Cynics can park their attitude at the door; China has lifted the crown in the worldbbread championships held recently in Munich, Germany. But our reason for celebration is the fact that of the two team members, one is from our very own Jiangsu.
Feng Yingjie is 26 and hails from Pizhou, the county-level city under the administration of Xuzhou in northwest Jiangsu. He, together with Lin Yeqiang, comprised the team which defeated France, Germany, Japan and other traditionally strong teams to win the iba.UIBC.CUP of Bakers 2023 held over 22-24 October.
For some, the idea of China, as a nation enamoured by sweet pastries, winning such an event is preposterous. But this 2023 was in fact China defending its title, to become the first country to win the championship for 2 consecutive years.
The theme of this year’s contest was “The Animal World” and so the two Chinese contestants were inspired by Zootopia. With Lin responsible for baguettes, brioche and other breads, and Lin the artistic side of things, they completed the production of nearly 200 breads within the specified time frame.
Incorporating Chinese elements into their works, the two utilised spicy sausages, jasmine flowers, perilla, Tibetan highland barley powder, cumin, onions and Yunnan roses, and more, into their creations.
In particular, their “Panda Bread”, as well as the 1.5-metre tall “Rabbit Officer” and the 0.5-metre tall “Leopard Officer” won unanimous praise from the judges.
Being from Pizhou, the hometown of ginkgo in China, Feng also brought that particular specialty to the competition arena and made it into the shape of a bee. Feng said, “Using ginkgo to make bees is a way for the people in my hometown to feel ‘hard-working as a bee’. I hope to one day bring more elements of my hometown to the world”.
According to the Yangtze Evening News, Feng developed a keen interest in pastries when he was young, later becoming a leader in the industry. He not only won gold medals in many national and world-class competitions, but also titles such as Jiangsu Province May Day Innovation Expert, National Technology Expert and National Light Industry Technology Expert.
The German championships are one of the three major bread competitions in the world, initiated in 1949 and jointly sponsored by the German Federation of Bakers and the International Federation of Bakers, Pastry Cooks and Allied Workers’ Associations.
