Shaxian delicacies taste global success

Yang, the county committee secretary, said that developing the catering industry proved to be the right path to take to drive growth in the county. He added that local farmers' per capita disposable income rose from 2,805 yuan in 1997 to 20,528 yuan last year, and all those living in rural areas locally have been lifted out of poverty.

To illustrate the positive effect the delicacies have had on boosting growth in the area, locals say that bianrou and banmian (peanut butter noodles) support the high-rise buildings in Shaxian county.

Shao Binfang, a Chinese American born in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian, who owns a franchise in New York, said the success of Shaxian delicacies abroad is due to the fact that Fujian, which lies on China's east coast, is the ancestral home of many overseas Chinese, and the taste reminds them of home.

Shao said that during her childhood, food stalls could be seen everywhere in her hometown, and the delicacies are among the many dishes from China she still reminisces about after settling in the United States.