China in Seven Banquets

China in Seven Banquets is in part a condensed account of Chinese foodways from antiquity to the present, using descriptions of dishes from the menus of actual, fictional and conjectural banquets to illustrate crucial moments in Chinese history. But at least as importantly, it is also an account of how China’s cultural identity has been progressively shaped and reshaped by encounters with non-Chinese geopolitical realities over some four millennia . . . The latter part of the book, which examines the past 150 or so years of Chinese socioeconomic history through the lens of food, [is] . . . energized, focused, incisive. -- Anne Mendelson * Wall Street Journal *
[An] accessible, riveting history of Chinese food. * The Spectator *
China in Seven Banquets utilizes seven distinct meals to explore different culinary eras of Chinese history, from a lavish Eight Treasures feast of ancient times to a modern delivery menu. * Publishers Weekly *
China in Seven Banquets is a fascinating book. DuBois promises to provide scholarly insights without the dry prose or interminable footnotes that might stop you from turning to the next page. He succeeds very well in balancing depth and accessibility . . . The text is liberally seasoned with recipes, which give a sense of not just what was prepared, but how, and with what ingredients . . . The food is the focus, of course, but not necessarily for its own sake. DuBois links changes in Chinese cuisine to broader themes. You end up learning a lot more about China (and the world) than you thought you would . . . Thanks to Professor DuBois for a delicious and thought-provoking book. Highly recommended. * Wine Economist *
A magic-lantern show of seven vividly colored and richly animated dining scenes through the ages . . . Thomas David DuBois has written a genuinely original contribution to Chinese food studies in the present to Chinese food studies in the present era—one that has all the formal accoutrements but none of the sterility of an academic work. It deserves to be read not just for its selective excursions into the history of one of world gastronomy’s most dynamic provinces, but for its reflections on the changing nature of our engagement with food and its political economy, wherever we happen to be. -- Stuart Walton * The World of Fine Wine *
DuBois roots his account in the long-term historical forces that have shaped Chinese society, with special attention devoted to the impact of money and technology on modern China’s relationship with food . . . What he successfully captures are the many ways in which food in China serves as the backdrop to other social, cultural, and political pursuits – perhaps the defining quality of the Chinese relationship with food. * Los Angeles Review of Books *
A “flavourful history” of 500 years of Chinese cuisine via seven storied dinners. Food historian DuBois shares his findings from decades of travelling around China, revealing the country’s culinary character through meals including the “tail-burning” banquet of the Tang dynasty, plus insights into food featured in Chinese literature and film, a New Year’s buffet from 1920s Shanghai and a twenty-first-century delivery menu. * National Geographic Traveller *
Despite the book’s size it is clear that a great deal of scholarly research has gone into China in Seven Banquets. DuBois’s tone remains reassuringly informal making this book a compelling read, particular for people (and I include myself among them) who are unfamiliar with the country’s diverse culinary history . . . China in Seven Banquets totally (and rightly) upends the concept of "traditional" Chinese food for the uninitiated and is a poignant reminder that culinary history is in a constant state of flux. * Petits Propos Culinaires *

Thomas David DuBois’ deceptively chatty introduction to China in Seven Banquets artfully digests a bunch
of important food-studies concepts for the general reader, including the nature of sources, the metadata of meals,
and precedents in the study of foodways . . . With only seven meals to distil the 5000-year span of Chinese history, DuBois takes what I suspect to be a tutorial delight in using different research methods.

* Jonathan Clements’ blog, ‘The Distracted Diner’ *
China in Seven Banquets is a wonderfully pleasurable insight into the long history of Chinese food. Thomas David DuBois’ delightful prose is quite a banquet to feast on. This book will take pride of place in my library of cookery books, as it will in yours! * Ken Hom OBE, author, chef and TV presenter *
Take a seat at some of the greatest banquets in the history of China! Using resources from the period and first-hand accounts, this book brings the history and culture of China to life. * Max Miller, NYT bestselling author of Tasting History *
Anyone who wants to understand China's food culture needs to read this book. With the eye of a historian and experience in the kitchen, Thomas David DuBois strips away the myths of China's culinary history, not only showing the evolution of recipes but explaining the problems that modernization has brought to China's diet. Much more than a history of food, this book is a history of China with a seat at the dining table. * Rongguang Zhao, author of A History of Food Culture in China *
A brilliant piece of food history by a scholar who knows all about changes in commodities, tastes, values and techniques, but also conveys his love and first-hand experience of cooking in China. It powerfully debunks prejudices and preconceptions that there is one unique Chinese cuisine, and opens worlds of exquisite differences. * Vincent Goossaert, Professor of Daoist Studies, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Université PSL, Paris *
This book confronts the undoable – it characterizes China through several thousand years of changing foodways. The seven banquets selected – historical, literary, imagined and filmic, even a fast-food delivery feast – make for a micro-history of excess in a culture which famously celebrates its myriad regional cuisines. The writing bristles with menus, recipes and tales of ordinary and unlikely ingredients. DuBois is a great story-teller. What I love the most is his joyous engagement in the kitchen, with records of his experiments with the culinary unknown, both successful and not quite so . . . * Vivienne Lo, Director, The UCL China Centre for Health and Humanity *