Yan kit So

Yan-kit So was a Chinese food historian and cookery expert who lived and worked mainly in London since the 1960s. She became known among a wider public for her commercially successful and critically acclaimed cookbooks, which contributed much to the popularization of Chinese cooking in Britain. She joined the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery of Alan Davidson in 1981. She was also a founding member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and a frequent contributor to various food magazines and journals. Yan-kit So was born in Zhongshan, Guangdong province into the family of a tea merchant, Yin Moo So, in 1933. She grew up in Hong Kong, where she graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a degree in history, and went on to acquire a DPhil at the University of London. She was married twice, to a Chinese surgeon, Po Yat Iu, whom she divorced, and then to the American historian Briton Martin Jr, who died of a brain tumour in 1967 and with whom she had a son, Hugo Martin (born 1965). She died in London on 22 December 2001. Yan-kit So was passionate about Chinese food and culture, and devoted much of her life to researching, writing and teaching about them. Her first book, The Classic Chinese Cookbook, was published in 1984 and became an instant bestseller. It was followed by Wok Cookbook (1985), Party Eats (1988), with Paul Bloomfield, and Classic Food Of China (1992), which won the Glenfiddich Food Book of the Year Award and the André Simon Memorial Prize. Her books were praised for their authenticity, clarity, and depth of knowledge, as well as their beautiful illustrations and photographs. She also appeared on several television and radio programs, such as BBC's Food and Drink and Radio 4's The Food Programme, to share her insights and recipes. Yan-kit So was a respected and influential figure in the world of food and gastronomy, and was admired by many chefs, writers, and scholars. She was described by Alan Davidson as "a person of great charm, vivacity, and humour, who combined scholarship with a practical approach to cookery". She was also a generous and warm-hearted friend, who enjoyed hosting dinner parties and sharing her love of food with others. She left behind a rich legacy of books, articles, and lectures, as well as a collection of cookware, utensils, and manuscripts, which are now housed at the Bodleian Library of Oxford University.