A Gaoliang chef competition was held on Sept 13 in Xinyi, a county-level city in Maoming, Guangdong province.

A Gaoliang chef activity is held in Xinyi on Sept 13. [Photo/WeChat account: maofabu]

Sixteen chefs participated in the competition that assessed their skills, including frying, cooking, deep-frying, carving, and presentation skills. In the end, the dishes "Signature secret hawthorn duck" by Lin Jian, "Gaoliang chicken with a hundred flowers" by Li Huo, and "Five rice meat" by Liang Haitao stood out.

Chefs cook Gaoliang dishes. [Photo/WeChat account: maofabu]

"Signature secret hawthorn duck" is a dish full of hometown flavor. It is specially made from Xinyi Dacheng's specialty hawthorn and wild duck. Dacheng Hawthorn has a long history and is famous for its sweet and sour taste. It has a more mellow taste after drying. It is not only a unique fruit, but also commonly used for appetizers and digestion.

Gaoliang cuisine has a long history and profound cultural heritage. It is the crystallization of the diligence and wisdom of the people in western Guangdong, an important carrier of Guangdong food culture, as well as an important part of Chinese food culture.

Through similar competitions held in Maonan, Gaozhou, Huazhou, Xinyi, Dianbai, and other places, a group of high-quality chefs have been selected striving to elevate Gaoliang cuisine to the heights of world-famous Cantonese cuisine, Chaozhou cuisine, and Hakka cuisine.