- Description
- 1 online resource (x, 276 pages) : illustrations (some color), maps.
- Summary
- "China was introduced to the American chili pepper in the 16th century, and adoption of the foreign crop spread rapidly to fulfill regional needs. While the Chinese were initially unclear on how to incorporate the chili into their diets and how to compare it alongside their native plants (was it like the Sichuan pepper, ginger, eggplant, or black pepper?), the chili and its versatility became so essential to Chinese cuisine and pharmacopeia that it quickly became indigenized and was later used as an example for native plant identification. As the distinction between foreign and indigenous faded, the influence and popularity of the chili grew, redefining the term "spicy" and appearing in a wide variety of literary texts and art. The cultural symbolism surrounding the chili has even tied the pepper to Mao Zedong as revolutionary imagery, and it continues to be used in Chinese pop culture as a symbol of regional and national identity"--
- Series Statement
- Arts and traditions of the table : perspectives on culinary history
- Uniform Title
- Chile pepper in China (Online)
- Alternative Title
- Chile pepper in China (Online)
- Subject
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (pages [241]-267) and index.
- Access (note)
- Access restricted to authorized users.
- Contents
- Names and places : how the chile found its way "home" to China -- Spicing up the palate -- Spicing up the pharmacopeia -- Too hot for words : elite reticence towards chile peppers -- Chiles as beautiful objects and literary emblems -- Mao's little red spice : chiles and regional identity -- Appendix A. Late imperial recipe collections -- Appendix B. Medical texts consulted.
- ISBN
- 9780231551304
- LCCN
- 2019038653
- OCLC
- ssj0002248167
- Author
Dott, Brian Russell.
- Title
The chile pepper in China [electronic resource] : a cultural biography / Brian R. Dott.
- Imprint
New York : Columbia University Press, [2020]
- Series
Arts and traditions of the table : perspectives on culinary history
- Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages [241]-267) and index.
- Access
Access restricted to authorized users.
- Connect to: