Chinese Food Festival highlights taste, culture in Stockholm

STOCKHOLM, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Food Festival was held in the Swedish capital Sunday afternoon, that featured delicious Chinese food and related food culture show to the locals.

The event, held at Berns -- the first hotel in Sweden to provide Chinese food in the 1940s -- in central Stockholm, was hosted by the China Cultural Center in Stockholm and co-organized by the Sweden Chinese Restaurant Association.

Over 200 guests, including representatives from the Swedish government, business circle and academia, tasted signature dishes such as the chrysanthemum fish, the braised pork belly (or Dong Po Rou), traditional Chinese snacks such as Tangyuan, Mahua (or fried dough twist), and Jian Bing Guozi (or Chinese crepes).

The venue was decorated with themed food sculptures, which were made of ingredients such as harps, carrots, papayas and pumpkins, symbolizing good luck, prosperity and happiness.

"Chinese food is rich in variety, which reflects the colorful life of the Chinese people and embodies the cultural connotation of 'people-oriented, conforming to nature, and aspiration for harmony'," Cui Aimin, China's ambassador to Sweden, said in his opening remarks.

"Chinese cuisine is well-known for its rich flavors and great diversity, and it's very impressive," said Susanne Andersson, chief executive officer of the state-owned marketing company Visit Sweden.

"Before the (COVID-19) pandemic, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Sweden had quadrupled in a decade," she said, adding that as China further optimized its COVID-19 response measures, "more and more Chinese tourists will come to Sweden again in the near future and enjoy Swedish food culture."