hether you’ve just arrived in China or are considered an old timer, chances are you still run into certain foods that make you do a double take. A number of different styles contribute to Chinese cuisine, but perhaps the best known and most influential are Sichuan cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Jiangsu cuisine and Guangdong (Cantonese) cuisine. These styles are distinctive from one another due to factors such as available resources, climate, geography, history, cooking techniques and lifestyle. One style may favour the use of lots of garlic and shallots over lots of chilli and spices, while another may favour preparing seafood over other meats and fowl. Jiangsu cuisine favours cooking techniques such as braising and stewing, while Sichuan cuisine employs baking, scalding, and wrapping, just to name a few. But here are some delicacies that will most likely give you pause and a few tips on how to approach them – if you dare!
Thousand Year Old Eggs (糖心皮蛋)
Despite the name, Thousand Year Old Eggs aren’t really a thousand years old (not even close!). But they’re certainly made to look that way. Duck eggs are preserved in a mixture of salt and ash for approximately three and a half months. This combination stains the white part of the eggs a depressing shade of gray and infuses in them an overly salty, almost vinegar-like flavor. These are particularly popular on Chinese New Year, as these sorts of eggs are supposed to bring the diner good luck.
Fried Starfish (炸海星)
Not quite the first thing you’d think to eat from an ocean chock full of fish and crustaceans, star fish are a popular street snack in northern China, especially Beijing. Fried and skewered, I’ve heard these stubbly snacks described in almost every way, from crunchy to bitter to salty to “creamy” (yes, creamy). Relatively mild in flavor compared to everything else on this list, the cool factor definitely comes from the idea of having such a gorgeously shaped creature as an afternoon snack.
Stinky Tofu (臭豆腐)
The classic “you’re not a true expat until you’ve tried it” food, stinky tofu stresses many people’s senses, even some native Chinese’s. It is made by soaking blocks of tofu in a solution that consists of vegetables, meat, and fermented (aka: spoiled) milk. The optional addition of things like dried shrimp and bamboo shoots can (slightly) alter the taste. After months in this brine, the tofu can be steamed or even eaten “raw,” but the most common preparation is frying. Slightly crispy on the outside and silky on the inside, chances are you won’t get far enough in your taste analysis to come to any definite conclusions before spitting it out. The chili sauce that usually comes with it is no help – this stuff tastes as bad as it smells.
Sea Cucumbers (海參)
Whether you get them dried from a Chinese medicine shop or fresh from a restaurant, there is no mistaking this odd looking creature for anything than what it is – a cucumber with feet and tentacles. The cold, slippery texture of the fresh sea cucumber is off-putting to a lot of people, but the actual taste is surprisingly mild. Particularly popular around Chinese New Year and other major celebrations, this dish has supposedly been used for centuries as an aphrodisiac (it should be pretty obvious why). Whether it works or not, this is one of the safer “strange foods” to try.
Bird’s Nest Soup (燕窩)
Although this soup’s name may sound like a metaphor for something, it’s not – it is literally made from a bird’s nest. More specifically, from the swiftlet, a Southeast Asian bird that uses its saliva to create its nest (and no, no other bird in the world does this). Difficult to get (the nests are located mainly in caves that require stilts to reach), this soup is becoming known as as aphrodisiac and an overall health boost for those who consume it.
Drunken Shrimps (醉蝦)
Considered one of the most cruel dishes in China, these shrimp require the diner to bite the heads off before eating them alive. Order them at any restaurant and you’ll be served a bowl filled with baijiu and live shrimp. The bowl is then covered with another bowl while the shrimp jump around – until the alcohol hits them and they become sluggish (aka: drunk). That is when the diner swoops in and bites the head off before eating them whole. They taste exactly as you would expect shrimp soaked in baijiu to taste like, but be warned – eating raw shellfish puts you at risk for some serious parasitic infections.
Fried Bee Pupae (蜜蜂蛹)
Before you begin imagining full grown bees with wings and stingers, keep in mind that these are just the pupae – the stage in between larvae (babies) and bees (adulthood). You’re essentially eating adolescent bees, if you will. Battered and deep fried, the smallness of the pupae and the heaviness of the frying process pretty much renders these things tasteless except for the saltiness and crispiness of the batter. They are everything a good bar snack should be.
Pig Brain (猪脑)
Most often served in Chinese hot pots (vats of boiling, flavored water or oil with various meats and vegetables), pig brain supposedly contains more iron and calcium than any other part of the pig. They are best dipped in satay sauce, as it tends to hide the vague rancid meat flavor of the actual brain. It is common Chinese folklore that eating the brain of an animal will make the consumer smarter, but there is absolutely no science to back that up. And the texture? Just what you would expect – soft and squishy.
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