The 48th WorldSkills Competition cooking competition: Chinese mysterious ingredients preserved eggs and sweet rice wine surprise young chefs around the world

China News Service, Shanghai, September 25 (Reporter Li Jiajia) At the 48th World Skills Competition (hereinafter referred to as the "World Competition") cooking (Western food) competition, the pinnacle showdown among young chefs from around the world is taking place in Shanghai. Top Western food contestants from all over the world stood around the operating table, pots and pans clanking, knives rising and falling, and a culinary test full of unknowns began.

The biggest suspense of this competition was not officially announced until two days before the start of the competition: among the five "mysterious ingredients" from China, live mushroom sweet wine and preserved eggs with preserved pineapples were among the list. In accordance with the tradition of the World Skills Competition, each host country will bring out local representative ingredients as challenge materials. The previous world competition in France chose cheese and nuts, and the world competition in Kazan, Russia, used candies and horse meat to test the chef's ability to jump out of the inherent cooking framework and carry out creative reconstruction.

In the inherent impression of many overseas consumers, preserved eggs, or "century eggs" as they call them, have a high acceptance threshold, and fermented rice wine is also a niche fermented food, and they rarely appear in Western-style kitchens. The rules of the World Competition make creation more difficult: if a "mystery ingredient" is selected, the ingredient must account for more than 50% of the dish. It cannot just be used as a decoration on the side of the dish, but must truly become the protagonist of the dish. This is a big challenge for contestants who are accustomed to the logic of Western cooking.

However, there was a surprise on the field. Not only were Asian players willing to try it, but a large number of European players also took the initiative to use preserved eggs in their dishes. One European chef even applied for 30 preserved eggs at once, planning to incorporate them into many creative dishes.

Sean Owens, skills competition manager of the World Championships Cooking Project, personally tasted the Mai Zhenxuan Preserved Egg and commented that it tastes smooth and will not cause gastrointestinal discomfort; while the live bacteria sweet wine retains the traditional live yeast fermentation process. Once opened, the unique rice aroma immediately caught the attention of the contestants. The organizing committee selected these two ingredients not only because their quality and flavor can withstand the test of professional kitchens, but also because they are outstanding representatives of the wisdom of "fermentation" in traditional Chinese food culture.

As the only supermarket food supplier for the cooking competition of this World Championship, Metro, which coincides with its 30th anniversary in China, provides more than 200 types of food ingredients for the competition. The above two "mysterious ingredients" come from here. Yu Junxian, general manager of product development and import of Metro, told reporters that when developing Tianjiu Niang, it continued the traditional production process of "yeast lives and rice grains breathe" in China for more than 2,000 years. It insisted on natural fermentation and did not perform high-temperature sterilization, retaining the rice aroma and micro-bubbles of the wine; while the Songhua Preserved Egg followed the production process of Hubei Intangible Cultural Heritage. The pine flowers are clear, and the cut is soft and smooth. It is a very representative flavor among Chinese egg products.

Underneath the glamorous competitive scene is a round-the-clock supply chain guarantee system. At 21 o'clock every day, the backcourt of Metro Shanghai Putuo Mall will be busy. Employees prepare goods according to the day's list. The ingredients are loaded, sealed and distributed under the supervision of the local police and the Food and Drug Administration. The temperature in the freezer area is maintained at -16°C to -22°C. After arriving at the National Convention and Exhibition Center, the food will be jointly accepted by the Food and Drug Administration and the event staff.

For a long time, the taste of China in overseas perceptions has often been equated with spicy. But at the World Championships, Tianjiongniang and Preserved Eggs are breaking this stereotype. Owens said: "We hope that contestants from all over the world will use these two ingredients to present the mellow flavor and heritage from China in Western food cooking." Yu Junxian said that promoting traditional ingredients to the world competition is not simply exporting novel food, but taking into account both the inheritance of ancient flavors and modern scale quality control, showing more than one style of Chinese food to the world.