A Sichuan chef from the University of Electronic Science and Technology (UESTC) in Chengdu, China shows the students at a local catering vocational high school named Lycée George Freche in Montpellier how to make Kung Pao chicken. [Photo provided to China Daily]

What does it feel like when Sichuan food meets Western food?

The University of Electronic Science and Technology (UESTC) in Chengdu, China recently sent a delegation of Sichuan chefs from its school cafeteria to conduct culinary and food cultural exchanges with their overseas counterparts at the Confucius Institute in Montpellier, France, and the Confucius Institute at the University of Louvain in Belgium.

The Confucius Institute in Montpellier and UESTC co-hosted a two-day event called "Sichuan Cuisine Festival". The Sichuan chefs introduced the characteristics of Sichuan cuisine and showed how to make kung pao chicken at a local catering vocational high school named Lycée George Freche. Under the guidance of three chefs, the students also tried their hands at making Sichuan cuisine.

There was also a PK section between Chinese and Western food. People who ate at the vocational school could choose either Chinese food or Western food. The chefs from UESTC prepared kung pao chicken, mapo tofu and poached sliced beef in hot chili oil for the dining guests who chose Sichuan cuisine. The chefs were greeted with continuous applause and cheers when they came out of the kitchen.

In the evening, a large-scale Chinese-French food feast began. Chantal Marion, deputy mayor of Montpellier, France, Christian Lagarde, vice-chancellor of the University of Montpellier, and representatives from the Confucius Institute in Montpellier attended the banquet. The traditional Sichuan cuisine served at the banquet won high praise from the guests.

The delegation had a three-day visit at the University of Leuven, Belgium. They visited ALMA, Leuven's largest student restaurant, where the chefs were invited to prepare a special dish for the students -- the Belgian chefs' version of kung pao chicken. Nearly 300 students stood in line for the dish.

Daniel Lips, head of the ALMA, thanked the Confucius Institute and UESTC delegation for bringing Sichuan cuisine to the restaurant, and said the restaurant was considering adding kung pao chicken to the regular menu.

The delegation also visited VTI, a technical institute in Leuven, where the Sichuan chefs and Belgian chefs had an exchange on cooking. The Sichuan chefs cooked kung pao chicken, mapo tofu and chrysanthemum fish, while the Belgian chefs cooked Western food.

Sichuan chefs from the University of Electronic Science and Technology (UESTC) in Chengdu, China with teachers and students at a local catering vocational high school named Lycée George Freche, after teaching them how to make kung pao chicken. [Photo provided to China Daily]