Food and Culture Appreciation Banquet of Hunan Cuisine Australia Tour held
2023-12-11
At 7:00 p.m. Melbourne time, the delicious Hunan cuisine were served. The menu of this appreciation banquet included four cold dishes, fourteen hot dishes, and Chinese dessert, representing the traditional skills of Hunan cuisine in terms of category, flavors, cooking methods, and knife skills, and reflecting the integration and innovation of new Hunan cuisine.
Under the guidance of Hunan cuisine masters Wang Fuming and Xu Dabin, with over ten Hunan cuisine enterprises in China gathering, Hunan flavors were presented in Australia after about 30 days of preparation.
At the event, Chinese dim sum, snacks and night snacks showed the diversified Hunan flavors, and attracted many guests.
A table of dishes and snacks with Hunan characteristics and flavors, showcasing the aroma, spiciness, and freshness of Hunan cuisine, left a deep impression on guests from both China and Australia, and was praised highly.
“Today’s 24 delicious dishes leave a deep impression on me. Chinese food are diverse with their own characteristics, but they are all very delicious. I think Hunan cuisine is also very palatable. I like lobster best today, and beef is also very flavorful,” Mr. Bruce Atkinson, former lord high chancellor of upper house of the State of Victoria, said in an interview.
In recent years, Hunan cuisine has occupied the highest market share in the domestic catering industry and rapidly developed globally. There are about 1.2 million Chinese in Australia. Previously, Chinese restaurants mostly featured Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine. Now Hunan cuisine is becoming more popular, and the number of Hunan cuisine restaurants is also increasing.
There are about ten Hunan cuisine restaurants in Melbourne, with their presence in cities such as Sydney and Canberra.
Wang Yijia, Cultural Consul of the Chinese Consulate General in Australia, expressed her joy at participating in this event.
In her speech, she said that as one of the eight major cuisines in China, Hunan cuisine is famous for its spiciness and taste. Hunan has a profound culture, and its cultural connotation goes far beyond food. Hunan food represents the enthusiasm of the local people for life. She hoped to promote Hunan cuisine, let more people know about Hunan cuisine and understand the culture behind the dishes. Food can serve as a bridge to promote cultural exchanges between China and Australia.
Mr. Bruce Atkinson enthusiastically shared that Chinese food is not only becoming more popular on the tables of the Victorian people, but also has created a certain influence on the catering industry in the entire society.
He believes that delicious Hunan cuisine opens a door to Chinese culture, and hopes that local Australians can learn about the diversity of Chinese culture and its unique charm through culinary culture.
Ivan Veljkovic, senior director of Food and Fiber Trade at the Victoria State Investment and Trade Bureau, mentioned in his speech that Victoria is Australia’s largest exporting province, with a total export volume to China accounting for 26% of Australia’s total, while China is Australia’s largest exporter of high-quality agricultural products.
Pan Yuansheng, president of the Melbourne Branch of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce, stated that Melbourne is a city renowned for its multiculture, and Chinese cuisine has only one flavor for Australians, which is the earlier Chinese cuisine going abroad and integrating Guangdong and Fujian cuisine. He hoped that local Australians can learn more about the flavors of different places, and the Hunan flavor is highly recommended.
Chen Shengnian, editor in chief of Hunan Daily’s Hunan Cuisine Weekly, said, “Hunan Daily, as a mainstream media, has always been committed to promoting the culture of Hunan cuisine. The ‘Hunan cuisine goes global’ event has been held in Paris of France and the United Nations headquarters in the United States. Through these events, we hope to bring more Hunan cuisine to Australia, so that Hunan people who work outside can relieve their homesickness. We also hope that more Australians will like Hunan cuisine, and we will bring back high-quality ingredients such as Australian lobster and beef to be used in Hunan cuisine.”
