A Bite of China

舌尖上的中国 (Shéjiān shàng de Zhōngguó), lit. "China on the tongue tip" is a Chinese documentary television series on the history of food, eating, and cooking in China. The seven-episode documentary series, which began filming in March 2011, introduces the history and story behind foods of various kinds in more than 60 locations in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The documentary has also been actively encouraged as a means of introducing Chinese food culture to those unfamiliar with local cuisine.

A Bite of China Season 1 release dates →

1. E7

   7. Our Farm

   Finale 14 years ago

   The final episode explores the relationship between people and the production of food, specifically how people have adapted to living in geographically diverse regions of China. In Guizhou, the Miao, Tong and Zhuang ethnic minorities have been cultivating glutinous rice for thousands of years. Off Zhang Zi Island, divers search for sea cucumbers in Asia's largest marine pasture. In Zhejiang, hairy crabs are cultivated in vast numbers. On the Yangtze river delta, the labour intensive taro are grown. In Tibet, highland barley is processed into Tsamba. Finally in Beijing we meet a man with a rich rooftop vegetable garden in the middle of the city.

2. E6

   6. A Perfect Blend of Five Flavors

   14 years ago

   This episode examines the flavours that dominate Chinese cuisine. Sweet, salty, spicy, sour and bitter. In Guangdong we see the traditional production of sea salt. In Shanxi we see the traditional production of vinegar. In Sichuan, the chilli and Sichuan pepper vie for supremacy. Foods featured include sweet onion pancakes, sweet preserved duck, Wuxi style sweet pork ribs, Macau style tangerine peel duck, salt water chicken, fish aroma pork strips, broad bean chilli paste, Sichuan hotpot, fishball and seaweed soup.

3. E5

   5. Secrets of the Kitchen

   14 years ago

   This episode looks at the various cooking traditions peculiar to the Chinese. In the Tibetan village of Nixi, handmade black pottery pots are the favoured form of cooking. In the Guangdong town of Shunde, Ouyang Guangye cooks a traditional country banquet, including a whole steamed pig. In Yangzhou, Chinese chefs demonstrate their knife skills. In Hunan we visit a Chinese cooking academy and the home of one of the teachers. In Hong Kong, artist Liang Yihu runs a social club where she collects stories and recipes from elderly Hong Kong residents.

4. E4

   4. The Taste Of Time

   14 years ago

   This episode explores both modern and traditional ways to preserve food - from salting and drying to stewing and smoking. Learn to make kimchi with the Korean ethnic minority of north east China. In Hong Kong sweet cured meats are popular. In mountainous Hunan, discover the famous Souse fish of the Miao ethnic minority. Learn about the Hui style smelly fermented perch. Other foods include Jinhua ham, dried seaweed, dried mullet and shrimp paste.

5. E3

   3. Inspiration for Change

   14 years ago

   This episode looks at several traditional methods of processing food to produce distinctly Chinese delicacies, in particular fermentation. Explore many different varieties of tofu in central China and several varieties of fermented dairy products in Inner Mongolia. Other food processes include alcohol in Shaoxing, preserved meats in Zhejiang and fermented vegetables in north east China.

6. E2

   2. The Story Of Staple Foods

   14 years ago

   This episode explores the staple foods that comprise the base of the Chinese diet. Examples are shown of the five traditional grains of China: rice, wheat, broomcorn millet, millet, and beans. Uses for all of the grains are also shown, from sticky rice cakes to noodles, dumplings and breads. It also explores the cultural divide between the southern preference for rice and the northern love of wheat.

7. E1

   1. Gifts from Nature

   14 years ago

   This episode explores the rich bounty of food that is nature's gift to the Chinese people. Elf ear mushrooms gathered near Shangri-La on the Tibetan plateau, bamboo shoots from Zhejiang and Guangxi, traditional salt production and Nuodeng hams in Yunnan, lotus roots from Hubei and Henan, ice fishing in northern Heilongjiang, and finally trawling in the South China Sea.

A second season of A Bite of China, also consisting of seven episodes (plus trailer).

A Bite of China Season 2 release dates →

1. E8

   8. Episode 8

   12 years ago
2. E7

   7. Three Meals

   Finale 12 years ago

   Life always pushes us to strive forward regardless of our willingness. Prepared to depart, people begin to trudge. Where they settle, there is cooking fire. From the migration of individuals to the transportation of food ingredients, from the evolution of cooking methods to the alternation of human destiny, the footsteps of human and food never cease.

3. E6

   6. Encounters

   12 years ago

   China, a country with varieties of geographical environment and climates. People work from day to night .As spring planting ,autumn harvesting, summer cultivating and winter storing. There is a tight schedule exist in the cycle of season and has maintained over thousand years. Compare to the agrarian age people have gradually estranged from the nature. Nevertheless, by following the footsteps of their ancestors and cooking their own foods have become the unique cooking way of Chinese. This is the story of time and is the secret of how Chinese get along with nature.

4. E5

   5. Daily domestics

   12 years ago

   Home where life begins is also one’s ultimate safe harbor. Under the same roof they cook together, eat together. They use food to unite and consulate family members. Though pots and pans are everydayness, they are symbols of Chinese living style and more of a reflection of the Chinese ethics. People grow up, in love, be apart, reunite. In some sense, enjoy home cooking is also an experience of various tastes of life.

5. E4

   4. Realm of Secrets

   12 years ago

   There are a thousand pairs of hands with a thousand flavors. Chinese cuisine is mystic and hard to duplicate. From the countryside to the downtown area, cuisine is still inherited via teaching face to face. The wisdom from ancestors, the secret from family, the tips from mentorship, the understanding from gourmet. Every moment of gourmet is created attentively generation by generation.

6. E3

   3. Heart’s message

   12 years ago

   In the old city of Beijing, within a short distance, you can have a taste of authentic Turkish food, genuine Spanish seafood paella, or prime French cuisine. People come across food from around the globe, and their taste has assimilated with that of the whole world. However, there always exists food that has not been discovered, hiding in the hills and valleys, rivers and seas, deserts and grasslands in China. These are the realms of secrets that we want to explore.

7. E2

   2. Footsteps

   12 years ago

   In China, the habit of having breakfast dates back to Han Dynasty 2000 odd years ago. Since then, the majority of Chinese people have had three meals a day, which is beneficial to living and production. Although having three meals a day, has almost become a common diet pattern worldwide. In China, however, the pattern embodies various life experiences in different paces of life.

8. E1

   1. Seasons

   12 years ago

   Most of great food is fissile spectacle resulting from combination and crash of different ingredients. If compare it with human relationship, some would be regarded as amazing perfect match. Some meet by chance but touched us deeply. Some can only make us regret not letting them meet sooner. Human activities lead to the gathering of food. The separation and reunion of food, on the other hand, also controls people. What Westerners called "destiny", is called "Yuan fen" by Chinese.

A Bite of China Season 3 release dates →

1. E8

   8. Reunion

   Finale 8 years ago

   In the history of China, the North-South exchanges, multi-ethnic integration, East-West convergence... The unique historical evolution has always been an important driving force for the fusion and evolution of food culture. The migration of people brings about the renewal of food, showing the vitality that travels through time and space. Advances in technology today have driven unprecedented changes in the world. The new changes on the dining table are also proof of the trend of the times. This episode focuses on China's population migration and how it affects the eating habits of Chinese people today. In what ways do these foods affect and change people's tastes and temperaments?

2. E7

   7. Season

   8 years ago

   Everything in the world changes with the seasons, and China's agricultural work also follows the rhythm of nature. The world's intangible cultural heritage "Twenty-Four Solar Terms" is a unique system used by the Chinese to guide farming and life, and it is also the embodiment of Chinese food culture and life wisdom. To this day, the Chinese continue to maintain their physical and mental health with solar terms and diets. They follow the weather, plowing in spring, cultivating in summer, harvesting in autumn, and storing in winter.

3. E6

   6. Pastries

   8 years ago

   Dim sum is an important part of Chinese cooking, known for its long history, excellent production, rich variety and changeable flavor. People love to eat dim sum because they are not only delicious, but also entrust the Chinese people's yearning and expectation for a better life. A large number of Chinese pastries are still an indispensable gift for the Chinese people to communicate with each other. It is like a mirror, reflecting the changes of the times and human etiquette. It can be said that dim sum accompanies people through the festivals throughout the year, and also witnesses the growth and perfection of every life. It entrusts happiness and carries the spirit of love and mutual assistance.

4. E5

   5. Food

   8 years ago

   Chinese food culture has distinctive features and displays unique values. Food has been integral to our culture for thousands of years. Chinese people perceive and grasp the world around them through food. This episode will highlight the human factor in food, focusing on the relationship between people and food. Regardless of family survival or clan glory, food constitutes the foundation of our cultural existence. Only those who work hard can make delicious food. We find the true meaning of life from food.

5. E4

   4. Nutrition

   8 years ago

   The Chinese use diet to maintain health, have developed a unique system of botany, medicine, and nutrition, and created health-preserving delicacies with natural philosophy. Food nourishes righteousness, and the common ingredients that are readily available contain the mysteries of health, guarding the road to the physical and mental safety of the Chinese nation. Discuss nutrition, hope to help everyone build a healthier lifestyle

6. E3

   3. Banquet

   8 years ago

   Chinese people are used to turning joys, sorrows and joys in life, weddings and funerals, and socializing into eating activities. As the so-called "reciprocity of etiquette" improves the relationship between people, the style of banquets and parties has greatly developed. People closely connect diet and social interaction, and the matter of diet is devoted to the expectation of family harmony, state governance, and world peace. Through banquets, people not only enjoy the art of food, but also enhance affinity and achieve harmony.

7. E2

   2. Fragrance

   8 years ago

   Water and soil on one side and people on the other. China's rich natural resources have brought a variety of unique snack categories. These foods are often made from local materials, are the most friendly, can best reflect local characteristics, and are also the most evocative. They have a prominent position and strong vitality in Chinese food culture. Snacks condense the customs of a place and become a unique local folk symbol, reflecting the local material and social life style.

8. E1

   1. Utensils

   8 years ago

   From pottery, bronze, iron, porcelain, Chinese cooking utensils all the way, along with the continuous advancement of civilization, the invention, discovery and application of new materials, barbecue, steaming, frying also appeared one after another, and Chinese cooking methods have taken a leap. Sometimes it is kitchen utensils that create cooking methods, and sometimes the needs of cooking methods promote the innovation of kitchen utensils and utensils. In the long history, how to make better use of ingredients and cook the best taste, from kitchen utensils to tableware, the Chinese have developed unique tool wisdom and aesthetic awareness.

A Bite of China Season 4 release dates →

1. E7

   7. Chinese Style

   Finale 1 year ago

   If the world really has a clear food map, then there must be no clear national boundaries. Overseas Chinese restaurants are visited by people from all over the world, speaking the same dialect as their hometown. The rice and salt contain memories, and the noodles and soup contain emotions. Chinese restaurants scattered all over the world are an extension of the hometown and a meeting point of the world. The combination of Chinese and Western cuisines blends the taste of the tongue, and the pace of Chinese cuisine has never stopped.

2. E6

   6. Different Worlds

   1 year ago

   Chinese kitchens are often "a different world": drifting on the vast ocean, shuttling between the vast forests; there are ancient fire pits that use the sky and the earth as furnaces, and there are super kitchens with steel gears. From severe cold to scorching heat, from micro to macro, Lahu chicken, fish ball soup, braised eel, water chestnut roasted meat, sponge cake, dragon boat cubes, milk tofu and nearly dozens of other Chinese delicacies have appeared in turn, not only exploring traditional characteristics, but also paying attention to the new tastes born under technological changes.

3. E5

   5. Scenery

   1 year ago

   The county town carries the homesickness of half of the Chinese people. It may be simple and unpretentious, or it may be fashionable and avant-garde; it may be little known, or it may be famous all over the world. Although some people jokingly call it a "small place", in the hearts of countless wanderers, this city is extremely grand and an irreplaceable hometown. The extraordinary origin of ordinary food, the rural China hidden on the tip of the tongue.

4. E4

   4. Heaven Made

   1 year ago

   Chinese pastoral stories often happen when people and nature meet on a narrow road. Can they always survive? In the mountains, on the alkali beach, on the sea, in the forest, people transcend limitations and build for generations. Those unique products and unique eating styles light up the food map of the Chinese people and bring unlimited space for survival.

5. E3

   3. Revitalize

   1 year ago

   Our taste inspiration often appears in some hidden places. The new knowledge gained from storage is passed down from generation to generation, forming food customs and sculpting the Chinese food civilization. Little do we know that behind the experience is a dialogue with time and a bond with microorganisms, which trains us to have a pair of eyes that can penetrate changes. Open the channel between the microscopic world and taste aesthetics, and let us embark on a journey to explore the mystery of natural transformation.

6. E2

   2. Fireworks

   1 year ago

   The life of Chinese people is centered on the vegetable market. It is the entrance to a local customs, always bustling and hot. It is also a lively circle of friends, content with trivial matters and family affairs. In the alleys and open-air sheds, everyone is a poet of ordinary life, picking ingredients and cooking fireworks. The days are warm and cozy between the chopping board and the stove. There is a road in the market, and there is true love between fireworks. People cannot live without the vegetable market.

7. E1

   1. Unique Skill

   1 year ago