Xian’an on Monday held “SCIMYTH Cup” worker skills competition and Xian’an specialties selection activity. More than 30 cooks from the agritainments and restaurants of 14 towns, sub-districts and farms in Xian’an district carefully cooked 60 specials to open “a feast on the tongue”.

Bean curd with osmanthus cake, Chinese yam with cherry and osmanthus sauce, Pigeon soup with sweet-scented osmanthus, Steam pot chicken with sweet-scented osmanthus……the “osmanthus” is the biggest highlight for it has been blended in 10 of 60 specials, and even the famous “Pagoda meat” has successfully added osmanthus into the filling.

“Actually, we can savor the osmanthus flowers full of the city in a different way. To add it into the food not only can use osmanthus resources to the extreme (deepen and refine osmanthus industry), but also open another way to enjoy osmanthus in Xianning.” said Chen Dajiang, a judge, adding that the osmanthus characteristic cuisine is worth exploring and innovating, so in future tourists can learn about related science knowledge on osmanthus and taste characteristic osmanthus dishes when they appreciate the flowers in Xianning.

“Osmanthus flowers are a name card which can leave a lingering fragrance in our mouth.” said Yan Peng, vice-chairman of Xian’an Federation of Trade Unions. Currently, Xianning is building "China Osmanthus City" with the strength of the whole city, and supports Xian’an District to build the core area of Chinese osmanthus City. The activity is aimed at taking cooking as a medium to propagandize excellent dishes with regional characteristics and catering culture and help rural tourism development, so that the national people can think of osmanthus when mentioning Xianning and vice versa, he added. (By Ma Liya/Xianning Daily)