Health and tradition on the menu
Food at this time of year can cleanse as well as provide the required nutrition, Deng Zhangyu reports.
"During Chunfen, leek is delicious and fresh. It's the best time to cook food with it," says Zhang.
Also, the round pancake placed on a round plate signals reunion and happiness in Chinese, adds Zhang.
The restaurant Zhang works promotes a noodle for Chunfen. It's cooked with long-tailed anchovies, a migratory fish found in the Yangtze River.
After the Awakening of Insects, fish wake up from the winter and eat a lot to prepare to spawn. A well-known poem by Zhang Zhihe from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) says that in peach blossom-mirrored streams, mandarin fish have fully grown up.
"During Chunfen, fish in rivers are the best food for a spring flavor," says the chef.
The 41-year-old has worked in Beijing for two decades. In 2011, he resigned from a five-star hotel and worked for a restaurant offering solar term recipes.
On each solar term, Zhang will provide a particular menu, cooking with seasonal food and vegetables. Thanks to fast transportation, Zhang can get the food he needs quickly and easily.
