A Bite of China; 舌尖上的中国

Not only is this seven-part documentary on culinary culture (食文化) a nonstop visual feast, it is an excellent reference on how food evolves and adapts, like every fabric of the traditional Chinese society.

Typically on culture, history or socioeconomics, Chinese documentaries make even better sources than movies for mandarin learning.

Chen Xiaoqing (陈晓卿), the main director for this series happens to be the editor-in-chief for the Chinese edition of Time Out magazine and no doubt a veteran foodie (吃客 or 老饕 in Chinese expressions. Former more conversational and the latter more in writing). Several prominent food critics in the bigger China region joined force consulting for this undertaking. 

The production team shot in over 70 locations spanning 30 provinces of China. Every piece of material and every dish showcased had to first pass the muster of the team. 

The series was released in 2012 to much critical acclaim. A second series was released earlier this year and a third one currently under preparation.
Not chronologically connected, each independent episode focuses on one topic and builds mini stories around it. Not all episodes are totally unrelated either. Episodes 3 and 4, for example, drew inspirations from ways to preserve and transform materials. Episode 10, kind of harkens back to episode 1 as the wide array of ingredients available became front and center one more time.

In order not to ruin your appetite, I'm only offering some highlights for the first episode:

Scouting for matsukaya mushroom in Shangri-la near the Tibetan Plateau; digging up wild winter bamboo shoots (冬笋, dongsun) in Zhejiang (浙江); Scooping up lotus roots (莲藕, lianou) from drained riverbed, curing hams with local gourmet-grade salt, Episode 1 Introduced some of the basic ingredients that Chinese city folks take for granted. Wait till you see what time-honored simple delights the locals prepare out of these material. You will no longer be content with the canned or frozen generic version flooding most of the so-called Chinese restaurants in America.

They made quite a stir in China even. Price of 诺邓火腿, a type of Chinese prosciutto from Yunnan province (云南) introduced in this episode, more than doubled since this series!

After watching this series, you will only exclaim, "Chinese food has never really arrived in America!"

Episode 1 - Gift from Nature; 第1集 自然的馈赠

Episode 2 - Story of Staples; 第2集 主食的故事

Episode 3 - Inspiration to Transform 第3集 转化的灵感

Episode 4 - Tastes of Time; 第4集 时间的味道

Episode 5 - Secrets of the Kitchen; 第5集 厨房的秘密
Episode 6 - Harmony of Flavors 第6集 五味的调和
Episode 7 - The Land We Live On 第7集 我们的田野

Chinese subtitles; Bon Appetit

Each episode runs about 50 minute long. There might be one or two annoying commercials to put up with at the beginning. As a bonus, you will find 100 recipes in Chinese on the site.