Top Chinese Gourmet Cities ⋆ China Life & Buying Guide

Top Chinese Gourmet Cities offers you some good ideas about Where to taste the best authentic food in China? What are the best cities/places should we go? As Chinese Cuisine is one good reason that attracts tourists come from afar, TopChinaTravel, we’d like to introduce the following 7 of the most famous China gourmet cities/areas for you. Take a tour to those cities, you will find out that catering your appetites with tasty local flavors is an absolutely good idea after enjoying the gorgeous sights to feast for you eyes.

Guangzhou

Located in southern China, Guangzhou is home to Canton Cuisine – a well-known cooking style home and abroad. Cantonese is fond of eating and skilled in cooking and food innovation, thus in China, it is a saying goes that “Eating in Guangzhou”. The Canton style eating culture highlights on the sweet taste. Besides, the broth culture is another necessary factor in Cantonese dinning habits.

The specialties here are Sliced boiled Chicken, Roasted Suckling Pig and varied seafood dishes. Besides, snacks and Dim Sum like Wonton, Double-layer Steamed Milk and Herb Jelly, which are high recommended.

Morning Tea in Guangzhou

Hong Kong/Macau

Hong Kong, Macau and Guangzhou, with similar climate and geographical conditions, are sharing the same eating habit. Canton Cuisine then is the most popular cooking style. There is a custom in Hong Kong eating culture called morning tea. It is more or less like a family meal but eating in the morning. Various Dim-sums are served during this meal.

As a bustling cosmopolis, Hong Kong also a place where you can taste varied food of different countries like Japan, Britain, French, Korea and South Asia.

If take a tour to Macau, its Portugal style dishes, snacks and Canton style dessert, such as Portuguese Custardtart and Almond Cake, are tasty food you should not miss.

Changsha

Xiang Cuisine is one of China’s 8 Major Cuisines. Changsha as one of the birthplaces of Xiang Cuisine, has many tasty dishes and snacks known for the fine shape, exquisite knifing and spicy flavor, etc. If take a tour to Changsha, you would not want to miss Spicy Crayfish with bright color and full-bodied flavor. Crisp Duck with Sesame is an innovative dish reputed for its crunchy mouth feel and mild salty taste.

Smelly Bean Curd, Cured Meat Made Dish and Spicy Chicken are also recommended for tourists.

Chongqing/Chengdu

Chongqing is one of the birthplaces of very popular Sichuan Cuisine, while Chengdu, is another cornucopia of this cooking style. Sichuan Cuisine is reputed for its spicy and hot taste, thick aroma and varied cooking methods, etc. For some people, this kind of cuisine maybe too hot to enjoy, however, if you are a spicy-lover, you will definitely love it.

Hot Pot, Mapo Tofu, Spicy Diced Chicken with Peanuts and Yu-Shiang Shredded Pork are Signature dishes. Sounds familiar? Noted for its peppery and hot taste, Hot Pot is aboslutely a very popular local flavor and can be found at every corner of the city, even all through the country.

Hot Pot

Shanghai

Cook in Shanghai is good at learning, thus Shanghai Cuisine or Hu Cuisine, is a combination of others’ long points. What can be called Shanghai cuisine is epitomized by the use of alcohol. Fish, crab, chicken are “drunken” with spirits and are briskly cooked/steamed or served raw. Meanwhile, as the hub city of China, one can find all kinds of food here in Shanghai. Sichuan food, Hui food, Canton food, Xiang food…you name it, you have it.

Besides, the history of Shanghai Snacks can be dated back to Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). If you miss to eat Shanghai Xiao Long Bao (small steamed stuffed bun), you may be took as a totally stranger to the Shanghai eating culture.

Shanghai has many time-honored restaurants selling local food. Sautéed Shelled Shrimps, Ring Oil Eel Paste and Chicken Shreds with Egg White are Signature dishes.

Xiao Long Bao (small steamed stuffed bun)

Hangzhou

Hangzhou Cuisine is good at fresh water food and lake food, which famous for its fresh and tender taste, bright color and fine modeling. The charm of Hangzhou Cuisine has been recognized since the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.). Hangzhou food is a representative of the southern style. Reminiscent of the romantic scenery around the city, Hangzhou dishes are delicate, tender and refreshing. All ingredients come from the fertile land of Hangzhou which known as a land of plenty.

West Lake (Water Shield) Soup is a traditional dish served seasonal. Dongpo’s Braised Pork could surely appetite meat-eating gourmets, while Fish Ball Soup famous for its original flavor. While you are enjoying the enchanting sightseeing of Hangzhou, you can also try to taste the fresh Hangzhou Cuisine.

West Lake Fish in Sweet Sour Source

Beijing

Beijing, the political and cultural heart of China, attracted people from all around the country. Thus, various cuisine styles, flavors and local dishes have been brought here as well. For people who wanna taste authentic flavors, a must-eat meal named Beijing Roasted Duck is took as the top selection, others like the imperial cuisine Tan Cuisine and the refreshments will bring you the feeling of being imperial officers in China. For tourists have strong tastes, they can find restaurants selling Sichuan food and Xiang food everywhere.