Tasting Adventures on China’s Most Famous Food Streets
For the epicurean traveler, discovering China’s vibrant food streets is just as thrilling as climbing its mountains and temples. Those vibrant streets happen to be food museums where one may sample local delicacies where they originated. Let us take a walk down eight most famous food streets of China that you simply cannot miss.
Wangfujing Snack Street, Beijing
It is located right in the heart of the capital city. Wangfujing is one place that anyone should visit when he/she hanker after the cuisine flavor of Beijing. Nighttime turns the lane into an electrifying hangout where vendors sell everything from traditional candied hawthorn skewers to cumin-flavored lamb kebabs. Though vendors entice bold gourmands with scorpions or starfish on a stick, most tourists do not mind sampling North Chinese traditional cuisine such as sesame cakes and dumplings. The vibrant atmosphere is the ideal beginning to the cuisine experience.
Muslim Quarter, Xi’an
The Muslim Quarter is an ancient, cuisine-rich neighborhood formed by Silk Route trade over the centuries. There, sample the widely promoted China’s version of a meat-filled flatbread called roujiamo and hand-pulled biangbiang noodles, wide ribbons served with chili oil and garlic. The quarter is little less renowned for pomegranate juice and nut-stuffed sweetmeats, reflecting its Central Asian influences. Winding its way down lantern-lit alleys, you’ll discern the way history meets cuisine on every bite.
Yunnan Nanqiang Night Market, Kunming
For adventurous palates harking back to earthy, pungent recipes, Kunming’s Nanqiang Night Market offers a sample of the diverse cuisine of Yunnan Province. Mushroom shish-kebabs, spicy soup rice noodles, Dai grilled fish - just a few items on the list. As it borders Southeast Asia, Yunnan cuisine frequently incorporates lemongrass, chili, herbs unfamiliar to north Chinese cuisine. Locals also transform the market into a social event where tourists actually get to experience the local society.
Shangxiajiu Pedestrian, Guangzhou
Cantonese cuisine is world renowned, and it must be tasted on the Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street in Guangzhou. The dim sum restaurants spill over onto the streets where the shrimp dumplings, barbecued pigs on stick, and smooth rice rolls beckon. Claypot rice and roast goose alongside the dim sum are served to entice the pedestrians. The century-old European-style arcade-lined street offers the history of Guangzhou in layers even as the senses on the tongue enjoy the sophistication of the southern Chinese cuisine.
Huimin Street, Lanzhou
As the sacred city of origin of Lanzhou beef noodles, the food street is paradise for noodles enthusiasts. Newly made daily hand-pulled noodles with clear broth served topped with sliced beef is prepared right before the eyes of the customers with utmost speed and agility. Besides the noodles, there are the lamb skewers and Lanzhou regional specialty－milk－you might find there. A food stop on the Silk Road Highway circuit tour of the Gansu Province, Huimin Street embodies the glory of northwest Chinese cuisine.
Hefang Street, Hangzhou
Hangzhou is renowned for fine Jiangnan sensibilities, and Hefang Street delivers those conventions in the wistful old town environment. Enjoy dongpo rou, a rich-flavored braised pork dish named after master poet Su Dongpo, or try snacks prepared from West Lake region lotus roots. Herbal tea and crispy sesame-filled pastries are neighborhood favorites too. The cozy mix of gastronomic excess and traditional architecture makes Hefang Street a hangout.
Shaxian Snack Street, Sanming (Fujian)
Shaxian snacks are so popular nationwide that there are even small restaurants solely focused on serving them. When traveling to Shaxian within Fujian Province, it is possible to taste the originals where the journey started. Peanut butter noodles, soup wonton, vegetable and pork steam dumplings should be tried. That is the simple yet charming snack culture bringing the comfort food closest to the locals’ hearts after years.
Nanjing Fuzimiao Food Street, Nanjing
A food street that runs by the picturesque Qinhuai River, Fuzimiao Food Street is a dynamic place of historical significance and hearty Jiangsu dishes. Most dishes are centered on duck such as the salted duck or duck blood vermicelli soup. Sweet delights are also well known like sesame cakes and rice cakes. Lanterns glint off the river and there is the Confucius Temple nearby. Eating here is quite literally a journey down the past without the sacrifice of flavors that continue to be uproariously regional.
