Known as a "good country", Zaozhuang and Tengzhou were founded by the Yellow Emperor. They were the land of the Three Kingdoms and Five Towns in ancient times and were the birthplace of Beixin culture. The local spring is gushing, hence the name. "Zaozhuang in Intangible Cultural Heritage" invites you to touch the cultural pulse of Zaozhuang and experience the inheritance and rebirth of thousands of years of skills. There are solitary tung trees on a mountain, roosters crowing in the morning, fireworks along the canal, and the spiciness of Kyushu. What we bring to you today is the fifth batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage of Shandong Province - Zaozhuang Spicy Chicken.

People in Zaozhuang like to eat spicy food. People in Zaozhuang can eat spicy food because they have their own secret weapon, which is Zaozhuang's unique thin-skinned pepper. It has been selected and cultivated by Zaozhuang's agricultural experts to form a unique flavor. Of course, the most important thing is that it is really spicy. Even people in Sichuan and Hunan who can eat spicy food can't stand its spiciness. Because of it, Zaozhuang’s spicy chicken has conquered the hearts of countless diners. It also makes the fragrance of Zaozhuang chicken spread ten miles away, even if you are sitting ten miles away. It is said that Zaozhuang people can eat more than 80 million chickens a year, making it worthy of being the "Hometown of Chinese Spicy Chicken"! 

Spicy chicken is a local delicacy originating from the folk, which emerged in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Chickens must be grass-fed chickens raised by farmers, that is, the kind that eat bugs, grass, grain, and can fly up trees when frightened. It is best to use chicks from that year, hatched in the summer, and usually ready to be eaten around the Mid-Autumn Festival. This kind of chicken is delicious, tender and delicious. The pepper must be made from the unique local variety Wangtianhou. This kind of pepper is named because it grows toward the sky. It has a thin and crisp skin, full seeds, and is full of spiciness. When you wash the pepper, your hands will feel the pain of the spiciness. The chicken should be cut into medium-sized pieces. If they are too large, the flavor will be difficult to penetrate, and if they are small, there will be a lot of broken bones. Traditionally, spicy chicken is cooked in a folk pot, usually using chopped firewood as fuel. First put the chicken into a smoking pot of boiling oil, be sure to fry it until it turns slightly yellow, then add the chili pepper, then pour in rice vinegar, soy sauce and various seasonings. The best heat is when the pot squeaks when you pour it in. The tender chicken is stir-fried with a variety of condiments until the chicken is golden brown and crackles, and the aroma is instantly overflowing. The dishes that come out of the pot are delicious in color, flavor, spicy, mellow, and attractive. They are tender and juicy in one bite. The unique spicy aroma fills the lips and teeth, making people drool just thinking about it.

Tengzhou spicy chicken is characterized by fresh, spicy, fragrant, bright color and strong flavor. With its mellow taste, simple and affordable style, it occupies an important position on the dining table and forms a beautiful scenery. Spicy chicken has five major characteristics: "Yixian" uses two to three-year-old red roosters raised in free-range farms in the mountains. These chickens forage, run, and drink water from mountain streams all year round. As a result, the chickens are strong and healthy and fresh and ready to be slaughtered. Chickens with "two cleanses" that are not alive and energetic should not be used. The "three supplements" strengthen the spleen, appetite and strengthen the body. Fried chicken is rich in glue and calcium. "Four Harmonies" means harmony in harmony, harmony in taste, harmony in everything, harmony in five flavors makes everything fragrant. Fried chicken is precisely because of its exquisite materials and rigorous workmanship, so as to achieve the wonderful scene of harmonious harmony of five flavors and the most emotional and reasonable. The "Wu Shuang" stir-fried chicken is cut into large pieces and served on a large platter. It is both hot, spicy and salty. Spicy chicken is the last dish at a banquet in Tengzhou. When you come to Tengzhou as a guest, when a plate of fragrant, red and green spicy chicken is served, the dishes are ready, and I wish the guests good luck and good luck.