The Fujian Cuisine Culture Museum, the first of its kind in China, has recently opened to the public in Fuzhou, Fujian Province.
The Fujian Cuisine Culture Museum in Fujian Province is the first museum of its kind in China. /CFP
With more than 1,000 exhibits, the museum displays the origins, evolution and unique features of Fujian cuisine.
Originating from Fuzhou, Fujian cuisine gradually absorbed the flavors from other areas of the province over time, and also incorporated many Hakka dishes.
Models of typical Fujian dishes go on display at the Fujian Cuisine Culture Museum. /CFP
As one of the top eight cuisines in China, Fujian cuisine has its own unique characteristics. It features rich seafood ingredients and seasonings of red koji rice, sugar and vinegar. Soup generally features as the main dish in Fujian cuisine.
Fotiaoqiang, which literally means "Buddha jumps over the wall" in Chinese, is one of the most representative dishes in Fujian cuisine. This thick soup dish contains braised seafood such as sea cucumber, sea-ears, dried scallops and fish paste, as well as quail eggs, bamboo shoots and pork.
Fotiaoqiang is a traditional dish unique to Fujian cuisine /CFP
It is widely claimed that the dish was so delicious that even the Buddha would jump over the wall to savor the dish, hence the origins of its name.
Other must-try Fujian dishes include litchi meat (pork balls wrapped in tomato sauce), steamed chicken with rice wine, shrimp tails rolled in ham strips and stir-fried dried scallops with turnip.
Dessert molds are exhibited at the Fujian Cuisine Culture Museum. /CFP
To pass on Fujian culinary culture to the wider world, local authorities have set up a Fujian culinary school, staged a biennial cooking competition and organized a variety of overseas events to highlight Fujian cuisine.