If we're recommending books, there's "Music, Food and Love: A Memoir" by Guo Yue (whose name means "Little leap forward"). He grew up in the hutongs of Beijing, when food and traditional music were pretty much the only subjects you could talk about freely, he therefore became a musician and chef.

In fact he requested the position of flautist when he was forced to join the Red Army, a remarkable request, only more remarkable because they made the position for him.

Every chapter of his life is defined by the smells and flavours of the food at that time, and so each chapter ends with those recipies so you can experience it yourself.

He now owns a restaurant in London where he hosts 16 course banquets of his food, serenading the diners with his flute music.

He's a lovely guy and his memoir, and food is the closest I'll ever get to having a real feel for that time.