Over 15,000 dogs are being served to celebrate canine culinary culture at the food festival in Yulin in eastern China, which kicked off during the weekend.
Yulin is recognised throughout the region for producing some of the most flavoursome dog meat in the world
"It is just like other meat. Smaller animals tend to be more delicate and sweeter while very big dogs have a strong, muscular taste. Dog is popular as a dish in China but we are the home of it, the Daily Mail quoted the local Lu Hin, as saying.
"We proved that when we started the festival a few years ago and everybody accepts that the best dog meat dishes come from Yulin. That was why we created the festival and the number of visitors we get is a testimony to the fact that everybody recognises how good the dog meat is from the region", he added
Dog flesh or 'fragrant meat' as it is known in the region, has been a popular food source in China for thousands of years and is believed to provide medicinal benefits
However, the industry has come under fire in recent years over concerns about cruelty to animals.
Authorities are now proposing to draw up legislation banning the consumption of dog meat
During the 2008 Olympic games, dog meat was taken off the menus of official Olympic restaurants to avoid offending foreign visitors.
