Barbecued ‘high heels’, ‘grenades’: bizarre China grilled food lures daring epicureans
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China’s love affair with barbecued food has reached new levels of creativity.
In a culinary leap, the popular cuisine has extended beyond traditional meat skewers to include offbeat offerings such as watermelon, cacti, ice cubes and eggplants shaped like high-heeled shoes.
A recent video posted on Xiaohongshu by a food blogger called Jinkesi, which has had more than 18,000 likes, shows the quirky food being made in a restaurant in Chengdu, Sichuan province in southwestern China.
The video starts with cacti as big as shoe soles, which have had the sharp spines removed, being grilled as a sprinkling of chilli powder and cumin is added to soften them.
Another food not usually associated with barbecues that appears in the video is watermelon.
Long strips of the fruit on skewers are neatly placed on the grill. They quickly turn a deep red after being seasoned, and are then ready to serve.