China News Agency, Guiyang, October 26th: Why is pepper popular on the world table?
——Interview with Zhang Luca, Secretary General of the World Chili Federation
China News Agency reporter Shi Xiaojie
Native to Latin America, chili peppers have become a staple on tables around the world, and cuisines made with chili peppers have become the subject of research for diners and chili lovers alike.
Through its unique flavor and charm, chili is making more exchanges between people who don't like spicy food, and it is also enabling countries and regions that eat spicy food 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 are little peppers popular on the world table?
Zhang Luka, Secretary-General of the World Chili Federation, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency's "East and West Questions".
The following is a summary of the interview transcript:
China News Agency reporter: Spicy is a global consensus on taste and an important food flavor. Why does pepper occupy tables around the world?
Zhang Luka:
Chili is a condiment used all over the world.
It is not only a spice, but also has no borders.
Chili is like a key to open the world's food culture, and it is a medium that promotes the mutual exchange of civilizations.
The popularity of chili around the world has gone through a historical process. From Latin America to the world, chili has not entered the lives of local people in an abrupt and unfamiliar way.
It originally had ornamental and medical value, and then with its unique taste and function, it gradually became an important part of people's table and an important ingredient in many cuisines.
In the process of localization of chili around the world, various practices have been derived, such as making chili powder, making pickled peppers, and air-dried peppers.
The charm of chili is to enrich some simple dishes and food flavors, and at the same time, it can also play a role in preserving freshness and prolong the shelf life of food.
This makes chili a complement to, or even a feature of, local dining flavors.
Today, pepper has become an indispensable part of people's lives in many regions, and has a unique position in the food culture of various countries in the world.
Pepper farmers pick peppers.
Photo by Qu Honglun
China News Agency reporter: How does pepper affect people's eating habits? What are the catering products and derivative products based on peppers?
Zhang Luka:
Chili is both a condiment and an ingredient, and it can also derive more food from other ingredients.
Different varieties of peppers, although they vary in shape, color, and flavor, are all very unique spices and vegetables.
From a sensory point of view, chili will produce some chemical reactions in the mouth. The so-called spicy sensation is actually more of a stimulation to the taste buds, which makes people feel a unique feeling. The reason for the joy.
Chili peppers also have nutrients and medicinal properties, such as capsaicin, which can stimulate taste buds and relieve loss of appetite.
There are also many studies showing that chili peppers can promote blood circulation and make blood flow more smoothly.
At present, there are countless foods related to peppers in the world.
The first is chili sauce, chili powder, pickled peppers, etc. made by chili itself, followed by all kinds of stir-fried dishes, stewed dishes, steamed dishes, etc. composed of chili and other ingredients, and finally, there are various new inventions, new combinations, such as chili ice cream , chili cake, etc.
With the popularity of spicy culture, there are more and more derivative products such as bracelets, cufflinks, silk scarves and ties printed with pepper patterns.
Chili ice cream.
Photo by Qu Honglun
China News Agency reporter: How does chili make Chinese food go to the world and let the world food enter China?
Luca Zhang:
I always think that food is the most attractive and charming communication tool.
The culture and history of a country can often begin with the country's cuisine.
For example, many countries produce their own chili sauces or dishes with spicy flavors, so using spicy as a medium can make people's communication very interesting, and it is also conducive to promoting exchanges between countries.
China has many cuisines and cuisines made of chili peppers, such as hot pot, Sichuan cuisine, Hunan cuisine, etc.; Mexico has one of the most addictive hot sauces in the world, Cholula hot sauce; Korea has hot sauce for bibimbap; southern Italy has a kind of pork Chili sauce is the pride of the locals.
Spicy is the consensus of people's sense of taste all over the world. Chili delicacies from all over the world form a common "language", so that people from different regions can understand each other because of it.
According to official data, in the first eight months of 2022, the transaction volume of chili peppers in China's Chili City reached 110,000 tons, with a transaction value of 2.7 billion yuan, driving the transaction volume of the secondary market around Chili City to about 220,000 tons, with a transaction value of about 5.72 billion yuan. .
The production site of a pepper company.
Photo by Qu Honglun
This data is very impressive.
If you can give Chinese chili a higher value and tell its story well, such as the encounter between chili and Hunan and Sichuan cuisine, the production process of Chinese chili, the spirit of craftsmanship and the stories of legendary figures, it will be easier to stimulate people's interest in Chinese cuisine.
Chili will become a stepping stone for the international promotion of Chinese food culture, and it will also have a stronger connection with chili-related delicacies around the world, allowing more chili delicacies to enter China.
Chili feast.
Photo by Qu Honglun
China News Agency reporter: What kind of exchanges and integrations do pepper festivals and pepper food cultures around the world have?
Zhang Luka:
Each country holds its own pepper festival every year.
For example, the United Kingdom has a chili festival with chili and cheese, the United States has a grand chili festival in Hatch, New Mexico, a chili festival in southern Italy, a chili festival in France, and a chili museum in Hungary in addition to the chili festival.
Zhang Luca and Italian chili king Gianni Pellegrino took a group photo at the Italian Chili Festival.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
Why do many countries celebrate Chili Festival?
First, peppers are grown all over the world.
Second, as a food, peppers are an important part of diets everywhere.
In addition to celebrating the harvest, the Chili Festival is a way of entertainment, the red chili is a sign of happiness, and people gather to communicate because of the chili.
At the same time, the chili festival will also attract many tourists from other places. People learn about the customs and customs of different regions through chili peppers.
In the ancient city of Tanhe, Ningxiang, Hunan Province, a chili-eating challenge was held. Many challengers sat in a giant cistern covered with chili peppers for a chili-eating competition.
Photo by Yang Huafeng
China News Agency reporter: Where there are Chinese, there are "Laoganma". This is not just an advertising slogan, but more of a declaration that Guizhou chili is going from the depths of the mountains to the world. A bottle of hot sauce is the best solution for overseas travelers. Today's Guizhou pepper 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?
Zhang Luka: To
answer this question, we first need to define the internationalization of chili peppers.
The internationalization of chili peppers means that Chinese chili peppers are exported overseas, or Chinese chili sauces are sold overseas, or Chinese chili products are recognized by overseas consumers?
In my opinion, these definitions are fine.
In July 2022, at the 2nd China International Consumer Goods Fair held in Haikou, Guizhou Pavilion's "Laoganma" hot sauce attracts visitors.
Photo by Luo Yunfei
In the past few decades, China's chili brands have basically expanded their local market.
Now, many enterprises in Guizhou have the will and ability to go global.
According to what I know about the chili industry in Guizhou, I think what Guizhou chili needs to do is not only product export, but also branding and cultural communication with more stories.
On this road, Chinese enterprises have a long way to go.
First, the question of the story of Guizhou peppers.
For example, why are Guizhou peppers different from other peppers?
Is it altitude or breed?
What are the characteristics of Guizhou peppers?
These all need to be explained through the story.
Secondly, the positioning of Guizhou pepper products.
The export goal of Guizhou pepper products is to let the world learn to cook Guizhou cuisine, or to add new flavors to other cuisines?
This is an issue that needs to be further clarified.
Guizhou theme restaurant.
Photo courtesy of Visual China
Finally, there is the issue of the flavor profile of a specific product.
I think it's time to discover some of the local flavors and combine them with chili peppers.
China has a huge chili consumption market and has cultivated many consumers who love chili.
To go global, Chinese chili not only provides chili products from China, but also needs a Chinese story and value that can resonate.
There are countless Chinese farmers and their stories behind Chinese peppers, which are worthy of full exploration and dissemination.
(Finish)
Interviewee Profile:
Luca Zhang, Italian.
Secretary General of the World Chili Federation, Master of International Political Economy of Peking University.
He used to be the director of the Italian Commercial Office in China and lived in China for more than ten years. He is committed to promoting the exchange of food culture between China and foreign countries through pepper.