A FOOD TRADITION
Hunan cuisine
Hunan cuisine comes from the Xiang River basin, western mountains, and Dongting Lake area of south-central China. It is especially associated with fresh and preserved chilies, garlic, shallots, fermented black beans, smoked meats, river fish, pork, and pickled vegetables. Stir-frying, steaming, smoking, braising, and curing are all important, and dishes often combine heat with sourness, fermentation, or pronounced savory aromas rather than relying only on chili heat. Representative examples include Chairman Mao’s red-braised pork, steamed fish head with chopped chilies, and smoked pork with dried beans. Hunan cooking is related to, but distinct from, neighboring Sichuan cuisine.
Dishes linked to this cuisine
1–5 of 5
Hunan steamed fish head with chopped chilies
A large fish head steamed beneath a vivid layer of chopped red chilies, a signature Hunan preparation.
Hunan stir-fried pork with chilies
Tender pork quickly stir-fried with abundant fresh green and red chilies in the Hunan style.
Hunan tang you baba
A Changsha sweet snack of chewy glutinous-rice cakes fried and glazed with sugar syrup.
Mao-family red-braised pork
Hunan pork belly glazed in a fragrant sweet, salty and spicy red sauce associated with Mao Zedong's family style.
Stinky Tofu
A Taiwanese fermented tofu dish typically deep-fried and served hot with pickled cabbage, garlic, and chili.
Catalogue preview Cuisine connections may be unreviewed. Regional comparisons include their food references and do not establish the ingredients of a particular meal.