National Village Chef Competition kicks off in Baojing

The National Village Chef Competition kicked off in Baojing County of Xiangxi Prefecture on November 15. 28 teams from 13 cities and 1 prefecture across Hunan will participate in it from November 15 to 19, with 6 teams from 3 regions showing cooking skills every day. In Hongping Village, Jilue Township, Jishou City, a sub venue of the competition, chefs were busy preparing food ingredients and frying dishes. In a short while, a series of rural delicacies such as stewed chicken in an iron pot, fried tofu meatballs with pig blood, and steamed pork slices were displayed on long tables for the public to taste.

In the main venue of Baojing County, nearly a hundred unique Hunan dishes with local characteristics were presented, such as steamed Liuyang black goat, beef stir-fry, Liling stir-fried pork with chili, Wugang tong goose, and Ningyuan blood duck, making people’s mouths water. Many villagers took photos of the exquisite dishes and some local steamers livestreamed the event with their mobile phones. Tian Peng, chief director of the opening ceremony of the competition, said that the event will be held in 34 distinct buildings, each reflecting the unique local architectural styles of their respective provinces and regions, and showcases characteristic food from all over the country.

On the site, 34 residential buildings with strong local characteristics can be seen, such as yurts, earthen buildings in Fujian, cave dwellings on the Loess Plateau, and Beijing quadrangle dwellings, for which members of the Baojing County Poetry and Couplet Society specially wrote couplets. In the dish display section, each representative team served the prepared dishes and elaborated on the stories and cultural significance behind them. Food not only satisfies the appetite, but also integrates culture and emotions.

Intangible cultural heritage projects such as carvings, paper cuttings, drum dance, Miao martial arts, and Tujia costume show were also staged during the event. “The intangible cultural heritage techniques and local cuisine shine light on the past, present, and future of rural areas. It’s our responsibility to inherit them,” said Wang Jinping, an inheritor of Tujia costumes, a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage project. As night fell, the launch ceremony and the art and cultural performance of the competition kicked off. In the end, all people danced together.

The competition aims to create a shared IP nationwide to achieve co-construction, co-promotion, and shared development, and help rural areas attract tourists and promote the economic growth.

From November 24 to 30, village chef representatives from 34 provinces and regions across the country, including Hong Kong and Macao, will also showcase their delicious food and happy rural life on the site.

Chinese source: hunantoday