guangzhou is the origin of dim sum, a category full of foods I love. Char siu bao, steamed buns filled with pork, remain an elusive goal. I am less familiar with the cuisine of Fujian, but Pei-Mei notes seafood is an important component.

Western China

The western region includes the provinces of Sichuan, Guizhou, and Hunan, plus the municipality of Chongqing. 

Eggplant Sichuan-style

Chongqing was originally part of Sichuan, but broke off in 1997 (although a "municipality," it is the size of South Carolina and is home to 30 million people). As such, Chongqing is considered part of Sichuanese cuisine, along with the capital city of Chengdu. Volume I contains a few Hunanese dishes, but treats western China largely synonymous to Sichuan. Sichuanese food is famous for its use of doubanjiang (hot bean paste), Sichuan peppercorns, and hot peppers. Yuxiang ("fish fragrant") is another interesting seasoning component. The sauce is made in a style originally used with fish, but is usually applied to eggplant or pork. Pei-Mei notes that Sichuan cooking (at least what she presents) is more informal and home style. The Sichuan-style recipes I have posted include:

• Mapo doufu (tofu with pork in a spicy sauce)
• Steamed beef with rice powder (steamed, sliced beef coated in broken rice and spices)
• Sauteed chicken Chengdu style (chunks of chicken stir fried and simmered in a spicy sauce)
• Eggplant Sichuan style (fried eggplant in a vinegar and garlic sauce)
• Dry-cooked string beans (fried string beans with pork and preserved vegetables)

In volume III, Pei-Mei splits the region into Sichuan and Hunan styles. Of Hunan, she says a variety of cooking methods are used, but smoking is particularly popular. Hunanese cuisine is also famously spicy. One Hunanese dish which may appear on the blog later is Chairman Mao's red cooked pork. I've made it a few times, but haven't quite perfected the recipe.

Northern China

The northern region includes the capital city of Beijing, the city of Tianjin, and the provinces of Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei, and Henan. 

Shredded pork with steamed buns

The most famous Beijing-style dish is probably Peking duck, which I've never attempted at home. The pancakes served with Peking duck, called danbing, are served with other dishes as well, including the shredded pork dish I've made. I substituted for buns, but the pancakes are on my list of things to try. The northern style is probably the one I'm least comfortable in. I've only blogged two recipes so far:

• Beijing-style smoked chicken (poached chicken smoked over tea leaves)
  
• Shredded pork with steamed buns (stir fried pork in a red sauce, usually served in pancakes)
  

According to Pei-Mei, the cuisine of Beijing was heavily influenced by that of Shandong, which also happens to be her home province. 

Discussion

Chinese food is, of course, a major focus No Free Lunch, and that won't change anytime soon. 46 of the 181 posts so far are Chinese recipes, more than any other tag. Cantonese and Sichuan dishes have gotten the most coverage. While that isn't really a surprise, I will try to feature more eastern and northern ones as I explore those cuisines more. If you have any suggestions on dishes to try, I'd love to hear them.