Culinary Carving and Plate Decoration
This book illustrates the grace and beauty of one of the  world's most impressive but least known art forms: vegetable and fruit  carving.  Many of the edible delicacies we enjoy today have a history  reaching back to ancient China.  In fact, we credit China with  developing one of the world's foremost cuisines and China's culinary  influence on the workd has continued for thousands of years.The art  form of vegetable and fruit carving emerged from the culinary  developments taking place in ancient China.  The practice of preparing  garnishes to enrich the overall beauty of the meal began during the  Tang Dynasty, from 618 to 906 A.D., and continued throughout the Sung  Dynasty, which lasted from 960 to 1279 A.D.  The public-at-large,  however, rarely experienced this lovely and gentle art form because  the practice was reserved primarily for the preparation of royal  banquets and for the enjoyment of imperial guests.In today's  diet-conscious world, the appearance as well as the!  !   contents of the foods we consume assume great significance.  Trendy  restaurants and culinary magazines alike stress the equal importance  of the style and substance of food.  Society's ever-increasing  interest in health and fitness has heightened our awareness of what we  eat, how we eat it, and what it looks like.  Healthy and nutritious  food can be presented in an appetizing and appealing manner, thus  encouraging us to savor what we eat as we admire what we see on our  plates!Although members of the royal family and other aristocrats in  ancient China were once the only ones fortunate enough to view the  gracious art of vegebable and fruit carving, today the splendor of  this art has become accessible to us all.  These days, when attending  a luncheon, a family dinner, or a holiday banquet, chances are that we  will see some type of vegetable or fruit carving or decoration  accompanying the meal -- because anything beautiful to see and  delicious to eat will be admired and enjoyed by all.