Province in the names of many Chinese restaurants - NYT Crossword Clue

Introduction

Today's clue, "Province in the names of many Chinese restaurants," is a classic example of a crossword puzzle testing general knowledge that intersects with everyday life. It's a straightforward clue that relies on recognizing a geographical name commonly associated with a specific type of cuisine.

Clue Analysis

The clue has two main components:

1. "Province... in China": This explicitly tells us we're looking for a geographical region within China.
2. "...in the names of many Chinese restaurants": This is the crucial qualifier. It narrows down the many provinces of China to one whose name is synonymous with a popular style of food served in restaurants worldwide.

Solvers are expected to connect the dots between restaurant names they've seen (like "Hunan Palace" or "Szechuan Garden") and the corresponding province.

Thinking Approaches

There are a few ways to tackle this clue:

1. Direct Recall: The most common approach is to brainstorm Chinese provinces famous for their cuisine. Your mind might immediately go to Szechuan (or Sichuan), Canton (the old name for Guangdong), or Hunan. From there, you check the letter count and any crossing letters in the grid to see which one fits.

2. Association: Think about the types of Chinese food you know. If you think of spicy food, Szechuan and Hunan are the two most famous examples. This clue often appears in puzzles alongside its spicy counterpart, SZECHUAN.

3. Using Crossings: This is the universal crossword strategy. If you have a few letters filled in, say _ U N _ N, the answer becomes much clearer. Even one or two letters can help you distinguish between the common culinary provinces.

Background Context

Hunan is a landlocked province in the south-central part of China. Its cuisine is one of the "Eight Great Traditions" of Chinese cooking and is renowned for its hot and spicy flavors, fresh aroma, and deep colors.

Unlike Szechuan cuisine, which is known for its ma la (numbing and spicy) flavor from the combination of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, Hunan cuisine is known for its gan la (dry heat) or purely spicy flavor. It achieves this with a heavy-handed use of fresh chili peppers, garlic, and shallots. Chairman Mao Zedong, a Hunan native, was famously fond of his home province's spicy dishes.

Because of its distinct and popular flavor profile, the name "Hunan" has become a marketing shorthand for this style of cooking, making it a common fixture on restaurant signs.

Conclusion

This is a great example of an accessible clue that rewards general cultural and culinary knowledge. It's a fair and common piece of crossword fill that relies on recognizing a name you've likely seen before, even if you weren't sure of its exact geographical significance. Once you see it, it's an immediate 'aha!' moment for many solvers.

Hints

1. Hint 1: The answer is a region in China known for its distinct style of cooking.
2. Hint 2: This region's cuisine is famous for being particularly spicy, often using chili peppers.
3. Hint 3: It's often compared to Szechuan cuisine for its heat, but it's known for a 'dry heat' rather than the numbing spice of Szechuan peppercorns.
4. Hint 4: The province's name starts with the same letter as 'hot'.