Landlocked Hunan’s chili-rich cuisine is similar to that of western China’s Sichuan province. Chili, garlic and the unusual so-called “strange sauce” enliven many dishes. Chairman Mao, who was Hunanese, once claimed that the more chilies one eats the more revolutionary one becomes. It was meant as a joke (most probably) but the statement is in accordance to the Chinese belief that diet makes a great difference to the well being of a person.

Changsha specialties include dongan chicken, stinking tofu, chili smoked meat and cold rice noodles in a hot and spicy sauce. Honey sauces are favoured for desserts, which include favourites such as water chestnuts or cassia-flower cakes. For those of the non-spicy palate, the city still has an array of cooler dishes, including tasty dumplings (Jiao zi), eggs and pickles.

Among the best places to sample typical Hunanese cuisine are the Changsha Restaurant (Changsha fandian, 116 Wuyi donglu), the Fire Palace (Huogong fandian, Shaoshan lu north of the intersection with Laodong lu) and the Kaiyunlou Restaurant (Kaiyunlou, Wuyi lu near the intersection with Chaoyang lu). For fast food try George’s Fast Food, at the corner of Shaoshan lu and Wuyi zhonglu, or Oasis on Jiefang donglu. For the best western food you should head to the hotels, among which the Cygnet Hotel’s John’s Cafe and the Huatian Hotel’s Coffee Shop are recommended.

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