An A-Z of Chinese Food (Recipes Not Included)

'I started stitching together my story through a different, universal language: food.'
An A-Z of Chinese Food (Recipes Not Included) is not a recipe book, but a deliberate 'anti-glossary' - a delectable edible anthology that serves up Chinese flavour beyond just its taste.
Jenny Lau always found herself sitting between cultures, connected to both east and west. Hungry to understand herself, she threw herself into researching the Chinese food of her heritage. The result is An A-Z of Chinese Food - a surprising, unputdownable and deliciously enriching anthology that uses food to explore who we are and how we relate to the world.
From A is for Authentic, breaking down our assumptions of who 'owns' what cuisine, to R is for Rice Cooker, a humorous entry from the point of view a hard-working kitchen appliance that has seen a family through its ups and downs, An A-Z of Chinese Food will change the way you think about, see, and eat, food.
'A balm for the soul... Jenny Lau is a compelling and evocative storyteller, an important voice that shines bright in the world of modern food writing' Hetty Lui McKinnon, author of To Asia, With Love
'There is so much to admire about Jenny's writing... Brilliant' Anna Jones, author of One: Pot, Pan, Planet
'She is a writer of force and warmth. Everything she writes is a must read!' Dr Mukta Das, food anthropologist
'Jenny's writing on food - particularly on East and South East Asian foodways - is a tonic' Jonathan Nunn, Founder of Vittles Magazine
'Essential reading for any serious culture enthusiast' Daniel York Loh, Associate Artistic Director at Kakilang Arts

Jenny Lau founded Celestial Peach in 2018 as a multidisciplinary platform to tell and connect stories about the Chinese diaspora. She has since built a grassroots East and South East Asian community through her food events and activism, and has been featured in media such as Gastro Obscura, It's Nice That and Monocle. She has twice been listed as one of Code Hospitality's 100 Most Influential Women in Hospitality and was nominated for People's Choice Person of the Year at the Be Inclusive Hospitality Spotlight Awards in 2022. Her food and culture articles have been published in Vittles and South China Morning Post, and her chapter on 'The Community Centre' was published in London Feeds Itself, the food writing anthology - currently on its second edition - that Jonathan Nunn edited, alongside voices such as Claudia Roden, Ruby Tandoh and Jeremy Corbyn. She has done talks for the British Library Food Season, lectured at SOAS Food Studies department, taken part in panels and events with BFI, MilkTeaFilms and Southbank Centre, as well as a writing collaboration with the Horniman Museum. She lives in London.