Chinese cuisine's bold new frontier: Fried stones phenomenon
No one in Europe would likely think of using them for dishes. But the Chinese can eat products that Europeans have never even dreamed of. This is exactly the case with suodiu.
Chinese cuisine continues to surprise Europeans. It is often said that the Chinese can eat practically anything. And there's a lot of truth to this. The list of dishes includes fried insects, scorpions, animal brains, and small birds. Now, fried stones, or suodiu, have joined them.
What is suodiu? How can you prepare stones?
It's literally "the world's hardest dish," according to CNN. The dish originates from the Hubei province in eastern China. It's true because suodiu (meaning "suck and throw away") consists of stones fried with spices. Anyone who wants to try them receives instructions from the sellers: you have to suck them and then spit them out.
Videos have appeared on Chinese social media showing how to prepare this unique dish. The small stones are heated on a grill, drizzled with chili oil and garlic sauce, and then fried with garlic and pepper. The sautéed stones are then packed into small boxes.
Where did the idea for such a dish come from?
Suodiu is a dish with a long history, and the recipe was passed down through generations by sailors. In ancient times, when they ran out of food during work, they began preparing stones this way.
This distinctive dish satisfies fans of spicy flavours, although you have to be very careful with your teeth while eating it.
