| Abstract: | HUNAN'S cuisine is well-known both at home and abroad for its unique cooking style,an abundant use of ingredients,rich and bright colors,and high nutritional value.Due to its geography,Hunan Province has a climate featuring high humidity combined with high temperatures,where the inhabitants have dietary habits completely differ-ent from those in the Central Plain areas.
The terrain of Hunan is low and the climate warm and humid,not naturally suitable for storage of fresh meat,but smoked bacon is stored with ease.According to folklore,bacon was invented by ancestors of the Miao ethnic minority.In ancient times,the Miaos were forced to leave their homes due to frequent wars,and they found it difficult to take livestock and grain with them,so they made glutinous rice cakes,and cured meat that was marinated and smoked and thus more convenient to carry and store for a longer duration of time.It was speculated that the processed meat was made from beasts that were shot by bows and arrows.And the dehydrating method is regarded as the earliest meat preservation method in China,dat-ing back some 2,000 years. |
