Thousands of tourists and food lovers around the world traveled to Zhangjiajie in the Hunan Province of China to take part in the salamander food festival.
Salamander is the world's largest amphibian and is considered an endangered species living on earth for almost 350 million years. Still, people couldn't wait to try the salamander delicacies that have become popular for their health benefits.
Salamanders can live for over 200 years. The longevity probably plays a big role in the belief that a tea made from the giant amphibian can give one a very long life. Various salamander delicacies include noodles made from salamander powder. Treats served with salamander sauce are also popular. In the beauty department, there are even facial masks that contain essence of salamander, believed to boost skin radiance.
In China, these giant amphibians are often called "baby fish" because they make sounds similar to a baby's cry. Women believe that eating salamander snacks would increase their chances of getting pregnant.
The giant salamander festival included a cook-off where top chefs showed off their unique cooking skills and techniques on how to maximize the meat tenderness. The "milk soup" is an extremely popular way to eat tender giant salamander meat.
"It's not that we pour milk into the soup. That is the natural color of the fresh and fragrant broth of baby fish," said Chef Zhang from the Hunan Tianyu Restaurant.
Giant salamanders are considered precious in China. Their dwindling numbers in recent years have placed them under protection. However, a clause in the wildlife protection law allows people to consume the young of captive salamanders. The widespread health benefits of the giant amphibians make their meat even more valuable, with a price tag of up to 5,000 yuan or around $780 dollars.
In early 2015, Chinese officials violently fought off journalists who covered the lavish giant salamander feast attended by a police chief from Shenzhen City in Guangdong. The police chief was fired following the reported incident.
Festival officials explained that the salamander meat used during the two-day event came from legal farms in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province. Zhangjiajie is known as the home of Chinese giant salamanders. Over 100 companies have license to breed and process Chinese salamanders and 85 other animals.
"Giant salamander farming, which requires clean water, actually drives locals to protect the environment," said Liu Qun, a senior city official from Hunan. Qun added that the processing of salamander-based food and products provide income for the locals.
Photo: Toby Jungen | Flickr
