A Tradition of Soup: Flavors from China's Pearl River Delta Review

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(More customer reviews)The first thing I noticed about A Tradition of Soup is that is a beautiful book. It is a feast for the eyes. The North Atlantic Books production team deserves many kudos. The pages are oversized, printed on heavy coated paper. The photographs are excellent, most in full color and abundant.
In her Preface, Teresa Chan writes, "This cookbook is written to promote Chinese food and culture, and to promote health. It pays tribute to my kindred Cantonese people from the Pearl River Delta and to our soup tradition that explicitly links food to health and healing." The book is divided into four parts that indeed cover Chinese culture, healing traditions, history, and of course, food.
Part One introduces readers to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the tradition of soup, and the history of Cantonese people in two deltas: the Pearl River Delta in China and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in California. The Cantonese people have a rich history in the California Delta region. As a co-founder of the Pacific Complementary Medicine Center and as a member of the Board of Directors of Jen Wah, Inc. both in Stockton, CA, Chen was able to draw on the accumulated wisdom of Chinese elders for the recipes and techniques in this book. In Appendix B the soup contributors are profiled.
Part Two focuses on the basics of Cantonese soups, techniques, and equipment. Of particular interest to me is the section about reconstituting dry ingredients. Since many recipes require dry ingredients, this is a critical step in the process. Also here is where I find a great marinade recipe and the discussion for preparing soup stock including "Top Stock," the all-purpose stock.
Perhaps the most fascinating section of the book is Part Three: Ingredients. Some are familiar, like chicken; others are exotic, such as wolfberry leaves. Color photographs are provided for the ingredients. Each ingredient is listed with its Western name, Mandarin and/or Cantonese pronunciation, and Chinese characters (Mandarin pinyin and Cantonese Romanization). The uses for each ingredients are explained as well as tips for choosing and medicinal values. This part of the book is subdivided into four groups: Animal Sources, Plant Sources, Medicinal Herbs, and Other Food Products.
The bulk of the book is devoted to Part Four: Soup Recipes. Naturally, following TCM practices there are recipes for the four seasons. This makes a great deal of sense for those persons devoted to eating locally produced food, it will be seasonal. There are also sections for all-season, vegetarian, medicinal, exotic, and expensive soups. Most recipes occupy a full page accompanied by a gorgeous, often full-page photograph of the soup in a serving dish. Recipes often begin with a brief description of the soup and its benefits. The ingredient list and clearly written instructions are followed by suggestions and variations when appropriate. The Soupy Snacks and Light Meals section is fun. There are recipes for rice soups, sweet soups, and noodle, wonton and dumpling soups.
If you are looking for "typical" Chinese restaurant soups, you will find Shrimp and Pork Wonton Soup. Although of Sichuan origin, Chen includes Hot and Sour Soup because of its popularity. Many of the recipes remind me of soups served in small, family-run Chinese restaurants in East Bay area of San Francisco. While there were the usual types of soup available, there was also "Today's Soup." Often I had no idea what was actually in the soup, but it was always wonderful.
From beginning to end, A Tradition of Soup is a comprehensive reference work that is thoroughly engaging. People interested in health and nutrition will discover much of value here. The index is thorough. However, the design could be improved for easier scanning through the use of a smaller type and less leading in between lines. My only complaint is that some ingredients are not available in places without a significant Chinese population. Unfortunately the book does not provide Internet resources for obtaining many of the ingredients. Thankfully, many recipes do not contain exotic ingredients. My biggest problem will be choosing which of the delicious recipes to make first.

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Through recipes that use time-honored medicinal ingredients, A Tradition of Soup provides a fascinating narrative of the Southern Chinese immigrants who came to the United States in large numbers during the last half century, the struggles they faced and overcame, and the soups they used to heal and nourish their bodies. Following the Chinese approach to health, Teresa Chen, who was born into a family of food connoisseurs and raised by a gourmet cook, groups the recipes by seasons and health concerns according to Cantonese taxonomy: tong (simple broths, soups, and stews), geng (thickened soups), juk (rice soups or porridges), and tong shui (sweet soups), as well as noodle soups, wonton and dumpling soups, and vegetable soups. Also focusing on dahn (steaming) and louhfo (slow-cooking) soups associated with good health, the book features fresh, natural, and seasonal food. A Tradition of Soup highlights recipes that serve a wide range of purposes, from gaining or shedding weight to healing acne and preventing wrinkles. While some ingredients may seem foreign to Western readers, most are available in Chinese grocery stores. To help readers identify and procure these items, Chen provides a beautifully photographed ingredients glossary complete with Chinese names, pronunciation, and detailed descriptions.

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