Source: China News Service
Reporter: Shi Xiaojie
Full text count: 2367
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Chili native to Latin America has become a must-have on dining tables around the world, and food made from chili has also become a research object for diners and pepper enthusiasts. Through its unique flavor and charm, chili peppers are allowing more exchanges among people who are not spicy and unhappy, and also allowing countries and regions around the world to use spicy culture as a platform to enhance understanding, friendship and cooperation. In the promotion of Chinese food culture , Chili is also opening the door to the world's understanding of Chinese food. Why is the little chili popular in the dining tables around the world? Zhang Luka, Secretary-General of the World Pepper Alliance, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Service "East Question".
The interview transcript is summarized as follows:
China News Service reporter: Spicy is a global consensus on taste and an important catering flavor. Why can peppers occupy tables around the world?
Luka: peppers are a seasoning that is used by the whole world. It is not only a spice, but also borderless. Chili peppers are like a key to opening up world food culture, and are a medium for promoting mutual communication between civilizations.
Chili has gone through a historical process of popularity around the world. Chili has not entered the lives of local people in a sudden and unfamiliar way. It initially has ornamental and medical value, and then with its unique taste and function, it gradually became an important part of people's dining table and an important ingredient in many cuisines. In the localization process of
peppers, various methods have been derived from the localization process around the world, such as making chili powder, making pickled peppers, air-dried peppers, etc. The charm of chili lies in making some simple dishes and catering flavor richer, while also playing a fresh-keeping role and extending the shelf life of the food. This makes chili a supplement to the local catering flavors, and even a feature of local catering flavors.
Now, chili has become an indispensable part of people’s lives in many regions and has a unique position in the food culture of countries around the world.
pepper agricultural picking pepper. Photo by Qu Honglun
China News Service reporter: How does chili affect people's eating habits? What are the catering products and derivative products made based on chili peppers?
Luka: peppers are not only a condiment, but also an ingredient, and can also produce more foods from other ingredients. Different varieties of peppers, although they have different shapes, colors and tastes, are all very unique spices and vegetables.
From a sensory perspective, peppers will produce some chemical reactions in their mouths. The so-called spicy feeling is actually more of a stimulation of the taste buds, which makes people feel a unique feeling. This is also the reason why many people have never adapted to eating spicy food to having sex without spicy food.
peppers also have nutritional ingredients and medical effects, such as capsaicin can stimulate the taste buds and relieve loss of appetite. There are many other studies that peppers can promote blood circulation and make blood circulation smoother.
At present, there are countless foods related to chili in the world. First, there are chili sauce, chili powder, pickled peppers, etc. made by chili itself, followed by various stir-fry dishes, stews, , steamed dishes, etc., and finally, there are various new inventions and new combinations, such as chili ice cream, chili cake, etc. With the popularity of spicy culture, more and more derivative products such as bracelets and cufflinks made based on chili peppers, and scarves and ties printed with chili patterns are also increasing.
chili ice cream. Photo by Qu Honglun
China News Service reporter: How can chili bring Chinese food to the world and world food to China?
Zhang Luka: I have always believed that food is the most attractive and charming communication tool. The culture and history of a country can often start with the food of this country.
For example, many countries produce their own chili sauce or spicy dishes. Therefore, using spicy as a medium can make people's communication very interesting and also help promote exchanges between countries.
There are many chili-made cuisines and cuisines in China, such as hot pot, Sichuan cuisine, Hunan cuisine, etc.; Mexican has one of the most addictive hot sauces in the world, Cholula hot sauce; South Korea has bibimbap hot sauce for ; there is a pork chili sauce in southern Italy, which is the pride of the locals. Spicy is a consensus among people around the world in the taste. Chili cuisine from all over the world forms a common "language", allowing people from different regions to understand each other because of it.
official data shows that in the first eight months of 2022, the trading volume of chili peppers in China Chili City reached 110,000 tons, with a transaction volume of 2.7 billion yuan, driving the trading volume of the secondary market around Chili City to about 220,000 tons and a transaction volume of about 5.72 billion yuan.
A certain chili enterprise production site. Qu Honglun photographed
The data is very considerable. If Chinese peppers can be given higher value and tell their stories well, such as the encounter between chili and Hunan and Sichuan cuisine, the production process of Chinese peppers, the craftsman spirit and legendary stories, it will be easier to stimulate people's interest in Chinese food. Chili will become a stepping stone to promote China's food culture to the international promotion, and will also have a stronger connection with the cuisines related to chili from all over the world, allowing more chili food to enter China.
pepper feast. Qu Honglun Photo by
China News Service reporter: What are the exchanges and integration of pepper festivals and pepper food cultures around the world?
Luka: Countries hold their own pepper festival every year. For example, there is a pepper festival in the UK that matches chili and cheese, the United States has a grand pepper festival in Hatch City in New Mexico New Mexico, there is a pepper festival in southern Italy, the Chili Festival in France, and Hungary has a pepper festival in addition to the Chili Festival, and the Chili Museum.
photo of Luca and Italian pepper king Gianni Pellegrino at the Italian pepper festival. Photo provided by the interviewee
Why are many countries celebrating the Chili Festival? First of all, pepper cultivation is spread all over the world. Secondly, as a food, chili is an important part of the diet everywhere. In addition, in addition to celebrating the harvest, Chili Festival is a way of leisure and entertainment. The red peppers are a symbol of happiness, and people gather together to communicate because of the peppers. At the same time, the Chili Festival will also attract many foreign tourists, and people can learn about the customs and conditions of different regions through Chili.
The ancient city of Tanhe, Ningxiang, Hunan Province held a chili pepper eating challenge, and many challengers sat in a giant reservoir covered with chili peppers to compete for eating peppers. Photo by Yang Huafeng China News Service reporter: Where there are Chinese people, there is " Lao Ganma ". This is not just a slogan, but more of a declaration that Guizhou peppers go from deep into the mountains to the world. A bottle of hot sauce can best explain the lovesickness of overseas wanderers. Today's Guizhou chili is not only the flavor of Guizhou, but also the flavor of China, and is becoming the flavor of the world. How do you interpret this sentence?
Luka: Answer to this question, first of all, you need to define the internationalization of peppers. Is chili internationalization mean that Chinese chili peppers are exported overseas, or is that Chinese chili sauce sold overseas, or is that Chinese chili products are recognized by overseas consumers? In my opinion, these definitions are fine.
In July 2022, at the second China International Consumer Products Expo held in Haikou, the "Laoganma" hot sauce of Guizhou Pavilion attracted visitors. Photo by Luo Yunfei
In the past few decades, China's chili brands have basically been developing the local market. Now, many companies in Guizhou have the willingness and ability to go global. According to what I understand, what Guizhou pepper industry needs to do is not only product exports, but brand, but cultural communication with more stories. On this road, Chinese companies have a long way to go.
First, the story problem of Guizhou Chili. For example, why are the peppers in Guizhou different from other peppers? Is it altitude or variety? What are the characteristics of Guizhou peppers? This all needs to be explained through the story.
Secondly, the positioning issue of Guizhou chili products. Is the export goal of Guizhou chili products to let the world learn to cook Guizhou cuisine, or add new flavor to other cuisines? This is a topic that needs further clarification.
Guizhou theme restaurant. Visual China Photo provided by
Finally, the specific product flavor and characteristics issue. I think some local specialty flavors should be discovered and combined with chili peppers.
China has a huge pepper consumption market and has cultivated many consumers who love peppers. To go global, Chinese peppers not only provide chili products from China, but also need Chinese stories and values that can resonate with them. Behind Chinese pepper are countless Chinese farmers and their stories, which are worthy of full exploration and dissemination.
Respondent profile:
Respondent provided by photo.
Luca, Italian. Secretary-General of the World Pepper Alliance, , Peking University, , Master of International Political Economy. He was the director of the Italian Business Office in China. He has lived in China for more than ten years and is committed to promoting food and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries through chili.
Original title: "Zhang Luka: Why did chili become popular in the world dining table? | East-West Questions》
Text Editor: He Ying
Editor: Zeng Xiaowei
Russian sinologist Qi Yuan: How to study Sinology more down-to-earth? | Things Ask
Yue Haipeng: A century-old table tennis, how does a small ball turn a big ball? | Things Ask
Xu Xiaohui: horse-faced skirt How to show the "Hua" of "Huaxia"? | stuff ask
