Eating the Mountain, Eating the Sea

Piotr Gibas is Associate Professor of Chinese and Director of Chinese Studies at the College of Charleston, South Carolina. He is the author of several articles on Chinese food and early Chinese thought.

What is Chinese cuisine? And how can it be defined? What common traits emerge from the interactions among a great variety of practices, techniques, and ingredients? In his comprehensive exploration of Chinese history and regional traditions, Piotr Gibas offers an expansive portrait of the complexity and diversity of Chinese food in its contemporary manifestations. “Native harvests” – unique crops and animal breeds that in the past were the result of poverty and ingenuity and have since become gourmet items – come to the foreground as the symbol of a culinary culture that takes full advantage of local conditions, allowing for innovation and endless creativity. - Fabio Parasecoli, Professor of Food Studies, NYU, and author of Al Dente: A History of Food in ItalyI had a fascinating time reading Piotr Gibas’s book. Eating the Mountain, Eating the Sea is filled with extraordinary insight about one of the great cuisines of the world. If you love Chinese food, you'll devour this book! - Ken Hom CBE, author, chef and TV presenter