Tucson’s Chinese Chorizo Festival is now in its fifth year partnering with local restaurants to bring foodies a synergy of Chinese and Mexican cultures.
Chef and artist Feng-Feng Yeh is the creator of the project, which she says was inspired by her search for representation when she was a youth in the Old Pueblo.
“This was a really important exercise to do these past five years to connect with the community, to get the consent of the community, to say, ‘Hey, do you care about this history?’” she says. “And what's really amazing — from the response — is people really care about it.”
Historically, what made Chinese chorizo Chinese, Yeh says, was that it was made by Chinese-Americans who were running grocery stores in Tucson’s barrios. The Tucson Chinese Cultural Center states grocers offered “foods matching the tastes of their customers.”
Today, Yeh turns the classic recipe made with Mexican flavors into something new using Chinese spices, like szechuan peppercorn, with minced pork. She also makes a vegan version with mushrooms.
“When people taste Chinese chorizo, they tell me about their experience growing up in the barrios and that is so wonderful because they don't exist in our neighborhoods anymore. To have that memory keep on going is just so lovely. You know, we're fighting against erasure just by eating delicious food,” Yeh says.
Of the more than 100 Chinese groceries that existed in Tucson before the turn of the century, Yeh says just two remain.
She says her project has inspired Tucsonans to learn more about the sausage that once brought — and again brings — communities together.
“When you work on the relationships that you have in your community, the future gets sweeter. Or spicier! Or savorier!” she says.
For the next several weekends, AZPM will be visiting partner restaurants to taste, smell and talk about the recipes in this year’s festival.
Last week, we tried Rosebud Bakery’s Chinese chorizo bao buns.
Sprinkled within the maze that is Tucson Meet Yourself, bites of Chinese Chorizo invite Tucson residents and visitors into Yeh’s story.
At Los Poblanitos' stand, a pot of vegan Chinese chorizo was also at the ready next to their usual shredded chicken, corn tortillas and shawarma-style meats.
Owner Gustavo Luna appeared from behind a smokescreen of grill fumes and dust from Friday’s windstorm to present me with an oozing Chinese chorizo quesadilla.
Just one bite and the flavors spark joy like the colors embroidered on Luna and his wife Aylin’s clothing.
The mushrooms enveloped in white cheese are hardy, smoky and surprising — they’re unlike flavors found in classic Sonoran recipes. But wrapped in a warm corn tortilla, it all makes sense.
I took my quesadilla without salsa this time and it was just as satisfying (if not more) than usual. But a dash of tomatillo definitely doesn’t hurt if you can’t help the extra zing.
The quesadillas at Los Poblanitos are perfect for a light lunch and just $5 each.
Through Sunday, Chinese chorizo will appear at the Tucson “Eat” Yourself Sonoran Hotdogs stand, Los Poblanitos, Patricia’s Cuban Kitchen, Muna Food and Planet of the Crepes at Tucson Meet Yourself.
As Yeh continues partnering with the Tucson food scene, she’s also planning to expand the Chinese Chorizo Project into a permanent art installation.
“The funding for it is really extreme so I hope that we can find funding and monumentalize Chinese chorizo,” Yeh said.
This weekend, Yeh will be hosting live demonstrations under the tent at the Tucson Meet Yourself’s first-ever “Culture Kitchen” on the southwest corner of Stone Avenue and Pennington Street.
“Food has teleporting powers that I think get overlooked. We don’t take enough time to actually be in our senses every day,” Yeh says. “I really like to create these holistic experiences through food that’s tying history to the present moment: who you’re with, the place.”
