Chongqing is the birthplace of Sichuan Cuisine. As compared with Chengdu's Sichuan Cuisine, Chonqing's has a stronger taste, spicier and more innovative. Chongqing serves the best Sichuan Cuisine. Its cuisine ranks first in the major cuisine styles of China because of its distinctive characteristics.
When you come to Chongqing, you will not to be surprised to hear that the Chinese believe in the saying "People make food their Heaven". It would seem that people in Chongqing are never weary of eating. Thousands of restaurants are scattered throughout every corner of the city, fulfiling customers from home and abroad with their different specialties.
Chongqing Hot Pot Chongqing Hot Pot, which is famous for its "spicy, hot, delicious and crunchy" taste as well as a harmonious and warm atmosphere, originated from a centrally administered municipality by the Yangtze River in the early 20th century. Preparations for Chongqing Hot Pot are meticulous, involving a wide variety of ingredients. Now hot pots are in vogue all over the Chongqing.
Gongbao jiding
Chicken cubes, dry spices and peanuts are cooked together. Legend has it that the cook in Ding Baozhen’s family first created this dish. Ding Baozhen was an official in Qing dynasty. When he was an official in Shandong he used to invite people to eat in his house, and he always asked the famous cooks to cook “stir-fry chicken cubes”. Then he went to Sichuan to work as an official. So he brought this dish to Sichuan. Concerning Sichuan people’s love for spices, he added spices to the chicken. And this dish became more and more popular. It was called Gongbao chicken cube because Ding Baozhen was once titled as Gongbao, a title in the Qing Dynasty.
Jiangtuan fish
Since Chongqing is located along Jialing River, travelers have a good opportunity to sample varieties of aquatic products. Among them, a local fish, Jiangtuan fish, also called big-head fish, is probably the best. The steamed fish, retaining all the essence, will definitely leave a deep impression on anyone that has sampled it.
Stuffed Dumplings
Most probably you have tried stuffed dumplings made of glutinous rice, but you may still be amazed at the their mini counterpart in Chongqing. It is just hard to imagine how local folks can manage to cram the sweet stuffing into such a pearl-sized dumpling.
