Chinese Local Delicacies

As delicious food enthusiasts, the Chinese are not only fond of food but also good at preparing it. China boasts countless varieties of food. Appetizing snacks are available throughout China, from north to south and from west to east.

鱼圆 fish balls yú yuán 鱼皮羹 fish skin soup yú pí gēng
The first step in making fish balls is to pound the fresh fish fillets into fish paste. The second step is to make the pork filling (both lean meat and fat are included) with onions, sugar, and a secret-recipe sauce. Thirdly, wrap the pork fillings with the fish paste, knead them into fish balls and then keep them in water. Fish balls taste delicious with fresh gravy drizzled over their chewy exteriors. Besides fish balls, a fish skin soup is also well known in Fuzhou. It is made of Chai Fish with crisp shark skin, which gives it a crunchy bite, followed by a delicious and tender flavor.


过桥米线 Cross-bridge Rice Noodles guò qiáo mĭ xiàn
Anyone who has been to Kunming should have had a taste of the famous dish Cross-bridge Rice Noodles, well known in China and abroad. It is subtly made with sophisticated materials and tastes delicious and tender, thus winning popularity among Chinese and foreigners. Cross-bridge Rice Noodles appeared during the Guangxu period, nearly 200 years ago. There is a popular legend regarding its origin. It is said that a scholar in Mengzi County, while preparing for the imperial examination, would go to an island in Nan Lake everyday to study. His wife would have to cross a bridge to get to the island to bring meals to him. Due to the long distance, his meals were cold by the time they reached him. By accident, his wife discovered that a greasy chicken soup would stay warm longer. What’s more, fresh ingredients such as seasonal vegetables, fresh meat and so on would become edible when put into this kind of boiled soup. Since his wife crossed a bridge, the rice noodles made in this way were named Cross-bridge Rice Noodles. Now Cross-bridge Rice Noodles has become a well-known dish both in China and abroad.

锅贴 fried dumplings guō tiē 炖菜 lobscouse dùn cài
Add egg soup to the maize dough and leaven it with soda water. Roll the dough into small ovals and place them around the inside of the pot. Cut the griskin into small pieces, boil them in hot water, and then stir-fry them in hot oil with onions, sauce, anise and wine sauce. When they are half cooked, add some vegetables such as potatoes, eggplants, and peas.



馕 nang náng 油渣饼 oil cake yóu bǐng

烤羊肉串 roasted mutton cubes on spit kăo yang ròu chuàn
Nang bread is a staple food for the Uyghurs. There are many kinds of Nangs, such as Nang with meat, oil, sesame, etc. Nangs are baked in a specially-made stove. Dry on the outside and crisp inside, Nang is famous for its special flavor. Some Nangs are baked with exquisite flower patterns representing unique Uyghur features. Roasted mutton cubes on a spit are another famous Uyghur snack. First, cut the lamb into small pieces, then pierce them one by one with a thin steel skewer, place them in a bunch, and grill the bunches on the specially-made stove. The stove is generally a long trough fueled by anthracite and charcoal. Place the lamb skewers on the trough and sprinkle salt and pepper powder while grilling the mutton. Turn the skewers over to grill the other side after several minutes. The barbecue chefs' "yo-heave-ho" and the unique smell of roast mutton can bring you an authentic feelingl: Xinjiang is really here. "Would you like some more lamb skewers, friends?"

酸汤鱼 sour soup fish suān tāng yú
"The most white is the snow in winter; the sweetest is the sugarcane; the most delicious is the Sour Soup Fish." A song by the Miao ethnic minority group is sung like this, using simple words to eulogize the palatable Sour Soup Fish. The dish is one of the favorite traditional foods of Miao cuisine, loved by all who live in the Miao region. The main materials: fresh fish; sour soup. Seasoning: pepper powder; salt; ginger flowers at the end of wood; garlic puree; onions. Method: Dip to eat. Ladle some sour soup and boil it in the pot. Hold the fresh carp's gill with your left thumb and cut the carp at the connection between the body and gill. Separate with the knife's edge, insert a finger into the fish, and remove the offal. Put the fish into the sour soup while it is still alive; the sour soup flows into each part of the fish. Add some salt, ginger, garlic, green pepper, and fish coriander before it is completely cooked. Make some sauce using the pepper powder, salt, ginger flowers at the end of wood, onion and garlic puree. Dip the fish in the sauce to eat.

狗不理包子 Goubuli stuffed bun gŏu bù lĭ bāo zi
The first step in making fish balls is to pound the fresh fish fillets into fish paste. The second step is to make the pork filling (both lean meat and fat are included) with onions, sugar, and a secret-recipe sauce. Thirdly, wrap the pork fillings with the fish paste, knead them into fish balls and then keep them in water. Fish balls taste delicious with fresh gravy drizzled over their chewy exteriors. Besides fish balls, a fish skin soup is also well known in Fuzhou. It is made of Chai Fish with crisp shark skin, which gives it a crunchy bite, followed by a delicious and tender flavor.

火锅 hot pot huŏ guō
In Sichuan, hot pot is directly called "hot pot", while in Guangdong and Zhejiang; it is respectively called "eat beside pot" and "warm pot." On the origin of the dish, there are two arguments. One says that the "Copper Ding" in the Three Kingdoms Period or subsequent Sui Dynasty is the predecessor of hot pot. The other says that hot pot first appeared during the East Han Dynasty. Doo, one of the archaeological finds, refers to the hot pot. Hot pot thus has a history of 1900 years in China. Since the arrival of hot pot, it has become much easier to cater to everyone's individual tastes.

蟹粉狮子头 crab powder ball xiè fĕn shī zi tóu
Making method: Chop the pork in the shape of pomegranate rice. Place the pork in a bowl and add onions, ginger juice, crab meat, shrimp, salt, wine sauce and starch in the bowl and then mix them together. Wash the cabbage and stir-fry it in hot oil, then add the meat mixture and boil together. Knead the meat into balls, place them on the cabbage, and strew them with the crab eggs. Cover them with cabbage leaves and leave them at a light boil for about 2 hours.

桂林米粉 Guilin rice noodles guì lín mĭ fĕn
Guilin Rice Noodles are thick and round. When half cooked, mill the rice into a paste and knead it into round strips, boil it completely, and then drain the water. After these procedures, the noodles are chewy and taste refreshing. With the addition of specially-made condiments and soup, the dish forms its own unique flavor. Thus, Guilin Rice Noodles are famous for their exquisite and malleable noodles, delicious and aromatic soup, and soft and crisp meat.


太极芋泥 Taiji taro cream tài jí yù ní
"Taiji Taro Cream" is a traditional sweet dish in Fuzhou. Its main material, areca taro, abounds in the area around Fujian, but the best areca taro is produced in Minhou and Yongtai County where it is not only big and soft but also fragrant. The dish is famous for its exquisiteness and softness. While it often appears to be cool, it can actually be so hot that it burns the mouth.
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