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)