Recently, the Tasty Chongqing event was held in Fengjie County, Chongqing. International students from Myanmar and Nigeria, led by the inheritors of Fengjie's intangible cultural heritage cuisine, explored Fengjie's special delicacies.

Unique pot catches the eye

"What is this container used for? It's so unique," the international students wondered as they discovered a peculiar container on the table.

"It's called a Guzi, made of earthenware, and it's a special container for making Guzi chicken," Chang Yinhang, the representative inheritor of Zhuyuan Guzi Chicken, explained to the international students. Zhuyuan Guzi Chicken originated in Zhuyuan Town, an important town on the north bank of Fengjie County. It boasts a history of hundreds of years and was designated as an intangible cultural heritage of Chongqing in 2011. Chang Yinhang served each international student a bowl of chicken soup, and everyone praised its fragrance and taste after sampling it. "It's so fragrant! This soup tastes great!" exclaimed the international students.

International students tasted Fengjie delicacies. (Photo/Zhao Guogan）

Later, the international students also sampled Kuimen baked tofu, Xinglong potatoes, and Maotie bacon. "The bacon is particularly appealing to me. Its color is very vibrant, and I like it very much," said one of the international students.

Learning to cook local delicacies

After tasting the delicacies, the international students learned to cook the intangible cultural heritage delicacy - Zhuyuan Guzi Chicken - with Chinese chef Liu Jun.

Liu Jun explained that the cooking process for this dish is unique. It utilizes condensation and distillation to transform gas into soup. The finished soup is rich and flavorful, with tender meat that's fatty but not greasy and thin but not tough. Liu Jun introduced the process and invited the international students to try making this dish. He placed ingredients such as buns, chicken, and pork trotters into the pot one by one. During this time, the international students began to cut the pork trotters into pieces.

International students learned to cook Fengjie delicacies. (Photo/Zhao Guogan） 

"There seems to be less water in this pot!" the international students noticed that after the water boiled, the water in the basin under the pot decreased significantly. "The eight protruding veins on the side of the pot are the trachea. They have hidden pores on them. After the water below boils, steam will rise from the pores into the jar, and when it encounters the cold water on the canopy, it will condense into distilled water. The distilled water then falls down and merges into the Guzi to form the soup we drank," Liu Jun explained to the international students the principles of making Zhuyuan Guzi Chicken.

"This cooking method is truly unique!" After grasping the cooking principles of Zhuyuan Guzi Chicken, the international students were amazed and praised the culture and wisdom behind the intangible cultural heritage food.