“Feeding the Dragon – a culinary travelogue through China with pictures” by Mary Kate Tate and Nate Tate is a gorgeous book, full of beautiful pictures and recipes, directly from China. I was excited to be given the opportunity to review this book. My family loves Chinese food, so I was excited to see the recipes it would have.
About the book:
With little more than two backpacks, a camera, and a tarp, Mandarin-speaking American brother and sister Nate and Mary Kate Tate traveled more than 9,700 miles throughout China to share the country’s inspiring culture and cuisine with kitchens in the West. What began as a travelblog (feedingthedragon.com) documenting the duo’s journey has evolved into a visual narrative of food, culture, and travel inside Feeding the Dragon.
Arranged by the authors’ travel itinerary to highlight the uniqueness of nine specific regions in China, Feeding the Dragon is part cookbook and part cultural travelogue, overflowing with sumptuous but easily prepared authentic dishes. From Buddhist vegetarian dishes enjoyed on the snowcapped mountains of Tibet to lamb kebabs served on the scorching desert of Xinjiang Province, one hundred recipes are presented alongside first-person narratives and travel photographs.
Western cooks will find healthy recipes brimming with authentic ingredients and flavors, such as Lychee Martini and Shanghai Soup Dumplings, Pineapple Rice, Coca-Cola Chicken Wings, Green Tea Shortbread Cookies, and Wild Mushroom Salad. Feeding the Dragon also provides handy reference sidebars to guide cooks with time-saving shortcuts such as buying premade dumpling wrappers instead of making them from scratch, or using a blow-dryer to finish your Peking Duck. A comprehensive glossary of Chinese ingredients and their equivalent substitutions complete the book. Feeding the Dragon is not an Americanized adulteration of classic Chinese cuisine. Instead, the Tates offer readers and cooks a beautiful journey through Chinese history, culture, tradition, and food.
My thoughts:
I can spend hours just looking at the pictures throughout the book. I have always wanted to go to China. I love it. I just flip page by page staring at the pictures. I love that the book isn’t just recipes. It shows the culture, it’s real. You can see pictures of the people that create this delicious food, in their own environments. This is how they live, this is what they see each day. Being from New Mexico, it is completely different.
The recipes all look delicious. I’ve been meaning to make the wonton soup (my husband’s favorite)! Must add the ingredients to my grocery list! I love that the recipes are broken down by the area they are from; Beijing, Hong King, Shanghai, Tibet, Fujian, etc. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Chinese food or wants to learn more about their culture. It covers both very well and can be read like a novel.
You can purchase your own copy via Amazon! Follow on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates!
About Amber
