LIVING OFF THE MOUNTAINS

Hakka history is a narrative—rife with hardship, strength and resilience—of mass migrations of Han Chinese from the Central Plain to South China. After enduring long and often treacherous journeys, most Hakka ancestors put down roots in the mountainous areas of northeastern Guangdong, in the hope of taking refuse from social upheavals caused by warfare in northern China. Two millennia of culinary evolution have produced a cuisine that accentuates main ingredients, lays particular stress on cooking time and temperature, and seeks to bring out the original flavors of food—in short, a tantalizing and unique amalgamation of salty, fatty and aromatic deliciousness.This brilliantly illustrated book, comprising six chapters, delves into the time-honored Hakka cuisine, with a scintillating comparison between the three branches that make up Guangdong culture, i.e., Cantonese, Hakka and Teochew.
Specifically, this book aims to reveal, via text and pictures, the gastronomic secrets of the mountain- dwelling Hakkas by focusing on the captivating creations that typify their culinary tradition, including: (1) chicken dishes that are delicious to the bones; (2) Hakka Stuffed Tofu that is hailed as Hakka cuisine’s crown jewel; (3) meatballs that are elastic enough to be played like a ball on a ping pong table; (4) Kiu Nyuk that combines ingredients that are a match made in heaven; (5) mother wine whose scent tells a lot about Hakka women; (6) ban foods that are collectively described as the “fifth culinary invention of ancient China”; (7) herbal dishes that embody much health wisdom; (8) and drinkers’ wager games that communicate Hakka cultural values.Above all, this book is a tribute to the Hakka people who for centuries have been tempered by harsh and unforgiving living conditions. It introduces readers to their gritty, sincere and passionate character and their value system, which is best encapsulated in this Confucian maxim: “To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate