Those dishes, including red-cooked pork and pot stickers, were largely unknown at the time in America.

WSJ: Cecilia Chiang, the Queen of Chinese Cuisine

That evening , the Lindens, their two sons and I feasted on a local version of the classic hong shao yu (red-cooked fish), fried until golden then braised in a soy-based sauce with fragrant seasonings like star anise, cinnamon and chili paste.

WSJ: Cormorant Fishing in Yunnan Province, China

Plump red pumpkins and squashes called kadhoos are pan-cooked with onions or transformed into halwa, a warm, melt-in-your-mouth dessert with the consistency of fudge.

NPR: Discovering Afghan Cuisine, a World Away

Is your paramour into the the textbook red roses and box of chocolates, or would they prefer a romantic home-cooked meal?

CNN: Bacon chocolate, e-cards and other Valentine trends