Locals get a taste of cuisine from Unesco city of Gastronomy Shunde |26 August 2019

A Chinese delegation from the Shunde District, in the Foshan City of Guang-Dong Province who were on a five-day working visit to Seychelles hosted a cuisine night attended by dignitaries and the Chinese community in Seychelles, at Chilli Bar Restaurant, La Louise on Wednesday evening last week.

The delightful evening consisted of cooking demonstrations by four renowned Shunde chefs accompanying the delegation who showcased some of the most-celebrated dishes from Shunde City, a city which was officially recognised by the Unesco as a City of Gastronomy in 2014, before the invitees were treated to a buffet-style dinner where they sampled the rich variety of dishes on offer.

The delegation which consists of officials and dignitaries from the United Front Work Department of Shunde District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province (Shunde Worldwide Friendship Association), the Administrative Office of the People’s Government of Shunde and Mayor Xian Ying Wei of the People’s Government of Le Cong Town, Shunde District, aims to further enhance mutual communications between Seychelles and China notably in the realms of food and culture.

Principal secretary for the department of Culture Cecile Kalebi welcomed the delegation and recounted the relationship between Seychelles and China which dates back to 1863, with the arrival of the first Chinese immigrants predominantly from the Guang-Dong Province in Seychelles.

“As many here present know, the Seychelles and China share a special friendship, one that is forged from strong historical connections. Names such as Sham-Peng Tong, Kim Koon, Mancham, Chang-Him, Dan Kow, Ah Moye and Fayon among many others, can commonly be found in Seychelles. Needless to say, the arrival of Chinese immigrants to Seychelles has had a profound effect on the country, from politics to religion to business,” the PS said.

“According to a well known saying, strengthening relationships at the dining table, means having dinner together is an effective way to bridge the gap between hearts and deepen cultural understanding,” PS Kalebi stated.

She concluded her brief address by thanking the Seychelles Association for Peaceful Reunification of China, the Chinese Association of Seychelles and the China Friendship Association, the local counterparts who contributed towards the event.

Zhang Pei Fa, the vice-director of the administrative office of the People’s Government of Shunde also recounted the similarities in Seychellois and Chinese culture and cuisine and expressed his desire for closer collaborations between the two countries in cultural spheres.

“Even though this is the delegation’s first time in Seychelles, we have seen many similarities and that Shunde’s food culture has a strong connection with Seychelles. Tonight, we would like to seize this opportunity to build a bridge of food to develop cultural cooperation, especially tourism cooperation with Seychelles. We hope that tonight is the beginning of more cooperation with Seychelles,” Mr Pei Fa stated before inviting all present to Shunde for the authentic foodie experience.

The delegation then presented gifts in the form of traditional Chinese paintings to representatives of local associations who supported the event. The visiting delegation was also gifted a famous coco-de-mer by local counterparts.

Following speeches and the exchange of gifts, the four visiting chefs showcased traditional Cantonese specialties using an array of ingredients including seafood and vegetables as well as traditional desserts, all of which could be savoured by the invitees.

Dishes included fish soup, fried rice, sweet and sour pork, beef and vegetable stir-fry among others.

All four visiting chefs are acclaimed and well regarded in Shunde. Chef Zhenxing Mai is the vice-president of the Global Cantonese Cuisine Culinary Federation and a food evaluator. He once served as the general manager of the New World Shunde Hotel, the general manager of the Shunde Huagui Park Hotel which is an official reception base of Shunde government in Foshan City.

The second chef Yuanchi Lu is a master of Chinese cuisine and among Shunde’s top 10 celebrity chefs. He is also the vice-president of the Shunde branch of World Master Chefs Association for Cantonese cuisine.

Similarly, Minsong Lu is a master of Chinese cuisine, founder of Shunsong Restaurant which won the title of special catering service merchants and most popular foods in the 2018 Qingyuan City which won the title of Special Catering Service Merchants and Most Popular Foods in the 2018 Qinyuan Chicken Food and Tourism Culture Festival.

The fourth visiting Chef, Yuanqiang He is the vice-president of the Foshan Catering Association and founder of the Gongsun Catering Service Co Ltd which won the title of “Special Catering Service Merchants and most popular food in the 2019 Foshan Tourism Food Culture Festival.

Chinese cuisine has a long history with a variety of different flavours due to China’s vast territory and diverse ethnic groups. Chinese food can be divided into eight regional cuisines, including Shandong cuisine, Cantonese cuisine Sichuan cuisine, Hunan cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine, Zhejiang cuisine, Fujian cuisine and Anhui cuisine. As the primary cradle of Cantonese cuisine with diverse cooking materials and techniques and solid industry foundation, Shunde has long been regarded as the town of gastronomy and the origin of Cantonese cuisine.

The accompanying photos show some highlights of the evening.