From a mulberry leaf to a 'full mulberry banquet'

The scorching sun shines on the land of northern Shandong and over 6,000 acres of ancient mulberry trees along the ancient Yellow River in Xiajin, Shandong province are covered in lush greenery. When viewed from afar, the shade and leaves of the trees interweave with each other, creating a beautiful and magnificent landscape.

When mulberry leaves encounter firewood, rice, oil and salt, what delicious taste will they produce? Relying on the abundant mulberry resources in the local area and utilizing various cooking techniques, Xiajin gives the answer. People in the county have developed a series of "all mulberry banquet" with various forms and unique flavors.

To enjoy the refreshing tranquility of the forest and the ancient path of the Yellow River in Xiajin, tourists travel in twos and threes to the county. Meanwhile, there are many other activities that visitors can do based on the ancient mulberry trees, such as visiting mulberry gardens, tasting mulberry tea and having a "full mulberry banquet".

Xiajin villagers use local mulberry leaves as ingredients to present the "full mulberry banquet". The cooking style not only preserves the taste of the dish itself, but also highlights the color, aroma and nourishment of mulberry leaves, making the original ingredients a cuisine with Xiajin characteristics.

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Yan Fagang, a 68-year-old villager from Xiyanmiao village, Xiajin county, usually grabs a few mulberry leaves saved from last year's frost and makes a large cup of hot tea before preparing for a busy day's work.

The "Farmhouse Fun" opened by Yan's family has a red gate that stands out in the village. When the berries are ripe in May or June, the store can accommodate over 200 tourists a day. "Our entire family makes money from mulberry trees, and the most popular dishes are 'fried mulberry leaves' and 'mulberry yellow chicken'", said Yan.

Not only for Yan's family, mulberry leaf eating methods, such as deep frying, cold dressing and soaking have become more and more common and popular among surrounding villages.

The Debai Hot Spring Resort, located not far from Xiyanmiao village, is busy in the kitchen even before the meal is ready. On the stove, vegetables, meat, eggs, mulberry leaves and other ingredients are arranged in an orderly manner, and chefs shuttle through them to meticulously create a "full mulberry banquet" for tourists.

There are 13 dishes served during the "full mulberry banquet" at Debai Hot Springs Resort, all of which are sourced from the mulberry trees along the ancient Yellow River in Xiajin, an important global agricultural and cultural heritage. The dishes are not only colorful and fragrant, but also have healthy benefits. Thus many tourists come to admire and try them.

In fact, behind this bustling "full mulberry banquet" lies Xiajin people's wisdom and creativity. By using the banquet as a stepping stone, local villagers aim to enrich the mulberry industry format, achieve the integrated development of agriculture, culture and tourism industries, and extend the mulberry industry chain.

In recent years, Xiajin county insists on the integrated development of agriculture, culture and tourism, promotes the mulberry industry "one after another", and turns the potential value of the heritage of ancient mulberry into real productivity.

The county promotes the utilization of all elements of mulberry, constantly improves the added value of mulberry industry and strengthens the comprehensive benefits of the industry.

It has completed a mulberry industry chain integrating mulberry planting, mulberry product processing, mulberry cultural experience and ecological tourism, forming an overall urban and rural development pattern of supporting tourism with agriculture, promoting agriculture with tourism and invigorating mulberry with tourism, thereby setting out a road of revitalization for the mulberry industry. From a leaf to a table banquet to a characteristic brand, the road of enriching the people is getting wider and wider.

hanjingyan@chinadaily.com.cn