Hunan cuisine shares many commonalities with its close, more well-known cousin, Sichuan cooking, both cuisines
originate in the Western region of China.
There are some important differences, though. Hunan cooking is, for one thing, even more fiery than most Sichuan dishes.
Sichuan dishes often include chili paste for rubbing into meats, or including in sauce. Hunan chefs include the entire dried
chili pepper, with its intensely spicy seeds and rind.
Local dishes require meticulous care of the raw materials and stress cutting skill, length and degree of cooking, color, and appearance. Cooking methods include stewing, simmering, curing, steaming, stir-frying, frying, and quick frying. The flavors are pungent, chili, fresh and fragrant, and thickly fragrant.
Hunan chefs are noted for their ability to create a symphony of taste with their ingredients.






