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G20 summit brings local cuisine to world leaders
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THE recent G20 Summit brought Hangzhou to the world’s attention. To make sure this important gathering of international leaders went smoothly, those working behind the scenes spent months planning and preparing. This included a veritable army of chefs, cooks, meal planners and designers charged with preparing food for the visiting dignitaries.
But what exactly did the summit’s distinguished guests dine on during their stay in Hangzhou? A welcome banquet held on Sunday included local delicacies such as matsutake soup, sweet and sour Mandarin fish with pine nuts, sauteed shrimp with Longjing Tea, crab stuffed orange and Dongpo steak.
“The meeting is in Hangzhou, so of course we offered authentic Hangzhou foods,” said Zhao Yide, the city’s municipal party secretary.
The sauteed shrimp were made with the city’s famous Longjing green tea. The Dongpo steak was an adaptation of another signature Hangzhou dish, Dongpo Pork. This last dish is said to have been invented by Su Dongpo (1037-1101), a literati and Hangzhou governor.
The recipe for crab stuffed orange also has a long history, one dating back nearly a millennium. The steamed dish is made with shelled crab meat, orange flesh and seasoning served in a hollowed orange.
The banquet’s menus were bound in silk, another famous local product.
Meanwhile, the tableware included porcelain pieces from the Hangzhou Nansong Ceramics Company, with design work from acclaimed Chinaware artists Zhang Shouzhi and Ji Xigui. Seen together, each tableware set forms a panorama of the West Lake and the surrounding scenery, complete with well-known landmarks like Three Pools Mirroring The Moon and the Broken Bridge.
The lids on each piece were modeled after the small pagoda seen in Three Pools Mirroring The Moon, while other wares were shaped into symbols representing good luck and fortune in Chinese culture. Vinegar and sauce pots rested on bridge-shaped stands that echoed the logo of the summit.
According to Wang Xiaolu, manager at Hangzhou Nansong Ceramics Company, the tableware sets were made using an ancient formula adopted from the Guan Kilns used during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) to produce white, thin pieces.
The company’s products also made an appearance at a meeting of BRIC leaders.
Distinguished diners
But what did the world leaders eat when they weren’t at official banquets?
Argentina President Mauricio Macri and his wife dined at Mercato Piccolo, a high-end Italian restaurant.
The Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, along with his wife and daughters, showed up at Borox Salad. The family had salmon salad, beef salad, spaghetti and milk shakes.
According to popular local chain Grandma’s Kitchen, known for its modern Hangzhou cuisine, the restaurant received a group of Thai dignitaries.
An American group came to Urban Harvest, a fusion restaurant. The seven person group ordered steaks, salmon, vegetables and VOSS water.
Turkey representatives went to Dong Fang Gong, a casual Muslim noodle restaurant. Orders included the restaurant’s signature beef noodle and lamb kebab.
South African officials and entrepreneurs went to a beef hot pot restaurant Niu Yi.
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