Reflections on the Historical Construction of Huaiyang Cuisine: A Study on the Social Development of Shanghai Foodways in Hong Kong

Abstract

ABSTRACT Chinese regional cuisines have developed their own flavors and presentation styles. Huaiyang cuisine (淮揚菜) in the Jiangsu area emphasizes excellent cutting skills, culinary techniques, and the use of ingredients cultivated in the Yangtze River Delta area. There is no doubt that regional cuisines have distinctive local characteristics. However, with increased migration since the 1950s, it has become important to investigate how these local cuisines have changed in relation to the culinary skills and tastes of people in different regional contexts. To gauge the discrepancy between the historical construction of the cuisine in modern times and everyday food practices, Hong Kong will be used as a case study. Since most people in Hong Kong are unfamiliar with Huaiyang cuisine, this paper explains why there has been an overemphasis on official historical discourse from the national perspective and how the change of regional should be understood as a living practice from the diasporic context.