Zhang Huiqiang, deputy curator of the Chengdu Sichuan Cuisine Museum, cooks Kung Pao chicken, a typical Sichuan dish, in the museum in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Tang Wenhao)
CHENGDU, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Sichuan cuisine is one of the eight Chinese culinary specialties. Bean sauce, or Doubanjiang, is commonly referred to as "the soul of Sichuan cuisine."
Doubanjiang is a spicy, salty paste made from fermented broad beans, soybeans, salt, rice, and various spices. The technique of producing doubanjiang was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008.
Sichuan cuisine, including doubanjiang, is a reflection of the distinctive and profound local culture. Cooking skills related to Sichuan cuisine integrate the wisdom of local people, as an important part of Bashu culture along with the Sichuan dialect and opera.
The cooking skills to produce Sichuan cuisine made it onto the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2021.
Photo taken on June 9, 2022 shows a drying yard of Sichuan Pixiandouban Co., Ltd. in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Liu Qiong)
Photo taken on June 9, 2022 shows a modern drying yard of Sichuan Pixiandouban Co., Ltd. in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Tang Wenhao)
Photo taken on June 9, 2022 shows the production line in Sichuan Pixiandouban Co., Ltd. in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. (Xinhua/Liu Qiong)
A staff member processes bean sauce in Sichuan Pixiandouban Co., Ltd. in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Qiong)
A cook demonstrates the cooking skills to produce Sichuan cuisine in Chengdu Sichuan Cuisine Museum in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 5, 2022. (Xinhua)
Children try grinding soybeans into small bits with a hand-powered stone mill in Chengdu Sichuan Cuisine Museum in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 5, 2022. (Xinhua)
Zhang Huiqiang (R), deputy curator of the Chengdu Sichuan Cuisine Museum, helps as he teaches a tourist to cook Kung Pao chicken, a typical Sichuan dish, in the museum in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Tang Wenhao)■
