West Lake vinegar fish

The fish lies across the platter, its outline still visible beneath a shining brown sauce. Ginger brings a little warmth; vinegar wakes the first mouthful. Sweetness follows, and the two stay close together.

Hangzhou tells a farewell story about this dish. A woman of the Song family prepares a fish for a younger relative who must leave the lakeside. She gives it both sweetness and sourness, so that better days will not erase the difficult ones. The memory travels in a flavour.

Traditionally made with grass carp, the dish depends on careful cooking and a sauce poured over at the end. There is no crisp fried shell to bite through. The pleasure is in the tender flesh, the bright sauce and the pauses between them.