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    Chinese Food Impresses Foreign Gourmets at the International Slow Food Festival

    Written by: Xinhua News Agency
    Posted on: January 18, 2017 | | 中文

    The International Slow Food Festival in Turin, Italy (source - Business Recorder)

    At the 11th "Mother Earth – Taste Saloon" International Slow Food Festival, held in Turin, a city in northern Italy, Yang Liping, a smiling woman dressed in a costume of the Miao ethnic group from Queniao Village of Leishan County of Guizhou Province, China, presents a cup of fragrant tea, and all the gourmets there respond to her with thanks in various languages.

    With fast food culture increasingly penetrating people’s lives today, the "slow food" movement witnessed its rise in Italy in the 1980s, highlighting traditional delicacies and the bond between man and nature. In the 1990s, the International Slow Food Association launched the "Ark of Delicacy" Program, which originated from the concept of Noah's Ark and is committed to protecting traditional food and cuisines on the verge of extinction around the world.

    In the festival, people who taste, experience and even attend lessons are entitled to understand the spirit of the slow food movement and advocate the enjoyment of food of "high quality, cleanliness and fairness”. They are also expected to appreciate biodiversity and sustainable development, and respect the efforts of peasants or other people who take part in agricultural production on a small scale.

    Hanging tomatoes at the Salone del Gusto

    Hanging tomatoes at the Salone del Gusto (source - L'Italo Americano)

    China is a newcomer in the slow food movement, and this year’s exhibition saw Chinese representation for the first time. A small Chinese booth displayed 60 kinds of food ingredients selected for the "Delicious Ark" around the country, including handmade Ciba (traditional rice without any modern machine processing and additives) from Jiangxi Province, traditionally made beef jerky from Inner Mongolia, and big dates from Shaanxi Province. All of these items were loved by foreign diners, and were sold out on the first day. Even the tea was prepared over 100 times for visitors to taste.

    Many foreign tourists would linger at a booth and pick up Chinese prickly ash or pepper to smell and carefully observe how these spices and ingredients are used in Chinese cuisine.

    “This is Youmian, which is similar to raw oatmeal, common in western breakfast. We make the oats into a powder and then fill that with boiled water and flour. Then we rub it into rolls with our hands and steam it in a small food steamer”, explained Zhang Liping, a volunteer.

    Different types of organic cheese on display

    Different types of organic cheese on display (source - eNCA)

    "What we brought here is more than a simple delicacy," said Qiao Ling, head of the Chinese delegation as well as the chairman of China Slow Food Association, “60 ingredients selected here for Delicious Ark are expected to be given more attention, bringing about more opportunities for small business farmers and merchants engaged in production, which in turn can protect these endangered foods and make it possible for our childhood memories of these foods to continue."

    For Yang Liping, a young woman coming from the mountain area, the slow food movement means something more. At the beginning of this year, she and 8 other young villagers born in the 1980s invested 3000 Yuan to set up a cooperative, providing countryside tourism services for visitors from big cities.

    “Once a visitor tasted the millet we grow and found it very tasty, so he asked us to sell him more. We searched the whole village but only collected 20 jin for him. Later, I got to know about slow food and gradually realized that our food was grown without pesticide or chemical fertilizers, which made it pure, natural and tasty. I immediately felt that it should be retained”, said Yang Liping.

    "The thriving slow food business may bring us more economic benefits and attract young locals to return to hometown construction. It can also benefit our next generation, making it possible for them to know more about the processes of growing and eating our food, and thus feel proud of our history and culture," she said.

    Carlo Petrini, the founder of the International Slow Food Movement, once said: "China has a vast territory and long history, owning to a wide variety of food cuisines. However, foreigners lack an understanding of Chinese gourmet. Such activities can provide the outside world with an opportunity to know that China has so many kinds of high-quality cooking ingredients, and inspire people to explore the history and culture behind the food."


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021