-[whooshes]-[thuds]
[splatters]
[squelches]
[narrator] A strange combinationof ordinary ingredients…
It seems rather oddthat they’d be mixed together.
But Yunnan people use their own uniqueand unexpected methods
to create someof the most mysterious flavors.
[upbeat music]
[narrator] In the northwestern regionof China,
the people of a stockade villagenamed Dai,
are enjoying a crazy partyat the end of October
to celebrate the great harvestof the Ganduo Festival,
This is also a time
when the most authentic Dai dishesare presented.
[drizzling]
[light music]
[narrator] The star of the dining tableis this bowl of dipping sauce,
an assortment of raw meat and vegetables.
In the Tai Nuea language,it is called “Sapie,”
which means “to be eaten raw and cold”.
[slurps]
This is one of the locals’favorite dishes.
It has become a dishtourist go to Yunnan for, specifically.
[splatters]
[squelches]
[narrator] You have to compete with timewhen it comes to handling raw food.
All ingredients have to be handledas fast as possible.
[fire crackling]
YUNNAN MANGSHI
[narrator] On the outskirts of Mang City,
there’s an ongoing cooking competition.
[rustling]
[water trickling]
[narrator] Grilling for half-an-houron a flaming fire,
the pork blood has half-solidified.
[squelches]
This is the ingredient the Dai chef,Jinyan Xiangmian, is waiting for.
It is best to be eaten within two hours.
Not only does the pork bloodhave to be extremely fresh,
there’s another ingredientfor making Sapie
that’s commonly found in the market.
[indistinct chatter]
[light music]
[rustling]
[narrator] The bitternessof these brown granules
can be washed off after being hard-boiled.
This is the passcodeto unlock the Dehong people’s taste buds.
But food experts would usually preferits natural taste
before it has been dried.
[indistinct chatter]
GU JIANZHONG
[narrator] Only a regular customerwould get to buy such a scarce ingredient.
It comes from the cow’s intestine,close to its appendix.
It is an exquisite flavorin the eyes of the locals.
It is known as “bitter intestine.”
[tranquil music]
Okay. This is good.
I’ll take this.
[lively music]
[Gu] I’m from Shanghai.
I moved here when I was young.
Initially, when the Dai peoplegave me Sapie to eat,
I didn’t like it at all.
But, as time passed by,I started to like eating Sapie.
YUNNAN MANGSHI, LAZHANG VILLAGE
[thuds]
[thumping]
[action music]
[narrator] Beef tenderloinis the most commonly used meat
in making Bitter Sapie.
Continuously hammering for half an hourto break the muscle fibers completely.
This method solves the chewiness problemof raw meat.
[grating]
[narrator] The refreshing scentof knotweed and tangy cilantro,
together with wild garlic,a rich content of sulfide,
brings a piquant and strong scent
and at the same time,they all prevent bacterial growth.
[light music]
[water trickling]
[narrator] After addingvarious types of herbs,
the minced meat is now mellow and sapid.
It is now waiting to be soakedinto a special soup.
[indistinct chatter]
[narrator] The secret of the soupis hidden in the bitter intestine.
[squelching]
[narrator] In this intestinal casing,
you will findthe gastric juice of the cow, bile,
-and a mixture of grass compounds.-[sizzling]
After boiling for two hours,
a modest scent of the paddy fieldis slowly being released.
[light music]
[churning]
[inaudible dialogue]
[trickling]
It’s so fragrant. It’s done now.
[drizzling]
[narrator] After being chilled,
the bitter intestine soupgives a unique bitter taste.
The aromatic particles in the herbmarinate the raw beef.
The taste of Bitter Sapieis mellow and mysterious.
The dipping sauce
needs a few other ingredientsto elevate its flavor,
and the casing of the bitter intestineis the best choice.
[crackling]
[sizzles]
[narrator] Grill the casingfor 20 minutes on low heat.
Its surface starts to shrinkand slowly becomes crunchy.
This is how the dish is elevated.
Last but not least,top it with Dehong Shuanshuan hot pepper.
[tranquil music]
BITTER SAPIE
[narrator] A Bitter Sapieis then completed.
Fresh and succulent raw tenderloin
with a taste of smooth and richdipping sauce,
overcome its bitternessand give a memorable aftertaste.
This is the life of a 50-year oldelderly Yunnanese.
Their happiest momentsare family spending time together.
[tranquil music]
[cars whooshing]
[narrator] In the everyday menuof the locals,
Sapie can be mixed and eatenwith just about any ingredient.
[lime squelches]
[narrator] Squeezed lime juicewith stir-fried minced beef
is refreshing and mild.
This is the most basic wayof making Lemon Sapie.
LEMON SAPIE
[upbeat music]
[narrator] Half-fermentedpickled vegetables with boiled sour ant
makes a tangy and refreshing Ant Sapie.
ANT SAPIE
[sizzles]
[narrator] Mixing filteredsour bamboo shoot juice
with fish pasteand various types of ground herbs,
make a zesty and refreshing Fish Sapie.
FISH SAPIE
YUNNAN MANGSHI, NAMU VILLAGE
[indistinct chatter]
[narrator] Sourness isthe fundamental taste of Sapie.
Compared to other ingredients,
fresh pork blood hasa more distinctive gamy smell.
But don’t worry,Jinyan Xiangmian has a secret way
to elevate this ingredientto be more presentable.
Fennel is aromatic and sweet.
Tabasco pepper is spicy and aggressive.
And don’t forget about the garlic.
It contains a substancethat can prevent bacterial growth.
And allicin that can suppress someof the gamy scents of the pork blood.
But these are not enough.
Jinyan Xiangmian needs helpfrom the sourness too.
[light music]
[narrator] Pickled vegetables are stewedand have an extremely powerful sourness.
After some seasoning,
the pickled vegetable stewis added to the pork blood.
With the help of sourness and spices,
the gamy scent of pork bloodis suppressed.
[light music]
[rasping]
[narrator] Raw pork skinand pork blood dipping sauce
are the stars of tonight’s dinner.
Blood Sapie.
BLOOD SAPIE
[indistinct chatter]
[narrator] Taste buds are awakenedby the sourness of pickled vegetable stew.
Jelly-like pork bloodgives a smooth texture.
And the crunchiness of raw pork skinadds excitement to the teeth.
On the last day of the Ganduo Festival,
Jinyan Xiangmian prepared a surprisefor his friends.
[all singing]
[all cheering]
[gong clanging]
[narrator] Cultural diversity protectsand promotes a variety of eating habits.
While other parts of the worldhave long abandoned
the habit of eating raw meat,
this eating habit is well-preserved here.
And this conventional eating habit
will eventually be accepted and understood
by many others as time passes.
[closing theme music]