Trump, Xi banquet puts spotlight on China’s Huaiyang cuisine tradition

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - US President Donald Trump participates in an expanded bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China. — Reuters pic

BEIJING, May 14 — When Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping sit down to a lavish state banquet in Beijing today, one Chinese cuisine is likely to feature on the menu: Huaiyang food, from the ‌region surrounding Shanghai, known for its mild and subtle flavours, refined knife-work and emphasis on seasonal dishes.

For decades, China has used the powerful symbolism of food during landmark official events and when receiving distinguished foreign visitors.

In China’s modern history, famines and political turmoil that caused decades of widespread rationing turned food into a potent status symbol in Chinese culture.

“One of the key strengths of Huaiyang cuisine is its broad appeal. Its flavours are widely acceptable and accessible to most people... including international guests,” said ⁠Shi Qiang, executive chef at Gui Hua Lou, an upscale Huaiyang cuisine restaurant in Shanghai.

”From the overall philosophy of Huaiyang cuisine, state banquets are not centered on luxury ingredients; they don’t rely on expensive items, extravagance is simply not the focus.”

One of the eight major regional cuisines of China, Huaiyang cuisine has long played a starring role at major diplomatic events.

It was served at the 1949 “founding banquet” when the People’s Republic was established, at China’s 50th anniversary commemoration banquet in 1999, as well as a 2002 banquet hosted by then-President Jiang Zemin for the visiting US President George W. Bush.

Food has also featured in unexpected viral moments when foreign officials visited China in recent years.

In 2023, former US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen joked about eating “magic mushrooms” at a Yunnan cuisine restaurant in Beijing, while then-US Vice ⁠President Joe Biden ate at a humble Beijing eatery in 2011, famed for its fried liver.

China even created a chicken dish named after US top diplomat Henry Kissinger, served to him during his secret visit in 1971, and dishes served to foreign leaders are often turned into “set banquets” by local restaurants.

Some iconic Huaiyang dishes include tender, springy “lion’s head” pork meatballs, Yangzhou fried rice, “squirrel fish” deep-fried in a sweet-and-sour sauce, and “wensi tofu” — a block of tofu sliced ⁠into thousands of fine strands.

The cuisine heavily features ingredients native to the Yangtze River basin like freshwater fish, eel, and bamboo shoots, as well as minimal seasoning to highlight their freshness.

”It’s great for banquets because it’s lighter than the food of Shandong in China’s north, not spicy like the foods ⁠of the southwest (like Sichuanese), and more approachable and less reliant on exotic ingredients than Cantonese, the big cuisine of the south,” said Christopher St. Cavish, a food writer based in Shanghai.

”In the most basic description, it’s ‘safe’. It’s the equivalent of serving chicken at a banquet in ⁠Washington, DC. No one is going to get offended or find it too hot to eat or too exotic to try.”

During Trump’s last China visit in 2017, he was served Huaiyang-style dishes like braised vegetables in soup and stewed beef with tomato — a nod to his penchant for well-done steak. — Reuters