Cuisine Canada Scene

Gold Medal Winner for Specialty Interest Category at the Canadian Culinary Book Awards

Beyond The Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China
Written by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid (Random House Canada, 2008)
Review by Julia Aitken

In show biz, a “triple threat” means a performer who excels not only at singing and dancing but acting, too. If the cookbook world had a dictionary and you looked up “triple threat,” the definition would no doubt simply read “Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid.” The married couple, renowned for their award-winning, coffee-table-style tomes (among their previous works are Hot Sour Salty Sweet, about the food of the Mekong Delta, and Mangoes & Curry Leaves, chronicling Indian cuisine) can indeed do it all. They write well, are professional photographers and, what’s more, their recipes work.

So it should come as no surprise that Alford and Duguid’s latest book, Beyond The Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China (Random House Canada), garnered gold in the Special Interest Food and Beverage Book category of the Canadian Culinary Book Awards last November.

Beyond the Great Wall is a stunning book that will please armchair travelers and adventurous cooks alike. The authors whisk the reader along on a whirlwind tour of the little-known regions of China that lie to the west and north of that vast nation.

One surprise in a book that tackles such an undocumented part of the world, is that few, if any, of the recipes require an major expedition to source unfamiliar ingredients followed by a entire day stuck in the kitchen. Many, like Ginger and Carrot Stir-Fry from the southern province of Guizhou, or Laghman Sauce for Noodles from Xinjiang in the north, are quick and easy enough to tackle for a weeknight supper.

But there’s more to this book than pretty pictures and must-make recipes. Personal essays by Alford and Duguid document their journey through China, describing adventures as wide-ranging as a hair-raising motorbike accident in northwestern China, to a much more restful-sounding pony ride and picnic in the grasslands on the border of Qinghai and Gansu provinces. The authors also reminisce about earlier visits to China to compare and contrast how the rapidly developing country has changed.

An informative introduction provides a crash course in China 101, describing its geography and the ethnic peoples who live in the regions covered by the book.  A great glossary is an unsurprising but essential addition.

Best of all, is an afterword listing suggested itineraries to areas of China visited by the authors. These tantalizing suggestions are sure to whet the appetites of intrepid readers tempted to desert that armchair and strike out on their own.