Jiangsu Cuisine

Jiangsu Cuisine, also called Huaiyang (for Huai'an and Yangzhou) Cuisine, is popular in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Using fish and crustaceans as the main ingredients, it stresses their freshness. Its carving techniques are delicate, of which the melon carving technique is especially well known. Cooking techniques consist of stewing, braising, roasting, and simmering. The flavor of Huaiyang Cuisine is light, fresh and sweet and its presentation is delicately elegant.

Typical menu items: Stewed Crab with Clear Soup, Long-boiled and Dry-shredded Meat, Duck Triplet, Crystal Meat, Squirrel with Mandarin Fish, and Liangxi Crisp Eel

Main characteristics of Jiangsu Cuisine:

(1) Distinguished for exquisite ingredients, freshness and aliveness. (2) High cutting techniques. (3) Have a good command of duration and degree of heating and cooking. (4) Good at keeping the original taste one particular taste for one dish. All dishes have light, mellow and refreshing tastes. Yangzhou Cuisine is light and elegant; Suzhou Cuisine is slightly sweet; and Wuxi Cuisine is fairly sweet. (5) Pay great attention to soup, which is strong but not greasy, and delicious.

Famous dishes: Butterfish in Creamy Juice, Santao Duck, Steamed Large Meatballs, Fragrant and Soft Silverfish, Crystal Pig's Trotters, Steamed Hilsa Herring, King Bids Farewell to His Consort, etc. Well-known snacks include Dumplings with Juicy Crab Meat Filling, Noodles in Clear Soup, Jadeite Steamed Dumplings with the Dough Gathered at the Top, etc.

Snacks: Jiangsu Province is noted for various kinds of snacks, with both vegetable or meat tilling, beautiful shapes and delicious tastes, such as Sanding Steamed Bun, Suzhou Glutinous Rice Cake, Dumpling with Juicy Crab Meat Filling, Huai'an Fried Dough Twist in Tea, Changshou Red Glutinous Rice with Lotus Seeds, Wenha Cake, snacks for the boats on Taihu Lake, Huangqiao Baked Cake, etc.