Hunan Cuisine

Hunan cuisine, also known as Xiang cuisine, is one of the eight regional cuisines of China.

Hunan cuisine is renowned for elaborate cooking processes, various ingredients, varied tastes, and wide varieties, featuring hot and sour flavor, fresh aroma, and strong colors. The cooking skills employed in Hunan cuisine reached a high standard as early as the Western Han Dynasty, over 2,000 years ago. A lot of processed dishes have been unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Dynasty Tombs. According to unearthed records, dozens of cooking methods were adopted at that time, such as broiling, frying, stewing, steaming, and curing. Rich ingredients are often used in Hunan cuisine, including sauce, salt, vinegar, yeast, sugar, honey, ginger, Chinese cinnamon, and peppercorn.

Regionally, the eastern and southern parts of Hunan feature hills and basins, boasting prosperous agriculture, animal husbandry, side-line production and fishery. Western Hunan is mountainous, abounding with bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and wild game. In Changsha and surrounding areas, people are good at cooking livestock, poultry, and fish with a variety of cooking methods, including steaming, braising, stewing, and roasting. Three major regional styles of Hunan cuisine have taken shape, namely, Xiang River basin style, Dongting Lake area style, and the mountainous western Hunan style. 

In 2013, the quality supervision bureau in Hunan published required standards for popular Hunan dishes including capsicum fried meat, steamed fish head with chopped hot chili, and Chairman Mao's braised pork.

The second set of provincial standards on Hunan cuisine were issued in 2017. The new standards specify cooking skills and ingredients, as well as cooking utensils for dishes in two major categories - classic Hunan cuisine and local specialties.

In recent years, Hunan cuisine and numerous Hunan-born catering brands have flourished in a number of first-tier and new first-tier cities around China. Hunan has hosted nine consecutive sessions of the China International Food and Catering Expo and four "Taste of Hunan-Delicacy Season" events. Hunan cuisine industry is thriving.

There are more than 5,000 Hunan cuisine restaurants in the first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Moreover, the Hunan cuisine industry is expanding into the global market. From Hong Kong and Macao SARs to Southeast Asia, Europe, and America. Hunan dishes are on offer around the world.

As of October 2024, the annual output value of Hunan cuisine industrial chain has exceeded 600 billion CNY. Hunan cuisine has captured 17.6% of the national catering market, with about 118,000 restaurants nationwide, leading the eight major regional cuisines of China.

Nine Hunan cuisine brands have been shortlisted for the "Time-honored Brands of China" and 27 for the provincial time-honored brands. There are more than 1,400 condiment producers including Dragon Brand, Chanacom, and Jiajia. A number of Hunan restaurant brands are renowned nationwide, such as Xuji Seafood, Everlasting Happiness, Chef Fei, and Nong Gengji Hunan Cuisine. Precooked Hunan cuisine industry prospers with an output value hitting 30 billion CNY, expected to reach more than 100 billion CNY in 10 years.

Preserved eggs with ground chili peppers 擂辣椒皮蛋 (cold dish)

Cichorium endivia in sauce 腌苦菊 (cold dish)

Crispy pickled white radish peel 爽脆萝卜皮 (cold dish)

Liquor-preserved dried fish 醉鱼干 (cold dish)

Fish head steamed with chopped chili 剁椒鱼头

Braised mandarin fish (Chinese perch) with green peppers 青椒焖鳜鱼

Poached fish in chili oil broth 水煮鱼

Stewed beef in golden soup 金汤牛肉

Stir-fried fish slices with chili peppers 辣炒鱼片

Spicy Crayfish 口味虾

Braised shrimp 油焖大虾

Spicy hot bullfrog 口味牛蛙

Steamed perch with scallions and black beans清蒸鲈鱼

Spare ribs with garlic 蒜香排骨

Sautéed spare ribs with cumin 孜然寸骨

Pan-fried Diao fish (Culter alburnus) 平锅刁子鱼

Braised eel in yellow sauce 黄焖鳝鱼

Steamed prawns with minced garlic 蒜蓉开边虾

Stir-fried sweet potato leaves 爆炒红薯叶

Stewed asparagus in earthenware casserole 砂锅芦笋

Glutinous rice-balls fried with sour vegetables 酸菜炒汤圆

Dry-fried okra 干煸秋葵

Stir-fried lotus root slices, snow peas, wood ears (black fungus) 荷塘月色

Stinky Tofu 臭豆腐   

Lotus seeds with Crystal Sugar冰糖莲子 (snack)

Tang you baba (deep-fried glutinous sweet rice dumplings) 糖油粑粑 (snack)

Changsha>>

Zhuzhou>>

Xiangtan>>

Hengyang>>

Yueyang>>

Yongzhou>>

Yiyang>>

Shaoyang>>

Loudi>>

Huaihua>>

Chenzhou>>

Changde>>

Zhangjiajie>>

Xiangxi>>

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn

Updated in November 2024