Within easy reach to South and North China, Nanjing has developed a unique cuisine style. Relishes from all over the world can be found here, ranging from different cuisines to various cooking methods. Meanwhile, Nanjing cuisine has also formed its own features such as careful selection of materials, prominence of ingredients, attractiveness of colors and impresiveness of fragrance. However, no matter how dazzling the picture of Nanjing cuisine is, the favorite ones always remain the diverse duck stuff, "Eight Wonders of Qinhuai River" at the Confucian Temple and the chicken steamed dumplings, all of which should be on the must-taste list when visiting this place. Join TOC to get more detailed information about yummy dishes in Nanjing.
Yummy Local Snacks
Eight Wonders of Qinhuai River
Qinhuai River is regarded as the headstream of Nanjing’s profound history. Traced as far back as the Six Dynasties (222-589), this was a dwelling place of blue blood, gathering busy merchants, urbane scholars and Confucianism learners. Such glorious views prevailed from the Six Dynasties till the Qing Dynasty (1936-1912) and leaved this area with a trail of most delicate snacks. These snacks are featured with good-natured materials, refined handiworks, various types, beautiful shapes and unique tastes. They are compiled into "Eight Wonders of Qinhuai River", which is common knowledge to every native here.
The first wonder: Huangqiao baked cake & shredded dried been curd of Yongheyuan Teahouse
The second wonder: steamed beef broth & fried beef dumplings of Jiangyouji Fried Dumpling Shop
The third wonder: been curd jelly & light fried and green onion Chinese pancake of Liufengju Snack Restaurant
The fourth wonder: duck-oil vegetarian shortcake & olla podrida dumplings of Qifangge Restaurant
The fifth wonder: sesame-oil shredded dried been curd & minced chicken noodles in soup of Qifangge Restaurant
The sixth wonder: tiny sweet osmanthus rice balls & five-colored small cake of Lianhu Pastry
The seventh wonder: smocked fish silver noodles & thin-skin steamed dumplings of Zhanyuan Noodle Shop
The eighth wonder: five-spiced beans & tea eggs of Kuiguangge Restaurant
Duck blood bean vermicelli soup
This is loved by all ages. It sweeps over Zhenjiang, Nanjing, Shanghai and Hefei in four seasons of a year. Roaming around either streets or little alleys, you are easy to bump into a shop selling this delicacy. Some are decent while some are shabby but incredible aroma is a commom feature. Making method of the soup is simple. First, put some bean vermicelli in a bamboo basket and place it in boiled duck blood soup for some time to a turn. After that, pour the bean vermicelli and duck blood soup in a bowl and add them with duck intestines and livers, green onions, parsley and other seasonings. Sipping some soup, sucking up some bean vermicelli and biting a piece of dusk blood, one cannot help thinking why such unremarkable materials would turn out to be such a cate. Besides, this will cost you CNY 6-10 only, very cost effective, right?
Best purchase location: Huiwei at the junction of Matai Street and Hunan Road
Yinshi chicken steamed dumplings
While tasting savoury duck blood bean vermicelli soup, people usually mate it with steamed dumplings. Steamed dumpling is very popular in Nanjing with thin skins, pump stuffings and tender taste being its best features. When eating, the proper way is first to bite a small hole to cool the fillings down; then sip the soup sandwiched between the stuffings and the skin. After that, you can take a big bite. Otherwise, the piping-hot soup inside would spill out, either scale you lips or taint your clothes. As popular as the duck blood soup, steamed dumpling stores scatter every corner of the city. Among them, Yinshi Chicken Steamed Dumplings Store standing on Hunan Road enjoys the best reputation . Here long queues are lined up every day, waiting to taste this wonderful delicacy at the expense of only CNY 7 for every 8.
Plum flower cake
This snack is originated from the Ming Dynasty (1271-1368) and was once the most renowned in Qing Dynasty (1936-1912). Story goes that when Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) traveled incognito in Southern Yangtze River areas, he came upon a kind of aromatic snack with appealing plum flower-like looks. So he had a taste of it and heaped praise on its sweet but not greasy taste in mouth, moderate crisp for chewing and lingering flavor that made this snack surpass even the imperial pastries. In light of its particular shaping, he granted the snack the name of Plum Flower Cake, which has been going around till today.
Best purchase location: Weishi Plum Flower Cake Shop, a tiny little place on Mataijie near Hunanlu
Rain flower tea
This sort of tea received its name for its birth place-the Terrace of Rain Flower outside Zhonghuamen in Nanjing. It stands out from various kinds of green tea in China for its elegant name, extraordinary taste and unique charm. As to the shaping, it looks like pine needle, slim, tight, smooth and upright. In color, there is a little bit white mingled with green black, bright and clear. When tasting, it feels fresh and pure, with an aroma mild and ethereal as well as a sweet and lasting aftertaste. A glass of the tea is good for quenching thirst, freshening up, helping digestion, promoting urination, curing asthma and eliminating phlegm. Today, rain flower tea wins great popularity at both home and abroad, especially in Japan and Southeast Asia where people give it as a precious gift to relatives and friends.
Salt duck gizzard
This is another popular specialty in Nanjing. It is oval in shape, small in size and thus is convenient to carry; with the dense meat, it tastes fresh and taint. Besides, possessing the benefit in enchanting the appetite and stimulating digestion, it is loved by both young and old as a great snack served with tea�together.
Palatable Main Dishes
Nanjing has for long been reputed as the "Capital of Duck". Ducks made here are said to be the best under heaven. Except for the duck blood soup introduced above, there are also ancient pressed salted duck, salted soup duck and four articles of duck- wings, feet, necks and livers, all of which have won wongerful fame throughout the world.
Pressed duck
Pressed duck in Nanjing boasts a long history. Story has it that during the Southern and Northern Period (420-589), ancient China was suffered from rebels. To defend the territory, soldiers and officials guarded at the city walls day and night, neglecting their self-safety as well as meals and sleeps. It was the beginning of autumn; white ducks were rinsed and added with salt and other flavorings by the civilian; then they were cooked to a turn before being sending to the city wall. However, when the ducks arrived, they were already quite dry and hard. So soldiers recooked them and they were glad when smelling the thick fragrance of the ducks. They praised the tasty ducks and named them pressed ducks since they were hard pressed. Many years later, cooking method of pressed duck has been improved into a whole set. Ducks now are thin in skin, tight and soft in meat, full in shape with a ever-lasting aftertaste.
Salted soup duck
It is also named sweet osmanthus flower duck, another widely renowned and old dish in Nanjing. It can be enjoyed anywhere around the city and anytime all year round. Salted soup duck tastes juicy but not greasy with crisp and white wrapping, tender and soft meat and nice scent. The best time to have this delicacy is around the Mid-autumn Festival-at the end of September or the beginning of October. Ancient records describe it like this, "Around autumn in Jinling, the most famous dish is salted soup duck; the fragrant of it makes people believe there is osmanthus flower in it". At every jubilant occasion, people tend to buy a bowl of this dish back home, which seems to have become a secular propriety to the locals.
Best purchase location: Hanfuxing Duck Store, which enjoys an equal fame with Quanjude Roast Duck Store in Beijing.
The main shop --
Address: No. 2, Ruijin Road, Baixia District
Tel: 025-52233678; 52740380
Branch store on Hunan Road--
Address: No. 111, Hunan Road, Gulou District
Tel: 025-83326866
Editor's Words:
The beloved ducks may be a little salty and hard. But this could not be an issue, as there are many other delicious dishes and many good restaurants in this "kingdom of Delicacy" for you to choose. Wish you a happy yummy journey in Nanjing and TOC is always with you!
---TOP---
