Hunan cuisine shares many commonalities with its close, more well-known cousin, Szechwan

cooking, Both cuisines originate in the Western region of China. The climate there is sub-tropical -

humid and warm enough to encourage the use of fiery spices to help cool the body, and to require

high spicing of food as a preservative. With similar climate, the two regions also share many

ingredients - rice is a major staple in both diets, and chili peppers are an important part of most

dishes. The two styles of regional cuisine are similar enough that many restaurants and cookbooks

lump them together under 'Western Chinese cooking' or simple refer to both as Szechwan cuisine.

There are some important differences, though. Hunan cooking is, for one thing, even more fiery

than most Szechwan dishes. Szechwan dishes often include chili paste for rubbing into meats, or

including in sauce. Hunan chefs include the entire dried chili pepper, with its intensely spicy seeds

and rind.

The differences in the actual land of the two regions also has an effect on the differences in their

cuisine. The Szechwan region is mountainous jungle, with little arable land for farming. The Hunan

region, by contrast, is a land of soft rolling hills and slow rivers. Because of its fertile hillocks and

valleys, the Hunan region has access to an amazing variety of ingredients that aren't available to

Szechwan chefs. Seafood and beef are both far more common in Hunan cooking, as are many

vegetables.

The land, and the hardships associated with it, also give the Hunan more time to concentrate on

food. Hunan cooking features complex and time-consuming preparation time. Many dishes begin

their preparation the day before they are to be served, and may be marinated, then steamed or

smoked, and finally deep-fried or stewed before they reach the table. The same attention is paid to

the preparation of ingredients, and it is said that Hunan cuisine is the most pleasing to the eye of all

Chinese cuisines. The shape of a food in a particular recipe is nearly as important as its presence in

the final dish. Hunan chefs are specialists with the knife - carving fanciful shapes of vegetables and

fruits that will be used in preparing meals, or to present them.

Hunan cuisine is noted for its use of chili peppers, garlic and shallots, and for the use of sauces to

accent the flavors in the ingredients of a dish. It is not uncommon for a Hunan dish to play on the

contrasts of flavors - hot and sour, sweet and sour, sweet and hot - pungent, spicy and deliciously

sweet all at once. Hunan chefs are noted for their ability to create a symphony of taste with their

ingredients. A classic example is Hunan spicy beef with vegetables, where the beef is first marinated

overnight in a citrus and ginger mixture, then washed and rubbed with chili paste before being

simmered in a pungent brown sauce. The end result is a meat that is meltingly tender on the tongue

and changes flavor even as you enjoy it.

More and more, restaurants are beginning to sort out the two cuisines, and Hunan cuisine is coming

into its own. Crispy duck and Garlic-Fried String Beans are taking their place alongside Kung Pao

Chicken and Double Cooked Spicy Pork. But there is no battle between the two for a place of honor

among Chinese Regional cuisines - rather, there are only winners - the diners who have the

pleasure of sampling both.