Food Wars!: I Became a Fantasy Ingredient Supplier

after that.

Erina can cook now.

It was actually very simple to learn, so she and Hisako made bento boxes together.

Perhaps nothing is more ordinary than the everyday life of ordinary people, but it is precisely this most ordinary everyday life that is most comforting to the heart.

……

"Don't say it yet."

"While cooking, I kept thinking about Ye Chen, which was quite nice..."

After thinking about it, Erina's face turned red.

Indeed, she was more careful, meticulous, earnest, and cautious than ever before when preparing this truffle and snow calf beef rib dish. Oh, and she poured so much love into it; it truly felt like first love…

"Hey?"

"What's wrong with me?"

Why is my mind always so chaotic, and my heart pounding so hard?

Touching her burning hot face, Erina murmured shyly.

……

At the same time.

It's still at Totsuki Academy, but the location is rather remote, and the place isn't very big; there's only one small room.

This is the little-known Shiomi Research Association.

This research association, though not particularly famous among many, with only two members, Shiomi Jun and Hayama Akira, is still a very capable one.

The discussion focused primarily on the cultivation and extraction of spices, aiming to explore the mysteries of spices and bring more surprises to the culinary world.

In fact.

in this period.

Shiomi Jun has always been focused on the research of various spices.

She is like a persistent explorer, constantly exploring the world of spices.

During this time, her various newly published discoveries on spice cultivation and long-term preservation methods caused a sensation throughout the entire Totsuki Academy and even the entire spice industry!

And her research findings.

This not only provides new ideas and methods for the cultivation and preservation of spices.

It also brings more possibilities to the preparation of delicious food.

……

now.

Spice cultivation room.

Shiomi Jun squatted down, carefully observing a sumac tree that was about to wither.

Her petite figure and youthful face, resembling those of a middle school student, made her look like an innocent child.

Well, her most distinctive features are her glasses and ponytail, and her appearance has remained unchanged since she was a high school student. This means that even though she's over thirty, she still looks like a high school student.

However, this also has a unique charm that makes it irresistibly endearing.

"Ugh!"

blinked.

Shiomi Jun sighed helplessly and muttered to herself, "Rhus chinensis is so hard to find."

"In that case, I'm afraid I won't be able to figure out the cultivation method for this sumac before the paper is published!"

……

If an ostrich asks you, "Where does the salt in our kitchen come from?"

Presumably, you would pat your chest, straighten your back, and tell me without hesitation that it's either sea salt or well salt.

However, in the past, there was a phenomenon in rural areas where people would look for the fruit of a tree called the sumac, gently scrape off its white frost, and use it as a seasoning.

Even in ancient China, when salt was hard to come by, people would use this method to collect it.

Then.

What is the explanation for the origin of this "salt"?

Actually, it's the salt components in the sumac tree that are causing the problem!

The so-called sumac is a deciduous shrub or small tree belonging to the genus sumac in the family Anacardiaceae, also known as the five-gall tree.

The tree is highly recognizable; it lacks petioles and has wing-like rachis-like appendages. The flowers are white and arranged in panicles; the drupe is flattened and round, turning red when ripe.

Thinking of the sumac fruit, Shiomi Jun's thoughts drifted back to the past.

Back then, the fruit of the sumac tree left a deep impression on her, after all, the fruit of this plant was covered with a bright salt frost, presenting a real salty taste.

When she conducted on-site visits and investigations in China, the sumac and its fruit were called salt frost loquat.

Among a host of wild fruits such as Japanese raisin tree, September yellow jujube, jelly fruit, mountain jujube, and ground jujube.

Salty Frosty Loquat!

It inevitably stands out as exceptionally unique.

It doesn't follow the usual sweet route; it walks its own path like a lone wolf, forging its own way out from a less common salty path.

The saltiness it exhibits is a rarity among many fruits.

……

The saltiness of the salty frosty loquat.

Emerging from a layer of salt frost, their roots can absorb salt from the soil and then secrete it in the form of salt water. As the water dissipates, the salt adheres.

Over time, salt crystals formed on the tree trunk and fruit.

If salt crystals adhere to the fruit's skin, they can be easily wiped off with a simple twist of two fingers.

When eating.

It has a strong salty flavor that invigorates the senses.

At first taste, it doesn't taste much different from eating salt.

If you listen closely, you'll notice a hint of sourness in addition to the saltiness. In some places in ancient times, these were called "wood salt" and were used as a substitute for regular salt. They were sometimes used to pickle food or to make simple vinegar!

The salt frost on the salt-frost-covered loquat is optional.

If you find it too salty to eat plain, you can pick more and save them up to make tea, which will give you a different flavor.

As autumn draws to a close, it's too early to pick bamboo fruit, and the fire charcoal is far from ripe. As you walk, besides the vast sky and drifting clouds, you'll see only salty-frost-covered loquats. Their fruiting season is mostly concentrated in October and November, making them a unique sight in this season!

Therefore, for Shiomi Jun, a master of spices, the study of sumac is actually a special kind of affection and dedication.

She longs to unveil the mystery of sumac, find suitable cultivation methods for it, and enable this unique plant to grow in more places, bringing new flavors to the culinary world!

……

“It’s a real headache.”

"Where can we find sumac now?"

Thinking of this, Shiomi Jun sighed helplessly again, his brows furrowed.

Although sumac holds an important place in both culinary and medicinal fields, its production is scarce and its search is extremely difficult. Therefore, she is currently trapped in a predicament of searching for sumac, which is causing her great distress.

"Run".

Just at this time.

Hayama Akira, standing nearby, was grinding spices.

He first dipped his fingertip in a tiny bit of the freshly made spice, held it to his nose and took a light sniff, his focused expression suggesting he was having a deep conversation with the spice.

Then, he couldn't help but speak up, saying to Shiomi Jun, "You can go find a chef named Ye Chen."

"Who?"

When Shioji Jun heard this, he was stunned for a moment.

Then she realized what she meant and asked, "Ye... Ye Chen?"

Hayama nodded and continued, "That's right, it's Ye Chen. He's an extremely skilled chef who served as an examiner during the accommodation training program. His abilities far surpass those of Dojima Gin, Shinomiya Kojiro, and others!"

"Especially since he possesses fantastical ingredients that have never existed in this world."

"so."

"In my opinion."

"He might have better spices than sumac!"

"Even if there is no such ingredient at present, he may be able to provide you with some clues about finding sumac. After all, with his personal abilities, he can also give you some inspiration in the research of other spices."

Upon hearing Hayama Akira's words, Shiomi Jun's heart stirred.