Hunan (Xiang) Cuisine

Hunan cuisine, otherwise known as Xiang cuisine, is one of the many Eight Great Traditions of Chinese food. It is known for being spicy, hot and dark, and is eaten in Hunan, Changsha, Zhangjiajie. It also has a very strong aroma that many find appealing. Some dishes include mala (spicy) chicken, beer duck, stir fried duck with blood, and Changde-style stewed beef with rice vermicelli.

There are many techniques to cook Hunan cuisine, such as frying, boiling, smoking, and braising. It has a dark color because of the large amounts of soy sauce and chili used in each dish. Hunan cuisine uses a lot more oil than other cuisines in China. Hunan cuisine typically has crunchy vegetables served with rice or noodles.

The Hunan cuisine has one thing that makes it special in comparison to the other cuisines, and it is how the dishes change with the seasons. In the summer, the dishes will be served cold and with a lot of chili to keep one cool. In winter, they eat hotpot that is split into two sides of both spicy and mild. Hunan cuisine typically makes your tongue and your entire mouth go numb with the special chopped chili mix they use. Because vinegar is added to the chili, it is even hotter than SiChuan food. However, it benefits the body as it lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels.