6 Must-Try Dishes in Shaoxing: Don't Come Without Them!
Shaoxing, as a historic city in the Jiangnan region, has many places worth visiting.
Xuecun Residence (Lu Xun's Residence), Shen Garden, East Lake, Anchang Ancient Town, the Hometown of Xi Shi, and Caoya Scenic Area are all very worth visiting. However, what I'm going to talk about today is not the scenic spots of Shaoxing, but the food of Shaoxing!
Shaoxing has a lot of delicious food, but I think if you go to Shaoxing, if you don’t try the following 6 dishes, it’s like you came for nothing. These 6 dishes will make you remember the taste of the food, and you’ll want to return to Shaoxing to try them again! Let me introduce them to you below!
1st dish: Braised Pork with Dried Plums (Meigancai Koudou)
Braised Pork with Dried Plums is a dish found in many places in Zhejiang Province, but Shaoxing’s version is even better. The secret to this dish is that it uses Shaoxing soy sauce to make it, and the flavor of braised pork with dried plums made with Shaoxing soy sauce is exceptionally delicious. If you’re traveling to Shaoxing, you must try this braised pork with dried plums made with Shaoxing soy sauce. It’s not greasy and melts in your mouth...
2nd dish: Stinky Tofu
Shaoxing people love to eat smelly foods, especially stinky tofu preserved with dried saika (Meigancai) and reed shoots. The taste is even better. After deep-frying, Shaoxing stinky tofu, paired with some sauce, is unforgettable. Stinky tofu is sold everywhere in China, but Shaoxing’s stinky tofu is even better. Once you try it, you’ll understand!
3rd dish: Fermented Duck (Jiangya)
This dish is also a typical Shaoxing dish. It is also one of Shaoxing’s specialties. Once the Shaoxing fermented duck is made, the flavor is unforgettable and delicious, the more you chew, the more fragrant it is! When you leave, you can buy it as a souvenir to take home to your friends and family!
4th dish: Shaoxing Drunken Crabs (Zui Xia)
This is also my favorite Shaoxing delicacy. Shaoxing Drunken Crabs are preserved with Shaoxing yellow wine. The flavor is the most delicious, and it’s great for eating with drunken crabs. The taste of drunken crabs is fresh and the meat is tender. Once you try Shaoxing drunken crabs, you’ll never forget their taste. It's more flavorful than Ningbo’s salty and pungent crabs.
5th dish: Pickled Chicken (Sao Ji)
Shaoxing Pickled Chicken is made with the chickens raised in the past and wine lees as the main ingredients. After boiling, pickling, and drunken brewing, the finished pickled chicken is very tender and delicious, with a salty and fragrant flavor that makes you love it more and more. When traveling to Shaoxing, when eating, order a serving of pickled chicken, and take a bite – you’ll definitely have a wonderful memory!
6th dish: Fennec Fox Beans (Fen Xiang Dou)
A delicacy mentioned by Lu Xun in his article about Kong Yixing, Fennec Fox Beans are a local specialty of Shaoxing. They are very fragrant to chew, although not as famous as the previous 5 dishes, if you come to Shaoxing, you must try the taste of the Fennec Fox Beans that Lu Xun wrote about. It's also a kind of memory!
In addition to these, Shaoxing's other delicacies include Shaoxing Yellow Wine Popsicles, Yellow Wine, Milk Tea, Fresh Radish Cakes, and Creamy Climbers. If you don’t mind a little bit of a smelly food, you can also try Meigancai and Reed Shoots, which is a specific local delicacy of Shaoxing. However, I think other delicacies can be skipped, and you must try the 6 dishes above! Only after eating these 6 dishes will you truly have experienced Shaoxing!
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