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Endangered species on the menu at food festival
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Giant salamanders, an endangered species, were on the menu yesterday at a festival in Zhangjiajie, a city in central China’s Hunan Province.
Foodies and tourists from across the country were keen to get a taste of “healthy delicacies that have lived (on earth) for 350 million years,” as touted by the organizers.
“Drink giant salamander tea and live long,” one peddler shouted as he hawked tea and noodles made from pulverized giant salamanders, which can live for 200 years.
A variety of goods were on display, including giant salamander sauce and facial masks containing its “essence.”
Some sellers boasted snacks made from the creatures, commonly known as “baby fish” in China because they are said to be linked to an increase in pregnancy rates.
Giant salamanders, the world’s largest existing amphibian, are under state protection in China, but wildlife protection law allows consumption of the offspring of giant salamanders born and raised in captivity.
The alleged health benefits surrounding the animal has made their meat precious. A giant salamander dish can cost over 5,000 yuan (US$780).
The two-day festival includes a cooking competition, in which the amphibians are braised or stewed in “milk soup” as chefs explore ways to maximize its tenderness. “It’s not that we pour milk into the soup,” said one chef. “That is the natural color of the fresh and fragrant broth of baby fish.”
Officials said the salamander meat used is from legal farms.
Zhangjiajie has 108 companies licensed for rearing giant salamanders and 85 others in processing or dining.
“Giant salamander farming, which requires clean water, actually drives locals to protect the environment,” said Liu Qun, a city official. “The industry also helps lift locals out of poverty.”
Earlier this year, a police chief in Shenzhen was fired following reports he attended an extravagant giant salamander feast, during which colleagues fought reporters who tried to photograph the scene.
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