Locals have the chance to taste a dish made from eggs of poisonous blowfish for free at an international restaurant expo that opened yesterday in Shanghai.

If you don't have the courage to try blowfish, you can taste other dishes made by 11 of the most famous chefs in the country, who are also cooking at the food show.

The Fifth China Shanghai International Restaurants Expo began yesterday in the Shanghai Everbright Convention Center in Xuhui District. Top chefs from 11 cities in the Yangtze River Delta region are showing off their skills for visitors to judge.

The exhibition will run until Sunday.

The blowfish eggs have been prepared in such a way as to make them absolutely safe to eat, said Zhou Changshun, a national super-grade chef in Yangzhong City, Jiangsu Province.

Zhou is called the "King of Blowfish" in Yangzhong. He claims his blowfish dish is unique and keeps the recipe secret.

Other cuisines on offer include a tofu dish carved into the shape of a peony from Han Zhi, a leading chef from Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province.

Tofu carving is one of the hardest skills for a chef, said Han. But he said he can carve it with his eyes closed.

(Shanghai Daily November 28, 2008)