Our Story
The Treasures of the Mountains and Seas
A thousand years at the table
In the annals of heritage cuisine, 'Shan Zhen Hai Wei' (山珍海味 - Treasures of the Mountains and Seas) has represented the absolute gold standard of gastronomy for more than a thousand years. It is a curated selection of the rarest ingredients found across the wild mountains and the vast ocean.
Across the dynasties, these treasures
were catalogued, debated, and arranged into ceremonial sets of eight. Some belonged only to the realm of the mythical, while others - sea cucumber, abalone, fish maw, scallop, bird's nest - became the foundation of the Maritime Treasures.
Food as language
These ingredients speak. And they speak not only of flavour and texture.
In the poetry of the Tang Dynasty they appear as markers of abundance. In Cao Xueqin's Dream of the Red Chamber — one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature — the grand households are described through what they serve and how it was served. To gift these ingredients was to communicate prosperity, care, and respect.
That language has not changed. Dried abalone still anchors Lunar New Year banquets. Sea cucumber still appears at wedding feasts. The ingredients have remained constant - what they represent has also remained constant.
Why we are here
Mount & Sea brings this ancient tradition into the modern home.
We find authentic Maritime Treasures, and we bring them to Australian tables without compromise. We are upfront about the product and it's origins.
This is the way to continue these traditions for generations to come.