Ten of Nanjing Local Flavors

Confucius Temple in Nanjing is the original place of Nanjing snack, which has long history and wide varieties. Here was the gathering place of merchants even in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. And it became more flourish in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Restaurants, teahouses, snack shops can be found everywhere. There are more than 200 colors of snacks. With the development of Nanjing, the numbers of store snack are growing up. Beside, there are concentrated streets of snack stores in Hunan Road, Xin Jiekou, Chaotian Temple, and Changle Road, Shanxi Road and so on.

1 Duck blood bean vermicelli soup


There were many beauties in Nanjing since ancient time. The 8 Lorettes, who called Li Xiangjun, Dong Xiaowan, Liu Rushi, Gu Hengbo, Ma Xianglan, Chen Yuanyuan, Kou Baimen, and Bian Yujing in transitional period, are also famous as “Qinhuaibayan”. Their sad and appealing love stories added the legendary of the Qinhuai River. Nowadays, it is no more splendid as usual; people only can find the delicious food to meet their demand.

The Duck blood bean vermicelli soup you may only find in Nanjing. I know 2 famous stores for selling it. One is in Zhenghong street; another is in the alley of Drum Tower Telecommunications Bureau. The stores are not big, there is a cauldron in the gate of stores and the duck miscellaneous soup is burning. When you order the soup, the cook will put all the materials in the soup. It takes less than 1 minute to finish. However, there are still a lot of people lining up to this store. The special taste of the soup would bring you lots of appetite.

The soup is the low class snack. It costs you no more than 5 Yuan. The soup taste is the most important one. It should be a secret recipe in the soup. 

Different place feeds different people. Different place also has different snacks, which reflects the local culture, even the character of people. A dish, a meal, a bowl of soup is the vivid reflection of culture of a place, an area.


2  Steamed Bun




Steamed Bun: Steamed Bun’s juice is important. Pay attention to eating it. It needs time to do a transparent solid colloid, and then chop it and mixed inside the steamed bun. The foreskin of good steamed Bun would be thin as paper, don’t worry to broke it when walking. Carefully raise it and put it into a bowl of vinegar, then suck up the soup in the steamed bun, the delicious soup make you feel satisfied. But you cannot in a hurry, because it is very hot inside.


3  Bean curd strips


Bean curd strips: There is a special way to make bean curd strip in Nanjing. They are all made of Tofu. Chop the tofu into pieces and assorted with different condiment, and together with sesame oil and soy, it tastes so wonderful.


4  Beef Fried Dumplings


Beef Fried Dumplings: It is crisp outside and juicy. Sweet and salty beef is the most significant feature of fried dumpling in Nanjing.


5  Ruiyi Huilugan


Ruiyi Huilugan: Nanjing has a long history, so the people in Nanjing also like to put the snack together with history. And take this simple Huilugan as an example; it has some relationships with Zhu Yuanzhang. It is said when Zhu became an emperor, he was tired of eating the delicacies in the palace. So he went out of the palace, and saw the fired bean curd is frying. He felt it is very delicious. From now on, the fired bean curd is famous.


6 Olio Tofu Lao


Olio Tofu Lao is also called as Tofu jelly. This snack can be found everywhere in China. But it is different in Nanjing. Except pleasant to the palate, the most difference is the condiment, such as small shrimp, tuber mustard, agarics, shallot, chili oil, sesame oil and so on. It is really fragrant, delicious. It is said, youngster can be clever to eat it and older can live longer to eat it. And the olio is putted in it, which means someone who eats it will have an infinitely bright future.


7  Spiced beans &eggs


Spiced beans &eggs: Spiced beans in Nanjing Confucius Temple are one of the specialties. It is said in the Qing dynasty Qianlong period, Qin Dashi lived in the alley of Jinsha Well, his family was very poor. But he studied very late every day. His mother cooked the beans with red yeast rice and red dates for him and encouraged him to study hard to be the champion. Later, Qin Dashi won the first in the examination and the spiced beans also became famous. Some vendors make full use of the students’ mind to be no. 1, and said "eating spiced beans, so that you can be the no.1. Actually Spiced Bean is just like the spiced eggs, it is fragrant, sweet and salty due to tasty cooking.


8  Boiled salted duck (duck head)


You should have eaten boiled salted duck in Nanjing. Boiled salted duck is the specialty in Nanjing and has about 1000 years history. The duck is delicious and has the trait of fragrant, crisp, delicate. The duck is most delicious in the period of Mid-Autumn Festival, it is called Osmanthus Duck. Duck head whether is stewed sauce bubbles, or salt watered, the water is delicious. It is comfortable to eat duck head and drink beer.


9  Steamed Dumplings


Steamed Dumplings: The steamed dumplings can be found in the whole China. But it is different in Nanjing; not only it has exquisite style, but also has good taste. The dumplings are made of fresh pork and mushroom.


10 Pastry


People in Jiangnan love sweet food. So the traditional pastry stores enjoy popularities in Nanjing. People in Nanjing are captious to sweet food. In additional, no the food is delicious, but also has a good look. So, most pastry in Nanjing is small and colorful. 


Food and Drink in China:http://www.tourdechina.cn/China-Culture/Food-and-Drink.html