A Taste of Spring: Exploring Traditional Chongqing Cuisine in Xiushan County

Chongqing In Xiushan Tujia and Miao Autonomous County, located in Southwest China’s Chongqing, as various wild vegetables begin to sprout with the onset of spring, shefan has become a staple on local dinner tables.

Shefan is a dish made from sticky rice, cooked bacon, diced tofu, and other ingredients; it originated as an offering to the God of the Land but has since evolved into a distinctive delicacy

On March 4, villagers from Baixiang Village, Guanzhuang Sub-County, Xiushan County, gathered to prepare shefan in celebration of the upcoming spring.

Villagers prepare ingredients for shefan. (Photo/Yang Fan)

Villagers wash vegetables used for shefan. (Photo/Yang Fan)

Villagers chop ingredients such as wild onions into fine pieces. (Photo/Yang Fan)

The villager washes the wild vegetables and drains them for later use. (Photo/Yang Fan)

Villagers stir-fry the ingredients and dry the vegetables. (Photo/Yang Fan)

Villagers mix fried raw materials with glutinous rice. (Photo/Yang Fan)

Villagers can’t wait to taste shefan made by themselves. (Photo/Yang Fan)