Three popular science editors carefully analyzed Zibo barbecue and discovered the secret of its fire

Audit expert: Taozi

National Psychological Counselor

Audit expert: Wang Guoyi

Postdoctoral fellow in Nutrition and Food Safety, China Agricultural University

"Small pancake oven plus dipping sauce, soul barbecue three-piece set"

Recently, Zibo barbecue has become popular, and people from all over the country are rushing to Zibo to experience the authentic local barbecue. According to a staff member of the Publicity Department of the Zibo Municipal Party Committee, it is estimated that more than 120,000 people will go to Zibo during the "May Day" holiday. Even Zibo City has announced early that the passenger flow during the May Day holiday has exceeded the reception capacity and recommends tourists to visit other cities in Shandong.

Barbecue is delicious, which is engraved in everyone's genes. So, what is the reason for the popularity of Zibo barbecue?

The History of Barbecue

It goes without saying that barbecue has a long history. We can even boldly say that the first cooked food eaten by humans was probably grilled food.

However, since we are talking about Zibo barbecue, let’s start with China’s long history of barbecue.

As early as the Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, people had already begun to cut mutton, beef, chicken, fish and other meats into large pieces, skewer them on a stove, set up a "burning stove", light the mulberry charcoal, hold the skewer in one hand and fan with the other, waiting for the delicious food to come out of the oven.

Source: pixabay

The "Kitchen Picture" of the Han Dynasty stone relief unearthed in Wulibao, Linyi, depicts a chef making barbecue in the kitchen. There are helpers beside him, helping the chef to perform basic processes such as fish cutting, meat cutting, and fire making. On the rack above his head are cow heads, pig legs and other unprocessed foods. It can be seen that people have had the eating habit of barbecue since the Han Dynasty.

The chef is grilling in the "Kitchen Picture"

Collection Unit: Linyi Museum

Obviously, our ancestors in China also loved this cooking method that largely retains the original flavor of the food.

Why does barbecue taste so tempting?

Let's take a look at the principles of barbecue.

As we all know, roasted meat often appears brown in color because sugars and proteins undergo the Maillard reaction at high temperatures.

The Maillard reaction refers to the reaction between carbonyl compounds (especially reducing sugars) and amino compounds (amines, amino acids, peptides, proteins, etc.). After the reaction occurs, there will be a significant change in color. After processing, golden yellow and dark brown substances and aromas will be produced, thereby increasing people's appetite.

At the same time, after high-temperature processing, meat (mainly barbecued meat) will produce a special aroma. Researchers separated and identified the aroma of roasted beef, pork and chicken and found that the three barbecue aroma components all contain a large amount of dimethyl disulfide, dimethyl trisulfide, sulfur-containing compounds such as mercaptans and thiophenes, and oxygen- and nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds such as furans and pyrroles.

In other words, the key source of the aroma of barbecue is sulfur compounds. This barbecue aroma stimulates people's taste buds, so it is no wonder that roadside barbecue stalls are called "assassins" on the road of night running and weight loss.

Source: pixabay

It's not just the aroma of the barbecue itself, the addition of seasonings can also enhance the taste and flavor of the barbecue. The use of cumin and chili is one of the reasons why it is so tempting.

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) is an herbaceous plant of the genus Cuminum in the family Apiaceae. It is native to Egypt and Ethiopia and has a very long history. The spice cumin (translated as celery in the text) was mentioned in the New Testament of the Bible, Matthew.

Cumin has a strong pungent smell and a unique taste. It has a strong effect in removing fishy odors, which is why it is an indispensable seasoning for barbecue. In addition to covering the fishy smell of beef and mutton, cumin itself has a unique fragrance, which comes from cuminaldehyde , an aromatic aldehyde that is fully released when heated, making people unable to stop.

Source: Baidu Encyclopedia

In addition to cumin, another major supporting role in barbecue - chili pepper is also indispensable. We know that spiciness is a kind of pain, and in order to fight pain, the brain will release endorphins to help us relieve pain, and endorphins will stimulate the brain to secrete dopamine , a substance that makes people happy, making people happy physically and mentally.

How can we not love the aroma of barbecue and the penetrating flavor of seasoning? In addition, barbecue food is also very rich, in addition to meat, there are also a variety of vegetables. During the barbecue process, the vegetables are heated at high temperature, the water is quickly evaporated, and a caramelization reaction occurs, forming a special aroma.

Source丨Weibo picture/see watermark

For Zibo barbecue, in addition to the tempting taste of ordinary barbecue, the addition of small pancakes and shallots also enhances the richness and layering of the taste to a certain extent. For example, the small pancakes rich in carbohydrates can enhance the sense of fullness, and the shallots, one of the "standard configurations" of Zibo barbecue, can also play a role in relieving greasiness. Eating them together will naturally arouse people's appetite.

Psychological factors that attract people to Zibo barbecue

The popularity of Zibo barbecue is not entirely due to its excellent workmanship and unique taste. In fact, the popularity of Zibo barbecue is also related to some psychological factors.

Currently, Zibo barbecue is very popular on the Internet. For a time, everyone was flocking to it. A large part of the reason is that they were attracted by it subjectively, especially considering the popularity of short video platforms nowadays. People are easily attracted by the small videos with high exposure and the Internet celebrity check-in places that appear on them. This is essentially a herd behavior and also a social phenomenon.

Source丨Weibo picture/see watermark

People will behave in a way that is consistent with the majority of society because of their values ​​and sense of social identity. This mentality is neither good nor bad. It is a necessary part of the normal functioning of society. Just don't blindly follow the crowd and lose your own judgment.

The herd mentality is influenced by the subconscious "the minority obeys the majority" because "the number of people" itself can be used as a measure of the quality of things or the degree of participation, and can also represent the majority's recognition of a thing. When you don't understand the actual situation of a thing or some travel projects or have not really experienced the actual situation, the number of people who agree and support it on the Internet is also a good reference.

Simply put, when you find that many people on the Internet are saying that something is good, you will involuntarily have a good impression of it, even though you have not tried it yourself.

Source丨Weibo picture/see watermark

In addition to the herd mentality, the sense of participation and experience is also one of the reasons why Zibo barbecue is so popular. Zibo barbecue first has the staff grill the meat to about medium-rare, and then serve it to the customers, who then complete the next "task".

We know that the brain has a reward mechanism. When we achieve a goal, the brain will send a "reward" signal to the decision-making area , which produces dopamine, endorphins, oxytocin and other happy hormones, making us feel satisfied and successful. The process of grilling meat by yourself is the process of completing a goal, which gives people a great sense of accomplishment.

In addition to dining, barbecue is often accompanied by social activities . When barbecuing, people can enjoy the dual stimulation of fireworks and food, relax their bodies and minds, relieve stress, and gather together to share food and stories. In this process, the hot grill can provide a comfortable environment, making it easier for people to relax and communicate. This is one of the reasons why barbecue is very popular.

The operational advantages of Zibo barbecue

In general, the reason why Zibo barbecue has become popular is inseparable from its "hard power" such as unique taste and flavor and its "soft power" in operational and management advantages.

Zibo is the birthplace of Shandong cuisine, one of the major Chinese cuisines. Influenced by the local Confucian culture of Shandong, Shandong cuisine focuses on the combination of ingredients and the quality and freshness of the ingredients. At the same time, Shandong cuisine is mainly salty and fresh, with a unique flavor, fresh and delicious, and is very popular among consumers.

In addition, Zibo BBQ has also put a lot of effort into brand marketing and service . Many Zibo BBQ stores pay attention to store layout and decoration to create a unique atmosphere to attract customers. At the same time, the store also pays attention to service quality and has won many loyal customers with honest and caring service. Many well-known Zibo BBQ restaurants also promote and publicize through the Internet, television, short video platforms, etc., which greatly enhances the brand's popularity and influence.

At the same time, the local government of Zibo also encourages the improvement of service quality of local barbecue restaurants, and resolutely prohibits the phenomenon of inflated prices. With a good brand image, it is natural that business is booming.