Tianjin cuisine is derived from the native cooking styles of the Tianjin region in China, and it is heavily influenced by Beijing cuisine.
As emphasized earlier, the city is famous for preparing a wide variety of snacks both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Goubuli Baozi (steamed stuffed bun) is one of the oldest snacks served in the city. The snack has grown so much in popularity that now it is found in almost all the eating out places in other parts of China. Shiba Jie Mahua (fried dough twist) is a sweet smelling and crispy snack that can also be stored for few months. Another traditional featured Tianjin snack is the fried cake. The snack has a distinct flavor with crispy outer surface and inside having soft thin bean feeling which is sweet in taste.
Another characteristic of Tianjin cuisine is its utilization of Tianjin preserved vegetable, which is similar to the salt pickled vegetable, or yancai of Guizhou cuisine, but the former takes much longer to prepare than the latter, usually half a year. Another clear distinction between the two is that instead of having two separate steps of salt pickling and then fermentation, the salt pickling and fermentation is combined in a single step that takes a much longer time:
Chinese cabbage is mixed with salt and garlic together and then fermented, which creates the unique garlic flavor / taste and golden color. In order to preserve the unique taste, Tianjin preserved vegetable is often used for soups, fishes, and stir fried and directly eaten.
