As we know, there are five fundamental flavors: sweet, sour, bitter, hot, and salty. Any one of these tastes may dominate in a certain region in China: Salty Xinjiang, Sour Shanxi, Sweet Jiangsu& Zhejiang and Spicy Sichuan & Hunan. It is said that the flavors influence the personalities of the local people as well; that’s why most people call Sichuan girls ‘la mei zi’ (hot girls).

Hunan Cuisine
Hunan cuisine, one of the eight regional cuisines of China, is famous for its chilli and spicy flavor. It is sometimes called Xiang cuisine, since the Xiang River, one of the largest tributaries of Yangtze River, gives Hunan this Chinese abbreviation, Xiang. Hunan's chili-rich cuisine is similar to that of western China's Sichuan province. Chili, garlic and the unusual so-called "strange sauce" enliven many dishes. Chairman Mao, who was Hunanese, once claimed that the more chilies one eats the more revolutionary one becomes. It was meant as a joke (most probably) but the statement is in accordance to the Chinese belief that diet makes a great difference to the well being of a person. The other seven cuisines are Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui cuisine. Among them, Hunan cuisine surely has its own distinctive style.

History
As early as the Western Han Dynasty, 2,100 years ago, the cooking skills of Hunan cuisine reached a high standard. Hunan contains rivers, lakes, mountains, rolling hills, plains, and pools, which provide abundant food, such as fish, shrimp, crab and turtle. To make full use of these rich resources, local people created a wide variety of delicacies. Hunan cuisine consists of more than 4,000 dishes, among which more than 300 are very famous. Hunan food is characterized by its hot and sour flavor, fresh aroma, greasiness, deep color, and the prominence of the main flavor in each dish. It consists of regional cuisines from the Xiang River Valley, the Dongting Lake region, and the western mountainous area.

The Xiangjiang River Valley Dishes

The Xiangjiang River Valley is represented by Changsha, Xiangtan, and Hengyang. The region has good transportation, talented people, and abundant resources. Local dishes require meticulous care of the raw materials and stress cutting skill, length and degree of cooking, color, and appearance. Cooking methods include stewing, simmering, curing, steaming, stir-frying, frying, and quick – frying. The flavors are pungent, chili, fresh and fragrant, and thickly fragrant. Such dishes as fried chicken with hot and spicy sauce, stir – fried tripe slivers, tripe in duck’s web soup, dried scallop and egg-whites, and dog meat in hot pot are all typical foods.

Hunan food is hot because the air is very humid, which makes it difficult for the human body to eliminate moisture. The local people eat hot peppers to help remove dampness and cold.

The Dongting Lake Region Dishes

The Dongting Lake region, surrounded by Changde, Yiyang, and Yueyang, is a tourist area. The Story of Yueyang Tower, written by Fan Zhongyan, a man of letters and a statesman during the Song Dynasty, stressed the beauty of the landscape, and gave a cultural aspect to the making and naming of local dishes. Representative dishes are Xiaoxiang Turtle, Wuling snake in its own soup, mashed shrimp in lotus pod, Dongting wild duck, jade – belt fish roll, and fish fillet in velvet. Deep color, hot and salty flavor, aroma, softness, and beautifully shaped and patterned serving dishes characterize these famous local dishes.

Jishou, Huaihua, and Dayong Dishes

Jishou, Huaihua, and Dayong represent the western mountainous area. Because this area is mountainous, it has abundant game, mushrooms, and fungi. Its dishes are simple, rich, and pure. The mountain dwellers also make smoked, cured meats that are salty, fragrant, hot, sour, and delicious. For example, steamed cured meat, Double Ninth Festival could fungi, deep – fried loach (a fish similar to a carp), and hot and spicy frog legs all have the rich flavors of this mountainous region. Hunan cuisine stresses a pungent flavor, and dishes made of cured products also make an important contribution to Hunan food.

Changsha Specialties
Changsha specialties include dongan chicken, stinking tofu, chili smoked meat and cold rice noodles in a hot and spicy sauce. Honey sauces are favored for desserts, which include favorites such as water chestnuts or cassia-flower cakes. For those of the non-spicy palate, the city still has an array of cooler dishes, including tasty dumplings (Jiao zi), eggs and pickles.