Food festival dishes up cultural menu

Food has the power to bring people together, and culinary tourism provides a platform for cultural exchange and connection, while boosting the local economy.

Organized by local authorities, a just-concluded rural food festival in Baojing county, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture, Hunan province, demonstrated how food has become a gateway to different cultures, offering a glimpse into their traditions, customs and values.

Held from Nov 15 to Tuesday, the event showcased a fusion of distinctive culinary skills, local talents, agricultural products, and the cultures of different ethnic groups.

Every day, six teams from three different cities and prefectures in Hunan gathered to cook delicious dishes and demonstrate local arts.

Chef Xiao Hao, 30, wants to publicize the signature dishes of his hometown of Liling in Hunan. His team presented eight signature Liling dishes, showcasing the unique flavors of local cuisine within the broader Hunan culinary tradition.

"Although it's part of Hunan cuisine, dishes from Liling are quite different in taste and cooking methods," Xiao says.

From traditional crafts, including wood carving, paper cutting and folk dances, to martial arts from the Miao ethnic group, the festival has woven in intangible cultural heritage, enriching the culinary showcase with vibrant cultural activities.

After the event celebrating regional culinary diversity, an upcoming festival will explore diverse national cuisines.

From Sunday to Nov 30, teams from across the country will present China's eight major cuisines to visitors to Baojing, reflecting the country's diversity of ingredients and flavors. According to the event's organizers, iconic architectural structures will be re-created at the site to give visitors a glimpse into the authentic flavors of each region.

As diverse cuisines converge, the event embodies the unity of people through food and is witness to human connection through culinary traditions.