The second edition of the Chinese Hunan Cuisine Dictionary, edited by Mr. Peng Zicheng and deputy edited by Mr. Zhao Xin, was finally published by China Light Industry Publishing House before the Spring Festival of the Year of the Tiger after several years of hard work. This is a very commendable and good thing.
The first edition of the Chinese Hunan Cuisine Dictionary, which began to be compiled in August 2006 and was published in January 2008. In the year of publication, it won the "Original Book Award" issued by the State Press and Publication Administration and the "Special Award" of the World Food Book Jury, which was widely recognized in the Hunan cuisine industry and a blank filling work in the Huxiang cultural circle.
The Hunan cuisine industry is an industry closely related to the public, with strong practicality and deep cultural heritage. Historically, literati and inkers have recorded many reviews of Hunan cuisine, but there is not much systematic research. In addition, the customs and eating habits of various parts of Hunan are very different, and compiling a comprehensive classic book is a huge project to not only absorb the strengths of all, but also to include the essence of Hunan cuisine. The difficulty of compilation lies in the fact that historical data is scarce and scattered, some popular statements are difficult to distinguish between true and false, most of the information on the Internet is expressive, and the industry language has its own words, just like cooking, it is difficult to reconcile. The compilation work must adhere to the principle of "rigorous, scientific, objective, and neutral", remove the false and the true, remove the essence, remove the complexity and simplicity, and be responsible for history. The original publication of the "Chinese Hunan Cuisine Dictionary" basically fulfilled the above points.
Any classic book is not perfect, and it needs to go through many additions, revisions, and thousands of hammers to form a mature version. Under the organization of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the Hunan Provincial Hunan Cuisine Industry Promotion Association, at the end of 2018, the revised editing project of the "Chinese Hunan Cuisine Dictionary" was launched, and many outstanding experts in humanities, history, archaeology, folklore, cooking, and photography in Hunan and other places quickly gathered, and Hunan cuisine catering enterprises throughout the country responded positively. In the process of compilation, Wang Keying, Wen Xuande, Shi Yuzhen, Li Yiheng, Wang Xiaoqin, and other veteran leaders of the provincial party committee, the provincial government, and the provincial CPPCC committee listened to work reports many times and helped solve difficulties; the masters and experts of the provincial catering industry association helped each other and provided a large number of first-hand materials, and many outstanding scholars, editors, and reporters actively participated in organizing manuscripts, writing entries, and reviewing and checking, and finally completed this huge work. It can be said that this second edition is a cultural project jointly completed by all sectors of society and the Hunan cuisine industry.
Although the revision of such a classic is a revision, it is actually re-written to a large extent and in many parts. The second edition still takes Hunan cuisine as the core, next to Xiang tea, Xiang wine, pastry, snacks, involving the source, historical books, palms, ingredients, customs and other aspects, cooking techniques, famous dishes, old brands, famous chefs, etc., all readily available. Compared with the first edition, the large length of text and pictures has been added, which can basically reflect the historical origin and current appearance of Hunan cuisine, and show the current situation of the vigorous development of the Hunan cuisine industry. The revised edition now being presented to the reader is a new work that takes it to the next level. The four volumes, 2.4 million words, sweat and cattle, are all-encompassing, not only practical value, but also very precious historical materials. Of course, this revised version is not perfect, and may leave some shortcomings and regrets. Fortunately, history has always developed and progressed, and Hunan cuisine culture has also shown charm and brilliance in continuous development. I believe that in the future, there will be young people who will continue to work to be more perfect and perfect.
As a new cultural person involved in the field of Hunan cuisine, I participated in the preparation of this revision in a very small amount. I am proud to be part of this work. It is extremely glorious to be able to write a few comments for this and recommend them to friends who love Huxiang culture and Hunan cuisine culture.
The author, Zhang Xiaoxiong, a native of Xiangyin, Hunan, grew up at the state-owned Miluojiang Farm (now Quyuan District, Yueyang City), and was a 1977 student of Xiangtan University. Journalist-turned-writer and literary critic. Senior editor of Hunan Daily, former deputy general manager of the group. Representative works: the novel "The Wind Rises", the prose collection "Looking for Heaven".