How many flavors can a bowl of chicken soup taste? With the careful cooking of Huai Kai, a Tonic Diet maker, the delicious chicken and the aroma of herbs are all gathered in the chicken soup. The soup is pure in color and tastes fresh, sweet and moist. Huai Kai selects free range native chickens, and adds Chinese medicinal materials such as peony flower, ginseng, dendrobium, kudzu root into chicken soup to cook the famous Tonic Diet of Bozhou City, Anhui Province - chicken with peony flower. Bozhou is an important production area for peony flowers. In the past, Bozhou people would add peony flowers to chicken soup for stewing, but the taste was relatively monotonous. Later, Huaikai added a few more Chinese medicinal herbs to the chicken soup based on their characteristics and taste, making the dish more flavorful and nourishing for health. I didn't expect the improved Shao Hua chicken to become a hot selling item in the store as soon as it was launched, selling nearly 20000 units a year. ”Huaikai said. Rational use of Chinese medicinal materials to cook delicious dishes is an important skill for Tonic Diet makers. In March this year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security announced the national professional standards for Chinese cooks (Tonic Diet makers). Tonic Diet makers are defined as "people who use the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, take medicinal substances and ingredients as raw materials, and use cooking techniques to make Tonic Diet". "The Tonic Diet maker should not only know how to cook, be the chef of the restaurant, but also know the theoretical knowledge of Chinese medicine, especially the Chinese medicinal materials that can be used as food and medicine. ”Huaikai said. Huaikai learned traditional Chinese medicine knowledge from his parents since childhood, and later went to Bozhou College to study Chinese medicine. In his early 40s, he has been engaged in Tonic Diet production for nearly 20 years. He has become the fifth generation successor of Tonic Diet production skills of the provincial intangible cultural heritage Huaiyang Hall, and served as the secretary general of the provincial Tonic Diet research association. In March 2023, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security organized a national standard development kick-off meeting for Tonic Diet makers in Hefei, Anhui Province, announcing that Bozhou City will take the lead in implementing the national standard development for Tonic Diet makers. Huai Kai, as a representative of the local Tonic Diet industry, also participated in the drafting of the standard. Speaking of the introduction of the national standard for Tonic Diet makers, Huai Kai could not hide his excitement: "This has given Tonic Diet makers a formal professional identity, with specific professional evaluation standards and operating norms." He told reporters that after the introduction of the national standard, the level of Tonic Diet makers can be determined by professional skill levels, which is conducive to the formation of industry norms and the training of talents. In the Tonic Diet restaurant operated by Huaikai, a seasonal menu caught the attention of the reporter as soon as he sat down. Fennel white jade balsam pear, poria egg cake, mint sour plum soup... The menu shows more than 20 kinds of seasonal Tonic Diet. During the Mangzhong and summer solstice seasons, attention should be paid to reducing dryness and relieving heat in diet. We have made a menu based on this characteristic. Every two solar terms, we will introduce a seasonal menu suitable for consumption during that season. ”Huaikai said. In traditional Chinese medicine theory, different solar terms require the selection of corresponding diets. One of the professional skills of Tonic Diet makers is to know how to keep fit according to the solar terms and cook dishes according to the climate characteristics. Today, Huaikai's Tonic Diet restaurant can use hundreds of Chinese medicinal materials. Bozhou has a long history of traditional Chinese medicine cultivation, processing, and trade, providing many conveniences for related practitioners. The professional market for traditional Chinese medicine in Bozhou has a large scale, gathering more than 30000 pharmaceutical merchants. On average, more than 2800 types of Chinese medicine materials are listed daily, with an annual transaction volume of 60 billion yuan. "In Bozhou, the raw materials for Tonic Diet can be supplied in time and the quality is guaranteed," Huai Kai said. Bozhou has also formed a traditional Chinese medicine industry chain covering the planting of traditional Chinese medicine, processing of traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces, manufacturing of traditional Chinese patent medicines and simple preparations, scientific research of traditional Chinese medicine and other links. The industrial scale will reach 210.26 billion yuan in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 11.9%. Relying on the development advantages of traditional Chinese medicine industry, Bozhou has created the "Bozhou Health Preservation" labor service brand in recent years. Through the cultivation of skilled talents, we can assist in the development of industries, "said Chen Chang'an, Director of the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau of Bozhou City. Up to now, Bozhou has held 6 national Tonic Diet skill competitions, 7 national Tonic Diet academic forums, 8 large-scale Tonic Diet product fairs, and also established Bozhou Tonic Diet school, holding more than 6000 person times of Tonic Diet skill training of various types. Not long ago, a Tonic Diet maker training was held in Bozhou Tonic Diet school. The teachers who teach include renowned chefs from various regions as well as professional Chinese medicine practitioners from traditional Chinese medicine hospitals. Student Wang listens attentively. He is a local chef who has been working in the catering industry for nearly 10 years. We often see traditional Chinese medicinal herbs such as Pueraria lobata and Poria cocos, but we never thought they could be applied in catering. This training has taught us a lot of knowledge, "said Wang Shishi. In May this year, Bozhou Tonic Diet Industrial College, jointly established by Bozhou Technician College (Anhui School of Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology) and Bozhou Tonic Diet School, has begun to recruit junior and senior high school graduates. In this college, after graduation, students can not only obtain the corresponding diploma, but also obtain the professional qualification certificate of Tonic Diet maker. In order to promote the integration of industry and education, Bozhou Tonic Diet Industry College has also cooperated with more than 10 local Tonic Diet leading enterprises, invited enterprise heads to serve as guest professors, and created a platform for Tonic Diet professional and technical talents jointly educated by schools and enterprises. We plan to enroll 100 students for the first time. In the future, we will continue to strengthen the skill training of Tonic Diet makers to effectively enable the development of the industry. ”Chen Chang'an said. At present, there are more than 1500 Tonic Diet enterprises in Bozhou, with an output value of more than 15 billion yuan and more than 30000 employees. (New Society)