New-style Shandong cuisine competition held in Qihe

Participants are busy preparing their entries. [Photo by Liu Lei, Sun Shuyi for chinadaily.com.cn]

The subdivision of the 2023 Innovative Vocational Skills Competition (Dezhou) was held in Qihe county, East China's Shandong province, on Dec 10.

Participants presented a visual and gustatory feast with 107 dishes. To date, the competition has received more than 3,000 dishes, including those from more than 20 countries such as Russia, the United States, and Germany.

Participants are busy arranging their dishes. [Photo by Liu Lei, Sun Shuyi for chinadaily.com.cn]

The competition is aimed at discovering new Shandong cuisine featuring a mixture of local history, culture, ingredients, and healthy and green concepts, as well as artistic appreciation so as to further promote the cuisine's inheritance and innovation.

Zhang Lei, head of the Shandong Cuisine Association, said that the competition now has the largest number of participants and the greatest influence of its kind in China.

Entries at the vocational skills competition. [Photo by Liu Lei, Sun Shuyi for chinadaily.com.cn]

During the competition, Qihe also showcased its special Shandong delicacies from 15 towns and subdistricts to unfold its diverse dietary culture.

In recent years, Qihe has continued to update its agricultural and food processing industries to become a renowned food county in China. The county has also produced more than 1.1 billion kilograms of grain annually for 16 years in a row and built 63 food brands. (Edited by Gong Jun)