WildChina is pleased to announce that Fuchsia Dunlop will be leading Gastronomic Tour of China from October 13-24, 2012. This 12-day journey will visit the imperial capitals of Beijing and Xian – home to the Great Wall and Terracotta Warriors – travel to the southwestern province of Sichuan and then on to Shanghai to soak in its colonial charms and towering skyscrapers. Throughout the way, Fuchsia hopes that by the end of the trip participants “will be as excited and amazed by Chinese cooking as I am.”
Fuchsia Dunlop is a cook and food-writer specializing in Chinese cuisine. She is the author of Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper: A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China, an award-winning account of her adventures in exploring Chinese food culture, and two critically-acclaimed Chinese cookery books, Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, and Sichuan Cookery (published in the US as Land of Plenty). Fuchsia writes for publications including The Financial Times, The New Yorker, Gourmet and Saveur. She was named ‘Food Journalist of the Year’ by the British Guild of Food Writers in 2006 and has been shortlisted for four James Beard Awards.
WildChina and Fuchsia have whipped up this itinerary for travelers who would like to witness the classic sites of China while savoring the culinary specialties the country has to offer. Take in the sights and sounds of Xi’an’s bustling night market, where savory lamb skewers roast over coals and sweet glutinous rice steam in bamboo. Learn how to select specialty red chilies and peppercorns after witnessing professional chefs artfully prepare Sichuanese dishes.
During the trip, Fuchsia hopes to “give our travelers a real sense of the stunning diversity of Chinese cuisines, the complexity of Chinese cooking skills, and the richness of the country’s culinary culture. We’ll be visiting the heartlands of a number of regional cuisines and tasting a huge range of dishes, and I’ll be talking them through it all, sharing with them the knowledge and experience I’ve gained through 18 years of researching Chinese food.”
When asked what her favorite stop of the trip is, Fuchsia says, “Chengdu, because it’s my first love in Chinese culinary terms, and because it’s hard to beat the sheer variety of different tastes in Sichuanese cuisine, including not only the infamous ‘numbing-and-hot’ combination of chillies and Sichuan pepper, but also all manner of gentle flavours. The Sichuanese is a vibrant, colourful cuisine, encompassing everything from elaborate banquet dishes to hearty street snacks.”
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Interested in travel through China with Fuchsia Dunlop? If so, see here for more details on China for Foodies, a culinary adventure throughout China. Additional questions on this trip, please contact info@wildchina.com.
