Guizhou residents prepare traditional spring delicacy Shefan

In the warm weather of March, residents of Yuping Dong Autonomous County in southwest China's Guizhou have been busy preparing the traditional spring delicacy Shefan to welcome spring.

Shefan has existed since ancient times and is a kind of food used by ethnic groups such as the Han, Tujia, Miao and Dong in China to offer sacrifices to the gods of the land and grain. Its main ingredients include glutinous rice, preserved meat, sweet wormwood, wild onions, soybeans and peanuts. This delicacy is not only a treat for the taste buds but also carries people's deep hopes for a better life.

In spring, wild vegetables like sweet wormwood and wild onions grow vigorously and can be seen all over fields and roadsides, serving as essential ingredients for making Shefan. Locals carefully wash the picked ones several times and add garlic sprouts and greens to enrich the taste. Meanwhile, they cut rural firewood-smoked dried tofu and preserved meat into small cubes and wash glutinous rice clean. 

Right after that, the residents light a fire and heat a pot. The firewood crackles in the stove. In the large iron pot, after frying peanuts and soybeans, they put in the cubes of dried tofu and preserved meat one by one. As the fire intensifies, the preserved meat cubes sizzle and give off an alluring aroma. Then, the cut sweet wormwood, wild onions, greens and garlic sprouts are added, filling the courtyard with a fresh fragrance instantly. After about half an hour of steaming, a lid lift reveals a strong aroma and the Shefan is completed.

In this season full of hope, the residents of Yuping Autonomous County convey their love for spring and their passion for life through the traditional delicacy Shefan.